mk1 2 door VS mk1 4 door...

[Tim]

not that there is anything stiff about a mk1. But on older generation cars the body is generably stiffer on a 2 door version than the equivalent 4 door.

[Sharkie]

GTI was also only ever 2 door

Actually no .... in South Africa the MK1 GTI was 4 door only ....

(I have an original 1 (1982 1800 82kw) coming July/August/September, along with a 1988 Caddy)

EDIT: both currently being restored to mint & original condition by my brother-in-law at his panelbeating shop in South Africa.

Also in South Africa, you could get a GT (1981-1983) in 2 doors, which had all the GTI goodies but a 63kw 1600 engine. I've been unable to find 1 in a good enough (and original enough) condition to bring across.

[Tim]

nice! there are a lot of unique cars in South Africa. BMW had some interesting SA only cars.

Were the 4 door GTIs built in Germany?

[Sharkie]

nice! there are a lot of unique cars in South Africa. BMW had some interesting SA only cars.

Were the 4 door GTIs built in Germany?

All the MK1s sold in South Africa were built there. The GTI had the Wolfsburg edition steering wheel (with the metal spokes) as did the GTS and GT. Also, all had the tartan cloth seats. The GTI's also all had the later dash.

GTS was a 4 door with all the GTI goodies except the same 1600 63kw engine (carby fed not the FI of the 1600 GTIs)as the GT. Essentially a 4 door GT ....

My family had both GTS's and GTI's at the time. In fact the 1st Golf in our family was a canary yellow 1981 GTS and was my mother's car.

More interestingly was the GLI MK1 Jetta, which essentially a MK1 GTI with a boot (and aircon)

And the BMW's yes were really interesting, 325is (2.7 155kw) and even the 333i ....

325is had lots of aluminium body panels to keep the weight down. I've been looking for 1 to bring across but also unable to find a good unmolested example. Post 1989 was better also, but not eligible for import.

[Jarred]

i'm not even going to bother, seems everyone missed my point about the GTI's anyways.

[SpeciP3]

Josh, there's not a huge difference in them (aside from the fact of door numbers), the only thing I'll mention is that there was a very small number of 2 doors sold in Australia to 4 doors (1 to around 50 so I've been told), thus making them a more rare and desirable model nowadays.
In a practical sense the 4 door ticks all the boxes, but 2 doors are always going to be the more classic car, it's just how it seems to be - plus if you're not carrying passangers all the time, then it doesn't matter at all!

Personally I prefer a 2-door anyday, but I'll always wave to someone in a 4 door

[greasykitchen]

i'm not even going to bother, seems everyone missed my point about the GTI's anyways.

Your point: GTIs are 2-doors therefore 2-doors are where it's at?

I prefer the look of 2 doors but an extra pair of entrances would come in handy sometimes. Don't miss them though, as I've never owned a 4 door car at all!

[JoshFair]

hmmm well i have locked in a 4 door which is very exciting for me but i would love a 2 door one day! i dream of a massive garage of mint mk1's to hand out to my grand kids when i'm gone! hahaha (hopefully a while away!) but when it comes down to it, whether its 4 door or 2 door, it is still going to put a grin on your face after every drive! we can all agree on that!!

[oet16s]

Putting the visual aspect aside, there are two performance orientated reasons for two doors: body rigidity and weight saving.

[Jace]

Anyone wanna swap me a 2-door?

[Peter Jones]

Putting the visual aspect aside, there are two performance orientated reasons for two doors: body rigidity and weight saving.

There's only 25kg difference between a 2 door and a 4 door with the same motor and box.

Manual 2 door 1.6 780kg
Manual 4 door 1.6 805kg

Automatic 2 door 1.6 805kg
Automatic 4 door 1.6 830kg

[oet16s]

you tell the honda guys: "only 25 kgs". They will spend big coin on lighter panels just to save a kilo here and a kilo there. hehehe

[Mk1_Citi_Golf]

Hi guys! Reviving an old thread here. So I’ve bought a rough (and I mean rough) Mk 1 GTi Golf which I believe to be a 1979 model. Now, my question is were 4 door GTi’s available here in Oz? Cheers all!

[Sharkie]

Hi guys! Reviving an old thread here. So I’ve bought a rough (and I mean rough) Mk 1 GTi Golf which I believe to be a 1979 model. Now, my question is were 4 door GTi’s available here in Oz? Cheers all!

The only original 4 door MK1 GTI's in the world were sold in South Africa from 1982 onwards. They are also super scarce these days. If you can find 1 (in South Africa) you can privately import it.

If its a 1979 and 4 doors, it is not an original GTI.

[Mk1_Citi_Golf]

Hmm. It was hinted when I bought it that it might be South African…