The Golf was the car that enabled VW to recover from a crisis that seemed irreversible. And if the GTI (which we discuss separately) became the mother of all hot hatchbacks, the standard Golf was also a symbol of motoring in the seventies and eighties. Designed by Giugiaro, the Golf was marketed from 1974. The first series of the Golf remained in production until 1983. Apart from the GTi, the most sought-after versions by collectors today are the LS and GLS, with 70 and 75 horsepower engines.