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COVER IMAGE:

Si Gray ISSUE: November 2017

EDITOR

Elliott Roberts elliott.roberts@kelseymedia.co.uk

Badly Dubbed

Looking at this month’s cover car, and to a degree most of the rides featured in this very issue, it’s obviously apparent that the modified VW scene is more divided now than it’s ever been, between those favouring cars that ‘go’ and others who prefer them purely for ‘show’. However, while there are now camps on both side that strongly believe their way is best and won’t entertain anything from the other side, we seem to find ourselves sat firmly in the middle loving the extremes both sides can bring to the party. Take Winston’s yellow Mk1 Scirocco for example, he got so carried away while building the ultimate show car that he pretty much produced an, albeit very clean (the cleanest ever?), Mk1 Scirocco-shaped ornament. Okay, there’s an engine and gearbox in there, hell, even a couple of seats, suspension and wheels but even before he actually got to the stage where the car would actually start and drive he had a rethink. Why build a compromised car? Great to raise eyebrows and bag internet stardom, but not live with. Why not make a car that looks pretty, but goes like sink and handles, too? You know, something you can still have fun in, be it on the show ground or race track. Thankfully we convinced Winston to let us bag our photos for a full feature before he started the big strip down. Obviously

EDITORIAL EDITOR: Elliott Roberts CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: David Kennedy ART EDITOR: Lorna Mansford WORDS: Tony Saggu, Alex Grant, Davy Lewis, Paul Cowland, James Wallace, Patryk Bielin Bieli ski PHOTOS: Matt Woods, Wipdesigns, Aron Vickers, Si Gray, Ollie Wildsmith, Scott Morgan, Matt Dear ADVERTISEMENT SALES Sarah Halls: 01732 446756 (sarah.halls@talkmediasales.co.uk) PRODUCTION Katie Hollands (katie.hollands@talkmediasales.co.uk) MANAGEMENT Managing Director: Phil Weeden Chief Executive: Steve Wright Chairman: Steve Annetts Finance Director: Joyce Parker-Sarioglu Retail Distribution Manager: Eleanor Brown Acting Publishing Operations Manager: Nicola pollard Audience Development Manager: Andy Cotton Brand Marketing Managers: Debra Hagger & Nikolas Lovely Events Manager: Kat Chappell

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

David Kennedy pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk

HEAD OF PERFORMANCE ADVERTISING Sarah ‘Churchy’ Halls sarah.halls@talkmediasales.co.uk

for us, we need cars like this but we understand his change of plan. Apparently he’ll be swapping out the engine and air ride over the winter months before next season. I guess it proves that even with a plan in place you can lose your way or get side-tracked. It seems that while cars built to extremes (and which bag magazine covers) are great for us voyeurs to perv over, they might not be so great to live with. I guess the smart approach, as we’ve said for some time, is to try and create a car that has the best of both worlds. It’s something to think about at the very least! Elsewhere in the issue, on top of the feature cars and usual regular installments, we’ve paid KW Suspension UK a visit (p78), teamed up with RamAir to give away a Jetsream induction kit worth £199.99 (p24), we look at some of the latest in-car audio upgrades from Kenwood, JVC and Pioneer, have show coverage from Poland’s awesome Raceism event (p96), announce our PVW 2017 Car Of The Year entrants on page 50 (email you favouirtes over to pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk) and exactly 21-years after our first ever Westisde group photoshoot we revisit one of the UK’s longest established modified VW clubs for a rather emotional reunion (p84). Finally, if you turn to Our Cars (p109) you’ll catch HR Engineering’s latest project where the guys attempt to fit an LS1 V8 into a Mk1 Golf. Enjoy!

Elliott roberts, Editor SUBSCRIPTIONS 13 issues of Performance VW are published per annum UK annual subscription price: £62.40 Europe annual subscription price: £74.49 USA annual subscription price: £74.49 Rest of World annual subscription price: £82.49 CONTACT US UK subscription and back issue orderline: 01959 543747 Overseas subscription orderline: 0044 (0) 1959 543 747 Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team: 01959 543 747 Customer service email address: subs@kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription postal address: Performance VW Customer Service Team, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham, Kent. TN16 3AG. UK WEBSITE Find current subscription offers at shop.kelsey.co.uk/pvw Buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/pvwback Already a subscriber? Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT. www.seymour.co.uk Tel: 020 7429 4000 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd OR PCP Printers OR Mortons

Kelsey Media 2017 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties. Kelsey Publishing Ltd uses a multi-layered privacy notice, giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information. For full details, visit www.kelsey.co.uk , or call 01959 543524. If you have any questions, please ask as submitting your details indicates your consent, until you choose otherwise, that we and our partners may contact you about products and services that will be of relevance to you via direct mail, phone, email or SMS. You can opt out at ANY time via email: data.controller@kelsey.co.uk or 01959 543524. Performance VW is available for licensing worldwide. For more information, contact bruce@bruceawfordlicensing.com Kelsey Media: www.kelsey.co.uk Cudham Tithe barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham, kent, TN16 3AG

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December 2017

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Goodies

Features 008 Don king Don Octane’s latest creation has 1280bhp, eight second, 170mph+ featherweight than a straight re-engineering job.

028 JVC/Kenwood REVIEWS We look at the latest headunit for JVC and Kenwoods multi-purpose dash cam.

032 smokin skills A 528bhp diesel Arosa that weighs just 785kg and is capable of 9.7sec quarters… Let’s take a trip into the Darkside.

040 Dream catcher After years of rushing projects and making compromises when James Barnard landed his dream VW there was now way he was rushing it or settling for second best.

050 Car Of The Year We’ve done the hard bit, now all you have to do is pick your top three and email us!

056 Dream boat Inspired by many of the Euro-look greats, Richard Linster set out to build something on parr created a car which we feel could just be on another level.

070 Road & Track Milltek Sport’s race programme has massive, real-world ramifications for its road cars, and this pair of Golf Rs make it very clear indeed.

078 Taking care of business We head over to KW Automotive’s UK HQ to get an incite into exactly what goes on at its multi-purpose Kent facility.

084 Its a lifestyle

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What started out as just a car group over two decades ago has grown into something much more than that.

096 Say yes to Racism If you haven’t heard of Poland’s Raceism event yet, then you’ve been missing out.

100 the latest kit from pioneer We check out all the latest kit from the Pioneer, just in timefor Christmas, too.

96 70 December 2017

DON

KING Don Octane’s latest creation might look like a rally car turned dragster, but there’s much more to this 1280bhp, eight-second, 170mph+ featherweight than a straight re-engineering job. Words: Alex Grant Photos: Matt Woods 8

Performance VW

ou can photograph the interior if you want, but there isn’t much to see,” laughs Ben Rauch, as we line up the next shot. He’s not kidding. After a decade of bolting progressively more heavily boosted six-cylinder engines into VW’s lightest bodyshells, his latest project feels like an obsession for power-toweight ratios might finally have crossed a line. Not because it’s meant hacking a former rally car apart to chase a few tenths of a second out of his quarter mile times, but because he’s reached the point where nothing even remotely related to a road car can make the grade.

Unable to get anything steel-bodied to as light as he wanted, this time he’s started from scratch. Not that it’s obvious; this might look like a Polo S2000, VW Motorsport’s turn-key Super 2000 rally car of a decade ago, but in reality it’s nothing quite so ordinary. The body panels are nothing more than a carbon fibre skin, identical in size to the real thing but pinned to a bespoke tubular chassis – it’s the bare minimum weight and structure needed to let just shy of 1300bhp do its thing, snatching at the tarmac and belching fire at the sky as it does so. Ben never was one for half measures, but this one might need a second glass. It's bonkers! “There was only ever one goal with this car; to

get into the sevens,” he explains, a haze of heat and vapours still rising from the front end of the Polo a few feet behind him. “We’ve learnt a lot in its first few events, and we’re still developing it, but the plan is to keep turning up the boost until we get there. If we need to, we’ll bring a replacement engine and transmission with us.” It’s engineering born out of a total fearlessness; of being so fixated on the best possible solution to a problem that you skip worrying about the practicalities of turning it into metal-fatiguing reality. But the end result works. One season and six events into what’s likely to be a long career and, with an 8.2-second, 172mph quarter-mile pass already under its belt,

the newcomer is already the world’s fastest Polo and Germany’s fastest all-wheel drive car. There’s a passenger seat if you’re brave enough, but this piles on the speed with such maniacal conviction that it’s brute force you appreciate from the sidelines. Factor in Ben’s determination, and it can only be a few events before this hits the benchmark it was built for. He’s got form here. Don Octane started out with Ben opening a specialist VW Group workshop back in 2004, and quickly getting bored of the routine work it was bringing in. Based in Erfurt, part of what had been East Germany, the former Soviet airstrips nearby are a breeding ground for a thriving local drag

December 2017

scene, and it didn’t take long for him to get involved. Now a team of ten with its own line of products, Don Octane can count cars like the 16Vampir (the world’s fastest Mk1 Golf), and big-name drag shops like Donkey Tec and Dutter Racing among their customers. If you’re looking for the parts to put down four-figure horsepower without sweeping shattered metal off the start line, Ben’s your guy. In part, that’s because he’s become as well-known as his customers. When workloads allow, the shop turns out some ballistic machinery of its own. For the last few years that’s come in the shape of ‘Brutus’ – Ben's bare bones Mk2 Polo, nicknamed after a 46-litre aeroplane-engined experimental racer,

we started with a mk4 R32 engine, which is pretty much the cheapest vr6 you can buy after the 12v versions

Performance VW

and with an equally loose grip on sanity. Stuffed full of turbocharged VR6 and Haldex four-wheel drive, it had been the world’s fastest Polo until this car took the title earlier this summer. It’s a promising start, but the Polo S3000 (as Ben calls its replacement) has big shoes to fill: “I don’t think we found the limits of the old car,” he says. “Even in its last season we had managed to knock three tenths of a second off its best times. But we also knew the best way forward was cutting weight further, and there wasn’t much more we could strip out of Brutus. So, for the last two years, we were using any spare time between events to build this one.” To give you some idea of how obsessive this has become, for all the hardware crammed

into its tiny bodyshell, Brutus was no heavy car. Actually, weighing in at just under a tonne in race-ready spec, it would have made a midspec Up! look heavy. But the team hadn’t just exhausted the lightweight potential of a factory monocoque. Switching to a tubular chassis meant they could begin with a list of parts they wanted to use, then build the car around them. That opportunity hasn’t been wasted. The S2000 had been a logical place to start – bigger than the old car, with wider track, a longer wheelbase and more space under the bonnet, but still smaller overall than a Golf. And those three-inch arch flares meant there was plenty of girth for fat drag tyres too. It might not have been what VW Motorsport had

designed those body lines for, but the glove fits. Starting with a blank canvas was no small task: “We built 90% of the car in-house, using a stock 9N3 Polo to get the dimensions and make moulds for the carbon fibre bodywork,” Ben explains. “The chassis and body weighs around 200kg without the doors, hood and bumper, and even race-ready it’s less than 900kg. The real Polo S2000 is all metal, so it weighs around a third more than that.” Similarities stop at shared external dimensions. Within the space of the body, Ben and the team could begin with ideal suspension geometry and built pickup points exactly where they needed to be, looting the Volkswagen Group parts bin to get a head start. Both axles run a pair of front suspension struts from an Audi S2, with custom arms and bespoke Bilstein coilovers offering plenty of trackside adjustment. This laid the foundations for everything else to tuck in around it. Including using some of what they knew from previous builds. Beneath the bonnet, its paint blistered and fuel-stained from the exhaust and twin screamer pipes cutting through its surface, is a familiar Don Octane setup; a VR6 cam cover and an almost comically huge turbocharger tucked in next to it. Except, this time, the blown six-pot is butted up against the slam panel like an Audi – this being one of only a handful of Polos with a north-south drivetrain. “We started with a Mk4 R32 engine, which is pretty much the cheapest VR6 you can buy after the 12-valve versions,” Ben tells us. “We’ve built a few of them now, and they’re great for drag December 2017

racing because they’re easy to tune. It’s an R30 setup, using the crank from a 2.8-litre 12-valve, which takes it down to 3,001cc, and the shorter stroke cuts stress on moving parts when it’s under load. So far, it’s been problem free.” There isn’t much left that you can buy over a parts department counter. Rebuilt with the strongest moving parts the team could lay their hands on, it’s allowed the team to be greedy with the boost they could force through its six cylinders. The huge 1450bhp-capable Precision Turbo billet turbocharger takes air in through a mesh cut into the airbrushed right-hand headlight, mounted to a knot of equal-length manifold pipework built by P-Motorsports. While the tubular chassis had offered up the freedom to mount the radiator at the back of the engine bay, the thick-cored intercooler and eight-litre fuel cell were still a tight fit. Which left only the challenge of satisfying the

