The hot hatch par excellence, the one that is always claimed to have invented the concept, was the Golf GTI, launched in 1976. The competition, as is its wont, did not just leave this niche to VW alone, of course. By about 1980, there were so many GTIs in this segment that the Golf was in danger of losing its supremacy. Oettinger to the rescue!
Like AMG for Mercedes, Alpina for BMW or Abarth for Fiat, Oettinger were (and remain to this day, though the present-day outfit has been absorbed by VAG) the specialists shop for all VW enthusiasts who want a little more performance out of their car. Anything from engine upgrades to body kits, suspension modifications and bigger exhausts – since the late ‘40s, Oettinger had developed it all.
Up until the early ‘80s, the Oettinger bits and pieces were added by VW owners after the fact. But because the Golf GTI’s rivals were really nipping at the hot hatch’s heels, VW decided to do an official “Oettinger” variant, complete with a 16-valve 1.6 litre engine, twin exhausts, fatter tyres and spoilers aplenty. Curiously, these were only sold in France and Switzerland for MY 1981-82 as the Golf GTI 16S (S for soupapes, French for “valves”), churning out 136hp, or 25 more than the standard GTI.
But in 1982, the GTI gained access to the 1781cc engine. Oettinger obligingly worked their magic on it, adapting their crossflow DOHC 16-valve head and other mods to the motor. Output was up to 142hp according to one source, but it really depends on how deep the modifications were – there were a lot of extras that could be added on.
This particular car is for sale, by the way. The dealer is specialized in classic and modern Aston Martins, Ferraris and Porsches, but they probably figured such a rare Golf would not look too out of sorts in that company. The price is not advertised, but the online advert does contain a lot of additional photos if you’re curious.
If it were up to me, this particular Golf would first need to be fitted with proper wheels, rather than those horrid things. But hey, given how expensive this Golf probably is, that extra expense would probably not make much difference. In for a pfennig, in for a mark. And you’d have to be quite a mark (or a hardcore Golf fanatic) to fork out the money that these usually go for. I’ll stick to the GTI, thank you very much.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1975 VW Golf Mk1/Rabbit – The Most Influential Modern Global Compact Car, by PN
Curbside Classic: 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI — When Fun Hopped Across The Ocean, by Eric703
Curbside Classic: 1986 Volkswagen Cabriolet – What Women Want, by JPC
Curbside Recycling: 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit C Diesel – Not Hopped Up, But All Hopped Out. by Jim Klein
Curbside Classic: 1979 Volkswagen Golf – Is this CC’s Favourite Car?, by T87
Vintage AMS Review: 1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI — VW Hot Hatch Changes The Game, But Americans Don’t Get It, by Aaron Severson
Car and Driver tested a Scirocco with this engine. I think Callaway was the US agent for Oettinger. It had superb performance for the era, but I think the cost was also in line with other cars of similar performance which didn’t have such pedestrian roots. While the 16-valve Oettinger engine did restore the VW GTI to the top of the hot-hatch heap, it didn’t represent much of a value proposition.
IIRC, VW’s own 16-valve head arrived on the US market in 1987. I test drove a GTI-16V, and it really didn’t feel like it had the claimed power increase to 123 horsepower over the 90 horsepower of the VW I was comparing it to. It didn’t exactly charge for the redline like some Japanese 16-valve performance engines of the era. The 1.6-liter Oettinger Scirocco had hit 60 miles per hour in less than seven seconds, while the factory production version took over a second and a half longer five years later.
A set of standard GTI Snowflake wheels would look the business aplenty and mark (1) this as pretty much perfection, although the factory did at one time put out a very similar to these here flat-faced 7-spoke design for the Mk1 Cabriolet around maybe ’86, also usually seen in white which looked good on a red car. Oettinger stuff overall was always quite nice and relatively rare in the U.S.
I recognize the dealer that this one is parked in front of and if they have (in the company of their usual fare) it really must be in absolutely top condition. Were I there I’d likely be prostrating myself on the ground in front of it in appreciation…
Now this is a car I would love to drive and even possibly own. Assuming it’s relatively easy to wrench on and all its foibles have been documented in great detail on various online VW forums and Youtube. If the specs of 123 hp and a curb weight of just a skosh over 2000 pounds are somewhat correct it sounds like a lot of fun. The only big spoiler I spotted is under its chin and that’s just how I like my cars. No gigantic rear spoiler or farting rhinoceros exhaust pipes for this kid.