Another good video, Andrew! :) That afternoon bath in the heated pool was kind of magic after 31.000 steps during saturday! I envy the opportunity to try different GTI models! ;) You see my cousin Tom's Arteon when your park the mk1 GTI at the community parking! Maybe I/we return at the GTI 50 year anniversary, and hopefully in my own GTI!
No way, I parked right in front of Tom's Arteon! Looks great, I usually take note of Norwegian cars as a) they are unusual for not being electric and b) they must be big fans to come all that to WOB. The afternoon bath was very restorative you are right, that was the Saturday night and I had been up late on the Friday night editing and uploading the 8.5 GTI video and had a full day at the event but a quick swim in that pool and I was fixed! See you in 2026!
I am the driver of the Norwegian CS with 5 doors and manual gearbox (the one and only), the other one is a white 3 door (only 11 were sold new in Norway, 9 of them were with dsg and 2 with manual .We had a trip of almost 4500 km from northern Norway and back home. Too bad I didn't get to greet you Andrew (it was my copilot who was in the car). I'm going back again to gti fanfest in 2026 when the GTI is 50 years old.
Some great memories of a great weekend. My wife and met Tom and his Dad on the first day and again Monday when we stayed on to do the full factory tour. We'll deffo be back in 26. Great video; much thanks Andrew.
Thanks Tony, glad you met Tom & his Dad as very like minded. Just managed to get your car in the video in the parade car park. Was great to finally meet you and your wife. See you in 2026 if not before :)
As a final footnote, on the German VW newsroom page GTI Fan Fest 24 picture DB2024AL00287 shows Tom's car on the parade with a certain Volkswizard hanging out the N/S/F window filming!
Thank you for the excellent coverage, Andrew. I totally agree with you that the VW executives need to spend some time within a gathering like this to truly understand the importance of the GTI and derivatives. I think we're in a much better place now with Thomas Schaeffer in charge because he does understand the importance of the Golf. But there have been a few decisions that aren't in the best interest of keeping the flame burning strong - such as discontinuing the manual transmission with the 8.5, planning a long life for the Mk8 rather than developing a proper Mk9 IC Golf to be sold alongside the coming electric Golf, and no interest in synthetic fuels to keep the IC VWs alive as long as possible. But here's hoping that they are watching videos such as this and reading the comments.
Thanks David. Glad we concur particularly about Herr Schaefer. With regards to synthetic fuels, Porsche should are part of the VW Group are pushing this, there was a funny exchange a while back where VW said EVs were the future not synthetic fuels. I think they’ve changed their view now and they are using synthetic fuel to run the Golf racing car that Benny drives which is a start 🤞
Hi Andrew , I was at Gti fanfetst too and it was a brilliant weekend, the red mk8.5 on the Bilstein stand was scrapped a week after the event as it was a development car between VW and Bilstein, seems such a waste but the guys on the stand told me about it. Also the Golf mk1 at 27.26 was being driven by the original driver from period Jochi Kleint, you may recall he drove the golf Bimotor mk2 pikes peak rally car. I was lucky to have a brief chat with him and he was such a gentleman. I will definitely be going again
Hi Wayne, thanks for filling in the gaps. I know pre-production cars get scrapped though I gather there are some impressive recycling facilities for them. Assuming the kit on the car was what VW & Bilstein were developing question is what is that for? Has to be a special GTI. Or maybe Bilstein just fitted that for the show and it’s not going to be a factory fit. Interesting re that driver, I knew he must be famous as he was on the stage on the Friday but I didn’t pin down how. Now I know so thanks 🙌🏻
Totally agree with what you said regarding the Vw hierarchy, they need to be in touch with the GTI community and the passion they have for the brand. Great video once again💙
Thanks so much😎. VW have got so much their Far Eastern rivals will never have and quite possibly the new CEO Schaefer has worked out the importance of this which can only be a good thing for us 👍
I had the Golf R in Black and it wasn't much to look at when getting in, or when walking away, but while driving the car it was special. The seat bottoms were a little harder than Audi's and Porsche I have had over the years. It was not comfortable for a drive over 2 hours.