Performance VW

blown six’s climate-altering thirst for E85 fuel. An opportunity to test the ECU Master management Ben and the team have just started stocking, the 12 injectors are metered out by one of the latest EMU Black units. Mapping the Polo took a full day at KKS Performance near Berlin, Ben says, with AME Racing on hand to help. Even the first run, at a pared-back 1.6 bar, the R30t produced 1060bhp. At a still-safe 2.2 bar, which is where it’s been set for the first season, it’s making 1280bhp. That’s somewhere in the region of 1400bhp per tonne, delivered with the howling urgency of a race-tuned V6 and four-wheel drive traction. Put it this way; it can cover a horizontal quarter mile faster than the same weight travelling that distance in freefall. The longitudinal layout offered a much better choice of drivelines. Because the Touareg has an Audi-style O1E transmission and VR6 engine instead of the wider-angle V6, Ben worked out

that the Polo could fit a B5 RS4 gearbox using OE parts. Now dealing with almost five times the power it was designed for, it’s home to a Quaife diff and Don Octane six-speed dog gearset, developed with Monster Performance, while a race-spec Sachs clutch and lightweight flywheel get the unenviable task of withstanding the violence this unleashes at full throttle. “All of the driveshafts and prop are custommade for the car – we’ve been building those in-house for years, based on original parts but designed to be much stronger,” says Ben. “However, we had to look outside the Volkswagen Group for the rear diff. It’s a stock R33 GT-R differential, which is cast iron and very strong. The Audi differential is aluminium, so we would have broken that very quickly.” Considering the grip available here, he’s not wrong. The Polo’s arch flares are filled out with ten-inch wide Mickey Thompson drag tyres, wrapped around 15" Weld Racing wheels. Though that’s meant there’s barely any room for brakes, considering the power this thing produces, each axle runs a set of Golf VR6 front discs. They’re only needed for short bursts, and with top speeds well over 150mph, the parachute at the back can do the rest if needed.

Dub Details ENGINE: 3001cc 24v, V6 petrol using R32 engine block with crank from 2.8 12v VR6, ported cylinder head, Don Octane high-strength head bolts, sodium-filled exhaust valves with reinforced springs, custom camshafts, Precision Turbo PT8685 billet turbocharger, Arlows heat shield, Arlows silicone hoses, 2x 44mm Tial wastegates, P-Motorsports exhaust manifold, Don Octane inlet plenum, P-Motorsports custom intercooler, ECUmaster EMU Black ECU (without MAF sensor), 6x Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors, 6x Injector Dynamics ID2000 injectors, 2x Sytec fuel pressure regulators, eight-litre fuel cell, Audi RS4 (B5) O1E gearbox with Don Octane dog gear set, Sachs RCS200 clutch and flywheel kit, Quaife limited slip differential (front), custom-made driveshafts and propshaft, R33 GT-R rear limited-slip differential, SQS billet shifter CHASSIS: 10x15 Weld Racing Magnum wheels, 26x10 M/T ET drag slicks, Mk3 Golf VR6 front brakes (front and rear) with hydraulic handbrake. Custom-made tubular chassis by Don Octane, Audi S2 front struts (front and rear) with custommade arms and Bilstein race coilovers EXTERIOR: Custom-made carbon fibre S2000 replica bodyshell, Don Octane/ Volkswagen Motorsport graphics, Polo Bluemotion grille, polycarbonate windows INTERIOR: AiM MXS Strada dash, Recaro bucket seats, Sparco harnesses, flat dashpad with switches on it, Victor Design Pulsar steering wheel, Tilton pedal box SHOUT: My mechanic Gerald, my girlfriend Franzi, my brother Evgeni

December 2017

Not a single kilo was wasted on creature comforts either. The two fixed seats slot into whatever space isn’t taken up by the roll cage and a large transmission tunnel. Almost bare, except for the billet SQS sequential shifter, AiM full-colour data logger and bank of switches on the flat metal dashboard, passenger runs mean finding space for your legs around the battery box while harnessed in place. At least, unlike Brutus, there’s no ice box to get in the way – Ben opted for an air-to-air intercooler this time, which saved a a little more weight. It’s not until you see mid-build pictures of the bare carbon fibre that you realise how little of the exterior trim is real. All of the windows are polycarbonate, the lights nothing more than airbrushing over a thin layer of white paint, while the graphics were inspired by the Polo WRC. Anything else would compromise that pursuit of lunatic straight-line speed. Which is exactly what it’s achieved. Straight off

Performance VW

the trailer in June, Ben put down an 8.8-second pass at 175mph, so getting that down to 8.2 seconds in the handful of events since shows a steep learning curve. Okay, it’s not quite a the seven-second target, but the winter months are setting in and plans are already being drawn up to take it those last nine yards. “It’s already like nothing else I’ve ever driven,” Ben tells us. “But we’re still aiming for the sevens and that means more power, so we’re swapping to a Garrett GTX55 turbo and adding more boost. It’s worth a few small problems to get where we want to be.” More fearless engineering ahead, then. Clearly all the hardware is in place, but with a few months to cut vital tenths of a second out of his next pass, the question is whether he’ll be able to resist finding a few more kilos to shed in the meantime. Whatever happens before next year, it’s got plenty left to give, but where will it end? n

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INTRODUCING

VW'S PIKES PEAK CONTENDER

We’re writing this piece here on the very day the news broke from Wolfsburg – in fact within a couple of hours of the VW press office hitting send on the press release email – so if more information’s been released since that’s why this piece could be a little light on facts. What we know as we put this piece to print is that Volkswagen has announced that it is developing an all-wheel drive prototype electric race car for the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb next June. VW’s goal is, as to be expected, to set a new record for electric cars at the event. The current record in the class of electric prototypes is 8 minutes 57.118 seconds, which was set by

US driver Rhys Millen (e0 PP100) in 2016. "The Pikes Peak hill climb is one of the world’s most renowned car races. It poses an enormous challenge and is therefore excellently suited to proving the capabilities of upcoming technologies," explains Dr Frank Welsch, Member of the Board responsible for Development. "Our electric race car will be equipped with innovative battery and drive technology. The extreme stress test on Pikes Peak will give us important findings that will benefit future development, and it will showcase our products and their technologies." This amazing new motorsport project is part of

Volkswagen’s process of transforming itself into the leading producer of electric vehicles. It’s said that by 2025, the Volkswagen brand will be offering 23 all-electric models. “We are developing an all-electric race vehicle for the first time," explains Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director. "The project is also an important milestone in our new motorsport orientation. Our team is literally electrified about taking on this incredible challenge." Volkswagen Motorsport last participated in the Pikes Peak mountain race in 1987 with a spectacular twinengined Golf which barely missed finishing. "It is high time for a rematch," continues Smeets. December 2017

What’s New? ZERO POINT SIX SIX

SPEED WINS Scott Speed has won the Red Bull Global Rallycross (GRC) title for the third year in a row. The 34-year old clinched the title with a second place finish in the final race in Los Angeles, with Tanner Foust taking the win to cement his second place in the standings and Volkwagen’s manufacturers title. Speed and Foust both drive 560bhp four-wheel drive Beetles which are run by Volkswagen of America and developed in Hannover by Volkswagen Motorsport. They won nine of the twelve GRC events and claimed 19 podium finishes between them over the 2017 season. Since Volkswagen joined the GRC championship in 2014, the Wolfsburg-based car maker has 27 wins and 51 podiums to its name. “Champion driver for the third time, and champion manufacturer for the second – what an incredible success for Scott Speed and Volkswagen,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “Congratulations to the whole team at Andretti Autosport. The cooperation between Volkswagen of America, Andretti Autosport and our technicians in Germany deserves a special mention. Everything has really come together perfectly.” We definitely need to check out a GRC race in the flesh one day, definitely one for the 2018 to-do list.

ALL’S WELL Those of a certain age will remember Weller Wheels, and if you don’t, it doesn’t matter because the UK company is back! Founded in 1969, the classic wheel brand was known for its range of motorsport and road wheels, and things look set to continue in 2017 with 17 different styles on offer, including the iconic ‘8 spoke’ (above) so beloved by modifiers over the years. Good to have you back guys! CONTACT: www.wellerwheels.com or www.facebook.com/ WellerWheelsLtd

Performance VW

Now it’s no secret we like the 3SDM guys and gals here at PVW, mainly because the south coastbased wheel manufactures know how to turn out a seriously great looking wheel. This is the latest offering from its cast range, it’s called the 0.66 and we don’t think we need to tell you where its drawn its inspiration from, it just screams all things motorsport yet we’ve got a feeling it’ll look right at home on the show field too. It’s available in silver or black finishes, in 8.5”- and 9.5x18” and in 5x100, 5x108, 5x112 and 5x114 fitments in either +35, +40 and +42 offsets depending on the PCD. Definitely going to be a popular wheel choice next season we think! PRICE: From £239.99 CONTACT: www.3sdm.co.uk

SHINE BRITE

Britemax have launched three new products for both the professional and enthusiast detailer. Obsidian Quartz is a new dedicated trim coating that not only restores the appearance of your plastic or vinyl trim with a lovely satin, semi-gloss finish, but protects it against everything the environment can throw at it including harmful UV rays for up to 12 months. Extreme Elements 2.0 contains seven times the resin as the old Extreme Elements, making it act like a ceramic coating product but in an easy to use spray formula. Finally, Remax Si02 Spray Sealant. It’s said to give the long term durability and glass-like gloss of a ceramic coating but in an easy to use ‘spray and wipe’ formulation. Finally, Remax is manufactured with ceramic silica technology that leaves your all of your surfaces smooth and glassy with a super hydrophobic coating to repel airborne contaminants, dirt and water for up to six months. PRICE: Obsidian Quartz - £49.95, Extreme Elements 2.0 - £29.95, Remax - £22.95 CONTACT: www.britemax-direct.co.uk

Got a product, service or offer you want our readers to know about? Email: pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with all the details and we’ll make it happen

ROLL DEEP

APR have just announced the release of a new anti-roll bar solution for the two-wheel drive MBQ platform. APR’s front bar is of an adjustable type, with two pre-set points which enable the owner to toggle the bar to better suit their driving style. Coming in at 28.6mm in diameter, the front stabiliser bar also boasts a hollow, weldless design, traits which ensure that it’s both light and incredibly strong. The front bar kit includes specially created polyurethane bushings, mounting brackets and lightweight billet spacers. The rear APR stabiliser bar comes in at 25.4mm in diameter and includes a set of polyurethane bushes shown to further reduce unwanted suspension flex. The bars are designed to be used together, although they are sold separately through Awesome GTI. PRICE: £255.74 (per bar) CONTACT: www.awesomegti.com

SIX APPEAL

If you’re after a performance gauge for your Mk6 then look no further than P3’s latest offering. Designed to fit perfectly in the OE vent, two versions of the gauge are available both using the vehicle’s existing OBD2 port and ECU control to display the desired info. The boost gauge variant displays boost levels, battery voltage and features a useful dimmer control, while the Multi-Gauge adds a digital speed readout, precise coolant temperatures as well as parameters like throttle position, EGT and intake temperature. With the correct module added, it can also function as a performance timer, a code reader and clearer and even an RPM/shift light! PRICE: Boost Gauge £220.00, Multi Gauge £375.00, Vent Integration + £65.00 CONTACT: www.p3gauges.co.uk

V-MAXXING

If you own a Mk6 and are looking to upgrade the brakes then look no further than these new beauties from V-Maxx. Featuring four-piston aluminium calipers, 330mm two-piece grooved discs and fully-floating aluminium hubs, they promise superior braking performance plus less brake fade and glazing with hard use. The kit is fully TUV approved, and the pads included are perfectly suited to both track and fast road use. Win, win! Each V-Maxx Big Brake kit ships with adaptors to enable easy fitment to the original rubber brake hoses, while those seeking even better braking performance can specify their kit with V-Maxx Steelflex stainless steel brake lines with Teflon/PTFE inner tubing for an extra £55, which makes a lot of sense. PRICE: £1080 (including Steelflex lines) CONTACT: www.v-maxx.co.uk

