Citi Golf lives on, but with much more power

South Africa’s automotive flair will be showcased to the world when Volkswagen enthusiast, Jamie Orr, takes a modified Citi Golf to the GTI Treffen in Wörthersee, Germany.

The Citi Golf project began with the arrival of a Passat 3.6-litre VR6 engine, complete with Golf 4 VR5 transmission with a Limited Slip Differential, and lightweight billet flywheel and clutch setup, to South Africa all the way from the USA. Once the parts arrived, it was Jamie’s job to find a suitable car for the project.

Luckily Jamie was in South Africa, the only country to produce the Citi Golf, which was also never sold outside of the African continent. “While the Golf 1 enjoys a strong enthusiast following around the world, Citi Golfs are a rare sight even at Volkswagen fan events. That is why I wanted to buy, restore, and share one as much as possible,” says Jamie Orr.

A clean 1991 Citi Golf was found after much searching and was promptly treated to a new 225kW engine, new wiring and a fresh respray of its original two-tone blue paint-job. The interior received seat fabric, inspired by the Golf 7 GTi, as well as new steering components and stronger brakes. The entire project was complete within one-week.

The Citi Golf is currently awaiting shipment from South Africa to the Volkswagen Emden factory in Germany, as well as the Wolfsburg factory in Germany – home of Volkswagen.

“In Wolfsburg, we will apply the finishing touches, before another 1000km drive to the GTI Treffen in Wörthersee. The tour of Europe will also include factory and museum visits as well as a trip to the infamous Nurburgring race track,” concluded Orr.

After the #CitiGolfChallenge is done, the car would have travelled to three continents before reaching its final destination in America.