First-generation Golf / Rabbit (Mk1, 1975–1984)
1975–1984
The first-generation Golf (Mk1) is the car that succeeded the Beetle and reinvented Volkswagen. Giorgetto Giugiaro's crisp front-wheel-drive hatchback launched the layout that defines the modern compact car, and in the US it was sold as the 'Rabbit'. Above all, the 1976 European GTI version created the 'hot hatch' — a practical hatchback with genuine performance — making the Mk1 one of the most influential cars of its era. // Source: Wikipedia "Volkswagen Golf Mk1" — US Rabbit MY1975–1984.
Photo: “Volkswagen Golf GLS 1977” by Bene Riobó / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
1975–1984
Overview
The first-generation Golf (Mk1) is the car that succeeded the Beetle and reinvented Volkswagen. Giorgetto Giugiaro's crisp front-wheel-drive hatchback launched the layout that defines the modern compact car, and in the US it was sold as the 'Rabbit'. Above all, the 1976 European GTI version created the 'hot hatch' — a practical hatchback with genuine performance — making the Mk1 one of the most influential cars of its era. // Source: Wikipedia "Volkswagen Golf Mk1" — US Rabbit MY1975–1984.
Milestones
Highlights
- Giugiaro-styled front-wheel-drive hatchback that replaced the Beetle.
- Sold in the US as the 'Rabbit'.
- The 1976 European GTI effectively created the hot-hatch segment.
- US cars were built in Westmoreland, Pennsylvania (from 1978). // Source: Wikipedia "Volkswagen Golf Mk1"
Model years in this generation