GOOD IMAGE

The Image Wheels name might not need much of an introduction, the UK firm have been manufacturing two- and three-piece alloy wheels in the UK since all the way back in 1987! Image’s current range stands at over 50 unique designs, with every design available in sizes ranging from 10” to 22” in diameter, in widths up to 16”, in any offset, stud pattern or cosmetic finish you can dream up. There is also the option for motorsport style centre lock fitments or ‘knock off spinners’ too. PRICE: Various CONTACT: www.imagewheels.co.uk

DROP DATE

If you own 9N-onwards Polo (or other cars based on that platform) and you like to run it low then you’ll know what happens to the rear wheel, it tucks way off centre. Only Charged Dubs have teamed up with InnFab over in the US to bring these new specially designed Polo 9N-onwards IDF Drop Plates to the UK. By moving the centre point of the axle back, while also giving 23mm more drop and adding 2° of camber, they sort out the rear end stance of your Polo – all while the added camber offsets the thickness of the plate and leaves the wheel within 5mm of its original factory position. It’s worth noting that OCD say they are the only rear axle centering plates that work with vehicles on air ride as other, cheaper centering plates move the axle and can stretch the bag if air ride is fitted. PRICE: £260 CONTACT: www.onlychargeddubs.co.uk

December 2017

What’s New? VOLKSWORLD 2018 ART HAUS

The Arteon has only been out about five minutes and already Eibach have developed a new anti-roll bar pairing for it. Last year Eibach saw a big investment in its second German factory, the home of its anti-roll bar production for both the aftermarket and all manner of high-end OEMs, and this pair for the new Arteon are its latest offerings. Both the front and rear anti-roll bars are thicker than stock and are of a hollow design and manufactured from Hi-Tensile steel, meaning they’re strong yet light, and both come with up-rated polyurethane lined bushes too. Of course, they’re fully TUV approved as well. PRICE: £460.00 CONTACT: www.eibach.co.uk

What are you doing on the 24th and 25th of March next year? No idea? Well, let’s make the decision easy for you, it’s the Volksworld Show at Sandown Park in Surrey and you need to be there. UK air-cooled events don’t come much bigger or more prestigious, so if you like your campers, bugs and busses then you know what to do… CONTACT: www.volksworldshows.com

BIG BAD AND HEAVY

TIP TOP

Forge has released details of its new 50mm blow-off valve, the largest displacement valve it has ever made! Featuring a 50mm aluminium piston, eliminating any potential issues with split diaphragms, and heat-stabilised Viton O-rings and high temperature, motorsport-quality Mobil 1 grease, it’s a serious bit of kit. The vacuum barb is a huge 6mm ID and fully rotatable 360 degrees to suit any installation. In short, no matter what you’re running, this valve is ready to handle it. PRICE: £181.25 CONTACT: forgemotorsport.co.uk

WORX IT OUT

Worx All Natural Hand Cleaner is, as the name suggests, a plant-based 100% biodegradable (and certified by both EcoLogic and Green Seal, apparently) hand cleaner that is free from borax, phosphates, harsh solvents, petroleum products or mineral spirits, alcohol or antimicrobial agents, pumice, sands, soaps, nuts or legume shells, not something which can be said of less green alternatives from rival firms. Oh, and it’s also super good at getting your hands clean after you’ve worked on your car. PRICE: From £9.00 CONTACT: www.sonic-equipment.com

Performance VW

Want to keep those Milltek tips looking as good as the day you bolted the system on? Well then you’ll want to get your hands on a bottle of Milltek’s new, own-brand metal polish. Whipped up in association with Dodo Juice, it’s said to restore the look of any metal, including chrome, and its special active sealant ingredient will help your metalwork stay looking good long term too. PRICE: £11.76 CONTACT: www.millteksport.com

NO CHIPS PLEASE

Stone chips and small scratches spoiling the look of your car? Then you need to know about Chipex. Designed and manufactured in the UK, Chipex uses your vehicle’s reg number or colour code to mix the perfect, exact colour-matched paint for the specific vehicle - this is backed up by Chipex’s ‘100% colour match guarantee’ ensuring total peace of mind that you will get a perfect colour match for your paintwork, whatever it is. Each kit contains: perfectly colourmatched paint, the uniquely formulated Blending Solution, the uniquely formulated Chipex polish, a pack of small brushes for applying the paint, a pair of Nitrile gloves to keep hands clean, the uniquely developed paint removal cloth and a Microfibre cloth for the final polishing stage and of course, easy to follow instructions. PRICE: From £29.95 CONTACT: www.chipex.co.uk

DRIVEWAY BECOMES PIT LANE.

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COMPETITION

INDUCTION KIT We’ve teamed up with UK filtration experts RamAir to give away one of its latest, Jetstream induction kits for EA888 Gen3 2.0 TSI models*

amAir have been manufacturing performance air filters and induction kits since 1981. Having developed filtration systems for some of the word’s most successful motorsport teams, RamAir products have been tried and tested in the extremes of competition. This knowledge and experience has been utilised to develop their best-selling range of performance road applications. RamAir filters and induction kits are designed to improve performance by flowing more air (as well as resisting heat soak and creating a better induction sound). This increased airflow may then be harnessed by further engine tuning to help you unlock potential gains. RamAir’s Dan Mullan says, “We don’t make big performance claims, but we do give you the ability to flow more air; the rest is up to you.” All RamAir products are designed, manufactured and tested in-house, which means they can maintain stringent quality control, but also quickly adapt designs to cover new fitments, and produce bespoke set-ups. Manufactured from high quality materials, RamAir products are finished in OEM-style black to complement any VAG engine bay. All brackets, clips and hoses required to fit to OEM mounting points are supplied, with many additional items, such as heat shields, available as optional extras. RamAir produce a wide range of VAG applications, including the latest Jetstream induction kit for the Audi A3/S3 (8V), Audi TT (8S), SEAT Leon/Cupra (5F), Skoda Octavia/vRS (5E), Skoda Superb (3V), VW Arteon (3G8) and VW Passat (3G). If you don’t have one of the newer 2.0 TSI models, you can still enter our competition, as there’s likely to be a RamAir product for your car – head to www.ramair-filters.co.uk to see what’s available. All products are available direct, which means that 99 per cent of the time, you get what you need by next day delivery. There’s no waiting for third parties to send out an order and technical support is available for any fitment issues (although with comprehensive fitting instructions, including clear photos, you’re unlikely to need them.) Well, what are you waiting for? ■

WIN! INDUCTION KIT

WORTH £199.99 For your VW Group car. *Or any other RamAir VAG application, up to a value of £199.99.

Terms and Conditions

No employees of RamAir, Kelsey Media or any associated companies may enter. Kelsey Media takes no responsibility beyond protecting this competition, and no cash adjustment is available. We reserve the right to disqualify any entrants for any reason without notice in accordance with the competition rules. The editor’s decision is final and correspondence will not be entered into. We will pick a winner at random and notify them via Facebook. The prize is a RamAir air filter or induction kit for a current VAG application, up to a value of £199.99. No other RamAir products or cash alternatives are available.

HOW TO ENTER When was the RamAir brand formed? A) 1980 B) 1981 C) 1991 Simply head to the RamAir Facebook page (@RamAir), find this post and enter the words ‘Win with PVW,’ followed by your answer (A, B or C). We’ll choose a winner at random when the competition closes after 2 February.

Good Luck!

Playing with the big kids We manufacture for no less than 3 German OEM Tuning divisions

Golf 7 GTI/R

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A3/Leon/Octavia/Beetle/EOS/Golf/Jetta/Passat/Scirocco

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ramair--lters.co.uk +44(0)1980 635300

OďŹ&#x20AC;er available for a limited time only

3 EASY WAYS TO ORDER

1 2 POST

WRAP-UP CHRISTMAS!

ONLINE shop.kelsey.co.uk/xpvw

Buy one of our SUBSCRIPTION GIFT PACKS this Christmas and let a friend or loved one choose the magazine they want.

Fill in the form and send to: Subscriptions, FREEPOST RTKZ-HYRL-CCZX, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., Cudham Tithe Barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham, Kent, TN16 3AG.

AUTOMOTIVE

Have a passion for cars? Our magazines cover the full gamut of motoring, performance to classic and one marque. from GT PORSCHE is for aficionados off Germany’s most famous sports car maker. Containing model reviews, buying guides, classic features, race coverage and the latest news, GT Porsche is a must for all fans of Stuttgart’s most famous export.

Christopher Frost YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A 6 MONTH CHRISTMAS GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO ONE OUR WONDERFUL MAGAZINES BY:

ULTIMATE PORSCHE

Jackie Skelton

As you will see, we publish a whole range of magazines, ranging from lifestyle to fitness, agricultural to motoring, transport to animal keeping – there is a title there for everyone (titles are grouped in interest group on this fold-out)! Whether you are interested in the teachings of a yoga ashram, want to follow the restoration of a vintage traction engine, investigate the viability of smallholding and husbandry or enter your first triathlon, our magazines will provide the very best quality coverage of their subject for the next 6 months. Just look through the titles on this gift fold-out (they’re all here) and choose the title you would like a subscription for – you’ll receive 6 issues over the coming months.

CALL

WHICH TITLE  THE CHOICE IS

01959 543 747 & quote offer code XPVW Hotline open: Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm.

on maintaining and modifying your Porsche.

17 MG ENTHUSIAST is dedicated to all MGs, from pre-war TFs, to the Midget, MGA’s, B’s , C’s ’s and the MGF Every month, 100 pages are packed with the very best cars, buying guides, road tests, show reports, motorsport and practical advice.

YOURS?

As soon as we receive confirmation of your order, we will arrange for the subscription of your chosen publication to start with the next available issue. I do hope you enjoy your subscription and will be inspired, informed and entertained for the next 6 months.

MODERN MIN

AUTOMOTIVE FAST CAR is today’s car culture, bringing together the hottest gear and kit, inspiring guides with the very best cars. As the high performance market place, Fast Car is the magazine for all those working on projects, bodywork or performance.

27 CUSTOM CAR

YES! I would like to take advantage of these special discounted prices. Please start my subscriptions with the first magazine issue after Christmas to:

SUBSCRIPTION

31 PERFORMANCE VW has been at the forefront of modified VW’s for over a decade now, shaping the scene into the most innovative of its kind. If you’re after the fastest, finest and most fun VAG metal, then Performance VW is for you.

and racing.

12/08/2016 15:35

SUBSCRIPTION GIFT PACK OPTIONS

Orders must be received by 11th December to ensure delivery of your Gift Pack before Christmas.

YOUR DETAILS

TOP SANTÉ is packed with information on wellbeing, fitness, food, beauty and much more believing every

with seaside escapes, homes, gardening and property make up the appeal of every issue.

PSYCHOLOGIES

SCI FI NOW features big news on the best shows, interviews,

woman has the ability to maximise her health and beauty whatever her age.

2 is about what we’re like on the inside not what we look like. Want a magazine that’s explores the way we think, behave and connect? Want to be a better parent, partner or friend? Psychologies will help you become one.

4 CLAYCRAFT is for ceramics enthusiasts to improve their skills and take them to a higher level. The magazine offers numerous practical step-by-step projects and information on clay choice, glazing, firing kilns, design, tools, and product reviews.

reviews containing dedicated sections for sci-fi fans. Each issue also includes a section dedicated to the best (and sometimes worst) films, shows and sci-fi literature.

OUTDOOR FITNESS

is dedicated to the buying, rebuild and maintenance of cars from the 1930s - 80s. Each issue is packed with great technical advice, simple guides, and project progress,

incorporating Triathlon Plus and Running is the only UK magazine which helps you get fit, train and compete for events. Outdoor Fitness shows you how to train and plan for exciting challenges and how to complete them.

taking you through the nitty gritty of repair and restoration.

CLASSIC CAR MART is the world’s best-seller for the Mini in all its forms from 1959 trailblazers to fuel-injected Coopers. From readers’ cars to buying advice and practical tips, MiniWorld is the definitive read for any fan of this pioneering city car.

MATCH is essential for the young football enthusiast. Each fan receives the complete rundown on the Premier League, the latest news, results and reports on all the favourite teams together with great cover gifts and collectibles.

39 CLASSIC CAR BUYER provides unique insight into the classic motor market, with its news, auction reports and events of the classic scene. With over 1500 cars and parts for sale in its Free Ads section, the magazine is THE marketplace for classics.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS created by hillwalkers for hillwalkers. Wilderness instructors and writers provide enthusiasts with ideas and inspiration through stunning photography, top class writing and brilliant walking and backpacking routes.