Brilliant video Andrew, we really enjoyed the series and of course the rest of your videos. We’ve had gti’s in the past and loved them, now in a Macan Turbo but can feel the ‘pull’ towards another gti when pcp comes to an end 😂. Miss the community, the car and the fun!!!! Will keep watching Andrew, very interested in the 50th anniversary model 😁❤️
Thanks so much Karen. With 8.5 it’s probably a good time to get back into a GTI. As you can imagine I’m excited by the prospect of a GTI 50th special 🤩
Thanks James. For the uk Isaac blue is indeed rare. Black Reuben is a bit of a cult colour too even though it was a free one and some buyers rejected their cars as they weren’t actually black 😅
@volkswizard I didn't think they done the 7.5 in black Ruben. I quite like it but as you say, don't see many about.I have an Issac blue 7.5 with leather interior so maybe even rarer again?
Thanks Jimmy! Good question, I don’t think so. Cupra was always welcome at GTI International and probably Worthersee but relocating to WOB does make it a very VW focussed event sadly though there are of course some of the other VWG cars present. I think the problem with Cupra now is that it doesn’t mean top level performance. I’m not sure they know what it means 😬
I saw from an insta post it has V6 engine so yes very special - must try and drive that one day as it's on the VW Classic fleet and they are a rolling museum after all :)
Great video your VW knowledge is totally amazing . I just wish VW dealership had the passion for the cars and a bit of decent customer service. My dealership in St Albans let the brand down totally
Last time I looked Marshall VW dealerships like St Albans were owned by Constellation group who own Cinch, BCA, and We Buy Any Car. Sadly when you can monopolise the market in such an away you don’t need to worry too much about customer service as VW are unlikely to revoke your franchise.
I didn't bump into Jamie as I didn't appreciate who the Mk2 limo belonged to until it was too late - I think he appears to twice in the video though - once in the parade and once in the musical interlude. Maybe next time!
I did see one or two but didn’t catch them, very rare car then and definitely now. There used to be a Polo G40 race series backed by VW which must have been fun 🤩
Sure, email me via andrew@volkswizard.co.uk and I’ll keep a look out. I get requests like this daily but a portable vac is of personal interest to me 👍
I follow you for a several years and finally i Bought my first Golf7 GTI last saturday and Will be deliverd coming saturday so i hope you to meet next year in Wolfsburg!
Thanks Malcolm! 60k is great but really doesn't mean much and took a very long time to get there but that is life. The GTI sandles were a genuine part bought new old stock for £8. Only realised recently the sole mimics tyre tread :)
That was the plan this year but Kate was unwell and looking unable to do road trips. Then it turned out medical professionals get things wrong so we can do road trips and there are better places to go than WOB so we went to Italy instead. Couldn’t afford to go to Fanfest too but VW got in touch. Problem is late July js prime holiday time and I tend to get my trips in before school holidays. Road trip & event videos don’t do that well so hard to justify on that basis. But you never know👍
You can't visit this event in the shadow of the chimneys and not think about what the future holds. To me aged 52, 30 years has passed in the blink of an eye so I do hope VW have a big plan. I think the ID range is on the way out at least and hybrid is the solution which is good news for petrolheads, 272 PS in the GTE now is a good start though I don't think it's a sporty drive so some work to do yet
The Golf GTI has gone stale with the mk8 not helped by reduced quality, poor driver interface etc. If there is to be a mk9 then VW need to come up with something new both in looks and technology, perhaps a smaller turbo engine with advanced hybrid tech and better adaptive suspension for a wider range of road conditions.
The new interface in 8.5 is hard to fault so that is sorted as for quality - VW just need to be better than the rivals which I think they still are though BMW 1 Series is a little better inside (though a bit hard to love externally). Audi A3 has a worse interior as has Focus, I30N, Civic Type R etc. DCC adaptive suspension is an option and it works well and is only £720 now.
Can't please all the people all of the time! As it stood it was a long video - my aim was to capture the scale and diversity of the event and to give viewers a taste to inspire then to come to the next one, not to give them so much detail they can stay at home. It's always a hard balance but if you look how long my review videos on one car can last you can see why I did it this way.
Brilliant Video Andrew!! Makes me want to drive my Edition 30 back to Wolfsburg especially the 50 year celebrations you mentioned, let me know and I'll convoy up aswell 😂🫱🏻🫲🏼
Hey Steve, your Edition 30 is deffo welcome for the 2026 convoy. I'm not that desperate to do another media trip but I do want to go again so a convoy sounds like the way to go.
