They do say that classics never die; that applies to the automotive industry as well, and the first-gen Volkswagen Golf is on that list, especially in GTI guise.

However, this isn’t a range-topping GTI, but a GLS, as the badge on the tailgate shows, which has received a number of important upgrades.

The most important lies in the engine bay, as it produces 455 horses from what is believed to be a swapped powertrain. We don’t know what powerplant it has, but if the number is real, then its output exceeds that of a new Ford Focus RS by some 100hp.

The bigger brakes take care of the much-deserved improved stopping power along with large rims and there’s a roll cage added to the cockpit, but if not for these parts you’d easily mistake it for a well-preserved Golf Mk1.

Its driver, and probably the person behind these mods, still has to figure it out how to put that impressive power to the tarmac, because it appears to struggle for grip, especially in first and second gears, as you can see in the video posted below .

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