CLASSICS MONTHLY

8 PARK HOME & HOLIDAY CARAVAN is the only magazine in the UK to cover park homes, feature the newest models, give practical advice on site living and have a “Questions of Law” service, a sites guide and a garden section.

HOLIDAY LIVING is Britain’s best magazine for giving you holiday inspiration; dedicated to helping you get the most out of your free time and making the most of every holiday opportunity, from glamping to quirky breaks, from cabins to caravans.

10 COLOUR-ME COLLECTION Looking for a simple way to relax for a few minutes... or an hour? Subscribe to this new collection of adult colouring books with fresh, modern themed and challenging designs, all printed on high quality paper to produce quality results.

NOT FOUND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR YET?

Then just continue looking through this fold out brochure until you find what magazine suits you.....

shop.kelsey.co.uk/giftpack

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Christmas The

The No1 magazine for a fabulous Christmas 2017

For stockists turn to page 144

magazine

0 15 GREAT

SANTAS GIFTS

Ho Ho Ho Christmas tags, £3.95, Nancy & Betty Studio

Traditional combo

IDEAS GIFTEVER YONE

A PERSONALISED YEAR-AHEAD HOROSCOPE BY RUSSELL GRANT!

RIBBON FINISH

Easy projects Family days out Board games PLUS WIN books!

SERVE UP:

Festive inspiration!

CHRISTMAS TABLE

White Magic GOLD STANDARD

16-piece two tone cutlery set, £24.99, argos.com

Vibrant pop

Winter whites

A classic white backdrop for your Christmas presents creates a chic, elegant look. You can then introduce splashes of gold, silver

GOODY BAG

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LOVELY LLAMAS

and black. Alternate between thick ribbons and natural twine and add a simple star decoration to finish. Christmas Wrapping Paper, from £3.50, Waitrose

COOL CENTREPIECE

Bronze Glow

Fun and bright, add a playful charm to your pressies this year with bursts of colour and plenty of character. Don’t be afraid to clash, confuse and contradict with this whimsical style that both kids and grownups can enjoy. Santa Cactus wrap, 3m, £4; silver wrap, 5m, £5; llama with presents hanger, £6; geometric disco bauble, £5; confetti bauble, £5; felt festive seal, £6; jingle bell star, £5; all John Lewis

Amarilis Spiral T-Light Holder in Gold, £55, outthereinteriors.com

year – they make a great base for your and they are readily available in lots of colours. Bronze on grey is a winning combination. Then layer up a white plate and crisp napkin then finish off with a gold pomegranate decoration and a pheasant feather sprig for an individual look. Rustic Gold Partridge ornament, £29.99; Gold Base tealight holder, £14.99; Pheasant feather, £7.99; Pomegranate decoration, £4.49; Wine glasses, £39.99; Dining plates, from £8.95 each; all dobbies.com

STUCK ON YOU

(set of 4); Mikasa 4); Wreath, £17.99; Grace Cluster pendant light, £99.99; all very.co.uk

Blue Stripe Fabric Sticky Gift Tape, £3.95, Dotcom giftshop

BAG IT UP

Treat bags, £2.99 for 12, Talking Tables

The Christmas Magazine 2017

own at this time of into their2017 plates come Magazine Charger Christmas The place setting

Snow and Ice is always a popular and elegant look but warm it up with on-trend touches of gold and bronze – on the tree decs, napkin rings, place mats and cutlery. Use simple white plates then add interest by choosing champagne glasses with a different white design on each one. A modern twig tree takes centre stage. 7ft Emperor flocked Christmas tree, £89.99; baubles, from £9.99; Rustic table top twig tree, £12.99; Wooden tree decorations, £29.99; Sheepskin rug, £269.99; Viners 16-piece

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ADD SPARKLE AND SHINE Sparkly gold cracker, £25 for 6, debenhams.com

METAL EFFECTS

Copper Place mats, £40 for 2, miafleur.com

DECORATIONS, WRAPPING, RECIPES, CARDS GS S YULE RECIPES TABLE SETTIN CRAFTY MAKE

From

STAG PARTY

£5

Gold Glitter Reindeer, £15, tch.net

Shopping made easy: gift guide! PLUS 24 TIPS TO MAKE THIS CHRISTMAS YOUR BEST EVER!

Christmas wishes present sack, £10, Paperchase

White stars, £3 for 10, B&Q

Let It Snow gift bag, 89p, Home Bargains

Tips and tricks to be ready for anything plus shopping

FESTIVE DRINKS BEST TURKEY CHEESE BOARD

BOOTY BAG

SIMPLE STARS

White Ribbon Fabric, £4, Flying Tiger

BE THE BEST HOST

Do Not Open Ribbon, £4, The Contemporary Home

Don’t be afraid to combine diﬀerent textures of ribbon and wrap for the best eﬀects

FESTIVE SEASON FOR KIDS

WIN!

DELIVERY DETAILS (if different from above)

RIBBON REMINDER

Brown paper with matt red paper makes for a winning combination for wrapping presents. Add in a unique twist with natural foliage from holly and berries to sprigs taken from your Christmas tree – simply tuck under a ribbon to attach. Up the glamour with the introduction of a touch of red foil wrap for extra special key gifts. Wrapping paper, from £4, Kraft gift accessory pack, £5; all Wyevale Garden Centres.

FOR YOU KNOW

TABLE TALK

Stag Mistletoe napkin, £22.50 for 4, thornbackandpeel.com

£4.99

No of packs ........ £............

COAST is for those who love the sea or relish the seaside. Every issue has coastal stories, lifestyle, food, walks, wildlife and interior design which together

03/10/2017 14:56

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No of packs ........ £............

PERFORMANCE BMW is a high-powered magazine about the fastest of the brand. Interested in going fast? The magazine is full of the latest news on forthcoming models, the best mods and parts together with stunning readers’ cars.

With a range of over 60 titles there’s a publication for everyone! Choose a 6 or 12 issue subscription (with a suitably festive discount) and we’ll send you the pack with an array of over 60 magazines to choose from. Give it to your recipient and they choose the title they’d like to read over the next 6 or 12 months. We provide a pre-paid envelope for confirmation of the title: your friend or family member returns it to us and we’ll do the rest. It couldn’t be easier!

For all gift subscription orders received before the 11th December, we will send a free gift card so that you can inform the recipient of their special gift.

12 issues at £35

Want to move to the Coast, cycle the JOGTLE route, find an exercise regime or just want to watch the best SCIFI movie? We have the magazine for you!

A3_XMAS_FOLDER.indd 1

This subscription is a gift

6 issues at £18

37 CLASSIC FORD

FREE GIFT SUBSCRIPTION CARD

A gift for you...

ROLLS ROYCE & BENTLY DRIVER

the first Silver Ghost and 3 litre to the present day’s Dawn & Bentayga.

is about pre-1990 Fords, standard or modified - from Populars and Cortinas, and Capris to Granadas, Full of practical advice on buying, maintaining and restoring, every issue reports on shows, events, runs, rallies

RETRO CARS is packed with cool cars from the 50s to the 90s. Each month there is practical advice for anyone considering modifying their classic motor together with stories of brave owners and the stories behind their beautiful restorations.

25 is dedicated to surviving originals and restored rarities, through to the maddest custom and performance Minis, every issue has comprehensive coverage of the Mini world with a highly respected technical section.

RETRO JAPANESE monitors the growing popularity of classic Japanese cars. Each month, models are described and, analysed through road tests and reviews, together with buying guides, advice and technical content.

33 is devoted to the history of these two great marques, this new magazine explores and explains the makes and different models from

CLASSIC JAGUAR

Magazine .............................................. No of issues ........ £............ This subscription is for myself

PERFORMANCE VAUXHALL is the UK’s one and only Griffon-dedicated performance magazine. It has the very best modified Vauxhall and Opels from around the world and expert technical advice, step-by-step DIY project guides and show reports.

the cars that built the marque. With its focus on classic models of the marque, Classic Jaguar is the perfect complement to Jaguar World.

Magazine .............................................. No of issues ........ £............

guides, events, projects and updates from the race world. Interested in fine-tuning anything with a blue oval badge? It’s all in Fast Ford!

relives the golden era of Jaguar motoring, profiling the people, places and

20/09/2017 17:19 1 FRONT_COVER_singlePageV2.indd

29 FAST FORD is the magazine for Fordpowered performance enthusiasts. Packed with inspirational cars, useful

was the first modified motoring magazine. Every issue is filled with the best cars in the UK, invaluable technical advice, drag racing news and the very best roundup of custom cars, hot rods and street machines.

21 VWt provides a monthly fix of T4, T5 and T6 Van-related content for the water-cooled Volkswagen Transporter fan. Each issue is full of reviews, road tests, industry specialists, road trips, essential technical advice, and fabulous feature vehicles.

LIFESTYLE

Have a passion for cars? Our magazines cover the full gamut of motoring, performance to classic and one marque. from BANZAI is packed full of performance-orientated Japanese vehicles and with ground-breaking photography, exciting and slick editorial features comprehensive show reports and informative and fascinating features from around the world.

MINI MAG

is the only magazine for the BMW Mini in the UK, covering the latest news, providing brilliant technical advice and detailed practical articles together with features on real owners’ cars from around the world.

Sarah Sharp

Each issue is crammed full of the best feature vehicles, technical guides, product reviews and inspirational travel features. Where, what, how-this is the magazine for you.

MINI WORLD is the world’s best-seller for the Mini in all its forms from 1959 trailblazers to fuel-injected Coopers. From readers’ cars to buying advice and practical tips, MiniWorld is the definitive read for any fan of this pioneering city car.

Yours Sincerely

VW CAMPER & BUS covers every generation of the VW Transporter.

VOLKS WORLD has focussed on air-cooled Volkswagens since 1987. if you want to be inspired by the very best Beetles, buses, Karmann Ghias and Type 3s and learn what, how, when and how much to buy, this is the only magazine you’ll ever need.

MERCEDES DRIVER reaches out to real Mercedes owners of vintage and contemporary models alike to provide the most in-depth and authoritative roundup of Mercedes information, legend and practical advice on iconic models of the marque.

on clubs and forums.

motorsport and the latest marque news from around the world - a must for leaping cat lovers!

brings you the very best VWs from around the world including an eclectic mix of Beetles, Campers, Karmann Ghia’s, the occasional Porsche and classic water-cooled Golf too – if it’s a VW, Ultra VW has it covered.

TRIUMPH WORLD brings readers a roundup from the much missed Standard and Triumph marques including features on specific models, readers’ cars, buying and maintenance advice plus a section focused

15 JAGUAR WORLD is an essential resource for Jaguar drivers, buyers and owners alike. Every month, the magazine features road tests, archive material,

ULTRA VW

To receive your copy every month, couldn’t be easier or quicker. Go to the gift form on the last page, and confirm both your name and address details are correct. Complete the section with the publication you’ve chosen and pop the completed form in the PRIORITY FREEPOST envelope provided and post back to us.

R GIFT YOU

BMW CAR demos the CSLs, E30 M3s and M1’s and other marque classics. With road tests of the latest models, it reviews the latest high performance machinery, tuning, prototypes and provides a comprehensive buying guide for the brand.

13 celebrates some of the finest fourwheelers ever produced with owner stories, rare archive material, buying advice and expert opinion

Go For Glitter

A runner of real moss is really easy to achieve but looks fantastic. Add beaded pin lights for sparkle then choose grey and white tableware for a sophisticated look. Use sprigs of fern on the napkins, place a bird feather decoration on each plate and give a different silver and white cracker to each person. The stag looks fabulous with his fur scarf! Idris table, £259; and chairs, £99; Pearl lights, £8; Premium crackers, £5; Decorations, from £1; Glitter reindeer, £5; Silver tree, £8; 12 piece ribbed tableware range, £18; Grey tableware range, from £4; 16-piece silver glitter set, £8; White napkins, £4 set of 4; Cut glass ceiling lights, £15; Silver tealight holder, £12; all george.com

The Christmas Magazine 2017

31/08/2017 10:53

01/09/2017 16:59

31/08/2017 10:53

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P.S. For great Christmas inspiration take a look at The Christmas Magazine, available at:

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Offers available to new subscribers only (find out why we are unable to honour these prices for renewals visit our website at shop.kelsey.co.uk/pricing). Offer closes 25th December 2017. Kelsey Publishing Group Ltd., uses a Multi Layered Privacy Notice giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information. For full details visit www.kelsey.co.uk or call 01959 543 7474. If you have any questions please ask as submitting your data indicates your consent, until you choose otherwise, that we and our partners may contact you about products and services that will be of relevance to you via direct mail, phone, email and SMS. You can opt-out at ANY time via email data.controller@kelsey.co.uk or 01959 543 747.

