Another “new” German car that is also decades old is up for sale. A GTI 25th Anniversary Edition will go to auction in the UK with just eight miles on its odometer. And despite being twenty years old, this GTI just got its first pre-delivery inspection, according to the auction house selling the hatch.
Just don’t ask for a factory warranty, because this GTI dates back to 2001. Silverstone Auctions lists the car as a 2002 model, which may have something to do with the year the car was registered, but the GTI is a 25th Anniversary Edition and VW says those were MY 2001. Regarless, this one is number 718 of the 1,800 special editions that VW made to celebrate 25 years of the GTI.
This particular version never made it to the U.S., but Volkswagen brought the nearly identical GTI 337 Edition to the States in 2002, the year after the 25th Anniversary Edition was sold in Europe. They had the same upgrades, like BBS wheels, Recaro seats, Votex body kit and the same interior.
The Mk.IV GTI got a bad rap, but I’m a big fan of the GTI 25th Anniversary and the 337. This generation had what I consider the best styling of any Golf, and just the right number of doors. The Reflex Silver is classic.
This generation was designed by Hartmut Warkus and it drew praise from the designer of the original Golf, Giorgetto Giuguaro, himself. Volkswagen detailed the design in its “40 Years of Golf” pretty well:
The Golf IV, developed under the aegis of former Volkswagen Group Chief Designer Hartmut Warkuß in 1997, is seen as a stylistic icon to this very day. The clear and precise design sent signals that pointed the way into the future – its influence on the VW design can actually still be seen today. One thing that certainly lasted is the elegant profile of the body joints, such as the striking parallel momentum that characterizes the rear roof pillar – the “swept” C. Moreover, the marked horizontal visual of all lines gave the Golf IV great confidence, indeed the confidence of a big car.
This hatch may have had the confidence of a big car, but maybe not the mass.
How much its design and condition as a “new” car is worth at auction is unclear for now, because it doesn’t go on the auction block until July 31.
