GOLF

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1974

Years

VOLKSWAGEN

Client

AUTOMOTIVE

Sector

GERMANY

Location

Vision

“The car that became a milestone in automotive history and marked a new beginning for Volkswagen.”
The Golf project represents a pivotal moment in automotive history, marking a significant turning point for Volkswagen. Designed by Italdesign, the Golf was created to replace the iconic Beetle, a vehicle that sold over 20 million units and defined an era of automotive excellence. The collaboration between Italdesign and Volkswagen established a new design language for compact cars, setting the standard for future generations of vehicles.

Key Highlights

In the early 70’s Volkswagen needed to replace what has become a “monument” in automotive history: the Beetle, designed by Ferdinand Porsche in 1937, a car that sold over 20 million units in almost forty years. The German management then asked its Italian importer, Gerhard R. Gumpert, to indicate the best car designer, the one able to design a new project for a C segment car. During the 1969 Turin Motor Show, helped by some journalists, Gumpert identified six cars that he considered the most interesting of the show. Four of these wear the mark of Giorgetto Giugiaro and Volkswagen decided then to assign to Italdesign the design of the Golf. The success of the Golf was striking. From 1974 to 1983 it sold over 6 million units, the GTI version was a must, especially among young people across Europe.