See the entire chronology of air-cooled Volkswagens in The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens, a beautifully illustrated overview of one of the oldest and best-known foreign car brands in America.

The combination of model history, coupled with hot hatch performance, all comprehensively illustrated through major photo shoots and detailed pictures, make this the complete guide to the five Golf generations. With all models, including Golf spin-offs, assessed, enthusiast-driving opinions shared and marketing policy discussed, this book is a unique hot Golfology!

The story of the Golf - with a difference! The emphasis is on the hotter hatch, without ignoring the range that made an acknowledged market leader.

In the early 1970s, Volkswagen was in deep trouble. Its venerable rear-engine air-cooled Beetle could no longer meet upcoming government regulations and its once phenomenal sales numbers had begun to slide. Something new was needed and the Giugiaro-designed Volkswagen Golf rose above all of the other concepts and designs. The Golf (called the Rabbit in the U.S.) was a modern car so different from the ancient Beetle, and in fact so different from anything else on the market that in Europe it's not called the "compact" class or "hatchback" class; it's called the "GOLF" class. This book covers the fascinating transition from Beetle to Golf and the subsequent development of the car that became Volkswagen's new icon. Included are Volkswagen archival photographs of early development projects and details about the people who built these charismatic cars. The story is more than facts and figures. It is an adventurous tale of a company whose future rested on the fenders of a hatchback economy car - a car that ultimately became a favorite of car enthusiasts around the world.

The combination of model history, coupled to hot hatch performance, all comprehensively illustrated through major photo shoots and detail pictures, make this the complete guide to the first five generations Golf, including the classic GTIs. With all models, including Golf spin-offs, assessed, enthusiast-driving opinions shared and marketing policy discussed, this book is a unique Golfology!