The Brazilian GTI

The Gol GTI (yup, it’s Gol, not Golf) was a model made in Brazil by VW between 1988 and 2000 and is considered a mythical hot hatch amongst the Brazilian car scene.
It featured a 2.0l I4 and was the first model offered by VW to feature electronic injection in Brazil. Initially, it made 120hp and 18,4Kgfm, what doesn’t seem like much, but considering it was extremely light, weighing just 980Kg, it was able to do 0-100 Km/h in just 8.8 seconds! Pretty respectable, considering its main competitors, the Chevrolet Kadett GSi and the Ford Escort XR3 had 0-100Km/h times over 10 seconds! Also, it had some components, such as the overhead cam from its big German brother, the Golf GTI.
Also, it had a plethora of equipments for performance and comfort, such as the option between BBS wheels or the Orbital Wheel (in the main pic), which was derived from the ones featured in the Orbit concept car, shown in the 1990 Frankfurt auto show, hella rally-style foglights, recaro seats and an extremely well-built interior, considering the Brazilian standard for the time. The GTi also featured the Bosch electronic injection referred to at its name, being very economic for a hot-hatch, doing 8,7Km/l in urban use. Its silhouette was based on the Mk1 Golf and also on the Scirocco, but in a more compact manner.
In 1994, the design changed drastically, now featuring a bubble-like design for better aerodynamics and a weaker 105hp engine (?!?!?), which was corrected for the 1996 model year. It had the engine block imported from Germany, what helped it to improve for a mighty 145hp (remember, most cars in Brazil made around 70hp in the 90’s). Moreover, VW chucked some other posh equipment, like hydraulic clutch (something rare for that time), stiffer suspension settings and ABS brakes. Its production lasted until the first year of the new millenium, ending a car which is referred to as one of the best automobiles ever produced in Brazil.

Would you drive one? Would you own one? Leave your answer in the comments!