Volkswagen museum marks 50 years of VW Golf with special exhibition
To mark half a century since launching a bestseller car, Volkswagen is opening a new exhibition dedicated to the VW Golf at its factory and headquarters in the German city of Wolfsburg.
About an hour from Berlin by train, the Volkswagen Automuseum is telling the story of the cult hatchback with a focus on the first generation from 1974 to 1983.
The Scirocco, which was launched six months before the first Golf and was built on its platform, is also part of the show, which can be seen until the end of February 2025.
The successor to the Beetle rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg for the first time on March 29, 1974. Compared to the Beetle, the new model may have looked like something from another planet.
However, the water-cooled front engine and drive as well as the edgy, clear design language and technology had already been seen in the Scirocco and Passat shortly before.
Giorgio Giugiaro's design was an instant success, and according to the manufacturer, the one millionth Golf rolled off the factory line by October 1976. VW says a total of 6.9 million cars were built in the first generation.
Fifty years since launch, the car remains a cash cow for VW in its eighth generation, even as the company prepares to ditch combustion engines.
VW's car museum, located near manufacturer's plant in the east of the city, also has a permanent exhibition with more than 130 cars - all Volkswagens. It's open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission costs between €6 and €9. More information is available at: www.automuseum-volkswagen.de
