What was the first Golf GTI?
In many ways the first Golf GTI followed on from the GT cars of the 1950s and 1960s; it offered performance and handling equivalent to contemporary sports cars but still had plenty of space for passengers and luggage, and was no more demanding to drive than the regular car.
What does the GTI badge mean?
As you can see, over time the GTI badge evolved from its original meaning of a fuel-injected Grand Touring vehicle, to becoming a name that denotes a high performance variant of any car (although the GTI badge is most commonly found on hot hatchbacks these days!)
What does GTI stand for in Volkswagen?
Meaning of GTI Acronym in VW Golf GTI The GTI in the Volkswagen GTI — as well as other cars with the GTI acronym — stands for Grand Tourer Injection. It originates from the Italian Gran Turismo Iniezione. Generally speaking, the GTI acronym indicates that a car has a direct fuel-injection system.
How did the GTI become so popular?
The only missing piece of the puzzle is how GTI went from being something associated with fuel injected Grand Touring cars, to being a badge we most commonly associate with hot hatches (particularly Volkswagens). Long story short, Volkswagen helped to popularize the GTI concept, but considering they never made much in the way of true Grand Touri…