Into the RABBIT HOLE

here’s a theory that lots of Mk1 Golf owners probably live by – it’s a relatively slow car that feels exciting to drive at ‘sensible’ everyday speeds. Yep, a 400hp Golf R is undoubtedly a much faster and more capable car point-to-point, there can be no doubt about that, but talk to the owner of any Mk1 Golf and they’ll romanticise the purity of the experience, the sheer amount of glass and the tenacious, rampant involvement that simply defines fun and urges you to search out the redline whenever the horizon unfolds. And that’s with the 112hp 1781cc 8v motor on-board. Turn up the wick slightly and much like 50-year-old Paul Lovegrove from Berkshire, you might just find yourself falling down the rabbit hole (no pun intended) of chasing race car like response and earbleeding induction howl from an engine that’s might look fairly period correct, but is in fact a 21st century incarnation of a 90's Wolfsburg legend. Honestly, there’s so much tech in this restoration you won’t believe it. As many of you will no doubt attest, it’s a rather slippery slope and once you’re at the top of the ascent there’s only one way