1987 Volkswagen Golf GTi 16v

In the hands of the same chap since 1988, ‘D697 CNH’ started life as a long-term test car for CAR magazine. The seller bought it direct from the VW press fleet following its nine-month stint, acknowledging that while the 33,000 miles on the odometer would have been hard won, they would also have been accrued in lockstep with the most diligent of servicing.

He was the editor of WhatCar? magazine at the time, but a move to a freelance role for publications like Fast Lane and Performance Car meant he needed his own wheels.

It’s been in his ownership ever since, albeit shared with his children when they needed transport. It always ended up back with him though, and he loves it so much he treated it to a glass-out respray in the original Tornado Red in 2015, followed by a comprehensive recommission in 2022. 

He now finds he’s not driving as much as he used to, and thinks it’s a shame to leave it in the garage when someone else could be enjoying life with his eighties’ icon. He reports that  “The 16v engine is beautifully sweet at low speeds and far more flexible than people give it credit for. VW always pointed out that at no point in the rev range does the 16V torque curve dip below that of the 8V GTI. But it’s above 5000 rpm that this car really comes alive, and there’s searing, energetic power right up to the red line that would embarrass many modern turbos.”

Tornado Red was probably THE colour for the MKII Golf GTI; the eighties were a decade of excess and almost no one wanted the sort of muted metallics we tend to prefer these days. (There must be scope for a dissertation that investigates how optimism and car colour are correlated, surely?)

The respray by AD Autotechnik in March 2015 was driven by the usual fading (“it was in various shades of unripe tomato”) and clearly done to a high standard given how good it still looks almost a decade later. 

There’s an invoice on file for the work that comes to more than £4,400. This is a hefty sum but then the work did involve 88 hours of labour plus new clips, vinyl, and stickers in addition to a new green-tinted windscreen.

The panels received a little attention, but only a little. A period accident repair to a front wing was improved and it is still untroubled by the sort of dents and scratches you might expect to see on a Volkswagen that weathered the best part of four decades and 161,000 miles.

With excellent shutlines and good lateral alignment along the flanks, even the vulnerable front spoiler is still in place and free of the ravages of time.

The all-important red stripe around the grille is present and correct, as are the equally important driving lights. The badges are a little faded, and the metal sliding sunroof opens and closes as it should. It also fits the (clean) aperture four-square and seals tightly against the elements. 

The 14-inch alloy wheels might be subdued in design but then the Golf’s understated looks made it even more fun to catch drivers of more overtly sporting cars napping. 

They are in great shape too, and fitted with a matching set of 185/60R14 Continental ContiEcoContact tyres that have the date stamp of 2014. 

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

As for jobs you might like to consider, while the front and rear bumpers are in a decent condition overall, they have faded over the years. This is hardly surprising given the passage of 37 years since it rolled out of the factory, but their restoration would boost the Golf’s kerbside appeal.

Other flaws include a UV-damaged nearside rear lamp and a dribble of what looks like rust-proofing fluid on the rear panel.

The seats are trimmed in a fetching striped material and are still in an astonishingly good condition being free of rips, tears and other damage. Even the edge of the driver’s seats, usually the first place to show wear, is solid and unspoiled with only slight wrinkling to the lower bolster, something a decent trimmer could resolve very easily at the same time as they invisibly repair the very small hole that’s worn through on the base of the passenger seat.

The headunit is a rather nice JVC CD player but it’s not the original, and given originality is where the interest lies these days, we can’t help thinking that finding an OE stereo to replace it might be the way to go.

Because there is an awful lot of originality in here not least the coin holders in front of the gearlever, the row of three blank switches even in this top-of-the-range model, and, of course, the golf ball for a gearknob. 

Other positives include a dashboard that’s free of cracks and sun damage, good door cards, and intact carpets including the heel protector on the driver’s side. 

The boot floor is solid, the spare wheel, brace, and jack are in place, and even the fragile and almost-always-damaged parcel shelf is both in situ and free of extraneous holes.

Which leaves only a few jobs for you to think about like removing the remnants of a sticky pad to the right of the steering wheel, replacing the missing handle on the reclining mechanism for the driver’s seat, clipping together the plastic steering wheel shroud, sorting out the drooping headlining at the rear, and possibly replacing the worn carpet in the boot.

The following work has been carried out in recent years:

• 07.05.2022 and 161,452 miles – new front and rear brake discs and pads, new front dampers, a new cambelt and waterpump, new fuel, air and oil filters plus fresh engine oil, and new sparkplugs, rotor arm, distributor cap, and a fanbelt in addition to a few other bits and bobs including the removal of the immobiliser. Newlands Car and Classic      carried out the work at a cost of £1,800
• 25.06.2024 and 161,460 miles – MoT and the replacement of both front to rear brake pipes by Newlands Car and Classic

There are plenty more invoices on file for previous work, and it would be worth setting aside some time to browse through them.

As is almost always the case with the fuel-injected 1800cc engine, it fires into life at the first turn of the key and settles into an immediate clean idle. It also revs well and if it lacks aural drama, it also lacks every other kind of drama too, which is more important, surely? 

The engine bay is grubby and would benefit from being valeted, not least because the rest of the vehicle is so good. That said, a grubby engine will show any oil leaks better than a freshly power-washed one, but peering around the four-cylinder lump doesn’t show any.

As for the underside, we see new front struts and a new fuel filter. The exhaust looks like it’s been repaired and painted and this, along with some surface rust on it, leads us to think that budgeting for a new one might not be a bad idea. 

Nor would thinking about spending some time freshening up the underside. It’s not that it is bad because it isn’t it’s more that the surface rust and red overspray take the edge of what could be a very good undercarriage. 

Oh, and you know what we said earlier about it being an oil-tight engine? We might have jumped the gun a bit because the sump looks like it could be weeping. Still, that should be a cheap and easy fix. 

As a professional motoring journalist and former editor of WhatCar?, it’s fair to say the seller knows his stuff, and the fact he chose this particular VW Golf GTI 16V to buy and run as his daily driver – and then kept it for 36 years – speaks volumes about just how good it is. 

(Interestingly, he was told by one of the journalists at CAR magazine at the time that it had had “a hard life but we really like it!”)

His family clearly agreed because not only did they borrow this one from time to time, they ended up owning three between them at one point. 

He used it for various events over the years including a couple of Guild of Motoring Writers international rallies: he is keen to point out that “it’s never been used for track days though!”

The Golf’s MoT certificate, which is valid until June 2025, was issued with no advisories, the recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and it comes with three sets of keys.

Its paper history is as comprehensive as you’d hope, comprising a hefty file of old invoices dating back more than three decades.

Given where the price of the Golf GTI MKI is now, it’s only a matter of time before the price of the MKII follows – and given that every petrolhead’s favourite game is predicting what is currently undervalued, the smart money must be on examples like this, surely?

Because provenance is everything, and even with a guide price of between £12,000 and £16,000, you’ll be getting an awful lot of car for your money – and the GTI’s one-family history and time in the hands of the legendary CAR magazine team won’t harm its future value.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am- 12pm or 2pm-4pm. 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’.