Volkswagen Golf GTI G60 (1990) – Glitzy Property

He works in road and hydraulic engineering and has a hobby of training police dogs, so it is clear: Hans Winkel (44) from Vriezenveen in Twente likes to tackle things. Roll up your sleeves and go. In the past, even when it came to cars. “When I was eighteen, I bought my first: a Ford Escort XR3i, followed by a Volkswagen Golf GTI G60,” he says. “I’ve always liked the faster work. That Escort was fun, but the G60 really sparked it!” Understandable, because the XR3i reached 131 hp, while the ‘loaded’ Golf mobilized no less than 160 horses. His hunger for more made Hans decide to get rid of the G60 after a while in favor of a Golf III VR6. With 174 hp it was even more powerful, but in terms of character it was completely different, as he experienced. “After only three months I had so many regrets that I wanted to buy my old G60 back. But unfortunately, it had already been sold. In fact, it was broken too! Then I was forced to switch to more normal cars, also because I had a family,” says de Vriezenvener. Yet Hans was unable to erase the G60 from his memory. “Once you drive that, oh boy, it’s really addictive!”, he beams. Fortunately, there was a remedy: the internet.

This G60 comes from Spain

“Years ago I had already registered on several car sites and Marktplaats with the request to forward all advertisements related to the Golf G60 to me. In the autumn of 2021, the time had come: a message popped up in my mailbox that a G60 would be for sale in Smilde, coincidentally at the time when I had to be in Drenthe for a construction job. The next day I immediately went to have a look. That was a special experience. The car was in an old potato shed and needed a jump start. When I heard him walking, I thought: yes, this is him. It ran well straight away, no strange engine noises. I took it for a test drive and two days later I already had it at home!”
The license plate indicates a recent import. “That’s right, this Golf was sold new near Barcelona and it was driven in Spain until August 2020. Then it was imported by a boy who thought he would like it. Why do I say that? Well, he had a certificate of authenticity made by Volkswagen and had the car completely technically renovated, with the underside in particular receiving a lot of attention. New brake lines have been installed, among other things. Then he put the Golf in that shed and never looked back.”

Standard air conditioning and electric window controls on Spanish G60

The nice thing about such a Spanish version is that the equipment is richer than with a Dutch copy. Air conditioning is standard, as are central door locking and electric window controls. The car was completely in its original condition, down to the Alpha radio and the special, nowadays rare Sebring wheels. “I have already been offered €2,000 for those wheels,” beams Hans. The most important thing about the G60 is of course the G charger, both in a positive and negative sense. It may be almost the most powerful Golf II (there was also a very expensive Limited, built only 71 times, with a 16V cylinder head and 210 hp, of which we also once made a Blits Bezit), but it was also a problem child. Hans: “I know it is a sensitive car. The G-charger is a tricky point, but I never really had any problems with the previous one and so far neither with this one. However, he must be warm before you can really demand performance from him. An operating temperature of 70 to 75 degrees is okay. And if it is really hot, you have to let it cool down thoroughly afterwards.”

Many pain points with G-lader

Although Volkswagen had described the G-charger as maintenance-free at the time, the opposite turned out to be the case. Parts such as drive belts, sealing strips, roller bearings and especially the balance shaft in the G-lader were sore points. The balance shaft is driven by a belt. If this breaks, an imbalance occurs in the G-charger and the impeller can hit the housing, resulting in pieces of that wheel ending up in the intake tract and the engine, with disastrous consequences. In fact, it should be replaced every time maintenance is done as a precaution. Those few euros easily outweigh a broken G charger (€1,500 to €2,000) or an engine overhaul, which was sometimes necessary after 50,000 kilometers. By the way, the odometer of Hans’ G60 already shows 243,000 kilometers.

Officer appreciated the G60

Hans was and is a G60 expert, as it turns out. When he went for a drive with his son the first evening, he gave the hatchback a good run. “I overtook a car in a built-up area, after which I was overtaken again by a motorcycle. It was a cop who made us stop. Not surprising: I was driving 160 km/h. He looked up when he saw me: he must have expected a very young boy behind the wheel. “That’s a special car!” he managed to say. He didn’t talk about speed anymore, except that I shouldn’t drive so fast anymore.”

Son has G60 virus

That brings the story to Hans’ son, because he now has a driver’s license and appears to have been equally affected by the G60 virus. “Yes, he often steals the car. It is quite a shame that it is now used so intensively. Moreover, it is an outdoor sleeper, even in winter, and that does not benefit it. In fact, the Golf should go to an even bigger enthusiast, who can pamper it even better than me,” muses the Tukker, who is currently enjoying every kilometer. “The handling is fantastic. You’ll be riding with much younger, fast cars. And then the experience while driving. It is a mechanical car, without gadgets. You feel vibrations in the steering wheel when you accelerate. And then the sound of that G-lader… At 2,000 to 2,500 rpm it is audible and palpable. Then he really loosens up. The expert immediately turns around when he hears that sound, children too. I also have no shortage of feedback while refueling. But there are also negatives. For example, switching requires policy, because it is a box of cables. That requires that you set the gears really well. The comfort is also not what we are used to nowadays. It bumps a bit more. I think the furniture is reasonable for that time. The best part? The frontside! And I think the wheels match the car nicely. I think the rear is a bit less.”
Memories of his first G60 bubble up. “It was tuned, and much faster, but it certainly meets the expectations I had at the time.” The only question is: how much longer? As Hans already indicated, his rare and pristine youngtimer deserves more than intensive use and a garage-free existence. “It’s still in perfect condition now, even the on-board computer still works flawlessly. I also had it maintained by a real specialist who only uses original parts. It would be nice if it remained that way after this. This GTI G60 is my dream car. After this, there will be no more dream cars…”