Volkswagen also ushered in a new era of safety with the Golf III. We found a look that is typical of the Golf, which radiates safety and quality,” said Herbert Schäfer, then chief designer of the bestseller. In the third generation, design now plays a greater role. “As we moved from the first to the second Golf, we made the car bigger, installed more powerful engines and gave it better handling. It has a powerful presence on the road thanks to its much wider track, and even in the lower powered versions the wheels are flush with the body, unlike its predecessor. Yes, it looks different – and it is still immediately recognizable as a Golf: The Golf III was the first with a wedge form that was as dynamic as it was aerodynamic (drag coefficient value: 0.30). In 1989, the first diesel engine with a catalytic converter followed in November – a world first.Ī total of 6.3 million second-generation units, including all derivatives, were produced by the summer of 1991. Five years before the mandatory introduction of catalytic converters in Germany. It is also at the forefront when it comes to the environment: It is the Golf which, in September 1984, had a regulated catalytic converter for the first time in the 1.8-litre injection engine. And already in 1989 – 30 years ago! – Volkswagen presented a prototype of this Golf with an electric drive (Golf Citystromer) and a Golf Hybrid study. Technical innovations: the anti-lock braking system (ABS), power steering and the “Syncro,” the first all-wheel drive Golf. Series production of the second Golf begins at the Wolfsburg plant in June 1983. It becomes the mirror image of the brand: a compact car with a cross-class status that reaches all levels of society. The new vehicle is a manifestation of the “Golf phenomenon” – the Volkswagen par excellence. This makes the Golf II unmistakable and forgery-proof. Meanwhile, the C-pillar, which is still typical today, builds a bridge between the generations. The rear is radically designed: the taillights of the Golf I are positioned at the very bottom just above the bumper – in the case of the Golf II they now move further up. So no new design that departs from the Golf concept – but nevertheless a new car from bumper-to-bumper according to the motto: continuity in the concept, progress in detail and quality. Original script from Volkswagen in 1983: “The Golf must remain a Golf. The designers consistently follow the DNA of the Golf I and at the same time create progressive new details. Yes, there is a successor! And here it is: The Golf II is bigger and more aerodynamic. The first generation makes its mark: the Beetle's successor is sold 6.99 million times. The advertising starts with the slogan: “The new popular sport: Golf” – a vision that was to come true. In March 1974, the first Golf rolled off the assembly line in Wolfsburg. The stylistic features of the most successful compact car design? “The main design elements of the Golf I – the silhouette with the upright, solid C-pillar, the striking wheel arches and the horizontal front with the slim grille and the headlights protruding downwards – are still to be found in every Golf today,” says Bischoff. With the switch from the air-cooled rear engine to the water-cooled front engine, a completely new vehicle layout was created at the time.” Round became angular – a paradigm shift. Volkswagen Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff: “The step from the Beetle to the Golf was revolutionary. And it is also the year in which Volkswagen presents the first Golf, the successor to the Beetle. 1974 is the year in which Germany becomes football world champions for the second time, the Terracotta Army is discovered in China, ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo” and US President Richard Nixon resigns due to the Watergate affair.
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