Volkswagen Jetta (1980) – In the Wild

An average compact middle class car in 2023 is a hatchback in an inconspicuous color. Moreover, they are often equipped with automotive jewelry such as LED lighting, thick wheels and a spacious grille. How different it was in 1980, the year that this Volkswagen Jetta, spotted by Bart Vergeer, rolled off the production line. This Jetta fit neatly into its time, with its striking color, its sedan ass and its straight-forward appearance. No fuss, just a nice color.

From the time when the sedan was still flourishing in the Netherlands.

The first Volkswagen Jetta was a car that Dutch consumers secretly longed for when it came onto the market in 1979. At that time, sedans were still very popular in our country, but Volkswagen only offered the popular first Golf as a hatchback. That put things right with the Jetta, which was broadly the Golf-with-butt. The main design difference with the Golf was (except for the butt) the more modern nose with the wide headlights instead of the round ones of the Golf.

As mentioned, it was technically familiar and that meant that there were various four-cylinders on the order list. There was a lot of choice in the petrol field, dieselers had to rely on a 1.6. By the way, it was available in two flavors. There was a regular 1.6 diesel that generated 54 hp and later a real 1.6 turbo diesel was added, which was good for 70 hp. One of the first blown diesel engines at Volkswagen, the beginning of an era. According to the license plate data, this copy has that TD in its nose, although its year of manufacture tells us that it can actually only be the 54 hp naturally aspirated diesel. So things don’t seem to quite match there. But oh well, it’s nice that this Jetta ended up in our country two years ago. Given its optical condition and the relatively indestructible technology, it will probably last for many years.