Volkswagen Golf (Germany, 1974-1984)

The first generation of the Golf was launched in 1974, starting a new sort of vehicles for Volkswagen: the front wheel drive with front-mounted water-cooled engine cars. It also came out with the purpose of being a substitute for the outdated Beetle, clearly saving Volkswagen from bankruptcy. In 1975, the Mk1 Golf was elected Car of the Year by Wheels magazine.
In the North American automobile markets, the first generation of the Golf was sold as the Rabbit, starting in 1975. From 1978, this car became the first European model ever to be produced in the United States, specifically in Pennsylvania, aiming to reduce costs.
It wasn’t long until Volkswagen launched several versions of the Golf. First came the sports version – Golf GTI, in 1976. Later in that same year, the Golf was responsible for hosting the first VW’s diesel engine. The Cabriolet version came out in 1980. However, the most bought type of Golf was the three-door hatchback – a car-b...