Two types of customers bought the Volkswagen Golf Country. The first group was made up of folks who simply liked the novelty of having a jacked-up Golf with a big bull far up front. For them, the Country stood out from a run-of-the-mill Golf much like, say, a Renault Captur stands out from a Clio today.

The second group was made up of folks who legitimately needed a jacked-up Golf with a big bull bar up front. For them, the Country struck an even middle ground because it was roomier than the Fiat Panda 4×4, more efficient than a Lada Niva and more affordable than a Land Rover 90.

The Country pictured below was likely purchased by a member of the second group. Photographed in a small town in the Alps, it is one of the very few rough and well-used examples that we’ve ever come across. This Country hasn’t been garaged, it’s been driven regularly through dozens of winters and it has a selection of dings, dents and rust spots to prove it.

Covered in salt from the rocker panels to the rain gutters – that’s the way we like to see these. However, less than 8,000 examples of the Country were built over a two-year period so many of the remaining ones have been retired from daily use and are only taken out on nice days.