little gti VW GTI commercial

[death13820]

It maybe Jan and Dean but Brian Wilson wrote the song

[Marckyle64]

@death13820

Composed by John Wilkin

Sung by Ronnie and the Daytonas

[ClassicRockVw]

FOREVER VW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JnA4Eveer]

4 people have been driving Hondas for their whole life...

[centerpunch2]

What a great ad for a great car. I had an '84 that I put a Callaway turbo kit on - what a sleeper- one of my favorite cars ever.

[mrthomas2000]

no offence, I really like VW commercials but this is weak... this Beach Boys replica thing is quite bad.

[stella1973c]

@mrthomas2000 UUMMM... It's Jan & Dean "Little GTO". Not the Beach Boys.

[SeymourButtz99]

Those little VW Golf's used to embarrass (still do) Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs in the corners. Despite the fact every American muscle car would out accelerate off the line....they had to bleed off their speed at the first curve then move out of the way of the approaching German handlers.

It took a Porsche 911 to kill these Golfs and those 911's were always 3x more expensive.

[geforce5700fx]

That little box is so fucking sexy !

[TheBlogmocracy]

had an 84 gti. this is the only car that i miss almost 30 years later.

[volnick1986]

GTI! The best driving machine!

[jishimoari]

It's like YUGO sport :D

[Narlydog]

Dont understand the words, but got this damn song stuck in my head! (Damn you Volkswagen!!!)

[thefakeone89]

@Narlydog

stuck in my head since '84. i'll just be sitting doing something when...kleiner gti....

waa, waa!

[EXECUTOR987]

asi e volado por el puente de la laguna de las iluciones frente a al museo jajajaj ta chida pa volar (me chingue un balero)

[vwman85]

I had a silver 84, a 91 black 16valve, and now a 03 20th Ann. Of course not the fastest thing on the road, but they are FUN FUN FUN to drive.

[thetheflyinghawaiian]

oh look the paint is already old looking

[Omayga260]

Idk but this makes me want to cry. Cars arent appreciated for what they are anymore. At least by people my age (yo that things not twin turbo. That things not a v8) fuuuuck that Im so getting a mk1 now.

[agonzalezthethree]

wow ross thats really funny! I do own a VW but its a jetta.

[ross7sd]

I owned an '84 black GTI for nine years. One day, a Dodge GLH (remember those?)passes me on the freeway and pulls in front of me. His license plate said "Die GTI". So with my "mostly" stock car, I caught him, pulled into his lane, and made sure he saw my GTI badge for the next several miles! Loved that car!

[mrtbird5700]

I owned a 1984 a 1985 and currently own a 2006 GTI. Great fun cars!!

[brandee5678]

This commercial was the reason I bought this car a few years after that! A 1987 GTi. My favorite car!

[fugazipizza]

i have an 84' GTI and I love it!!!!

[fugazipizza]

i have an 84' GTI and I love it!!!!

[1993gandy]

why did they make the american version with stupid square lights and less power than the european version, i feel sorry for the americans

[r1cw]

@1993gandy So we would spend untold amounts of money to add "Euro" components to our cars :).

[1993gandy]

@r1cw if i was in the USA in the 1980s i would of rather imported a german golf GTI becuase that probably would of been cheaper than buying the american version and adding european parts (im guessing lol) luckly in the 90s i was in south africa and they liked the MK1 golf so much they are still making it today its called the citi golf and im going to get one :D its so much easyer to get one of those than looking for a mint condition golf GTI in the UK

[r1cw]

@1993gandy That's awesome they still make the MK1! I live in California and the govt is sooo tuff on "grey" market cars its scary. In extreme cases they can and will take your car and crush it. You are probably right in that it would have been cheaper. But for us Yanks adding Euro spec manifolds,cams,lighting and bumpers was all part of the fun of fixin up our VW's. So I really can't complain to much.

[metrOjedi]

@1993gandy I love those SA citi MK1's.  They have a totally modern interior. To bad I can't import them to North America :(

Good luck I hope you get one!

[WhyteDragonKnyght]

I LOVED this commercial back then. INSPIRATIONAL!! 3 years later: I had a Black '83. Hella Super Brights driving/fog-lamp grill, Neuspeed engine & suspension parts. No Cat. A shrieking Hounds-from-Hell aftermarket horn. The most fun car I ever owned. Better than all the Jettas and Scirroco's I've had. Better than my Audis. Better than my old Porsche 944S race-car. Like a go-cart!! So FUN!!! And I DID used to do the hill-jumping like in the commercail!! WooHoo!

[jerryg1964]

One of my favorite commercials ... I love how they nailed the tune in translation and made the whole thing really fun! My buddy Dave had one in high school and it was a blast.

