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About great engineering from Wolfsburg. A Volkswagen enthusiast website!
VW Golf Mk1 GTi 16s 1981-1983
In it´s 1600cc guise, the Golf duly became one of the best selling hatchbacks in France, with over 50% of the overall Golf sales being that of the Gti but when Ford, Talbot and Renault sales started making dent in the French market, the Gti dealers began to feel justifiably concerned. While they were waiting for the 1800cc version to be publicly available, the old hatch could quite easily drop in both desirability and perfomabililty
So the French division of VW devised a plan. A plan that would keep the Gti sales flowing, fight off the contenders and maintain the Golfs track record of reliability, practicality and performance. There were no bigger capacity blocks in the Volkswagen performance range and early attempts at turbocharging had dropped due to the inherent heat problems generated, so they had to look elsewhere to extract more power from the 1,6-litre high rev screamer that remained at the heart of the French master plan. Obviously reliability was a key issue so they called upon the well renowned expertise of leading German aftermarket tuner, Oettinger. The results were spectacular. Even on paper, way before the engineers began toying with the VW pocket rocket. Then Volkswagen of France began to market the 16-valve Oettinger equipped Mk1 which later became known simply as the 16s, the s standing for soupapes – the french word for valves.
The 16s was built between 1981 and 1983. 7 years before Volkswagen themselves designed, built and branded their own 16 valve cylinder head, it sounds a real tempting buy. What is so unusual about the 16s is that, unlike all other Oettinger equipped cars both then and now which can be ordered as an aftermarket option through a VW dealer, these were actual VW models which were extensively tested by VW themselves and sold with a full VW warranty. In total, only 1250 were ever built to 16s spec and they were only available on the French market, although there are rumors that they also marketed in South Africa as well.
Available colour options on the 16s were limited to Anthracite Grey and Alpine White – two colours only – with the remaining silver, red and black trademark colours of the Gti range devoid of any association with the French special. Further factory extras were made as an option, most notably being the Kamei roof and lover boot spoilers.
The engine
What started life as a fuel injected 8-valve engine now had an alloy, twin cam, crossflow cylinder head with 16 valves. The new head necessitated the use of new forged pistons and the compression ratio was upped to 10.5:1. The oil pump, too was uprated, as was the capacity of the K-jetronic injection system and the whole bottom end was carefully balanced. Put into play by a new 5-speed GTi gearbox with a different drive ratio, the 16s rocketed to 100Km/h in 7.5 seconds, charging on to a quoted 209Km/h, pulling 136Bhp at 7250rpm. The differences don´t stop here either, there´s an unfamiliar distributor cap, molded at an angle rather than straight up, thinner and longer spark plugs and a baffled oil sump capable of holding an extra litre of oil. Visually though, the engine compartment was dominated by the fantastic 16s inlet manifold casting, curling over the cylinder
Buyer´s guide
Certified 16s Golfs bore a factory embossed number on the rocker cover casing, obviously running from 1-1250 when they ceased production. More obvious sign on the 16s could be found on the outside, with originals sporting Oettinger badges front and back and with Oettinger 16s decals sitting alongside both front wings. The 16s also ran at ATS alloys, had an BBS body kit mounted on the car. The steering wheel should feature the Oettinger badge, with the Oettinger logo sat above both the speedometer and rev counter behind the plastic cover. Oettinger clocks should also be found in the center console, where white on black Oettinger lettered dials monitored oil temperature, oil pressure and ampere. Also the 16s had a four headlight grille as standard.
The techical data of the Golf Mk1 GTi 16s
Engine: 1,6l 16 valve twin cam engine, 136Bhp at 6500Rpm, 157Nm at 5500Rpm, 5-speed gearbox, maximum Rpm 7500.
Bore/stroke: 79,5 x 80mm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Injection: Bosch K-jetronic
Front Suspension: Macpherson struts (anti roll bar & strut brace)
Brakes: Front – ventilated 239mm discs
Rear – 180mm drums
Wheels: ATS 6J x 14
Tyres: 185/60 R14 H
Body: BBS bodykit, Oettinger 16s badges (front/rear), Oettinger 16 Soupapes wing decals,
Kamei roof spoiler (optional), Kamei lower boot spoiler (optional)
Total weight: 900Kg
Maximum speed: 209Km/h
Acceleration: 0-100Km/h 7,5sec
Golf Mk1 GTi 16s. The beauty!
The rear of the 16s. Notice the 16s logo.
The front of a Anthracite Grey 16s
Alpine White.
Anthracite Grey.
16 Soupapes. Soupapes means "valves" in French.
The dashboard. Notice the oil-clocks in centre, and the 16s logo on the steering wheel.
Oil temp. And oil pressure clocks.
The ATS wheels.
Oettinger
Oettinger is best known as one of the foremost leaders of Audi and Volkswagen tuning, with a heritage stemming back over more then 60 years. The company have obtained VDAT tuner certification in Germany, making them the first VAG tuner to achieve ISO certification.
Oettinger has applied its class of excellence to not only engine conversions, but also body styling and stylish alloy wheel design. They have also had equal success on the racetrack, notching up numerous wins, as well as being a market leader on the consumer front.
Oettinger, unlike many other aftermarket tuners, have been able to secure a relationship with Volkswagen thats is unmatched by any other rival firm. This bond of the two companies allowed Oettinger sports and performance accessories to be ordered and subsequently purchased direct from VW. For this reason alone, it stands clear to see why Volkswagen committed the job of the 16s development to Oettinger and no other tuner.
Further information can be gathered from the Oettinger website.
