Bought by its original owner in May 1980 toreplace his white Golfwhen that had wornout, except it never didA right-hand-drive car purchased new in Holland at a very advantageous price (even after VAT and Duty)Collected from Holland byFreddie Taub of FT Motors of London and delivered personally to its first owner in CornwallWith no immediate requirement for its use, it was Waxoyled and popped into the owner's garage where it remained for 20 yearsmaking only two tripsThe first visit was to a dealer for a breather pipe mod and the second to Looe in November 1999 to finally get itregistered and have its first MOTThe subject of a full-colour feature in VW Motoringin August 2000The current indicated mileage is 738and this 40 years old, totally original and unrestored, time warp Golf isin a commensurate conditionAnyone who has ever sat in a new car will be familiar with that indefinable 'new car' smell, a combination of fresh paint, leather, wood veneers, new carpets and quality polish, hard to describe and difficult to put into words and certainly not into one word. Unless you are German. Germans have a word for everything and, in this case, the word is "Kraftfahrzeugsinenausstattungsneuwagengeruchsgenuss"which literally translates as 'automobile-interior-furnishing-new-aroma-pleasure'. Why do we mention this? Well, we are delighted to be able to offer at auction a remarkable little 1980 Mk1 Golf Diesel that is still able to offer a little of that 'new car smell' despite being 40 years old.Back in 1980, German cars were often available on the Continent at a much lower price than they were here and it was possible to order a right-hand drive car in Belgium or Holland, pay the appropriate UK duties and still make a substantial saving. These cars became known as 'Grey Imports' and, not surprisingly, the official UKimporters made this process as difficult as possible. The canny first owner of this car decided that whilst his current Golf Diesel was performing reliably, it wouldn't last forever, so it might be a good idea to purchase a replacement whilst they were such good value. He instructed Freddie Taub of FT Motors in London to broker a deal and this Metallic Green GLD (European spec RHD) example was duly ordered. We are not really sure why, but Mr Taub decided that it might be a good idea to pick the car up himself and deliver it via Calais to his customer in Cornwall which he duly did. He is on record as swearing that he would neverbecome involved in another transaction of this type again given the difficultiesof dealing with the totally intransigentBritish Customs Service at the time.When the car was finally delivered to deepest Cornwall, it was given a full underbody Waxoyl treatment and, not being immediately required, the other Golf still providing sterling service,it was put into his garage where it was to remain, apart from two trips, for the next 20 years. His White Golf soldiered on for the next 15 years, at which point it didn't seem fair to start using his 15-years old car with 500 miles indicated as daily transport.It's two outings comprised a trip to a local dealer for a mandatory mod to a breather and the car's second day out was to Looe in November 1999 to finally register it for the first time! It was put throughits first MOT test (at 561 miles) at the same time. Its first owner felt that he wasn'tinclined to start using it and having offered it for sale, itwas bought by a collector after its first registration in 1999 and has since travelled less than 200 miles. MOTd four times since the first, the car presents almost as it did back in the day. The little Golf attracted much attention with its new owner (as it does now) and was featured on the cover and in a 4-page feature in'VW Motoring' in August 2000.Our vendor has supplied both keys, all V5s issued for the car as well as all 4 MOTs and the original import documentation.It would be a surprise to find out that there is another Mk1 Golf out there now with lower mileage, with the exception of maybe a museum piece or two, and with Mk 1 GTis enjoyingan upturn in value over the last few years, this totally original and unrestored, time warp example will surely attract considerable interest. Realistically, however, I think it unlikely that its new owner will return it to the Winter roads and add substantially to its 738 miles so a private collection or the Show Circuit will benefit from this delightful little Golf.1980 Volkswagen Golf Mk 1 GLDhttps://youtu.be/7JQnlXkJgjYfalseYou can now book a one-to-one appointment (up to one hour) to view this lot at our central location of Stoneleigh Park (CV8 2LG) Monday to Friday, between Thursday 29th October 12th November. Please contact Gary on 07740 946 796 or [email protected] to secure your appointment or to discuss the car in more detail.The health & safety of both our customers and team remainthe utmost priority, we are therefore operating to strict COVID-19 guidelines and full instructions for arrival and inspection protocols will be given when making your appointment.