[boseboypa1]

I love my gti

[mofunzonecom]

the gti should have circular head lights no? and i wonder what a vw beetle gti would be like

[SP84Fanatic]

The Golf GTI's in the rest of the world, yes. However, the American Rabbit was tailored to local tastes and got squared headlamps, a monochrome interior, and the Rabbit GTI wasn't as powerful as the overseas Golf GTI at the time (90 hp for the Rabbit GTI vs. the Golf GTI's 110).

[mofunzonecom]

wow americans suck with german taste

[GbBaker]

@SP84Fanatic

Hurrr duurrrr thats because they were different cars fuck head.

[VideoVoltaic]

Please add "kleine" to the tags.

I wrote Volkswagen at the time, "Where can I get this great song?" Their ad agency sent me a cassette of the jingle, sans the voice-over.

[ekcz01]

@VideoVoltaic Wow!, That was cool of them!

[EdwoodCA]

@VideoVoltaic  PM sent re: the cassette and the possibility of ripping into MP3 format... [crossing fingers]. Thanks!

[coombsy16]

i own a 90 gti :D and love it :D well it's actually a gl with a gti drive train lol

[lpostlewait]

This is one of those tunes that has been stuck in my head for 20 plus years!! To this day when I hear the letters GTI, my mind races to - "blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah, GTiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Whah Whahhhhhh Wha wha whawha whaaaaaaaa...." Thanks for posting!!

[samec201]

GTI OS BEST !!!!!!!!!!!!!meine GTI .)

[Darkrain1983m]

Wie hier schon in Englisch gesagt wurde, das ist purer spass.

Geringes Gewicht, kein ESP,ABS,Airbag,Turbo und evtl, Servo etc.

Einfach ein geiler Drehfreudiger Sauger, der heute mit seinem Leistungsgewicht, noch viele neue Wagen in der Beschleunigung überlegen ist.

[sitelines]

Oh,man!!

I've been looking for this ad for YEARS!!!!

Thanks SO MUCH for posting it.

"kleine GTI...."

[ClassicRockVw]

I love Vw!

[TheYummerz]

I owned a 84 GTI from NEW. SIlver w/ blue interior. No AC, no nothing extra except side vent windows and a self installed basic blaupunkt am fm radio . \

That car was an absolute blast to drive, not to mention it was cheap to buy (8400) and very reliable. Probably the most nimble and best dynamically balanced small modern day car that almost anyone could afford. Not to mention it was totally practical too. Sadly my car was stolen in 1995 with 115k on the odo.

I MISS that car so much even now!

[nosiukas5]

Just found this by accident when I looked up GTO. This song is awesome. The original and this version too. Too bad it's not a bit longer.

[redwing46901]

Kewl ,,,,needs to be alot longer though...love the tune <3

[Cambaudio]

Wow, look at that GTI fly! Awesome commercial :)

[luisinhoens90]

Those cars were pure fun, just look to all the things you could do with such a car with a small engine but a ver light weight and great handling. Zero airbags, ESP or turbos, just a good chasis, engine and only the necesary to keep the weight down.

[MusclecarsMeditation]

New VW are nightmares.... LOVE this though :)

[briangross]

Kleiner GTI / Little GTI

Du siehst prima aus / well, you look so fine

Ich liebe, dich zu fahren / How I love to drive you

Hol die leistrung raus / Let the performance shine

Hör nur, wie er sich anlasst / Listen when I start it

Steck den schlussel rein / Stick the key in the ignition

Er ist bereit zum start / And its ready to go

Wie er braust / How it zips

Wie er saust, GTI. / How it zooms, GTI.

[jerryg1964]

@briangross Thanks ... I always wondered how the song was translated!

[FilmPitt]

I still remember where I was standing when it came on and I heard "Little GTO" in German the first time. I was at my best friend's house near this tiny farm town in FL. TV was on while getting ready to go have some beers, I turned my head and saw these two Kraut Rockets three feet apart, airborne, at speed. I was beside myself when, about a year later, I was given a black one to drive by the car dealership where I was a chauffeur. I only saw the commercial once, been humming it ever since.

[gumbypiz]

These were great cars. In the early 80's a GTI would embarrass, out accelerate, out handle many so-called "sports cars" three times its cost. Its too bad VW can't make something as simple, pure, purposeful and as much distilled fun as the first Rabbit GTI's were...I'd like to get a good original '84 (black, like I used to have) that hasn't been riced, or modded-out to death.

[VicBoD]

Hello! Cars needs service!

[VladBlok28]

you probably just cant drive manual and were in 1st gear the whole time

[carloscabrera08]

Those Mk. V's are pretty close to the original, as far as speed control and overall look. A turbo doesn't hurt either.

