AutoTrader Find of the Week: 1990 Volkswagen Golf GTI G60 First Edition is a Rare Gem

I’ve never quite understood the passion, obsession, and borderline mania of Volkswagen enthusiasts. However, I am somewhat jealous of it.

Having almost exclusively expressed my automotive identity through muscle cars, the dynamic almost feels Bugs Bunny-esque. While we flex and strain and create a great racket in an infantile effort to let the world know we exist, damnit, the humble VW enthusiast goes prancing on, seemingly blissfully unbothered by any such ego contest.

Of course, the VW community has their own version of “flexing” — their own distinct points of pride and contests of ego.

But I admire that their shared language seems to revolve around a general philosophy of “less is more” and “taste above all else.”

Call them “hipsters” if you want. They certainly fit the bill. But do it at your peril. As someone constantly branded with the Millennial scarlet letter that is the “hipster” label, let me tell you, you’re only telling on yourself for feeling uncool.

It is to that end that I truly wish I could appreciate this 1990 Volkswagen Golf GTI G60 First Edition offered for sale byWelling Sports and Classic Cars in London, Ont., and listed on AutoTrader. It has done just under 140,000 km in 35 years and has an asking price of $44,995.

A certified classic. A rare, well-kept gem.

But what exactly is so special about a G60? What makes this different from every other Mk2 VW Golf on the planet? Don’t worry, I had to look it up too.

The G60 code refers to the engine: a 1.8-litre supercharged unit. It’s probably familiar to most VW fans as the Corrado engine, though, notably, it would also premiere in the Golf in the homologation special Rallye trim — a special commission for Group A Rallying, notable for its box-wheel arches and “Syncro 4WD” system.

In its standard eight-valve trim, the unit is good for 160 hp and a rather impressive 226 lb-ft of torque thanks to electronic fuel injection (a selling feature at the time) and the addition of a spiral-type supercharger.

The rarest of the rare G60 Golfs was 1989 Limited edition, which, true to name, was limited to a hyper-coveted 71 hand-assembled units.

The Limited set a new benchmark in hot hatch performance, upping the stakes of the Rallye edition by utilizing a 16-valve G60 engine over the standard eight-valve, which tall tales say was good for up to 300 horsepower.

This G60 is not one of those 71 cars. To the contrary, the Edition One signifies more of a standardization of the G60 option to the GTI nameplate after the Rallye was something of a sales flop — particularly in North America, thought to simply be too expensive an option (a hot hatch pricing itself out of existence in North America? You don’t say!).

The Edition One would make do with both the front-wheel drive of the standard GTI and the more tame eight-valve G60 variant found in the discontinued Rallye, producing 160 horsepower. Luckily, despite its European assembly, this G60 variant was exclusively available in left-hand drive, so at least you could still be put on sale in North America.

However, it does make the Edition One something of an odd middle child — rarely discussed outside of the racing-inspired Rallye or bonkers-rare Limited. In some ways, it’s sort of the most obscure, or perhaps just overlooked, of the Mk2 G60 Golfs.

As of its introduction in August 1989, most North American buyers would most closely associate the GTI G60 with the Wolfsburg Edition, which signifies that this GTI received spec-specific blue cloth interior by Recaro, wider fender arches, sport-tuned suspension, alloy wheels, a heavy-duty cooling system to support the supercharged engine and, of course, Wolfsburg Edition badges.

Still, outside of the immaculate and very classy Dark Burgundy Pearl paint, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for any other Mk2 Golf you’ve ever seen. You’ve got to look closely to notice the differences. Your neighbours will probably think you’ve purchased nothing more than a 35-year-old VW.

But these are the tasteful and subtle details non-VW swine like myself tend to overlook.

It’s perhaps these exact kinds of subtle details and obscure trivia that draw in the VW crowd. Discerning an Edition One from a Rallye or Limited is enough to make my head spin. But those who never learn to notice the differences in anything in life rarely learn to appreciate them.