Another good video, Andrew! :) That afternoon bath in the heated pool was kind of magic after 31.000 steps during saturday! I envy the opportunity to try different GTI models! ;) You see my cousin Tom's Arteon when your park the mk1 GTI at the community parking! Maybe I/we return at the GTI 50 year anniversary, and hopefully in my own GTI!
No way, I parked right in front of Tom's Arteon! Looks great, I usually take note of Norwegian cars as a) they are unusual for not being electric and b) they must be big fans to come all that to WOB. The afternoon bath was very restorative you are right, that was the Saturday night and I had been up late on the Friday night editing and uploading the 8.5 GTI video and had a full day at the event but a quick swim in that pool and I was fixed! See you in 2026!
I am the driver of the Norwegian CS with 5 doors and manual gearbox (the one and only), the other one is a white 3 door (only 11 were sold new in Norway, 9 of them were with dsg and 2 with manual .We had a trip of almost 4500 km from northern Norway and back home. Too bad I didn't get to greet you Andrew (it was my copilot who was in the car). I'm going back again to gti fanfest in 2026 when the GTI is 50 years old.
Wow, small world! Sorry I missed you, I did wonder why he was sat on that side but being British it didn’t seem all that weird, see you in 2026🙌🏻
Some great memories of a great weekend. My wife and met Tom and his Dad on the first day and again Monday when we stayed on to do the full factory tour. We'll deffo be back in 26. Great video; much thanks Andrew.
Thanks Tony, glad you met Tom & his Dad as very like minded. Just managed to get your car in the video in the parade car park. Was great to finally meet you and your wife. See you in 2026 if not before :)
Yes saw it on the parade car park section and thought "will he notice the RL alloys?" Never mind 🤣
Lovely to meet you and your wife Tony! A great weekend
As a final footnote, on the German VW newsroom page GTI Fan Fest 24 picture DB2024AL00287 shows Tom's car on the parade with a certain Volkswizard hanging out the N/S/F window filming!
Thank you for the excellent coverage, Andrew. I totally agree with you that the VW executives need to spend some time within a gathering like this to truly understand the importance of the GTI and derivatives. I think we're in a much better place now with Thomas Schaeffer in charge because he does understand the importance of the Golf. But there have been a few decisions that aren't in the best interest of keeping the flame burning strong - such as discontinuing the manual transmission with the 8.5, planning a long life for the Mk8 rather than developing a proper Mk9 IC Golf to be sold alongside the coming electric Golf, and no interest in synthetic fuels to keep the IC VWs alive as long as possible. But here's hoping that they are watching videos such as this and reading the comments.
Thanks David. Glad we concur particularly about Herr Schaefer. With regards to synthetic fuels, Porsche should are part of the VW Group are pushing this, there was a funny exchange a while back where VW said EVs were the future not synthetic fuels. I think they’ve changed their view now and they are using synthetic fuel to run the Golf racing car that Benny drives which is a start 🤞
Hi Andrew , I was at Gti fanfetst too and it was a brilliant weekend, the red mk8.5 on the Bilstein stand was scrapped a week after the event as it was a development car between VW and Bilstein, seems such a waste but the guys on the stand told me about it. Also the Golf mk1 at 27.26 was being driven by the original driver from period Jochi Kleint, you may recall he drove the golf Bimotor mk2 pikes peak rally car. I was lucky to have a brief chat with him and he was such a gentleman. I will definitely be going again
Hi Wayne, thanks for filling in the gaps. I know pre-production cars get scrapped though I gather there are some impressive recycling facilities for them. Assuming the kit on the car was what VW & Bilstein were developing question is what is that for? Has to be a special GTI. Or maybe Bilstein just fitted that for the show and it’s not going to be a factory fit. Interesting re that driver, I knew he must be famous as he was on the stage on the Friday but I didn’t pin down how. Now I know so thanks 🙌🏻
Totally agree with what you said regarding the Vw hierarchy, they need to be in touch with the GTI community and the passion they have for the brand. Great video once again💙
Thanks so much😎. VW have got so much their Far Eastern rivals will never have and quite possibly the new CEO Schaefer has worked out the importance of this which can only be a good thing for us 👍
Superb Andrew, really enjoyed that. I will be bringing my ED30 down for the GTI 50th Anniversary decided that tonight. 👍
3:07 yeeeeesssss
I had the Golf R in Black and it wasn't much to look at when getting in, or when walking away, but while driving the car it was special. The seat bottoms were a little harder than Audi's and Porsche I have had over the years. It was not comfortable for a drive over 2 hours.