[RcNdi]

@gumbypiz I have an '83 black GTi only tuning is borla exhaust and i must say the most fun car i have ever owned, second fastest gti i ever owned out of all 3 of my gti's

[thatguywithdreads]

@gumbypiz Get a South African Citi Golf. It's basically a freshly made Rabbit without problems (like a bad starter). They made them up until 2009 including an R version in 2006.

Look up "Volkswagen Citi Golf" on wikipedia

[GForceOfGroveStreet]

@thatguywithdreads

Yeah, but the steering wheel's on the wrong side of the car

[Spule4]

Thanks for the memories, we tried to sing the commercial in grade 6 study hall with limited luck...

[rebel831]

i miss my gti

[djkenny]

I will always own my 92 16v

Love A1 83-84 GTI's to!

[hipvspec]

such a fabulous car... it's cool to see its original ad. thanks for sharing!

[tricero79]

good commercial GTI

[catspants]

best small car in the 80's and 90's. i could take almost any chevy in a quarter mile with mine (84 gti). Those speeding tickets added up tho :(

[Gretchenmomof7]

I loved singing along to this commercial! I always thought it funny, though, that the song is in German but the letters GTI are sung in English (I was taught that it would be pronounced "gay-tay-ee"?)

[r3di2watch]

Sweet, I love my 84 GTi, stock engine or Audi 3A engine :) .

[ThomasAlva]

I've also been looking for this commercial for YEARS, actually, over a decade! Own a 08 GTI now, but I will ALWAYS miss my black 83 Rabbit GTI. Sigh.

[jomgti]

i love the gti

[LympBaygul]

The best VW commercial ever. I have been searching the web for this for ages. VW should re do this commercial for the 5th gen gti.

[blackaneeese]

i miss my VW...smh shouldnt have sold it. because the local dealership is so terrible i dont think ill be getting another one anytime soon.

[fgottbetter]

I dragged my parents to the VW dealership for a test drive when this car came out. I think it was 7900 and only came in black, red and silver. I didn't get the car, but I still love the commercial.

[djaca70]

They also came in white.

[richintalent]

song originally titled 'Little GTO' by Ronny and the Daytonas from about 1963 or 64

[RickTheRuler727]

Wow! I've been telling my brother, who is a GTI freak, about this commercial for years. He thought I was nuts untill today. Thanks for bring back some memories. We had a good laugh..

[georgeluissoupy]

Thank You so much.I have been humming this tune all the years and now I get to see and hear it again. Again, thank you so much!!!I found this link in the Sept., 2008 issue of "Car and driver". The last time I was so thankful was when a girlfriend gave me my first B.J.

[festercheese]

Yep... A silver 1984 GTI led directly to my first BJ.

[Trukman3238]

Great memories, thanx. I had an '84 GTI in black. Wish I still had it. Hot car with great mileage too!!

[spotbearsd]

wow, i remember being in high school and seeing that comercial. brings back good memories. Bought a 1986 GTI, but always liked the 1984 best.

[fishdeschois]

Ja, ja kleiner GTI! My favorite VW commercial from the watercooled era! :-D

[freeskier04]

Its not a car.

It's a volkswagen!!!!!!!

[electronicmilkman]

hey, did i see a gti do a little front wheel drive drift? awesome.

[ttraynor1]

Mine was black--the only brand new car I ever purchased after graduating from college in '84. On three wheels constantly.

[electronicmilkman]

hehe. i wish you could still find those suckers.

[trailerpimp1]

Love the flashback...I purchsed a White GTI in 1984 and still have the car to this day...great car! Love the car, love the commercial!

[carpvr6]

Thanks so much! I've been searching for this ad for years. Had an 84 red GTI back in the day. I should have never sold it.

[moose201]

Thank you for adding this! I always loved this commercial and haven't seen it since the early 80s. I'm also curious if anybody has the whole song in MP3 format.

[Tiranax]

Rumor has it the David Letterman Band did the song for the ad agency.

[eblassx99]

Is that Roy Scheider doing the voiceover?

[goofoff1966]

William Daniels-KITT car voice-I think

[AaronKup]

So does anyone have the whole song "Kleiner GTI" in mp3 format? Please please...

[montymk2vr]

great!

[VWA2MKII]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[kass73]

not to be nitpicky...but anyone notice when the GTI's are going sideways, they didn't have the OEM snowflake alloys or 185/60s on, but skinnier tires...or am I wrong? oh well, still awesome!

[b3m87]

sick

[Sopkrula]

love it, I want this song as my ringtone

[one6s4]

amazing

[alleycat3]

Awesome.