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What model year was the first GTI sold in North America?

1K views 24 replies 21 participants last post by  SpdRAYcr 
#1 ·
Having a debate with VWoA on this issue as the 20th Anniversary is coming up and some people are saying 1983 and other are saying 1984.
Opinions?
Thanks,
-jamie
 
#8 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (foster)

Pretty sure '79 was the first year for the GTI in Canada. Had fuel injection, points ignition, steel wheels and plaid bucket seats. I have owned an '80 and my friend has a rusty '79. most came without moonroofs also.
 
#9 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (retrohasen)

I believe my '83 brochure has it in there and I think may had an ad and a car & driver road test from '83.
 
#10 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwvortex1)

mine has a build date of 8/83
 
#11 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwvortex1)

Definitely '83, I drive one. You can tell the difference between an 83 and 84 by the speedometer. 83s had an 85 mph limit and 84s go to 115 mph. I have upgraded to an 84 because 85 mph just isn't fast enough.
 
#12 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwrabbit)

quote:[HR][/HR]First year in the US for the stock rabbit was 76, no?
Tim

[Modified by vwrabbit, 9:44 AM 11-28-2001][HR][/HR]​
75, 83 was first for US GTI, and 79 was first for Canadian GTI.
 
#13 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwvortex1)

quote:[HR][/HR]Having a debate with VWoA on this issue as the 20th Anniversary is coming up and some people are saying 1983 and other are saying 1984.
Opinions?
Thanks,
-jamie[HR][/HR]​
Are you kidding? VWOA doesn't know? That's funny.
 
#14 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwvortex1)

Just to add to the '79 Canadian GTI theory... A buddy of mine has a '79 GTI in his yard and is 90% sure that it was the first year. It doesn't have the door sticker so we don't know the build date but it's titled as a '79 with GTI trim (including the plaid seats mentioned earlier).
VWoA
*edit* Obviously '83 for the US model. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
*edit again* I don't have oil cooler on my '84 either. Build date 6/84

[Modified by HyKlas, 3:53 PM 11-28-2001]


[Modified by HyKlas, 4:56 PM 11-28-2001]
 
#16 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (verboten)

Unsure about Canada, but it's definately '83 for the US. As others have pointed out, the speedo is different. The tranny thing is not a definate as some '83 cars came w/ 2H boxes. I'm also not convinced about the oil cooler either. I've got a very late '84 car that didn't come w/ one.
And I'm w/ Yellow Rabbit on this, how come VWoA doesn't know??? I can't believe that no one has an '83 Rabbit sales brochure. Other good sources of info would be MVMA, NADA, etc.
Also, if you look at the SCCA GCR, they have '83 - '84 Rabbit GTI listed on the spec line.
 
#18 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (ev_gti)

Its been solved. 1983 was the first model year which means that the 20th Anniverary of the GTI in the U.S. is 2003 MY next year.
Apprently the old records that VWoA uses had it listed as a Rabbit GTI and then in 1984 it was marked as just a GTI. So it was a little bit unclear upon first investigation, but VWoA has found all the original PR photos and such.
Thanks for the input.
-jamie
 
#19 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwvortex1)

quote:[HR][/HR]Its been solved. 1983 was the first model year which means that the 20th Anniverary of the GTI in the U.S. is 2003 MY next year.
Apprently the old records that VWoA uses had it listed as a Rabbit GTI and then in 1984 it was marked as just a GTI. So it was a little bit unclear upon first investigation, but VWoA has found all the original PR photos and such.
Thanks for the input.
-jamie[HR][/HR]​
So will we get the European 25th anniversary GTI as a 20th anniversary GTI here in the states?
 
#20 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (130_R)

So, what, the Canadian GTI's don't count. That's typical America-centric thinking.

Bye the way, it was 79 up here in the insignificant wastelands of the north. I've had two of them and they were very nice, one of them was my favorite car so far. Beautiful green plaid seats with black bolsters, one had a retractable sunroof. One of them had early Scirocco gold 13" alloy wheels with the flat rectangular spokes, very light and zippy, that's how I would discribe that car. Too bad it had a de-stroked 1.5L pig of a motor. Oh well you could always drop a VR6 in there like Shaun Vaneer did at Momemtum.

James.
 
#21 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (retrohasen)

quote:[HR][/HR]Just found out some more info from VWOA. They are not positive this info is correct, since they don't have access to the records for the Westmoreland plant anymore, but this is what they told me. My car is officially an 83. It was the 2483 Rabbit and the 102 GTI manufactured that year, so my car is the 102 Rabbit GTI ever made.

I will continue to do more digging, as now I am really interested to get more info on my car.[HR][/HR]​
How did you find out this information? My car was one of the first cars built in Westmoreland. It was built in '78. It'a also got an odd VIN#. It starts with 179..., I thought the cars all started with #VW...so the VIN decoder I found online doesn't recognize it. I'd love to find out more. Who did you contact?
 
#22 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (Yellow Rabbit)

Somehow several years ago, a friend ended up with a 1980 VW GTI from Canada. The body was rusty but the interior was perfect, especially the two front seats with high side bolsters and cloth material. Installed the two front seats in my project '79 street Wabbit.
The car had a "Rabbit GTI" rear emblem and plastic-type flares. For what it is worth, WWR. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
 
#23 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (retrohasen)

quote:[HR][/HR]1983 and a half was the first year in the US. They were a late release. The original owner of mine said he had to wait for 3 months after placing his order and that the dealer had to trade with another dealer to actually get the right car. It was originally registered in March of 1983 and the owner was told it was only the third one to be sold by the dealership(which at the time was the largest one in the San Francisco area). [HR][/HR]​
Bzzzzzt, I call bull****. I owned one of THE early '83's - I ordered it from Carlsen in Palo Alto in about October of '82 and took delivery in November '82. By March of '83 they were scurrying around all over creation. Either the guy blew smoke up your ass, or the stealership blew some up his - which is not hard to fathom!
 
#24 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (vwvortex1)

quote:[HR][/HR]Apprently the old records that VWoA uses had it listed as a Rabbit GTI and then in 1984 it was marked as just a GTI. So it was a little bit unclear upon first investigation, but VWoA has found all the original PR photos and such.[HR][/HR]​
The '83 and '84's were both "Rabbit GTI". It was the intro of the Mk2 in the US for the '85 model year when the name was reduced to simply "GTI". The regular Golf became "Golf" here that year, but the GTI also became just simply "GTI". The '85 was also Motor Trend's DOMESTIC "Car of the Year", a dubious distinction at best if you look at the list of some of the turds they gave that award to over the years (can you say "Vega"???!!).
 
#25 ·
Re: What model year was the first GTI sold in North America? (Yellow Rabbit)

quote:[HR][/HR]It'a also got an odd VIN#. It starts with 179..., I thought the cars all started with #VW[HR][/HR]​
IIRC, the current VIN system did not come about until 1981. Cars and trucks made for '81 MY had a letter "A" as the 10th(?) digit in the VIN. Cars and trucks for 1982 MY had a "B" as the 10th and so on.
*edit* Also, my car has a build date of 2/83 and I have a Road & Track from Nov. of 1982 with a great road test.


[Modified by SpdRAYcr, 10:12 PM 11-28-2001]
 
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