Love seeing the mk6 Ed35. Great content mate.
Thanks mate 🙌🏻
A brief cameo on your walk round - me and my friend Simon had the 2 mk1 GTI’s near the limited and derby (red and green) with similar uk number plates
Ahh ok, UK plates were rare so memorable. Hopefully more next time 👍
Brilliant video Andrew, we really enjoyed the series and of course the rest of your videos. We’ve had gti’s in the past and loved them, now in a Macan Turbo but can feel the ‘pull’ towards another gti when pcp comes to an end 😂. Miss the community, the car and the fun!!!! Will keep watching Andrew, very interested in the 50th anniversary model 😁❤️
Thanks so much Karen. With 8.5 it’s probably a good time to get back into a GTI. As you can imagine I’m excited by the prospect of a GTI 50th special 🤩
Wow the kings red clubsport looks amazing
Totally agree!
All those mk 7.5 GTIs but I don't think I noticed any Isaac blue ones. What was the rarest colour of 7.5 GTI?
Great video 👍
Thanks James. For the uk Isaac blue is indeed rare. Black Reuben is a bit of a cult colour too even though it was a free one and some buyers rejected their cars as they weren’t actually black 😅
@volkswizard I didn't think they done the 7.5 in black Ruben. I quite like it but as you say, don't see many about.I have an Issac blue 7.5 with leather interior so maybe even rarer again?
Great video Andrew. Do Seat/Cupra do anything similar?
Thanks Jimmy! Good question, I don’t think so. Cupra was always welcome at GTI International and probably Worthersee but relocating to WOB does make it a very VW focussed event sadly though there are of course some of the other VWG cars present. I think the problem with Cupra now is that it doesn’t mean top level performance. I’m not sure they know what it means 😬
15:39 beauties ❤
Looked like great fun Andrew, really enjoyed the video 👏👏👏
Glad you enjoyed it Bob 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Love the chat with Benny. :)
Cool! Very lucky that I caught him, he is always very generous with his time❤️
So many cool cars really appreciate your depth of knowledge!
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it :)
Love these vids. Keep em coming!
6n2 gti 19:55 ❤
Tried to get one of everything in, like the half of the ark :)
Andrew, the brown golf 6 that you mentionned at the beginning is something VERY special, not only for the colors but motorwise...
I saw from an insta post it has V6 engine so yes very special - must try and drive that one day as it's on the VW Classic fleet and they are a rolling museum after all :)
@@volkswizard its rated at 460bhp
Great video your VW knowledge is totally amazing .
I just wish VW dealership had the passion for the cars and a bit of decent customer service.
My dealership in St Albans let the brand down totally
Last time I looked Marshall VW dealerships like St Albans were owned by Constellation group who own Cinch, BCA, and We Buy Any Car. Sadly when you can monopolise the market in such an away you don’t need to worry too much about customer service as VW are unlikely to revoke your franchise.
Cool video, well captured, was a great event
this event looks amazing so many unique and beautiful cars. Did you bump into Jamie with the stretch Gooooolf? He’s a VW fanatic
I didn't bump into Jamie as I didn't appreciate who the Mk2 limo belonged to until it was too late - I think he appears to twice in the video though - once in the parade and once in the musical interlude. Maybe next time!
I'm well jelly, looks like fun was had by all and look forward to the drive in the ring record breaker.
Thanks oomstu! It was most definitely fun as was the drive in the record breaker - just editing that video now ready for Friday.
Did this guy really dis the mk3 vr6 6:23 was waiting for a walk around 😶
I love the Mk3 VR6 so no this guy didn't but it's chassis was awful even when new and some modern dampers transform it
Didnt see any polo g40s used to have one a great car
I did see one or two but didn’t catch them, very rare car then and definitely now. There used to be a Polo G40 race series backed by VW which must have been fun 🤩
Nice I’m interested in this. What year would be 50 years of GTI, 2026?
