Europe’s decades-long love affair with diesel power is on the wane. A tag-team attack by EVs and highly efficient small petrol engines has drastically reduced the appeal of diesel engines, which are less refined and costly for automakers to adapt to tightening emissions regulations.
But go back 40 years, and both America and Europe were recovering from the effects of multiple gas crises and excited about the the possibilities of diesel power. And automakers were out to show that it wasn’t only really basic, practical vehicles that could benefit from sparkless technology. Mercedes’ turbocharged 300D proved it could work in luxury cars in the late 1970s, and in 1982 VW gave its Golf GTI a diesel doppelganger.
The GTD’s grille had a silver, rather than red pinstripe, and the GTI refused to share its sports seats and rev counter, but the arch spats, chin spoiler, blacked-out rear window surround, wide wheels (GTI alloys were optional) and golf ball gear shifter were all present. The big difference, of course, was under the hood, something the ‘Turbo Diesel’ script on the four-spoke steering wheel was happy to shout about.
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The naturally aspirated Mk1 Golf diesel had already won plenty of fans, but with 53 hp (54 PS) it didn’t exactly have the makings of a performance car, requiring almost 20 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h). But the addition of a turbocharger bumped power to 69 hp (70 PS), and while that was still some way off the 110 hp (112 PS) that 1982’s new 1.8-litre (up from 1.6) petrol GTI could deliver, the diesel’s 98 lb-ft (133 Nm) torque rating closed the gap on the GTI’s 113 lb-ft (153 Nm) figure and was achieved 1,500 rpm earlier. So while the GTD needed 13.5 seconds to reach 62 mph, versus just under 9 seconds for the gas hot hatch, it offered gutsy passing performance and did it while consuming around 60 percent less fuel.
Though many Mk1 Golfs have succumbed to rot, there are plenty of early GTIs still floating around, and some have survived in excellent condition. But you’re far less likely to come across a GTD, especially one as well preserved as this beautifully understated four-owner example. Sold new in Italy and finished in handsome Helios Blue, it’s got the quad light setup, but rides on simple 13-inch steel wheels. Inside, the silver and black tweed cloth appears to be in good condition and there’s a deliciously period Pioneer radio cassette to help drown out the primitive clatter of the 1.6-liter diesel motor.
I wonder if we’ll one day look back at today’s EVs, the cars that are playing a part in the demise of the modern diesel vehicle, and realize that they too weren’t the panacea so many seem to think they are. There are already plenty of people (and carmakers) who believe hydrogen is the true fuel of the future, though who knows what we might find under our hover cars’ hoods in 250 years time.
But getting back to 2023, via 1982, if want to stand out from the crowd at your local VW meet in this GTD this fall you’ll find it for sale on the Collecting Cars auction site.
