You've got to love Citi Golf enthusiasts. To the uninitiated, you might only observe an unsafe, probably unnecessarily loud and old Volkswagen hatchback; perhaps only fondly remembered - through the soft fade cathode ray enduced blur - as one of the Red, Yellow, Blue trio of that ubiquitous 80s advertising campaign. To others though, a Citi Golf is a blank canvas, one on which to project - or subject - all manner of stylistic and indeed mechanical creativity.
In most cases, it certainly is 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' but not this one. Enter Jamie Orr, a self-confessed Citi Golf enthusiast, whose resplendent blue example - from the outside at least - would not look out of place rolling off the Uitenhage production line circa 1984. Save for wheels, that is.
Not content with 'just' rebuilding his beloved Citi Golf, which in itself is quite a feat, Jamie will embark on a trip from South Africa to one of the biggest Volkswagen show events, the GTI Treffen in Wörthersee, Germany.
Indeed, a stock rebuild just didn't suit Jamie, with a decision taken to import a 3.6-litre Passat VR6 engine, complete with Golf 4 VR5 transmission, Limited Slip Differential, and lightweight flywheel and clutch setup, from America to South Africa. The challenge, though, was fitting the 225kW engine into the diminutive Citi Golf body. He did it though, finding a classic two-tone 1991 body which only had dents and minor mechanical issues. Of course, the interior received a tasteful upgrade with new Mk7 GTi inspired seat fabric, as well as all-new steering components and upgraded brakes to handle the substantial increase in power.
The car will now be shipped to the Volkswagen Emden factory in Germany, as well as to the headquarters of the Volkswagen Group, the Wolfsburg factory in Germany.
“In Wolfsburg, we will apply the finishing touches, before another 1 000km drive to the GTI Treffen in Wörthersee. The tour of Europe will also include factory and museum visits as well as a trip to the infamous Nurburgring race track,” said Jamie.
