Each of the previous versions of Volkswagen’s “Golf” had a sporty version of the GTI, but the Golf I GTI has remained the biggest cult to this day. Once a year, the fanatics of that cult meet, and the manifestation has now been significantly changed.
The cult meeting of fans of the sports version of Golf, after more than 40 years, was not held at Lake Vrb, but in Wolfsburg. The city sees the gathering of GTI enthusiasts as an opportunity to present itself – with a children’s program, exhibition vehicles and a car parade with 300 vehicles. So, after the cancellation of this event in Austria, fans of this car gathered directly at the place of production in Germany.
“Not only is the GTI iconic, but this meeting has become a cult over the decades,” says Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schaefer. “It is important to us to give the GTI community in Wolfsburg, the heart of our brand, a new home,” he said.
The Austrian community of Golf GTI fans announced last year – after more than 40 years – that there will no longer be a cult event on Lake Vrb. With 100,000 visitors, it became simply too big for a small place, brought it to the limits of its capacity, and more and more people began to oppose it.
Among the opponents’ arguments were “the consequences of climate change, the responsibility of political leaders for the preservation of the ecosystem and the need to act in accordance with the principles of sustainability at all levels”.
GTI meeting becomes “Fanfest”
Thus, VW announced that from 2024 the meeting will be held every year in Wolfsburg – under a new name and with a changed concept. “It’s no longer a GTI meeting, but a Fanfest,” says project manager Sander Tjerdsma. That’s why it’s now called GTI-Fanfest. “Our goal is not to copy Lake Vrb. We don’t want that and we can’t.”
In addition to GTI-enthusiasts with “hairstyled” vehicles, they now want to attract other car enthusiasts as well as families with children. For them, an extensive children’s program has been organized, much larger than before in Austria. There is a bungee trampoline and a football camp. Shown are numerous exhibition vehicles with a special design.The end of the three-day meeting is marked by a parade of 300 vehicles through the Volkswagen production plant.
The history of the VW Golf and the GTI version
The VW Golf has been produced in Wolfsburg since 1974, and the sporty GTI version followed two years later. “I am especially glad that we were able to move the legendary GTI meeting to Wolfsburg just in the year when Golf celebrates its 50th birthday,” said Thomas Schaefer, referring to the jubilee date at the end of March. “That’s a perfect match.”
GTI fans gathered for the first time on Lake Vrb in Austria in 1982. VW became the official main sponsor in 2006. The annual meeting was used by the concern itself for the premieres of vehicles and the presentation of especially sports novelties. Up to 200,000 visitors came to the event to enjoy the “hairstyled” Golfs, and there were always other models such as the Polo or Široko.
The last meeting was in 2019, and three years after that the event was canceled due to the corona virus pandemic, and the municipality announced the final end in 2023. However, in 2022, government representatives recorded around 5,000 vehicles that – unofficially – gathered at the Lake. The police then issued 3,700 reports and confiscated more than 400 license plates.
Wolfsburg is pleased to be the new host. “This will attract many fans of the brand to Wolfsburg again,” says Mayor Dennis Vajlman. “It’s a huge opportunity for the city.” The municipality wants to support this event with all its might, says the CDU politician. “We hope that it will remain a permanent manifestation in our city.”
Source: German wave
Photo: Archive Autoblog.rs / Volkswagen
Source: autoblog.rs
