Forum Friday: Norwegian GTI

It’s Friday, so it’s time once again to bring you another excellent thread from our forums. This week we feature one fetching MK2 GTI 16V. And as the title states, it hails all the way from Norway.

Over five years ago, VWvortex member Thelle rescued this Racing Green Metallic 1986 Volkswagen GTI 16V. Wait, a 1986 GTI 16V? You read that right: the all-new 16-valve engine didn’t make it to the States until the 1987 model year, but it was available in Europe the year before.

This ’86 had been sitting outside for more than five years when Thelle found it. And in those five years, it had two different owners who both had plans to restore the car. Thelle was determined to succeed where those folks failed. His work was cut out for him. And “cut” is a keyword here. The cold and snowy Norwegian climate had taken a toll on the GTI, and Thelle ended up cutting out quite a bit of rust.

Like all good restoration threads, this one has a ton of great photos. While it appears some of the early photos are no longer working, there are still many pages of crystal-clear images showing all the work he put into the car.

And along the way, there are some interesting “friends” for the GTI: a Touran, an Amarok, and even a Wartburg (google it). If you’re a fan of Euro vehicles, this thread is for you. One more friend was Thelle’s young daughter; she helped with the bodywork.

So enjoy paging through Thelle’s GTI restoration thread. When you’re done, drop him a compliment on his Metallic Racing Green Norwegian hot hatch. Thelle, we hope your out driving your car now since the snowy and cold winter will be here before you know it.

Source: Read Full Article