Worthersee Treffen 2017: the Golf gallery

VW's Golf TCR racer was nearby, although away from the main hubbub of the show.

Wörthersee is Golf crazy - the majority of cars at the festival were VW Golfs. That's hardly a surprise, though.

Jimi's personal favourite was this Mad Max-spec Golf Mk2. Rust? What rust?

It's not to everyone's tastes, mind. The Joneses next door would be horrified if it showed up on the driveway. They don't get it, though.

Those are some formidable alloys on this Mk1 Golf GTI.

The main junction into the town of Reifnitz; it was packed the entire day with cars trundling through to find a spot to settle.

The reason we're all here; the original mass-market hot hatch and Autocar Readers' Champion for 2017 - the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The logo's evolved somewhat in the 40-odd years it's been around.

This sums up Wörthersee perfectly.

This was the coolest man at the show. The white Mk6 GTI is also a gem.

Find a quiet corner in Wörthersee? It's possible, but it's also not likely to stay that way for long...

The Golf Country is an incredibly rare sight on the roads, but its place in VW history is cemented. It was also a popular exhibit at the meet.

This one was in absolutely pristine condition too. Glad to see it's not locked away in a collector's garage forevermore...

This Mk5 GTI's paint job is as intricate as it is eye-catching. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it's rather gorgeous.

"Come on kids, let's rest here for a minute."

Proof that cars just look better with twin central exhausts (maybe)

We've established that it's not just GTIs at Worthersee, but this Mk1 Golf diesel was the only one at the show.

This pristine red VW Rallye Golf was a sight to behold. An absolute minter for its age, and a rare car at that.

It's also got the Holy Trinity of retro VW...

...box flared arches, G-scroll turbochargers and Syncro four-wheel drive...

...not to mention some of the prettiest alloys ever put on a Golf.

In fact, any car which wasn't highly tuned or rat-looked was worthy of Concours status.

A badge like this gets you mad respect around these parts.

This chap's got the 'Steppe' wheels of a Renault Mégane II on his Mk3 Golf. Not a bad fit, for someone else's shoes.

The stickerbombed parts of this GTI look rather spectacular against its deep blue matt wrap.

This gold, extremely modified Golf won't be to everyone's tastes, that's for sure. Variety is the spice of life, though, and the show's beauty lies in its diversity.

The extreme paint job on this Golf GTI caused quite a stir at the show.

The extreme paint job on this Golf GTI caused quite a stir at the show.

The extreme paint job on this Golf GTI caused quite a stir at the show.

Looks pretty tame by Wörthersee standards, no?

...Think again!

Slammed cars were a frequent sight, and were often resting on their wheels when stationary. Thank God for air suspension!

An homage to Monsters, Inc.? Who knows, but this Mk2 GTI almost blinded our man at the show.

This was one of the most pristine cars at the show. The Mk3 can often be overlooked as a bit of a black sheep in the Golf community, but this one was up there with the best.

While the simplicity but impact of this one caught my eye elsewhere, among the extreme stances and paint jobs.

One of the biggest attractions was the VW apprentices' First Decade concept. It was near impossible to get near it all day.

The other apprentices' concept was a heavily tweaked GTE Estate...

...with double the all-electric range of the standard car, as well as the estate body style.

When worlds collide - when two paint jobs go to war - odd one out - what other cliches can be applied to this odd coupling?

This freakishly small GTI was also drawing a crowd, and was only 299 Euro! Not sure who'd fit in it though, other than ki... oh, right.

Nowhere else is it safer or more socially acceptable to stand in the road, lean into someone's window and spark up a conversation - if everyone shared this friendly kind of atmosphere the world would be a better place.

Those aren't Golf GTI alloys!

They're from an Abarth 595 - but boy, do they look good here.

This heavily modified Mk2 GTI was an eye-catcher, and definitely one of the more comprehensively modified examples in town.

While this Mk2 GTI was one of the subtlest. Mk2 GTI prices, incidentally, are currently rocketing.