Currently being prepared for listing by Wolf and Mare is a 22-years owned example of what many consider to be peak VW: A 2003 Volkswagen GTI 20th Anniversary Edition. Built in 2003 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the debut of the Rabbit GTI in the USA in 1983, the 20th Anniversary Edition GTI was built in limited numbers in exclusive colors and specification. Just 4000 were produced in total for the United States market.

The car on offer features striking Imola Yellow paint, one of 3 special edition colors released on the 20th Anniversary Edition car. Two colors, Jazz Blue and Black Magic Pearl, were also offered with 2,000 cars painted in Black Magic Pearl, and 1,000 each for Imola Yellow and Jazz Blue. Additional exterior enhancements included a Votex body kit that included side skirts, a front spoiler, custom rear bumper and a color-matched spoiler on the hatch. Badging was unique to the 20th Anniversary Edition, harking back to the old-school slab-serifed font of the original GTI. A small, polished chrome Rabbit icon next to the rear badging further identifies the car as a 20th Anniversary Edition.

Performance was dialed up as well, with many praising the 20th Anniversary Edition as the car the MkIV GTI should have been. A 180 horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder motivated the car from 0-60 in swift 7.5 seconds, but the car’s handling is where it really shines. Larger vented brakes front and rear provided greater stopping power with less fade and a lowered sport suspension provided a firmer and more planted ride.

The interior of the 20th Anniversary Edition is just as special as on the outside. For the first time on a MkIV GTI, the headliner and pillars were covered in black fabric instead of gray. Deeply bolstered striped cloth Recaro seats with embroidered GTI logo provided snug seating during hard cornering, and the supplemental restraint belts featured red edge striping. Brushed aluminum accents were added to plus-up the already class-leading interior of the GTI of the period, and the center console features the car’s unique production number.

Owned for 22 years by its original owner, this GTI was lovingly cared for during much of its life, and has a sizable service history to accompany it. All electrical and mechanical components operate as they should, and despite the mileage the car feels like a 2-year old Volkswagen GTI, not a 22 year-old GTI. There are some interior and exterior cosmetic blemishes here and there, but from 5 feet the car looks showroom-ready. The GTI runs, shifts, and drives beautifully with good acceleration, great clutch bite and smooth shifting with no gear grind.

20th Anniversary Edition GTIs under 100,000 miles, especially in Jazz Blue or Imola Yellow, have been seeing strong values of late. This car’s condition and long single-owner history make it equally suited for collector status and preservation or more happy years of driving enjoyment.