When it was launched in 1974, the Volkswagen Golf succeeded in replacing
the legendary Beetle and setting new standards for the family hatchback
for years to come. It would become one of the top three bestselling cars
in the world. With its stunning design by Giorgetto Giugiaro, founder of
Ital design, the new car also incorporated significant engineering
features such as a transverse engine that allowed for more internal
space. In this revealing book, VW expert Richard Copping follows the
story of the development of the Golf and the critical management and
design decisions that would make the car such a worldwide success. The
author shows how the concept of continuous development at Volkswagen led
to the appearance of the versions of the Golf that are covered in this
book -- the Mk 2 in 1983, the Mk 3 in 1991, and the Mk IV in 1997. He
explores the various design and engineering changes that took place as
the Golf evolved, including increased dimensions, new engines and of
course the stunningly successful GTi. The fourth generation Golf also
introduced powerful but economical diesel engines. The book also covers
variants such as the Jetta, Vento and Bora, which accounted for most
sales in the United States. Full of fascinating information, this book
is a revealing analysis of the first four versions of the Volkswagen
Golf.
