The GTI/GTi, alias the “Grand Tourisme Injection” had their heyday with the “bombinettes” boosted by injection and a turbo (optional). At Peugeot, the mythical GTi (with a small i) is the 205. Memories embellish performance, but for the time it was enormous. Above all, it was “cheap” which allowed many to be able to afford a “sensational” car (or a widowmaker depending on the model…).
Also at Peugeot, the 205 GTi starts at 105 horsepower and will end with the bestial 1.9 130 hp. These beautiful stories are also lulled by exploits in rallying. At Volkswagen, the mythical GTI (with a capital I) is the Golf. Born before the 205 GTi, this Golf GTI has made generations salivate, and continues to do so. The Golf GTI was born in 1976, two years after the “normal” Golf. It retains the simple features of the Golf while adding a few touches of sportiness.
Towards an ID.2 GTI?
This is for example the “red that goes fast” border of the grille, but also a body lowered by 2 cm and wide tires. Above all, the Golf GTI was a first 1.6 engine which released 110 horsepower in 1976, then a 1.8 version which rolled out in 1982 with 112 horsepower, but above all more flexibility with increased torque. The Golf GTI will be more and more bourgeois and heavy, but will retain this slightly edgy “bad girl” side. The GTI coat of arms has been applied to other models such as the Polo, the Lupo, the Up! and even up to the Passat.
Volkswagen will therefore continue to decline its models in GTI despite the electrification. Until now, VW’s EVs have been entitled to a “sporty” version called GTX. But, just as the new design of these models does not take, the badge does not seem to be in mores either.
Result, in addition to a more “Golfian” style for the future ID.2, we should find the GTI coat of arms with the I in the shape of a lightning bolt to clearly specify that we are dealing with an electric one. It is obviously via a deposit at the German Patent and Trademark Office (Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt or DPMA) that the image leaked. After all, VW CEO Thomas Schäfer made it clear that there would still be GTIs in the German automaker’s electric future.
SO ? GTI for the “small” VEs and GTX for the larger ones (and crossovers)?
