Few cars are as revered as the second-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI. The follow-up to the original hot hatchback added a bit more power without significantly increasing weight. For many, the Mk2 GTI is the pinnacle of what a hot hatchback should be, and this 1990 G60 version with its supercharged 1.8-liter engine is arguably the ultimate evolution for the second-gen model.
For those not familiar with the G60, it arrived towards the end of the Mk2 run with a factory-installed supercharger, giving the nimble hatchback a not-insignificant power boost to 158 horsepower (118 kilowatts). The boosted GTI never made its way to North America and as such, went relatively unknown in these parts save for those deep in the VW world. Judging by this new video from TopSpeedGermany on YouTube, we were missing out on some serious fun.
Details on this car's history aren't known, as the video description simply lists the vehicle year, make, and model. The video title labels it as a barn find, though we'll assume it didn't simply emerge from years of neglect to set unrestricted sections of German Autobahn ablaze with 8-valve glory. The clip opens with a very clean-looking Mk2 GTI, and though there's no mention of modifications, we're guessing there's an upgraded exhaust system under the sheet metal at the very least.
The Answer Is Always GTI:
Back in the day, the G60 was listed as reaching 60 mph in roughly 8 seconds en route to a top speed of 134 mph. This speed run doesn't give us any launches or specific time-to-speed metrics, but that timeless Mk2 analog speedometer eventually sneaks past 230 km/h. That's 143 mph, which tells us this 31-year-old GTI isn't stock, or there's quite a bit of speedometer error that far around the dial. Either way, for an old VeeDub hatchback showing over 180,000 kilometers (111,847 miles) on the odometer, it's an impressive showing.
We'd sure love to know more about this car, as it looks tastefully restored without going overboard. It also reminds us we don't have nearly enough Mk2 GTI love in our daily lives.
Source: TopSpeedGermany via YouTube