Yep 2026 but I’d expect to see special GTI mode ls surface second half of 2025 so not long now 😎
@@volkswizard nice. I look forward to that!
Another solid video, Andrew. We will release a Portable car Vacuum. Can we invite you to do a review? We have reached out for an inquiry.
Sure, email me via andrew@volkswizard.co.uk and I’ll keep a look out. I get requests like this daily but a portable vac is of personal interest to me 👍
I follow you for a several years and finally i Bought my first Golf7 GTI last saturday and Will be deliverd coming saturday so i hope you to meet next year in Wolfsburg!
Hey Guido, thanks for your support over the years, hope your 'new GTI is living up to expectations 😎
@@volkswizard tomorrow is the day of collecting our GTI. Can’t hardly wait🤗
My mate, just act is golf are up 20 anniversary one very nice it is 👌
Wow So many beautiful GTI 😍 Thanks for the video
Glad you liked it Antony!
60k subs 👏👏👏Excellent content as ever and rocking the cool shorts and the GTI sandles - such a fun event and fingers crossed for a mk9 GTI
Thanks Malcolm! 60k is great but really doesn't mean much and took a very long time to get there but that is life. The GTI sandles were a genuine part bought new old stock for £8. Only realised recently the sole mimics tyre tread :)
What a fantastic place all the cars are superb
Congratulations on 60k plus subscribers
Best RUclips channel
Thank you Andrew VDub:)
Thanks as ever JB!
Fantastic to watch this video, thanks for sharing as always Andrew. I definitely would like to make it to the 50th anniversary of GTI 2026 ❤
Thanks Musti and thanks for watching. See you there in 2026😎
What great sense of Volkswagen community lets hope as you say this will continue in years to come loving the videos 👍👍
Thanks Jay and yes indeed let’s hope it’s an annual fixture bye
Nice ❤
Vw know how to make the golf look silly by putting gti on both front doors but halfords would be proud of it
can't argue with that Paul!
❤❤❤nice❤❤❤
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️thanks❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Perhaps a Volkswizard convoy of Golf’s for next years fan fest?!
That was the plan this year but Kate was unwell and looking unable to do road trips. Then it turned out medical professionals get things wrong so we can do road trips and there are better places to go than WOB so we went to Italy instead. Couldn’t afford to go to Fanfest too but VW got in touch. Problem is late July js prime holiday time and I tend to get my trips in before school holidays. Road trip & event videos don’t do that well so hard to justify on that basis. But you never know👍
Very poignant comment at the end. 👍
You can't visit this event in the shadow of the chimneys and not think about what the future holds. To me aged 52, 30 years has passed in the blink of an eye so I do hope VW have a big plan. I think the ID range is on the way out at least and hybrid is the solution which is good news for petrolheads, 272 PS in the GTE now is a good start though I don't think it's a sporty drive so some work to do yet
The Golf GTI has gone stale with the mk8 not helped by reduced quality, poor driver interface etc. If there is to be a mk9 then VW need to come up with something new both in looks and technology, perhaps a smaller turbo engine with advanced hybrid tech and better adaptive suspension for a wider range of road conditions.
The new interface in 8.5 is hard to fault so that is sorted as for quality - VW just need to be better than the rivals which I think they still are though BMW 1 Series is a little better inside (though a bit hard to love externally). Audi A3 has a worse interior as has Focus, I30N, Civic Type R etc. DCC adaptive suspension is an option and it works well and is only £720 now.
You made your video hard for someone to admire the beauty of the cars because you keep skipping every one with outfinishing...
Can't please all the people all of the time! As it stood it was a long video - my aim was to capture the scale and diversity of the event and to give viewers a taste to inspire then to come to the next one, not to give them so much detail they can stay at home. It's always a hard balance but if you look how long my review videos on one car can last you can see why I did it this way.
Brilliant Video Andrew!! Makes me want to drive my Edition 30 back to Wolfsburg especially the 50 year celebrations you mentioned, let me know and I'll convoy up aswell 😂🫱🏻🫲🏼
Hey Steve, your Edition 30 is deffo welcome for the 2026 convoy. I'm not that desperate to do another media trip but I do want to go again so a convoy sounds like the way to go.