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Audi’s awesome S1 gets the full KW Clubsport treatment

PLUS!

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The American Westside Cartel breaks cover with this stunning Mk1 VR6 turbo

WIN!

EVENT COVERAGE : WÜSTE VEGAS

KIT BIGBRAKE

Fully restored Mk1 Golf swallowtail with Mk6 Golf R x! power and 2wd DSG gearbo

WÖRTHERSEE NÜRBURGRING How, where, when and why? We spill the beans

All you need to know – Destination Nürburgring

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PRODUCT FEATURE // JVC KD-X441DBT

KD-X441DBT

Since you can no longer touch your phone whilst driving, a car audio system with Bluetooth connectivity is absolutely essential and JVC have the perfect single-DIN head unit that packs Digital Radio, too. Rejoice! This integrated Bluetooth tech comes with an impressive variety of possibilities. The simple to install unit offers crystal clear hands-free phone calls and, once your device is paired, you can also search through your phone book or simply ask your system to call someone via Siri. If you want to make a call, then finding the right contact is quick and simple and you can also do it on the move safely and legally. The JVC KD-X441BT features 2 Phones Full-Time Connection. What does this mean? This allows you to easily switch between two paired phones – proper handy for vehicles with more than one driver or for people with a personal and work phone. As well as this, there’s Automatic Bluetooth pairing for iPhone & Android, so jump in your car and you’ll be connected in no time. Once connected via all this fancy Bluetooth tech, we love the way that voice guidance from mapping apps is played back via your car’s audio system. You get voice commands loud and clear, which not only improves safety, most importantly, you’ll get places faster! On a long road trip the high current 1.5A charging via the USB socket is invaluable. The built-in 4x50W peak power amp will make your stock sound system sing. If you want to get serious about music, then the 2x 4V RCA outputs allow you to add amps to power speakers or a subwoofer. You can also optimise the sound by using the 13-Band Graphic EQ. For Bluetooth and digital radio, you won’t find a better head unit at this price.

Performance VW

£119 //Fast Facts// • Built-In DAB+ Tuner • Bluetooth Hands-Free • 2 Phones Full-Time Connection • Bluetooth music streaming for 5 devices • iPod/iPhone Music Playback • Android Music Playback • High Current 1.5A Charging • 24bit FLAC Compatible with Tag • Variable Colour Illumination • 13-Band Graphic EQ • Volume auto EQ • Sound Response & Sound Lift • Time Alignment

Contact: uk.jvc.com December 2017

PRODUCT FEATURE // Kenwood DRV-410 GPS Integrated Dashboard Camera

Kenwood DRV-410 GPS

Integrated Dashboard Camera

£179

There's four modes of recording selectable: 1.Continuous Recording:

Recording starts as soon as the vehicle starts. In continuous recording mode, the oldest files are deleted when storage capacity has been exceeded.

2.Manual Recording:

Does exactly what it says in the tin!

3.Event Recording:

If a collision is detected then event recording will log the 10-seconds before this was detected and continue to record.

4.Parking Recording:

Keep an eye on your car whilst you’re not there.

SHOUT:

www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk 30

Performance VW

Kenwood has long been at the forefront of upgrading your Volkswagen's audio. Their popular DNX516DABS product was reviewed in our March issue and is second to none. This dashboard camera is ideal for recording your journey and protecting your car whilst it’s parked. How? Well, the built-in 3-megapixel camera automatically captures footage and records it cleverly storing data before and after the point of impact. What if you’re not into crashing? Well, the camera has a feature that will be relevant for any Performance VW enthusiast and that’s something called ‘Parked-up Auto Record’. As you can

imagine this captures footage like supermarket scrapes or even vandalism. The footage captured is high resolution and number plates are clearly visible in bright or lowlight conditions. The HDR feature ensures that even high- and low-light conditions are handled well, such as when exiting tunnels. There’s GPS included to record when and where you were hit. As well as this, there’s a GeForce sensor to record how hard you were hit. The discreet camera has built-in accident avoidance features for safer driving including Collision Warning, Land Departure feedback and a Departure Delay Warning. What's not to like?

SMOKIN’ SKILLS A 528bhp diesel Arosa that weighs just 785kg and is capable of 9.7sec quarters… Let’s take a trip into the Darkside. Words: Davy Lewis Photos: Wipdesigns

here’s always a buzz of excitement at a drag strip. It doesn’t matter whether you’re there for the Top Fuel monsters, or a regular RWYB, when the lights go green you never quite know what’s going to happen next. More often than not, it’s a bogged start, followed by a fluffed gear change, but, occasionally, you’ll witness something very special – like a diesel SEAT Arosa smashing out a 9.7sec quarter mile at 146mph. Now, I’m sure most of you will have seen this little yellow beast before. The company behind it, Darkside Developments, have been making diesels go fast for a good few years now. From the original PD engines, to the latest common rail units, they’ve carved an enviable reputation for diesel tuning in the UK and farther afield. But why choose such an odd base for a bigpower drag project? “It started as a result of our fabricator Dan’s desire to get back into drag racing,” recalls Darkside’s owner Ryan. “We wanted something small and light, so when the Arosa popped up with a snapped timing belt for £300, we had to buy it.” It actually made pretty good sense, as it meant they could fit an aluminium tailgate and doors from a Lupo, which would save lots of weight. With polycarbonate windows and every unnecessary part of the interior stripped out, the 32

Performance VW

team managed to get the weight down to just 785kg. That’s seriously impressive when you consider it includes a full MSA-spec roll cage and the extra weight of the 2.0 TDI engine, plus driver and head mechanic Paul, of course. So how did Darkside manage to turn this 100bhpshopping car into a sub-ten-second drag racer? The answer, not surprisingly, is a combination of sheer hard work and innovative engineering. “Being the first to push these engines so far, particularly the common rails, meant we had to solve all of the problems ourselves.” With no information on potential weak points and no one to turn to when things went wrong, it was simply a case of trying things out. Things began with a 1.9 8v PD engine. It’s the sort of unit found in lots of VW Group cars and makes a healthy 150bhp as standard. Indeed, even a stock unit would have given the little Arosa a decent bit of poke, but Darkside wanted more – over three-times more. A huge amount of work needed to be done to make the engine fit, including modifying the bulkhead to accommodate the turbo. The fully forged PD unit featured a host of custom parts and even boasted a turbo from a John Deere combine harvester. “With various stages of development, we ended up with 544bhp and 580lb/ft with nitrous and 429bhp and 460lb/ ft without,” says Ryan. This set-up allowed them to get under the ten-second barrier with a 9.99

How fast?

1/4 mile: 9.7224 @ 146.74mph (60% nitrous) 0-60mph: 2.26secs 0-100mph: 4.76secs Weight: 785kg Power to weight: 693bhp/tonne

December 2017

The fully forged PD unit featured a host of custom parts and even boasted a turbo from a John Deere combine harvester

@ 142.14mph. Very impressive, which begs the obviosu question: why start all over again with a common rail engine? “Although breaking records was always one of the goals of the Arosa project, its main purpose is as an R&D tool,” explains Ryan. “We were getting more and more enquiries from customers looking to tune common rails beyond the limits of the stock fuel system, cams and head.” The Arosa made the perfect development car; it had

Performance VW

the arse kicked out of it on a regular basis, so if a part worked on this, then it’d be more than capable for road use. Ryan continues; “The fuel rail is drained at anything over 250bhp – sometimes less, as the fuel pump and injectors wear out. Cams and headwork are also required to safely exceed 250bhp. Exhaust gas temperatures can easily exceed 1000°C if not tuned carefully, so the EGT limiter will reduce power to protect the engine.”

Of course 250bhp was never going to be enough for this Arosa. Over the winter, Darkside built their first bigpower common rail engine, which produced a monstrous 528.9bhp and 680lb/ft with nitrous and 406.1bhp and 500lb/ft without. You can see the full list of tuning parts in the spec list, but the highlights include a GTD2872VR turbo, which has fully re-worked internals including ball bearings, custom lightweight turbine and CNC-machined

compressor wheel. “The spool is amazing for such a large unit and it’s been fitted to quite a few customer’s daily cars since testing on the Arosa,” says Ryan. With a built engine, uprated fuel system, headwork, cams and much more, this engine produces mighty power considering its humble beginnings. However, the development process hasn’t always been so smooth…

December 2017

For most of us, experiencing the bonnet flying up at 120mph would probably be enough for us to call it a day and go for a lie down in a darkened room. Not the Darkside crew though. Although the windscreen, bonnet and roof were damaged, they simply carried on. “An hour later, we’d removed the tailgate, kicked out the windscreen and made the first real pass on the CR engine, this was a 10.6 @ 136mph. Head mechanic and driver Paul said he couldn’t breathe past 100mph, but that was 36

Performance VW

no excuse to slow down,” laughs Ryan. This determined attitude sums up the Darkside way of doing things. Learn from your mistakes. If it breaks, build it stronger – and never give up. So how does it feel to actually lay down that monstrous power? "Well, it’s like being shot out of a cannon to be honest,” explains Ryan. “0-60mph takes around 2.2secs and it hits 100mph in less than 5secs. Everything is over so quickly (in less than 10secs if we’re lucky), so you don't have a lot of time to process the

information the car is feeding back to you!” Even without the nitrous, this thing’s achieved a 10.4sec run. As a spectator, it’s equally impressive. The Arosa spews out plumes of black smoke from the bonnet-exit exhaust, almost like a baby version of those crazy American tractor-pulling rigs, before it rockets off up the strip. It really is an assault on the senses. To put the insane performance into perspective, the Darkside Arosa has a power

Dub Details

that's right, this little diesel-powered hatchback can out punch a twinsupercharged, v8 supercar. boom!

to weight ratio of 693bhp/tonne and does the quarter mile in 9.7secs. A Koenigsegg CCX produces 673bhp/tonne and does the quarter mile in 9.9secs. Yep, that’s right – this little diesel-powered hatchback can out punch a twinsupercharged, V8 supercar. Boom! Building an engine with immense power is one thing, but unless you can transmit that grunt to the drag strip, you’ll never reach your full potential. Ryan explains: “Tyres are the main ingredient to a good launch – proper wrinkle wall

ENGINE: 2.0 16v TDI (common rail), stock pistons modified by Darkside and ceramic-coated, ARP main studs, Darkside ported head stud kit, oversize inlet exhaust valves, Darkside uprated valve springs, Darkside race cams, custom alloy rad and header tank, Darkside custom stainless v-band manifold, Darkside GTD2872VR ballbearing turbo, Darkside custom inlet with 2.0 plenum, Darkside S3 inverted intercooler, custom 63mm pipework and red silicone hoses, 6-bar map sensor, Vibra Technics engine mounts, CP3 fuel pump kit, 2700bar rail pressure regulator, 2000bar injectors, custom front-mounted 6ltr fuel tank, Fuelab 10303 lift pump, TDI 2 micron filter head with 1 micron diesel filter, 10-row fuel cooler, Darkside custom bonnet exit exhaust, WON 350hp direct port nitrous kit. 350 solenoid and Revomax V2, Rock Oil carbon 10w 50, 19-row oil cooler, 02M LNK 6-speed gearbox (launch in 2nd, Darkside billet single-mass flywheel and sintered clutch kit, ARP flywheel bolts, Quaife LSD, custom driveshafts with OEM CVs and GKN race grease, 02M/02Q 4th gear input shaft support, 02M/02Q steel selector/shifter forks, alloy 4th gear selector fork, Rock Oil 74w90 transmission oil CHASSIS: VMS Modulo 8x13" 4x100 ET20 front wheels, M&H 25/8.7x13 wide drag tyres, VMS Modulo 3.5x15" 4x100 ET10 rear skinnies, M&H 24/3.6x13 Runner tyres. Full MSA-spec roll cage with additional dash bar, Meister R coilovers with custom valving and springs, camber adjustable top mounts, Lupo 3L alloy wishbones, rose jointed rear bush & aluminium front bush, custom rose jointed back axle fixed to OE position with alloy hubs, hydraulic handbrake, 6-pot Hyabusa rear calipers, 239mm front brakes with alloy calipers, EBC Green Stuff pads EXTERIOR: Custom wide front arches, Lupo GTi aluminium doors, Lupo 3L aluminium tailgate, front bumper cut out and drilled for FMIC, rear floor pan removed and replaced with aluminium diffuser, ACW Motorsport polycarbonate windows INTERIOR: Fully stripped of all unnecessary items, Buddy Club fibreglass bucket seat with Darkside logo, 4-point TRS harness, dished steering wheel, Darkside custom wiring loom SHOUT: All the Darkside staff who work hard for long hours to make sure the car gets to the strip ready for action www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk, Stef at SRS Automotive for the supply of random parts at strange times of the night, Wizards of NOS for their support in developing the Nitrous system on the car, Powerflex for their bushing expertise, TDi2Micron and Louis for the re-assurances, Slide Motorsport for the last minute alignments, ACW Motorsport and Cab Glass for the Polycarbonate windows, Rock Oil for the ongoing oil testing and supply

December 2017

drag slicks are essential. We run these at 6psi, so almost flat, until there’s some temperature in them.” Then there’s the suspension. “We’ve removed as much rubber as possible and you need perfect alignment based on the tyre wear you’re getting. Weight transfer is very important too, we have an almost solid rear end and a very soft front, but you need to be careful on the bump-valving to prevent the front dipping during gear changes – it’s very easy to bottom out the tyres during shifts.” The engine revs to 6000rpm and driver Paul

Performance VW

launches it in second gear at 5500rpm. The clutch is a meaty single-mass, sintered effort, ideal for brutal launches, but not so hot for driving around town (fortunately, this Arosa’s shopping days are well behind it). This serious drivetrain also features beefy custom driveshafts and a strengthened 02M gearbox. As part of the development process, Darkside discovered a weakness with the fourth-gear input shaft and designed a custom support for it. Again this is something that’s filtered down to customer cars. So where do you go from here?

