1974 was a period of great change for Volkswagen. The first-generation Golf boldly changed the concept of the folk car, moving from the legendary "beetle" with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine to a compact three- or five-door hatchback with a front-mounted water-cooled engine and an angled body at the time. The body look was created by the legendary Italian designer Giorgio Giugiaro, whose designs adorned many chic and well-known cars - 60s De Tomaso Mangusta, Iso Griffo, Maserati Ghibli, angled 70s BMW M1, Lotus Esprit S1, Maserati Bora models and all the well-known car that traveled on time - the DeLorean DMC-12. So the simple, compact, front-wheel drive and universally acceptable Volkswagen Golf quickly became the pioneer and bestseller of the new compact car class. A number of competitors such as the Citroen GS, Ford Escort, Fiat 128 and Renault 6 quickly joined the class. Volkswagen Golf was among the best-selling cars in Europe throughout its production period. Over time, equally popular Golf versions were introduced: the VW Golf GTI (introduced in June 1976), the diesel-powered version (September 1976), the Jetta (Golf sedan body in October 1979), the Golf Cabriolet (convertible body in 1980). January) and a Volkswagen Caddy produced on the Golf platform.