Where are they now?

Around 1997 there was a request in the Rabbit magazine calling for good condition V and W reg Mk1's.

 My Dad submitted a photograph of his Mars Red golf and was contacted for a photo-shoot. December 1997 an advert began to appear in magazines with a tag ling asking, 'If you want to know how reliable a Volkswagen is, you only have to look at all the V's and W's around' and there amongst the V and W registered Mk1's was my dad sat on the boot of his car.

Here is the Ad

 And here is my Dad


 The other registrations are
 ENT 847V black GTI
 PDG 889D Blue
 XVB 785V White GTI
 PDG 99W Red Driver
 EPB 582V (looks like it's black)
 BRU 462W Red GTI
 ?LB933V White
 AGO 558W matalic blue Cabriolet
 HMJ 761V Black GTI
 OPJ 271W red GTI

 The text says:
 How durable is a Volkswagen?
 Just look at all the Vs and Ws around.

 Our thanks to all those who kindly furnished us with photos of their pride and joy. If we didn't manage to fit you in, patience. Twenty years from now we'll doublltless have occasion to run a similar ad.

Great story!
 I think I know where one is Simon M

I also have that original advert!

ENT is my old '79 GTi that was also on Quentin Wilson's The Car's The Star and Top Gear. Here is a pic with its twin brother that I also have



AGO is identical to my GLi



I also have a silver 78 GTi like the one pictured.

HMJ is still owned by Chris Santos as far as I know.

According to the DVLA site most have these may have gone now, could only find one currently taxed and one Sorn'd

ENT 847V black GTI. still going
 PDG 889D Blue. can't trace
 XVB 785V White GTI last taxed 1997
 PDG 99W Red Driver last taxed 2000
 EPB 582V (looks like it's black) last taxed 2008
 BRU 462W Red GTI can't trace
 ?LB933V White can't trace
 AGO 558W matalic blue Cabriolet last taxed 2012
 HMJ 761V Black GTI Currently Sorn'd
 OPJ 271W red GTI last taxed 2002

Edit: RichardHall beat me to itAccording to the DVLA most are untaxed, I'm guessing that means they are like my beetle, in bits, un-sorn and not scrapped.My Dad restored his 6 years ago, replacing the rot with fresh steep and wax injecting the lot. Some of the above may still be under restoration but I bet most are in the car park in the sky. 

PDG 889D is PDG 889W which is also untaxed since 2010

I can tell you where Simon M is right now, he's  on an overnight ferry From Belfast to Birkinhead I'll say no more than that for now  .

I think that's Rajan's old Series 1? dubboy

Hairyarse said

I think that's Rajan's old Series 1? dubboy

Correct. The ex-John Cooper car.

dubboy said

Hairyarse said

I think that's Rajan's old Series 1? dubboy

Correct. The ex-John Cooper car.

Ah I didn't know the latter part!

Hi, old thread by the looks of things.

 In any case EPB 582V is alive and I expect to have it back on the road soon. Short history.

I bought "the mouse", as it is affectionately known, in 2003 and it had the grille seen in the advert. I changed this back to an original single headlamp grille not long afterwards.

When I was moving house in 2008 I drove from London to my parents house in Norfolk and put it in the garage where it has been since.

 Transferring it back to London in the next few weeks to fix the fuel filler neck and do a few bits to get it MoT'd. 


 

Awesome 😋

Great article