46
eadengreycloudsfilltheearlymorning skiesoverthe
NorthYorkMoors,andthere are dropsofraininthe
windthat cutsstraight throughusonitsway down
tothevalleyat Farndale.I’vearrivedearlyto meetsix
classiccabriosandtheirownersfora day ofroof-down
touring amidsomeofthefinestscenery inthenorthof
Englandbutright nowtheweatherisagainstus.Just
asI’mpulling ona secondcoat to keepthewindat bay
athin,brightedgeappearsonthewesternhorizon.
Gradually the angry cloudsslide away towards the
NorthSeaandsoonthere’saflurry ofactivitywith
clipsandlatchesassixconvertibleroofsare dropped.
Thesun’s out,andwe’rereadyfortheroad.
I’mstarting withthe 1983 VolkswagenGolf GTIMkICabriolet,
thesoft-roofversionofthecarthat startedthehot-hatchcrazein
thelate Seventies.AlltheGolfcabrioswerebuiltby Karmannin
Osnabruck,andthere are Karmannbadgesonthefrontwingsto
makethepoint. To my eyessomeofthesimplicityandeleganceof
GiorgettoGiugiaro’s‘foldedpaper’ designforthehatchbackGolf
hasbeenlostinthecabrio,thoughit retainsa masterfulblendof
purposeandcharacter.Theshapeofthehoodmimics theroofline
ofthe hatchback car but there are smallerrear side windows
leadingto big blind spots when the roofis raised, and when
loweredit perchespram-stylearoundtherearcabin’sperimeter.
Inside,thefour-spoke steeringwheelwithitscuriousquartetof
hornbuttonsisfamiliar,butI’mexpectingseat clothwithstripes
ortartanandinsteadI’msurprisedby a homelybeige tweed.
Behindthewheelthere’sa binnaclewithanLCDdigitalclock
inthemiddleflankedbytwobig,square,VDOdialswithrather
fussy graphics, a 120mph speedo on the left and a matching
7000rpmtachoontheright.Thetransversefour-cylindermotor
thrumsbusily inthe noseas wetackle the switchbacktarmac
ofthe moorland roads, butmyeffortstokeep therevs in the
mid-range where the engine gives its best are hampered by
the vague gearchange. The mushy brakepedal doesn’t inspire
much confidence,either. It’s afaultcommontoallright-hand-
driveGolfsbecauseofa more complexbrake pedallinkage,but
thankfullythedisc/drumbrakesseemto dotheirjobwellenough.
The Golf’s trump card isitsenormously forgiving handling.
Barrelintoacornercarryingtoomuchspeedandthenosejust
runs gentlywide onits175-section Avons untilthe car scrubs
away enoughmomentumtogetround.There’sa fairbit ofbody
roll,buttheseYorkshireroadshavenoshortage ofS-bendsthat
demonstrate justhowwelltheGolfcanswitchdirectionwithout
anynastywobblingorlurchingonitssprings.Karmannreinforced
thelowerhalfofthebodyshellsothecabrioletendedupa heavier
carthanthehatchbackit’sbasedon,butevensoit hasenough
performanceanddeftnessto bea thrilling B-roadpartner.
Ifthissoundslikeyoursortofcar,you’llbegladtoknowthat
goodonesstartaround£5000;immaculatelow-mileageexamples
are around£15,000. But mileage isn’t a big issuebecause the
Hardtrim
wasavailable
indarkbrown
[TheBigTest]TopCabrios
Theeight-valve,
- 8 -litre four-potis
happiest inmid-range
