1989 Volkswagen Clipper Cabriolet

Finished in the wonderful Helios Blue, ‘G775 SGT’ is a 1991 Volkswagen Golf Clipper Cabriolet.  Fitted with the fuel-injected 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, it’s a GTI in all but name.

It spent its first few years in the United States before coming to the United Kingdom in 1998. You’ll see it is showing just one previous keeper on the V5 registration document and that’s the only owner it’s ever had; purchased in New York in 1990, the original owner was a high-flyer in the financial world – quite literally because a series of promotions saw him eventually using a helicopter to commute, which relegated the Golf to occasional duties in the Hamptons.

It was then air-freighted to the UK as part of his severance package, where it sat unused in the underground car-park of his Chelsea residence for a few years. Following his move out of London and into the West Country, it was recommissioned in 2008 before being used for runs to the train station and pub. 

Laid up again a few years later, he sold it to a friend of his in late 2022. This is the chap who’s selling it now, making this effectively a one-owner-from-new example. 

The seller has ploughed significant money into recommissioning it again with a new roof, refurbished wheels, rebuilt front suspension, new brake discs and pads plus much more.

With just 54,000 miles on the clock, it is fitted with air-conditioning and power-steering, an almost unheard-of specification and one that makes it ideal for using in the UK or your overseas home.     

Helios Blue is one of the few colours VW offered the original MKI Golf GTI in, so its presence here is a welcome nod to the greatest hot hatchback of all time – and it looks stunning, doesn’t it? The Golf is a good-looking car anyway but the dark blue this one is finished in lends the car a grown-up look we love.

The panel fit is good too, with tight and consistent shutlines and good alignment and the paint shines beautifully as you can see; it’s been refreshed over the years and the result is a very presentable example that hides its age well. There are some swirls and scratches to the finish, mainly on the bonnet and front wings, but these are minor enough that they could be ignored for a while yet.

The body-coloured wheelarch extensions and front and rear bumpers give the original Golf design a fresh, contemporary look, while the smaller rear lights, which VW used instead of the newer, larger ones in order to give space for the boot lid, are the same as those fitted to the very earliest cars.

The dark blue folding hood is brand new and set the seller back a four-figure sum. As you’d expect, it rises and falls as it should, fitting nicely when it’s up and tucking away neatly underneath the cover when it’s down. 

Of course, its newness means it’s free of rips, tears and other damage and the chap who fitted it commented on how good the frame is; apparently, they are known to rot at the back but this one is good and solid.

The BBS alloy wheels are in a very good condition having been recently powder coated and diamond-cut. They’re fitted with Avon tyres on the front and Goodyear on the rear.

Traces of its American history can be seen in the shape of reflectors on the front and rear wings, square number plates, warning on the offside door mirror, and an aftermarket fog lamp. All could be remedied easily enough if they bother you.

Real issues are minor. There is some rust at the base of the windscreen and the seal at the top of the windscreen could do with being replaced.

The blue and red interior is very of-the-period and has, just like the exterior, survived the passage of three decades very well.

Its design is resolutely Old School too, although a full-width horizontal ‘ledge’ containing the switches for the electric windows are a more modern addition than you’ll be used to seeing in the MKI’s cabin.

Other modern-day touches are a steering wheel-mounted airbag and an aftermarket Sony Bluetooth headunit but the rest of the cabin is resolutely 1980s in style and all the better for it. 

The deeply dished bucket seats are still firm and undamaged and only a slight softening to the outer bolsters of the driver’s seat betrays their age. The overall cosmetic condition is still very good though with no rips, holes or other damage to either the cloth face or the vinyl rear that we can see.

The split-folding rear seat is just as good, if not better and the door cards, rear quarter trim, dashboard and carpets are all very good.

The centre console contains instruments for battery voltage, engine oil pressure, and water temperature (those of us who ran MKI Golf GTIs back in the day used to fit these as extras…) and underneath them sit three drawers for cassette tapes. (Yes, we used to fit them, too…)

Aging can be seen in the rear-view mirror, which has an aftermarket mirror attached over the original. The nearside door mirror glasscis fogged too, and the wheelarches in the boot show signs of surface corrosion. 

The service history booklet and invoices on file show the following routine maintenance having been carried out throughout its life:

• 27.04.1991 and 1,230 miles – service by County Automotive
• 16.03.1992 and 11,130 miles – service by County Automotive
• 11.12.1996 and 34,605 miles – service by La Vigna Bros. Garage
• 01.04.1997 and 35,628 miles – service by La Vigna Bros. Garage
• 21.12.1997 and 17,173 miles – oil change
• 14.09.1993 and 22,300 miles – service 
• 07.11.1997 and 39,839 miles – oil service by Pray Automotive Corporation
• 23.02.1999 and 44,822 miles – service by Scotts Service Centre
• 17.06.2000 and 47,468 miles – service by M&M Auto Engineers
• 21.04.2001 and 48,223 miles – service by M&M Auto Engineers
• 16.07.2010 and 53,533 miles – full service and a new timing belt by Galicia Motors Ltd 
• 30.09.2015 and 53,899 miles – oil service and misc work by Lincoln Volkswagen Specialists
• 01.07.2022 and 54,845 miles – new timing belt, battery and misc by Alistair Christie Motor Repairs

The seller tells us he’s got the UK and USA service history booklets.

Invoices show it’s also had a few bits of trim fitted recently as well as front springs and dampers plus new front brake discs and pads.

The fuel-injected engine bursts into life as well as they always do and idles and revs as it should. 

The engine bay is a little grubby but if that thing bothers you then cleaning and detailing it would be a joy.  

The Golf’s MoT certificate, which is valid until September 2024, was gained with no advisories. The online history has gaps, as you’d expect: it skipped the annual test in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 and covered fewer than 1,500 miles in that time.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and the Golf comes with the book pack and wallet, a bunch of old invoices, and two keys.

This example of the Golf Clipper Cabriolet is original and unrestored and offers the chance to get behind the wheel of a thoroughly modern classic car for not a lot of money thanks to the need for a little work.

You may wish to sort the windscreen and minor inner wheel arch rust, we estimate it’ll sell for between £8,000 and £12,000.

Those items aside, it can be enjoyed in its present condition or gradually refurbished as time and money allow. As we mentioned earlier, if you regularly drive in Europe it would make a fine car to travel in.

As for the ‘federal spec’ bits and bobs, these are an important part of its history, so we’d leave them alone and get on with enjoying it, fixing issues as and when they arise. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.