Well, it seems Darkside’s appetite for breaking records shows no signs of slowing down. “If we can stitch together a decent run from all the results we’ve proven so far, I don’t see why we won’t see a sub 9.5secs,” says Ryan. “We’re confident we can smash the 150mph barrier without any changes to the car – the problem is, above 150, we need a parachute!” By the sounds of it, the Darkside crew had better get their order in soon – because there’s a lot more still to come from this smokin’ hot SEAT. Tune in next month for more Darkside content! n

f, like us, you’re fans of the Holy Grail of Volkswagen Golf, the super-rare Rallye, then changes are you’ve not only dreamt of owning one but also the handful of OEM+ touches you would add to make it a total one of a kind. Right, now stop what you’re doing for a minute and have a flick through the next few pages and tell us if the car you see here doesn’t look actually like the one in your head? Thought so! James Barnard isn’t just lucky enough to own a Golf Rallye, but over the last few years he’s managed to source and fit those vital modifications any red-blooded modder would wish to add. James is the first to admit he 40

Performance VW

got on the Rallye ladder at the right time, just before the prices went through the roof. Despite being a life-long VW nut, he’s not always owned quite such desirable models: “At the age of 18 I picked up my first Mk1; a 1.1-litre version with a GTI steering wheel, bolt-on exhaust tip and a huge stereo worth more than the car. Sadly I killed it within 30 miles of its first journey to Bournemouth University,” he laughed. Admitting defeat, James decided to focus on Uni life for a while, but it wasn’t long until he found himself behind the wheel of a Mk2 GTI 8v: “I got that for my 21st birthday present and remember it had this massive Dubweiser sunstrip on the windscreen, which sounds

terrible now but looked good at the time,” he smiled. James claims this car snowballed into multiple Mk2s, including 16vs, VR6s, an then a terrible experience with Corrado that his good mates will never let him forget: “It really was an awful example. I remember, unbeknown to me, the lads played around with the Corrado badge and rebranded the car ‘Crap Poo’, which was great on the journey home at the time, as I was totally oblivious.” It didn’t get much better when his old Mk1 Cabby arrived either: “Being quite tall, I sat so high in the car that it was easier to look over the top of the screen than through it!” Yep, looking back it’s safe to say James has had something of a rollercoaster trip on his route to

DREAM CATCHER After years of rushing projects and making compromises when James Barnard landed his dream VW there was now way he was rushing it or settling for second best. Words: Elliott Roberts Photos: Aron Vickers

VW heaven. Haven't we all, though? “After the Cabby I took a bit of time out away from cars as I attempted to grow up,” he remembers. “I ended up meeting my girlfriend, who I later married, bought a house, and also built a Mk2 16v G60 in the background, on the quiet, like.” James admits that car was very much a case of more is less, he went totally overboard with it, but with baby number on the way, he would soon have to start looking a slightly more practical cars: “I needed a car that I could use, not a full-on project as I just wouldn’t have time time,” he said. Enter his Golf Rallye… “After searching the forums for two years I actually found the car on dubforce.net but it was

located local to me, it was just 30 miles away and priced reasonably too,” he said. There was a catch, though. The car had been sat for five years, which wasn’t a bad thing, the downer was kids had broken into the garage it was being stored in and keyd it down to the metal on every panel. At the end of the day it meant the price of the car was reasonable and James could put his mark on it: “There were quite a few positives, like the fact the car was painted Graphite grey, which is my favourite Rallye shade and it came with the original H1 engine with just 68k under its belt.” It also had some nice parts already fitted like Porsche brakes, TT Xenons, coilovers, plus a stage 4 charger with smaller pulley.

“Annoyingly, when the car was vandalised they also smashed the expensive and extremely hard to find bonded windscreen, but again this was reflected in the asking price,” James said. He didn manage to source a replacement but at great expense. Wasting no time James booked the car in for a good service and to have the belts/fluid changed: “It was a leap of faith as I actually found an old boy in the unit next door that was up for painting the car, too. He usually did insurance jobs but I saw his work and it was exceptional.” James was pleasantly surprised to discover the car was in great shape and extremely solid, too. “I think the fact it is rust free probably has something to do with the December 2017

I think the fact the shell is rust free probably has something to do with the car originally being imported from Spain! car originally being imported from Spain, too!” Needless to say James was over the moon with the results of the work carried out on the Rallye: “It came out brilliantly and I drove home as happy as a pig in poop,” he laughed. Okay, so James may have been happy, he’d got a nice car he could take to shows and enjoy… but that wasn’t it! “I needed to make the best better, but I’d learnt the hard way before and that to achieve what you want the idea needs to remain simple.” James continued: “The moment too many things are going on with a project it can become cluttered and you get distracted from the end goal.” The boy is talking a lot of sense. “So with a plan in mind I set off on a journey of building basically the complete opposite of the last 15 or so cars I’d created. I didn’t want to rush it, I simply didn’t have the time anyway.” Instead, James chose to slowly sniff out the 42

Performance VW

rare, weird and wonderful parts that would go towards building his dream Rallye, or at least the vision he had in his head. “Now this is still a far harder challenge than it looks written down on paper, but I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t just any old Mk2 Golf but rather a special edition that was becoming rarer by the day,” he said. Being a Rallye owner myself this is something yours truly has had to consider, too. Back in the day, when these cars we more common (if you could call a production run limited to around 5000 cars common), people wouldn’t think twice about an engine conversion, transmission swap to Haldex and all manor of body modifications. It’s only really been over the last five years, as numbers have dwindled and standard examples have become rarer than ever, that people have changed their plan of attack. “This is one of probably only 50 cars actually driving on the road in this country,

so you can’t just go messing with them too much.” In fact, James was quick to point out that from the outset he had one stipulation, that any modification he made could be reversed at any stage and the car put back to standard: “I wanted to create a Rallye that appeared to have been put together at the factory as if those building it had had the pick of the factory in terms of parts, a real ultimate OEM-type thing.” As the car was already on coilovers the first modification was an obligatory wheel swap: “I still had a set of BBS E50s from my previous project, but at the time I needed the money to fund the initial service work. As James started to recovered financially (remember, he’d not long been married, bought a house and had his first child) a friend mentioned in passing he may have a set of split rim centres that would suit the car: “It turns out he had a complete set of period correct 8x16” Ronal Racing mags that needed

Air ride on a Golf Rallye? Never. No way. Don't be silly. It's just a boot full of nappies, right James?

December 2017

Dub Details ENGINE: 1.8-litre four-cylinder (H1) G60 8v with stage 4 supercharger by Jabba Sport, chip, 68mm pulley. Engine painted and detailed. New water bottles, plastics, belts and OEM decals, re-nickel plated brackets and Zinc bolts. Wrapped loom. Volkspeed stainless exhaust CHASSIS: 7x17” Ronal Racing magnesium three-piece split rims. New polished 0.5” BBS outer rims, grey powder coated 6.5” barrels wrapped in Nankang 185/35 ZR17 tyres. Centres painted satin black with new hardware. 4x100 to 5x114.3 adapters. 3D printed centre caps. Air Lift Performance v2 system with Air Lift custom height Chapman rear struts. Hung fivegallon brushed tank wrapped in Rallye material with manifold on mount. Twin 440cc compressors on false carpeted floor. Porsche callipers with 305mm discs EXTERIOR: Full respray in original Rallye Graphite grey. Polished Porsche 944 door handles. New bonded windscreen. Audi TT Xenon headlight conversion INTERIOR: Recaro A8 front seats trimmed in Rallye cloth, seat backs painted matching Graphite grey. Electric Mk2 bases. US-spec leather steering wheel, VDO gauges in stereo slot. Electric windows and mirrors from factory SHOUT: My dad, the originator of this automotive craziness and my personal engineer. My wife Louise, who sticks with me purely because she sees the enjoyment I get from this unhealthy obsession. Lee at Autoshack for being a craftsman, Joe at Trim Deluxe for being a Recaro guru, Neil at Carbonmotive for air help and fixing anything I throw at him. Rich at South London clutch for the regular ramp usage. Si and Jay for being there for the last 20 years

a complete refurb.” James was happy that the non-staggered dimensions would be perfect for the Rallye’s all-wheel-drive set-up, so a deal was done and the wheels were sent off to MB Racing for crack testing, before they were blasted, the centres painted and dishes polished. “They came out really well. I had considered the more common gold centres, but when I saw a set in black they just looked so good. I then sourced new bolts and adaptors, having worked out the correct off-sets and it sat really well on the KWs I was running at the time.” 3D-printed centre caps finished off the transformation. 44

Performance VW

As good as the coilovers were, though, living in London meant James was dreading using the car because of the amount of speed bumps he was having to tackle: “With that and issues I was having getting onto my drive I was having a nightmare getting the car to sit perfectly without destroying the underside.” With luck once again on his side, a v2 Air Lift kit came up locally that a friend was selling for a very reasonable price and James’ hand was forced into swapping to air ride. “I wanted practicality and the opportunity to drop it to the perfect height at shows to get it looking right, so air was a no brainer really,”

he said. James claims because of the Rallye’s rear drivetrain set-up the air instal wasn’t totally straight forward: “I drafted in my dad who’s an engineer to weld up some Air Lift Chapman universal struts to the correct length for the rear.” James laughs about the purists and what they think about fitting air to a Rallye, but they don’t have to encounter the various obstacles James was having to do when he was previously static. And as we said all along, this could all be swapped back to stock at the drop of a hat. “I built the basic boot build myself and piped in the air lines, then Neil at Carbon Motive helped

me fit the struts and get the system all working. I drove the car back after just a morning’s work and it rode beautifully – no banging or crashing, just a nice smooth ride and I could get on my drive, too.” We like the fact James kept the boot build simple but functional, with a hanging tank (wrapped on Rallye seat material), floating v2 controller and a pair of trusty 444cc Viair compressors to finish. With the paint done and the car sitting extremely pretty James could turn his attention to the interior and perhaps the Holy Grail of seat upgrades: “My close friend Simon had

been hoarding the A8s for years and when he temporarily lost the love for them I stepped in and gave them a good home.” After sourcing the original Rallye seat material from some radom bloke in France James entrusted none other than Joe at Trim Deluxe with the job of trimming the extremely rare seats to match the rest of the car’s half-leather interior: “Not only did Joe trim the seats, he had the rear shells painted along with the basis to match the colour of the car. He’s the only guy I’d trust to put these seats together and the end result is perfect, like the car could have left the factory that way.”

