Volkswagen celebrates 50 years of Golf by showing 1969 EA276 prototype

Volkswagen is celebrating 50 years of the Golf nameplate this year, and showed a 1974 Mk1 Golf alongside the 'EA 276' concept at last weekend's Bremen Classic Motorshow.

The lesser-known flat-four engined EA 276 is one of the studies that led to the original Golf and was made in 1969.

It's not the most handsome vehicle with a little bit of Lada Riva to its shape (though it preceded the Eastern Bloc sedan) with a strangely long bonnet and a curved swage line.

To keep costs down for Volkswagen's new family car, the EA 276 study was built around the same air-cooled flat-four engine found in Beetles of the time.

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The EA 276 study is a strange looking beast

The EA 276 wasn't all cost-cutting though, setting the blueprint for the Golf's practical hatch and torsion beam rear suspension.

Thankfully, Giorgetto Giugiaro and Italdesign (hot off the back of the dainty 1972 Alfasud) stepped in to deliver the final Golf product, the design of which remains an icon to this day.

Volkswagen's transverse-engined Golf incorporated cutting-edge technology into certain variants such as a controlled catalytic converter, efficient engines, anti-lock brakes, and even the option of an all-wheel drive system.

The liquid-cooled Golf was also the first ever Volkswagen product fitted with a heater. It would arrive in Australia two years after its global launch, in 1976.

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Safe to say Giugiaro's execution of the small car helped its success

In Germany .1974 was a big year. Not only did the first Golf launch, but the country won its first Football World Cup.

Since Germany's inaugural World Cup win, Volkswagen has delivered 37 million Golfs across the world, the hatch not only standing for affordable transport but also diverse eco-friendly engines.

It's been sold with petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric powertrains over its 50 years of existence.

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The cabin of the 1969 Volkswagen EA 276 study

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The cabin of the 1974 Mk 1 Volkswagen Golf

Also helping to celebrate 50 years of Golf is the introduction of the new Mk8.5 generation.

The mid-life update to the Golf brings various tech revisions and engine tweaks across the range.