In May 1976 Volkswagen, in an inspired bit of parts-bin engineering, dropped an Audi 80 GT engine, bored out from 1471 to 1588cc and with US-spec Bosch fuel-injection, into its nimble little mainstream hatch to create the Golf GTI - and invent a whole new kind of car.
The plan was to produce just 5000 of what was expected to be a niche model; six generations later, nearly two million Golf GTI's have been built and it is, in fact, the top-selling Golf variant in South Africa; of 7123 Golfs sold here in 2011, 3565 were GTI's.
And that prompted VW to create the Golf GTI Edition 35, in celebration of 35 years of the original 'hot hatch'.
It would have been quick and easy to bolt on some fancy rims, choose a signature colour and stick on a decal kit, but VW decided that the Edition 35 was going to be really special, so only the first few were ready by the end of 2011, and the commemorative car has actually been released as a 2012 model.
Which, if you want to be really accurate, makes it the Edition 36; VW reckons it's been worth the wait, even if the signature badge on the front wings is wrong by one digit.
ENGINE
Carrying on the GTI tradition of borrowing more power from the parts bin, the Edition 35 has the 1984cc EA113, direct-injection turbo-petrol engine from the Golf R, with a reinforced block, heavy-duty con rods and gudgeon pins with thicker walls.
The waste-gate on its intercooled turbocharger is set for maximum boost of 0.9 bar at 5500rpm, giving it 173kW (18kW more than the standard, 155kW, two-litre TSI) and 300Nm from 2200-5500rpm - good enough, says VW, for a 0-100 sprint in 6.6 seconds and a terminal velocity of 247km/h.
That's faster than an E-Type Jaguar which, fifty years ago, was a supercar.
The Edition 35 even has a specially tuned sound actuator so that the intake roar heard in the cabin has a sportier sound than in the 'ordinary' Golf GTI.
All that urge gets delivered to the front wheels (hey, this is a hot hatch, china!) via either a six-speed manual box (standard) or a six-speed, double-clutch DSG transmission (optional) and an electronically controlled XDS differential lock.
VW quotes an average fuel consumption of 8.1 litres per 100km and 189g/km of CO2 with for the manual, or eight litres and 180 grams for the DSG variant.
MORE THAN FANCY STICKERS
The Edition 35 has more than just a fancy decal set to make it look different; it has a special front bumper with adaptive bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights and foglights.
The mid-section of the front spoiler is blacked out and there are little winglets on the front corners that VW insists do actually smooth the airflow around the front of the car.
The mirror housings are black, the side sills are body colour, the rear windows and tail lights are smoked, and the rear number plate is LED-illuminated.
The Edition 35 runs on special 18” alloys named after the Watkins Glen circuit in the United States, and shod with 225/40 radials.
In addition to the red, white and black that have been signature GTI colours for three and a half decades, the Edition 35 will be available in metallic blue, silver and two shades of grey, as well as pearl blue and black.
CLASSIC GTI TRIM
The gear-knob has that first-generation golf-ball finish, there are new 'black array' trim strips in the fascia and the door panels, special sill plates embossed with the 35 logo and seatbelts with red stripes.
The inside lateral seat supports and the front of the head restraints are upholstered in leather, while the centre seat panels have active-breathing microfibre fabric in a honeycomb pattern to match the signature GTI grille, all finished with red stitching, as are the three-spoke leather steering wheel, the handbrake and gearshift gaiters and the borders of the floor mats.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Dynamic chassis control
Rearview camera
Park assist with parallel parking assist and parking sensor
Parking sensors (front and rear)
RCD 510 radio/CD player with MP3 and six-CD changer
DynAudio Excite sound system
Satnav
Electric sunroof
Bluetooth cellphone preparation
Full leather seats
Towbar
PRICES
Golf GTI Edition 35 - R370 900
Golf GTI Edition 35 DSG - R385 700
The Golf GTI Edition 35 comes standard with a fthree-year or 120 000km warranty, and a five-year or 90 000km service plan. Service intervals are 15 000km.