Other than the US-spec dished steering wheel and additional VDO gauges James resisted any further modifications inside. The final piece of the puzzle came with the engine and bay. Despite having covered low mileage things were looking a little tatty under the bonnet but James was introduced to Lee at Autoshack by Simon Delahaye and a plan was put in place. “I said to Lee I wanted it to be OEM but better and boy did he do a great job. I had Pete Mcginley's BBM G60 bay as a benchmark and when I saw the results I was speechless.” Lee had detailed the engine and box while installing a December 2017

new clutch for good measure. He’d then powdercoated the front panel and subframe, fitted new wishbones, Zinc plated bolts and wrapped the loom. “Once the bay had been painted, he then installed everything including a new battery, washer and power steering bottles, plus a new header tank. To finish off I sourced new stickers for the rad cover to give a real OEM look.” It seems that taking his time had really paid off as parts had come up at the right time, rather than him having to rush into sourcing them as the 17” dishes and barrels proved. “At this time a set of brand new 17” BBS dishes and barrels came up for sale and I snapped them up. I'd always wanted the car on 17s to really fill out the 46

Performance VW

arches and I'm so glad I went for it. The ride is a little firmer than it was previously on the 16s, but it just seems to work so well when it's dropped down on the air.” And that was pretty much that for the car and project. “The 2017 show season has gone well. It’s been tricky to get to too many shows, especially with a second boy arriving recently, but I managed Inters (where the car got runner up in Mk2 class), plus best Rallye at Edition 38. Then there was the Eurostar jaunt to VW Days where the car went down very well.” James claims he’s picked up some true, like-minded friends through the love of cars. “In particular my old Bournemouth pals like Simon (the crazy

man who sold me the A8s) and Jay Renshaw (the dash converter) who have always been there to offer help and guidance right from those uni days. We all have kids now so these moments are fewer and further between but still fun.” Yep, VWs sure have been a huge part of his life but is that all about the change? “Could it be time to call it a day and try something different...? Have I reached the peak of Mk2 ownership?” With two nippers to think about now it seems James being James it looking at slightly more practical cars. Yeah, and he’s not looking at people carriers, either. Someone say Porsche? “Serious offers on the Rallye will be considered. That's all I'm saying,” he laughed! ■

THE ULTIMATE IN ADJUSTABILITY

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CAR OF THE I YEAR 2017

t seems with every new year comes an even higher calibre of feature car and 2017 was no exception. I can’t remember seeing quite so many complete builds in the magazine’s 21-year history. People seem to really be coming to terms with combining both show and go for a winning formula. Of course, as well as perfectly balanced builds there are extremes at both ends of the spectrum and we’ve seen it all this year, from 1280bhp Polos to show cars which don’t actually even run but are built purely to be perused. Which is best? Well, that’s where you lot come in. You didn’t expect us to commit, did you? All you have to do to vote is send us an email to the address below with PVW COTY in the subject line and state your top three cars in order, with favourite first. We’ll list the winners in our February issue.

VOTE FOR YOUR TOP THREE CARS OF THE YEAR EMAIL: PVW.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK

JANUARY // ANDY LUCAS’ R32-POWERED Mk4

JANUARY // ANDI TIETZ’S Mk3 GOLF EDITION 20 R32

JANUARY // JEN’S ECKLUND’S 1250+BHP AUDI A5

FEBRUARY // DAN GUIREY’S Mk1 GOLF G60 TURBO

We can understand how, because of its ‘pretty’ appearance many would over look this car’s perfectly-installed R32 turbo motor and the 600bhp it pushes out… through the front wheels. With custom centre-lock wheels and more bespoke add-ons than we can mention, this is one of the most comprehensive Mk4s in the mag’s history! What's not to like?

The sole Audi in this year’s COTY finalists, but what a car it is. Okay, it’s not great around corners, but when the car runs low 7-second quartermile times at 190mph, who cares? With a custom tubbed chassis and a single-turbo five-cylinder motor running ten injectors and churning out 1250+bhp through a Liberty Equaliser ‘box, what more do you need to know?

As if Edition 20 Mk3s weren’t rare enough, Andi’s taken his and, well, made it rarer still thanks to the addition of an R32 installed in a smoothed bay, Recaro buckets (in Edition 20 fabric), Air Force air suspension and centre-locking BBS E57 rollers. With US-spec bumpers and rear plate plinth, this is a true one-off creation and we love it. Is it in your top three though? Let us know!

What started out for our friend Dan as just a bit of harmless fun soon turned into a very serious (and very expensive) project indeed. For this, its second appearance in the magazine, the car is now running a widearch body kit and new engine set-up which finally give the car some proper performance worthy of the infamous Wrigley’s graphics. We won't talk about all the break-downs as that's not fair on Dan!

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Performance VW

FEBRUARY // PIOTR SMENTOCH’S R32-POWERED Mk2 GOLF

MARCH // MAX EDWARDS’ LATE-SPEC AIR-COOLED BUG

MARCH // DOMINIC TIMMERMEISTER’S Mk2 GOLF 16v

APRIL // JACK SMITH’S GTD-POWERED Mk1 GOLF

APRIL // MITCH VAN WERVEN’s Mk3 GOLF 1.8T

APRIL // ANDI RILEY’S RS4-POWERED T5

Believe it or not this entire car was built around the BBS body kit Piotr had laying around. What a build it is, too, with period-perfect 80's addons mixing it with a DSG-equipped R32 motor swap that seem to work together in perfect harmony. The BBS power seats and matching threespoke wheel, with staggered 16” BBS E50s finish the look perfectly.

We love the contrasts between Dominic’s classic Mk2 styling, particularly the taxi-style beaded seat overs and basic-spec interior trim, then the race-bred 16v motor on ITBs and 17” centre-locking magnesium Ronal Racing wheels. This timeless theme is sure to guarantee the car stands the course of time indefinitely.

What started as a 1996 GTI 16v bought by Mitch when he was just sixteen has gradually, over time, transformed into the killer creation you see here. A GT28-blown 1.8T in a shaved bay kick things off, followed by US-spec bumpers, Vento front end, stripped interior with Cobra buckets, dished rally wheel and climbing frame-style Wiechers cage.

We don’t feature many air-cooled cars, especially not Beetles as they all seem to be a bit samey after a while. Thankfully, that can’t be said for Max’s ’78 Beetle which seems to look so unique, largely because of its BBS RS which sit perfectly in the arches thanks to some serious chassis mods and air suspension. Love it!

Jack’s US-spec Mk1 shows you don’t need an open-ended budget to bag the cover of PVW or built a totally complete project. With a US-spec ‘Rabbit’ makeover and power from a Mk2 GTD, the car is pretty damn unique to start with but the 8x16” fifteen52 348 splits and 80’s Cobra seats (with matching rare bench) absolutely smash it for us.

We’ve seen some seriously tuned T5s over the past year’s but Andi’s 438bhp V8-powered T5 wins hands down. Some how he managed to shoe-horn not only the motor but also the whole fourwheel-drive system form a B7 RS4. With custom body work, 20” wheels and air-ride it’s one complete bus that's for sure.

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MAY // BRYAN BASTOS’ Mk3 GOLF R32

JUNE // JAY TURNER’S 1.8T-POWERED Mk1 GOLF

On paper, a modified more-door Mk3 maybe doesn’t sound all that appealing, but in reality Bryan’s creation is utterly perfect. The engine bay, combined with a minimal R32 swap, is breathless. And that’s before you’ve taken in the minimal styling, less-is-more interior and killer stance on BBS LMs and air ride. Wow!

Jay’s Berg Cup kitted Mk1 doesn’t just look every bit the road racer, but thanks to its tuned S3 BAM motor and SC36 billet turbo with 6-speed Touran gearbox, plus launch control, it goes like it, too. With a full roll cage, bucket seats and custom trim this is as close as you’ll get to a Clubsport Mk1, as the colour scheme hints.

JUNE // ALEX CASWELL’S V5 TURBO-POWERED Mk2

JULY // LIAM HANDLEY’S Mk3 POLO COUPE

JULY // DAN CLARKE’S 2.0TFSI DSG Mk1 GOLF

JULY // MARCUS ODORIZZI’S BRAZILIAN PASSAT COUPE

Canadian Alex Caswell wasn’t content with a V5-swapped Mk2, even when it was turbo’d. No, he decided to switch the motor to be mounted in-line and swap to a rear-wheel-drive set-up. Other than the bright green paint, Rallye front and twin pipes out back there’s not much to give the game away, until he lights up both rear wheels and leaves you for dead!

Street-sleeper fans have got to love Dan’s Mk1 because, other than the Team Dynamics wheels, there’s nothing to hint at what lies beneath. How does a K04’d Mk5 GTI motor and DSG gearbox grab you? Well, in a shell that’s pretty much been stripped out and with a chassis that has been more than a little fettled, let’s just say the giggles don’t stop coming.

Liam’s perky Polo creation features all the traits of a 90’s Euro-looker with the new-wave addition of air-ride and an interior to die for. Honestly, we haven’t seen an interior like it in a while, with leather-clad seats, door cards and roll cage, plus suede roof lining and air tank and colourmatched carpet. With a 1.3-litre 8v on twin 40 carbs it’s no slouch.

We had no idea they built cars so comprehensively in Brazil, but thankfully Marcus more than opened our eyes to the scene out there. Sadly, Marcus passed away since this feature but the car he left behind is testament to his good taste and ability to create an absolute stunning machine. Black on the outside, cream on the inside, smooth bay, 8v on carbs. Where do we stop?

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Performance VW

AUGUST // JON LEONARD’S Mk1 GOLF TFSI

AUGUST // KELLEN HARRIS’ SUPERCHARGED Mk3 GOLF

AUGUST // THOMAS MAYR’S SLAMMED VW SP2

SEPTEMBER // DALTON PLAYER’S R32-CONVERTED 4WD Mk5 GOLF

OCTOBER // SHAZ CHUGHTAI’S Mk1 GOLF VR6 TURBO

OCTOBER // MARKUS THÖNISSEN’S GOLF RALYE 16v 2WD

They don’t come any sweeter than Jon’s stunning Mk1 Swallowtail. Full restoration and upgrades carried out in Holland by JRS DubGarage, including Golf R motor with DSG transmission in smooth bay, full nut and bolt rebuild with painted underside, retro interior plus one-off custom centre-lock wheels and Gaz coilover suspension. What a car!

Be honest, did you ever know what an SP2 was until you saw this one in PVW? Okay, we know that on paper Thomas’ example had just been slammed on BBS E55s and fitted with a Mk1 chin spoiler and Stinger exhaust, but in reality the fact it not only looked so good but somebody had actually had the balls to mod such a rare car earned its place here.

He may have relocated to the other side of the Atlantic but that hasn’t stopped Shazzy building yet another killer Mk1, this time running an all-black (no chrome this time) VR6 turbo motor in the cleanest of bays. A set of BBS RS wheels hide High Spec brakes and H&R coils, while inside a Mk1 Cabrio dash, Ford RS Turbo Recaros and a rear cage wrapped things up nicely.

Nineties throwbacks don’t come any more, er, 90s than Kellen’s killer Mk3 Golf. With more Abt parts than you can imagine, including colour-coded 17” A4 wheels, this Surf green chariot rocks a big fat one. With a supercharged VR6 in flat black, Schrick inlet, 268 cams and United Motorsport tune, it goes as good as it looks, too.

No, we’re not wrong and you have not been mistaken. Under the Mk6 facade originally lived a two-wheel-drive Mk5 Golf, young Dalton just got a little bit carried away with the modifications. Show off! What followed was a Mk6 facelift, shaved bay, R32 swap and all wheel drive conversion. And that’s before we get to the custom interior. Crazy!

With less and less people modifying Rallye’s these days it was a shock to see how far Markus had gone with his. An ITB-fed 16v motor powered just the front wheels (to save weight), and inside there was just one bucket seat and not much else, well, other than the roll cage, floor-mounted pedals, race-style controls and carbon detailing. What a car!

VOTE BY EMAIL // PVW.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK // VOTE BY EMAIL // PVW.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK December 2017

OCTOBER // ADIEN GUZMAN’S R32-POWERED Mk3 HARLEQUIN

AUTUMN // TONY GRIMMEL’S BOX-ARCHED JETTA COUPE VR6T

AUTUMN // ADAM MUCHA’S MID-MOUNTED V8 Mk1 CADDY

NOVEMBER // JAMES BATTY’S Mk2 GOLF 1.8T 80’S THROWBACK

DECEMBER // DON OCTANE’S 1280BHP R30T POLO

DECEMBER // WINSTON CHILL’S Mk1 SCIRROCO

It may look like a clown’s car to those with an untrained eye, but those in the know would tell you other wise. Now Harlequin Edition Mk3s are rare as it is, but Adien’s boasts a full Abt makeover, including mirrors, grille, chin spoiler and duel rounds. Oh, don't forget the wheels either! Inside we found custom Recaros, Abt white dials and a Benneton wheel.

