I heard the news last week and, to be honest, I needed some time to let it sink in. I was emailed the news before I left the Safe House that day. Later on I heard it on the radio and then The Muse told me that she (a VW owner) had received a sms saying that the VW Citi Golf was being discontinued. “I know,” I said, “I just heard it on the news.”

I headed through to my primary residence, The Cape Royale Hotel, to chill out and Ryan, the most talented concierge I have ever come across, alerted me of a delivery. Can you bloody believe it, it was from Volkswagen and it was ALL about the end of the Citi Golf.

“Good Lord – they’re really drumming it in!” I thought to myself..

GoodByeCiti.co.za

Then I logged on to MyBrandedLifeTM and noticed that Alex was throwing a fit over the fact that her parents never bought her a Citi Golf. Then she wrote another article and it turns out she got the same media kit as the one VW sent me! (She is currently contemplating never blogging again as she battles with her various demons – keep an eye on her here).

So I started thinking about what Alex said and realised that, although my parents refused to get me the Golf GTi I wanted at the time (“A thirteen hundred is MORE than enough for you!”), I was actually one of the lucky ones! With my white Citi Golf Shuttle (I named her “Claudia,” after Claudia Schiffer – no spice) I unwittingly joined a now very exclusive club. What’s more, MY particular CitiGolf happened to be the fastest production 1300 on the road. Everybody knew it and respected it. I remember hitting 200km/h with a gale force wind behind me on a very steep downhill at midnight travelling from St. Francis to The Cave in Plett..

Aaah, the YEARS of joy we had with the windscreen spray nozzle that I tweaked to spray out the side – allowing us to spray people on the side of the road. With precision aim, I might add. We OFTEN heard the spray hitting their faces. Christ, we were naughty – but damn it was fun!

So many stories – don’t even get me started on the guy that got out of his car and ran towards us with a sjambok in his hand when we got stuck at a red traffic light!! Yu! Good times..

I suddenly felt waves of emotion and nostalgia running through my beautiful body.

I emailed Mother Dearest in France and asked if there was any documented footage of Claudia. Apparently there was – and it wasn’t hard to find either it seems. She reports, “Only had to open 20 boxes , climb over 10 suit cases and move 45 paintings Really not a problem I had to get into that room as half my jewellery was missing and I knew it had to be hidden in there somewhere which it was :-).”

Good show.

And this, my friends – was the result:

Please appreciate the bow..

Please appreciate the slippers

I’ve had a number of cars since the, including the current Audi R8 and TT – both of which I love very dearly, but I still check the numberplate on every CitiGolf Shuttle that I see – wondering if it’s her. But I doubt she is around. She was probably used in a drive-by shooting or a robbery and sold for scrap [wipes tear].

But maybe she is around..

If you see her around (CA 793-033) – send her my love and get a pic if you can.

Goodbye, Claudia.

Goodbye CitiGolf..

Thanks for the memories..

*THE END*

[*read more on citi bowing out here]