Clean machine: Original high-mileage GTIs don't come much more perfectly preserved than Ray Partner's Mk 2 16V, and he has hundreds of awards to prove it!

摘要

WE FIRST MET Ray Partner way back in 1991, at GTI International when it was at the TRL, Crowthorne. Living in nearby Bracknell, it was only a short trip across town for him to attend the event which was quickly becoming the UK's major event for the water-cooled high-performance VW and Audi models. Indeed, at that time, it was really the only such event of its type. Ray bought his 1989 Mk 2 GTI 16V brand-new, from Royal Berks Garages in Reading, after trading in a very well-kept Fiesta XR2. A long-time car enthusiast, ex-rally driver and a professional paint and bodywork specialist, Ray had always looked after his cars well. Little could he have known then, though, just how big a part cleaning and caring for the GTI would play in his life over the next 20 years...