What is the base engine displacement of the first Volkswagen Golf (Mk1)?

The base engine displacement of the first Volkswagen Golf Mk1 was 1.1 litres.

When the Golf debuted in Europe in May 1974, its entry-level petrol engine was a 1.1-litre water-cooled inline-four. The engine came from Volkswagen Group’s EA111 family and used a single overhead camshaft, a carburettor and two valves per cylinder. It was mounted transversely at the front and drove the front wheels.

That layout was a major break from the rear-engined, air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle. The Golf’s front-wheel-drive, two-box hatchback design delivered a more practical cabin and luggage area while making the car well suited to crowded European cities. Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign created the compact shape.

The 1.1-litre engine was not the only early Golf powerplant. Volkswagen later added 1.3-, 1.5- and 1.6-litre petrol engines, plus diesel options. The famous Golf GTI arrived in 1976 with a larger 1.6-litre fuel-injected engine, so confusing the base car with the GTI is a common source of wrong answers.