It"s exactly one year...
It"s exactly one year since the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving was banned - and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) believes hands-free kits should be outlawed, too. Its experts estimate that drivers making any kind of call are four times more likely to have an accident.
When I saw first pictures...
When I saw first pictures of the new GTI, I have to admit I was underwhelmed. Was it really different enough from the MkV to make a big impression?
Want to see the most eagerly anticipated hot hatch of 2009? Look no further!
The new MkVI Golf GTI has finally arrived in our test car garage, and as Auto Expressò€™s road test editor I couldn"t wait to see how one of motoringò€™s most enduring legends has evolved once again.
That said, when I saw the first pictures of the new MkVI GTI, I have to admit to being a little underwhelmed. Was it really different enough from its predecessors to make a big impression?
Spending time with the car in the metal brings a fresh perspective. The next generation GTI is much lower than its predecessor, with a much more squat, muscular stance. Will that be enough to make it class leader? We"ll have to see if engineers have pulled off a similar trick under the skin.
If the standard MkVI Golf is anything to go by, we"ve got a hot hatch treat to look forward to in the spring.
And with a bloodline that stretches back over 30 years, we couldnò€™t miss the opportunity to chart the evolution of the Golf with an exclusive special feature, bringing together every GTI generation.
These exclusive behind the scenes snaps give a sneak preview of our photoshoot, which has just been completed at a top-secret photo studio in the UK. I was lucky enough to be there to smuggle out these shots, but read about every detail of their development, youò€™ll have to wait until January 21st, when the full 16-page pull-out magazine will be offered free with Auto Express, and featured in full on autoexpress.co.uk.
And the cars in our pictures arenò€™t just any old Golfs, either.
Granted exclusive access to Volkswagen UKò€™s heritage collection, we had all six generations of GTI in condition that had to be seen to be believed. There were no shortages of volunteers from the Auto Express road test team to go along to the studio shoot and get up close and personal with these legendary hot hatches - and we weren"t disappointed.
I"m lucky enough to have driven the MkI GTI in our pictures before - but it looked very different when I took the wheel five years ago. Since then it"s been re-built from the ground up, using parts from several other vehicles, including its legendary Pirelli "P" alloy wheels. The result is a stunning time warp of a car thatò€™s now kept under lock and key forever more.
However, the MkI wasn"t my personal favourite on the day. It was fascinating to see the proportions of the new MkVI, and Iò€™ve got happy memories of long drives in the MkV, but itò€™s the black MkII that held the most appeal for me. Not only was it in absolutely perfect condition, but the styling looks just as good today as the day it was launched.
Will this visual appeal secure the MkIIò€™s position as our favourite Golf GTI? Youò€™ll have to wait until January 21st to find outò€¦