Golf GTi is always a flop isn't it?
Have you driven one? I can tell you, such a disappointment.
As others have said, the original was something different at the time. Good enough to give the otherwise bland basic Golf the lift it needed. One of my bro's had one (and a Mk2) in the day. The Mk2 and later, were just also-rans. Incidentally, a 1.4 Rover 200/25 was quicker to 60mph than a Mk3 Gold GTi
. Bro soon got shot of the Mk2 Golf and replaced with the much quicker (but less predictable) 205 GTi.
I believe I've mentioned here before of a bit of a race between my 2 bros (1.3 Cavalier, Mk2 Golf GTi) and sis (Fiat 850 Sport Coupe), and the Golf disgraced itself, despite the fact its driver was by far the best (trained high performance driver).
So, if you think the Golf GTi is in any way a great car, you need to look beyond the VW brand