Three decades ago, a fierce rivalry stalked the Straßen and Autobahnen of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the East, if you were very lucky, you had a Trabant. If Erich Honecker?s third cousin happened to be married to your wife?s sister, you might?ve snagged a coveted Wartburg. But on the other side of the wall, young men picked a side: GTI or Manta. GTI dudes were the more moneyed cohort, while Manta Männer were akin to American Camaro guys. Or, even more stereotypically, Camero guys. But Opel?s Shetland pony car faded away not long before the wall came down, leaving the GTI the victor in this war. For this year?s Wörthersee gathering, VW seems to be paying a roundabout tribute to the foe it vanquished in the market in the form of the Golf GTI Heartbeat. For Yanks of a certain age, Chevrolet?s 1980s ?Heartbeat of America? campaign, with its neon pink EKG readout graphic?emblazoned on too many satin jackets?brings to mind the era of the 454 SS pickup, the great-looking but sad-sack Beretta coupe, TPI Corvettes, and of course, the mighty IROC-Z Camaro, the American analog of Opel?s Manta GSi and GT/E. It is very likely that the young crew from Volkswagen?s Vocational Training program had no idea about any of this. Aged 20 to 26, the men and women who built the 395-hp GTI have never known a Germany divided, and to them, the Manta is merely a car that weird Uncle Karlheinz keeps in his Freiburg garage, waiting for him to make good on his vow to restore it.
Young people...