Irish Car of the Year was first received by a car produced by Volkswagen in 1978 and was received by the Volkswagen Derby a year after.
The first receiver of the award was the Volkswagen Golf Diesel, when it received the inaugural award in 1978. The second receiver, the Volkswagen Derby, was around 1 years old when it won the award, as was the third receiver, the Fiat Ritmo. 
