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It was a year to remember, 1977 – the first Star Wars flick hit the big screen, The Clash released their first album and the Royal Navy launched its flagship HMS Invincible.

But none of this mattered to the UK's legion of petrolheads; because it was the year Volkswagen sold Britain's first Golf GTi. Stuart Milne takes a look back at our favourite hot hatch.

Good time cars in the mid seventies varied from the slow to the unreliable to the very expensive.

Most meagre budgets could stretch to a little MG, which would leak a torrent of water every time it drizzled, while the more adventurous could buy a hot, rear wheel drive Escort and drive it tail first into a ditch.

So the collective ears of performance junkies were firmly pricked when Volkswagen launched a quick version of its Golf supermini. The problem was if you wanted one, you'd have to go to Germany and drive home in one with the steering wheel on the wrong side.

The Tefalheads at VW's factory were showered with praise when they built the Golf GTi, but they were in no hurry to let us Brits join in the fun, because it took them a full year to move the steering wheel to the right.

But when they did, we couldn't get enough of them.

The first Golf GTi – now known as the Mk1 – wasn't the first hot hatch; the Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti was Genesis, while the rally-bred Vauxhall Chevette HS set the bar for performance.

It was, however, the first hot hatch to get the balance of performance, handling and practicality right.

The first generation

While the standard Golf was enjoying sales success, a group of enthusiasts were busying themselves 'after hours' on a project codenamed Sport Golf.

In a move rivalling Decca Records for lack of foresight – the label which famously turned down The Beatles – Volkswagen bosses repeatedly said there would be no interest in a fast hatchback.

Undeterred, the Sport Golf team pressed on, and managed to persuade VW top brass to build a limited run – and the GTi was born.

Packing a 1.6-litre engine pulled from the Audi 80, the GTi was launched at the 1975 Frankfurt motor show and went on sale the following year.

What the GTi lacked in performance – it had a top speed of just 108mph and a 0-60mph time of 9.6 seconds – it made up in handling.

In 1980 the Golf received a facelift and more power, and won over all who drove it.

Mk2 – the definitive Golf

Things move on, and by 1983 there was a hunger for more space, more comfort and more power.

The Mk2 managed to retain the fun of its predecessor and combined it with a classic 1980s look – and remains one of the defining cars of the decade.

Synonymous with the excess of the yuppie era, the Mk2 came of age with the launch of a new 16-valve engine which reduced the 0-60mph time to 7.9 seconds, which is only 0.6 of a second slower than the current 200bhp, turbocharged GTi.

With the rich getting richer, there was a demand for even more performance.

This was answered with the G60 model, which was effectively a supercharged GTi, and the fire-spitting four-wheel drive Rallye, intended to herald a serious campaign in the competitive Group B rally series.

The VR6 years

Eight years on and the energetic Mk2 had run its course – buyers of the common-or-garden models wanted yet more space and refinement.

And that meant getting bigger.

In the nineties, hot hatches were a virtual no-go area for insurance companies thanks to a legion of joyriders parking them in electrical store windows across the country. Ironically the Golf GTi had become a victim of its own success.

The Mk3 GTi had become a sad and bloated image of its former self. For the first time a 3-door GTi tipped the scales at more than 1,000kg – and the 5-door was even heavier.

But worse than that was the slothful 115bhp, 2-litre 8-valve engine it came with – just 3bhp more than the Mk2's 1.8 engine, and with a top speed of 123mph, it was only 4mph faster.

Car magazine declared 'The Golf loses its balls'. It was a sad day for Golfers the world over.

By the time the 150bhp 16-valve version came along, the damage was done.

There was a ray of hope, however. Lurking in the shadows was the VR6.

Packing a lusty 2.8-litre V6 engine, the VR6 sounded the business and although critics said it was too nose heavy to be a true drivers car, it stole the GTi's thunder and spawned the super hot hatch which lives on today in the latest Golf R32.

Volkswagen goes forth

After the disappointment of the Mk3, the Mk4 was a vast improvement – as long as you chose the right engine.

Increasing competition in the fleet markets from Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Renault meant Volkswagen had to once again raise its game in the comfort, style and space.

Again, this meant more girth and more weight.

And when VW announced 120bhp 2-litre and 125bhp 1.8-litred engines to power the latest GTi, it looked like history was repeating itself.

Fortunately, a couple of other engines were available – both 1.8s and both turbocharged. The only real difference was the engine management system, which allowed power junkies to easily boost the power from the standard 150bhp and 180bhp levels.

From the moment these engines hit the street, modifiers set about pulling them apart and stoking them up with gusto. Some of these are pushing out power on the scary side of 300bhp.

Those seeking GTi-rivalling performance with extra comfort were catered for with the smooth 2.3-litre V5, and the four-wheel drive V6 4Motion, which was voted Towcar of the Year by the Caravan Club of all things.

Five years after the Mk4 launched, the successor to the Mk3 VR6 was launched. The R32 packed a thumping 240bhp punch from its 3.2-litre V6 and enthusiasts couldn't get enough of them.

Finally the hot Golf was getting back on track.

Fifth time lucky

In 2005 the current GTi hit the streets. Finally Volkswagen has a car as involving as the original model – but it needed almost twice the power to do it.

The Mk5 is every inch the hot hatch. A balanced chassis combines with plenty of power and some striking looks to create a car worth getting worked up about.

There are subtle similarities in the Mk1 and Mk5 which get enthusiasts dewy eyed – the tartan interior and red piping around the grille are particularly evocative.

For the first time since 1991, the GTi has a real identity – it's more than a tarted-up Golf with three special letters.

It’s the real deal on the road.

A sensational 2-litre turbocharged engine provides 197bhp, making for a 0-60mph time of 7.2 seconds and top whack of 146mph.

Uniquely for a hot Golf, it’s an automatic which steals the show. VW's clever DSG 'box is about the best available anywhere, and with its lightning-quick gearchanges it cuts the 0-60mph dash down to 6.9 seconds.

It shines on twisty roads, and is regarded as one of the best driver's cars around at the moment.

So much in fact, many are questioning the point of the more expensive R32.

Seven seconds away

Mention GTi, and it’s the Golf which pops up in driver's heads before any other.

It has always been what insiders call the halo model – the one which grabs the headlines and attracts buyers to the rest of the range.

So it's no surprise more of you search for Golfs than any other car on autotrader.co.uk – 23 million last year alone.

That’s a search every seven seconds.

Not bad for a car which wasn't going to be built.

Auto Trader ad break

Volkswagen has come up with some stonking adverts for the golf over the years. Here are some of our favourites.

Singin' in the rain

Un-pimp my ride…

Some things are best left alone

GTi forever

Golf drivers stay forever young in South Africa

And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our slide show of the incredible Golf GTi.