WHEN Volkswagen first glammed-up the Golf by introducing a cabriolet version the automotive world stood back in admiration.
Not that Volkswagen was unused to such things – producing the beautiful Karmann-Ghia in the 1950s and ragtop versions of the Beetle – it was just that the Golf looked such a natural in the world of wind-in-the-hair motoring.
In time the Golf Cabriolet became a true modern classic and for many it was the first venture into the world of stylish driving.
At a recent event, after driving the latest Golf Cabriolet I was able to take a trip down memory lane and get behind the wheel of a 1987 Golf Mk1 Clipper Cabriolet 1.8, an example of which I tested when new.
This particular car which has recently been restored cost £10,329 new – certainly not a cheapie at the time. It was powered by that old favourite, the VW 1,781cc four-cylinder petrol via a five-speed manual gearbox.
It could easily attain over 100mph and could zoom to 60mph in 10.8 seconds. Economy was not bad either with 33mpg being around the norm.
With 90ps on tap it proved that it was still a very lively car and could easily keep up with the cut and thrust of 2011 motoring with ease.
But driving something like this does make you appreciate the development that has gone into modern cars. Much more anticipation is required when driving cars of this era because handling and braking are usually not up to the standards of today's wheels.
With the Mk1 it was the braking that demanded a little old style driving. Stop on a sixpence it could not.
But the handling was surprising good despite the lack of power steering which was a nuisance when parking. It harked back to the days when hefting the wheel back and too when trying to slot into a restricted space sufficed for the day's quota of upper-body exercise.
But for me the best part of the drive was to drink in that old Golf feel - the black dashboard with switches all over the place and the fantastic attention to detail that made this car one of the landmarks of modern motoring.