![]() Introducing a third strand of VW DNA into the design was a two door hatchback body style that clearly owed much to the first generation VW Scirocco. The chassis was a shortened version of the VW/Audi B1 platform of the larger Audi 80/Fox, not the A1 platform of the similarly sized VW Golf, developed by VW in Brazil and called the BX. No doubt some VW fanatics have created their own custom front wheel drive installations of air cooled VW engines, but this one was engineered by Volkswagen and mass produced. The first generation Gol debuted in 1980 with a drivetrain that combined the longitudinal engine front wheel drive system of the Audi 80/Fox with the air-cooled flat four engine of the Beetle, creating the only Volkswagen model with a front-mounted air cooled engine. Here is a brief look at the origins and evolution of this best-selling Volkswagen that is unfamiliar to Americans but a fixture in Brazil. It even used Ford engines for several years, before it matured into part of the Volkswagen engineering mainstream. In addition to having an appropriate name, the most popular car in Brazil – one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world – also was born with the most diverse set of Volkswagen genes ever combined into one design. In the 35 years since the Gol’s introduction, more than 5 million have been sold, a figure that exceeds 10 million when combined with the entire family of models derived from the Gol. The Volkswagen Gol has been Volkswagen do Brasil’s entry level model since 1980, when it replaced the Beetle as the mainstream low priced car. It should be a surprise to no one that in Brazil, world famous for its love of futbol, the most popular car nameplate for over three decades has been Gol – Portuguese for “goal,” of course. ![]()
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