This heavenly hot hatch isn’t old.
The second-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI is a beloved car. The second-generation hot hatchback was lighter and offered more power. The Mk2 GTI, which is considered the pinnacle of a hot hatchback, is the 1990 G60 model with its supercharged, 1.8-liter engine. It is undoubtedly the best evolution of the second-generation model.
The G60 was introduced in the middle of the Mk2 run. It came with a factory-installed turbocharger that gave the hatchback an impressive power boost of 158 horsepower (118 kilowatts). The GTI boosted never made it to North America, and was therefore largely unknown outside of the VW community. This YouTube video by TopSpeedGermany shows that we are missing some serious fun.
The video description only lists the year, make and model of the car. There are no details about the car’s past. It is described as a barn find in the video’s title, but we assume that it wasn’t just a result of years of neglect and exploded with 8-valve glory on unrestricted sections. The clip opens with a Mk2 GTI that looks very nice. Although no mention is made of modifications, it’s likely there’s an upgraded exhaust system underneath the sheet metal.
The G60 could reach 60 mph in 8 seconds, en route to a maximum speed of 134 miles per hour. Although this speed run does not provide any launches or time-to-speed metrics for the G60, the timeless Mk2 analog speedometer sneaks past 220 km/h. This is 143 mph. It means that the 31-year-old GTI may not be stock or that there’s some speedometer error. It’s a remarkable showing for an old VeeDub hatchback with over 180,000 km (111,847 mile) on the odometer.
This car looks great and has been well maintained. We are reminded that we don’t have near enough Mk2 GTI love in our everyday lives.