Police cars don’t get any cooler, even though the Golf II GTI of the Rijkswacht is intrinsically linked to one of the darkest periods in recent Belgian history.
It is well known that both the Belgian and Dutch police forces once used Porsche 911 Targas. But did you also know that the Belgian Rijkswacht relied on the Golf II GTI in the 1980s?
The Nijvel Gang is one of the biggest stains on recent Belgian history. 28 dead, 40 injured and no significant trace after more than 40 years of investigation. Officially, the search for the perpetrators has been stopped since last year, even though tips continue to emerge that demand extensions. Were they just reckless bandits? Ex-law enforcement officers who wanted to avenge the underfunding of the state apparatus? Or was it politically motivated domestic terrorism? Was instability supposed to be created? Or did the CIA even play a role in the events to ward off the outstretched hand of communism? In any case, there is no shortage of conspiracy theories, but answers have remained absent since the first robbery of 1982.
Until the unification of the Belgian police in 2001, the Rijkswacht was responsible for such facts. The ‘Gendarmerie Nationale’, founded in 1796, was confronted in the 1980s with a decrease in budgets and a reduction in the labor potential. As a result, the corps was permanently on its last legs and could not properly perform a number of tasks, which led to criticism both internally and externally. Perhaps the best illustration of that underfunding was the fact that the BOB – the Surveillance and Investigation Brigades – had to rely on Renault 4s for their patrols, in beige and therefore widely known, while the bad guys could steal much better stuff. The Volkswagen Golf I GTI was high on the crook list.
The reckless attacks of the Gang certainly partly ensured better weapons and faster intervention vehicles for the Rijkswacht. The best example of this was the Golf II GTI 8-valve, which had to give the agents a chance to pursue the Gang members. During the attacks of 1982, 1983 and 1985, they invariably appeared with powerful getaway cars – ranging from the Golf I GTI and the Peugeot 504 to the Saab 900 Turbo. Because heavy weapons were used during these attacks, the doors of the Rijkswacht-GTI were armored. The atmospheric 1.8-liter 8-valve was not officially modified, but with a 0 to 100 time of 9.7s, it was fast enough at the time to keep up with most of the car fleet. Only the Gang usually used good pilots and after the attacks they invariably disappeared with a heavily armed gang member in the open trunk to discourage pursuers…
The Rijkswacht-GTI in the photos is a later copy, but that doesn’t make the accompanying story any less interesting. It is one of about ten patrol Golfs that have survived the ravages of time in original condition, thanks to the current owner. The man himself patrolled with it as a gendarme and was given the opportunity to take over ‘his’ company car when it retired. For the Belgian equivalent of the RDW, neither the striping nor the light bar with siren is apparently an objection – provided they are not used. The original equipment is also complete inside, with a communication radio and even a built-in computer to do searches with. Today, the owner uses it for tours in VW club association, which evokes both good and bad memories for most spectators.