We don’t feature many cars from Poland but when we do, wow! Adam’s Mk1 Caddy is, in a word, bonkers. What used to be the pick-up bed out back now houses a 4.2-litre V8 robbed from an Audi C5 A6. Other than the twin exhausts and trick fuel filled flap converted to air scoop, Adam has retained much of the stock Caddy bodywork. The same can’t be said inside…

It seems like only five minutes ago we were featuring Don’s previous Polo which was pretty impressive, however, it’s not a patch on his latest creation. How does 1280bhp and low 8-second quarter-mile times at 170mph grab you? Read more on page 8 as we delve a little deeper into its R30T motor and quattro transmission.

Over fifteen years in the making it’s safe to say we were expecting big things from this build and Tony didn’t disappoint. As if a custom box-arched Mk2 Jetta Coupe isn’t rare enough, Tony felt the need to throw a turbocharged VR6 into the mix, too. But that’s only half the story, the fifteen year journey to finish it was an epic.

Autofinesse are renown for its nutty demo cars and their latest Mk2 Golf doesn’t disappoint. With a 400bhp 1.8T swap and NOS Kamei X1 bodykit the car gets off to a good start but it’s the attention to detail, like the Bride seats, JDM-style oil cooler, floor-mounted pedal box and centre-locking Ronal Racing wheels that separate this build from other wannabes. The girls helped, too…

We’ve seen some cleaned cars over the years but Winston’s radical Rocco has got to be the, er, cleanest. Shaved bay, smooth inside, smooth underneath, smooth roof, there’s not much left. What is left is a race-spec motor, custom split rims and hidden air ride instal. Read more in this very issue! Has it got what it takes to pick up to honours?

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Performance VW

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M A E DR

T A O B

ut er set o t s n i L d ted har ats, Ric process crea e r g k o the -lo he Euro h them but in level. t f o y n t by ma nother parr wi Inspired omething on d just be on a s ul to build ich we feel co Gray i h S hotos: a car w ggu P Tony Sa Words:

p until not that long ago consummate displays of inspired engineering, exquisite detail and superlative style almost never wore British number plates, not in water-cooled VW circles anyway. Mind blowing motor swaps, mid-mounted madness, even twin engined Dubs ... English pioneers have been there and done that. Flawless finishes, exotic interiors and creative custom bodywork are all almost old news nowadays, supreme stance... yeah we’ve got that down too. The challenge in UK Dub history was always getting the trifecta, the hat-trick of engineering, detail and style all in one motor. The Germans and the Dutch mastered it early and with annoying regularity, ever since the 80s and 90s names like Jorg Dangel, Ktech and Marco Häeger were pushing out superbly detailed show and go machines that sadly we had no answer for. Everybody’s favourite uncle, Mr Denton was an early English custom water-cooled standard bearer, cars like the now legendary Rhubarb and Custard Mk2 proved it was possible to build the ultimate in VW awesomeness on British shores, but that mind blowingly magnificent masterpiece was a UK rarity. “That early Euro stuff was a real inspiration,” admitted thirty something Rocco restyler Richard Linster, aka Chill Winston. “Tom Gunnewiek’s Mk1 Scirocco, Jörg Ballerman’s Mk1 Golf, Mario Bläbig’s Mk1 Golf... all that stuff was built to such a high level, I just wanted to build something in that class of cars.” Winston’s sublime Scirocco shows just how far the UK Dub scene has come; the Manchester masterpiece joins a small but growing band of beautifully built and lavishly finished cars that can hoist the flag high while lapping Lake Worther. “I was looking at cars like Jamie Fagen’s Jetta and Jay Mac’s Mk1 and telling myself I could do that... if I really worked for it.” It’s taken the better part of seven years for Winston to transform the car from average to awesome and admittedly a few more pennies than expected, but given that he runs his own painting and decorating business, over budget and overdue were only to be expected. Winston admits that his debut days in the car fettling game 56

Performance VW

after owning fifty plus Mk1 Clios and a few 5 Turbos, some of which were quite well known and got into magazines, I drifted into Volkswagens

weren’t so much Achtung Baby as Ohh la la. “I used to be big into Renaults,” he confessed sheepishly. “I cut my teeth on that stuff, after owning fifty plus Mk1 Clios and a few 5 Turbos, some of which were quite well known and got into magazines I drifted into VWs.” Finding that more and more of his friends were buying and modifying Dubs Winston got curious and was soon sucked in. “My first VW project was fitting a GTD engine in a ratty Mk1 Caddy I picked up,” he told us, “that was followed in quick succession by a string of small block Mk1 Golfs, which led to me small blocking the Scirocco and turboing it 58

Performance VW

using knowledge from my Renault 5 Turbo days.” Winston wasn’t letting the newer stuff off the hook without a little makeover action either, a collection of Mk3 Variants and a Mk4 estate got a good seeing too as well. “I remember seeing a picture of a mk1 Scirocco in a Haynes Manual years ago, I had never seen one before and I just fell in love with the shape of the car,” Winston told us, “I think since then I’d always wanted one and was really just waiting for the right one to come along.” Unfortunately the route to 'the right one' included a couple of wrong ‘uns: “I was straight on eBay but I was a fool and bought the first Mk1

Scirocco I could lay my hands on,” he recalled, “It was a red 1979 GLi that had a ton of missing parts and also needed a lot of work.” Throwing good money after bad our man then bought another coupe, a blue 1978 GLS hoping it might act as a donor for the first. “When I picked up the '78 it was just too good to break, so I was stuck with two Sciroccos that both needed resto work. I was torn because I only really needed one Mk1 in my life and didn't have the heart to break either one.” The obvious solution was of course to buy another Scirocco... the third time’s the charm, right? The Edition 38 classifieds turned up a likely looking ’79 GLS: “ I worked out that

Dub Details ENGINE: 1.4-litre HK/ABD hybrid four-cylinder 8v with GF camshaft, VW Motorsport valve cover and inlet, KWL Motorsport pulley, Weber Alpha throttle bodies, smoothed engine and gearbox, Omex 500 ECU. Arunfab throttle body flip adaptor, dizzy delete, inlet vacuum delete, custom Mk3 style mounts, custom exhaust and thermostat pipe delete. Jenvey 150mm trumpets, stainless four-branch manifold, custom alloy radiator, Vibratechnic engine mounts, GTi fuel tank and pump, Weber Alpha fuel pressure regulator CHASSIS: 8x14 and 8.5x14” custom Mad’ins with 155/55 R14 Federals, Glynfab 15mm a side narrowed wishbones, Arunfab 25mm a side narrowed rear axle, 10mm a side narrowed driveshafts, S1 Suspension custom low air struts, Still Static G23 top mounts, Wheeliams track rod flip kit, HRP bias pedal box, Willwood master cylinders, 6n2 polo GTi front and rear brakes, full length braided brake lines, Arunfab drop plates and Clio Williams chrome wheel nuts EXTERIOR: Arunfab 2" wishbone raise, Glynfab 2" chassis leg notches, Captive top mount bolts, Captive bumper bolts, Glynfab Captive wing toppers, engine raised 2" and tilted, aerial delete, front and rear wiper delete, bonnet vent delete, delocked door handles NOS, debadged tailgate, all unused holes welded up 400ish, square front lights and grille. 1976 Rocco front wings, chrome bumpers, window chrome, rear window surrounds, front panel, front indicators, rear lights, rear lock, clear glass and metal petrol cap. Arunfab stainless filler neck, Glyn fab steering strengthening bracket. Sprayed inside and out by Chad at JH Pro paint INTERIOR: Momo Jackie Stewart steering wheel, Recaro ST replica seats, 1976 Rocco seat belts, door cards, handbrake and seat belts. 1975 Golf gear gaiter. Smoothed boot cards, Arunfab stalk and ignition delete, switches modded to run stalks, Autopilot v2 behind dash, all interior holes welded up, wiring and air lines run through sills, fuel and brake lines run through sills, hidden compressor and tank, hidden battery in rear 1/4s, Glynfab floor work SHOUT: Arun, Glyn, Josh, Nic, Leah, Carl, Chez, Adam Calvert, Micheal Dean, Jordan Fox, Tom Taylor, Ben (Polomon), Marshall, Bryan (Stocks), Stefan Clarke, Jon and Chad at JH Pro Paint, Oliver Willis, Rob (Germany) and the Scirocco Register

if I sold both my Scirocco projects and the parts I had collected I could afford to buy it,” explained Winston. “This '79 was a much more soild base to work from and only needed minor niggles to finish it off. Lucky for me a Scirocco Register forum member bought both cars and most my parts.” A couple of grand later Winston was the proud owner of a T-reg 1.6 automatic that actually ran... sometimes: “I tried to get it through its MoT but it cut out on its return and it missed Edition 38.” Job one was to get the damn thing running, to this end the 1600 was binned and an unsuspecting 1300 was corralled and dropped December 2017

Without them this project would not have been possible, they are both owed shares in the car

in. A little help from a G40 donor and some homebrewed shenanigans saw a turbo strapped to a custom made manifold which got things rolling. "An engine for this car has always been an issue,” Winston explained, “over the last seven or so years I’ve had a few engines lined up for it but only a couple have actually made it into the car for one reason or another. I can never make up my mind on what to go with. Well the car as it stands has never run,” he continued. "Wiring issues left me trailering it about the tail end of the 2017 show season. It has been quite a controversial subject. The plan is to change the engine up a bit but the end goal is to make it more performance based. I needed a show car 60

Performance VW

six years ago but now not so much.” The present set up is a 1.4 HK/ABD mix and match affair. “It took me a couple of years of searching to find that VW Motorsport cam cover and it's probably the only reason I went with the small block motor in the first place,” joked Winston. “The Jenvey 150mm air horns just make the whole thing perfect.” The throttle body engine may of had its software issues which have stopped it turning a piston in anger, but resting in the smoothed engine bay the highly detailed lump is a true work of art nevertheless. "The engine and the bay were all done in house by me and good friends,” enthused Winston, “All the welding and fab work was done by my friend's dad Glyn (#glynfab) and

good friend Arun (#arunfab). Without them this project would not have been possible, they are both owed shares in the car." While Glyn handled the body restoration work, Arun went to town reshaping the engine block and its accessories. The result of the trio’s efforts is an engine... and bay that can give any Euro contender a run for their money and then some. Getting the car to sit just right and look every bit an old skool Euro refugee was in truth on the cards even before the coupe was purchased. “It had to be low,” insisted Winston, “I didn’t really care what it took but the ride height had to be perfect.” To this end much of the work on the project revolved around mocking up the wheels

as high up in the shell as possible, then 'simply' fabricating the floor, chassis and suspension around them. The jewels set on all four corners of this custom crown are a quartet of impossibly rare French Mad’In wheels, apparently the rollers have been in Winston’s stash for years and the Scirocco was deemed worthy to bring them out. “It took hours of work to get them looking like that,” he assured us, “I’ve got over forty hours in polishing the lips alone, not to mention the time blasting and redoing the centres.” Rather than a collection of a few mods, the chassis appears to be one big custom enterprise: “It’s had a lot of chassis work to get it this low,” confirmed Winston. “It’s had huge driveshaft notches cut

and welded in, the engine has been raised two inches, the wishbone mounting points have been jigged and raised two inches, the subframe, driveshafts and wishbones were narrowed so I could pull in the wheels in the right fitment...” Despite having a comprehensive and elaborate air-ride setup the install is literally invisible: “Everything, including the custom tank and compressor, even the battery, are hidden behind the rear door cards,” revealed Winston. “The manifold is tucked in behind the dash... it’s all there, you just can’t see it,” he winked. The bodywork is an inspired blend of bold colour and subtle simplicity, a time honoured old Euro treatment that brings out the classic

December 2017

timeless lines of the stylish coupe. Months of painstaking restoration work went into reworking rust ravaged metalwork before any creative custom crafting could begin. “The bodywork has hundreds of hours in it,” Winston assured us, “every panel had to be perfect, including the underneath and the interior floor, any and every unused hole throughout the entire car was welded closed and smoothed over... we lost count when we got past four-hundred hours.” The attention to detail and extent of work done is staggering; shaved and smoothed engine bays are almost common place, but shaved floors and smoothed interior roof bracing, smoothing the tailgate on the outside and the inside... that’s

Performance VW

going the extra mile. “I’ve carried the engine bay theme inside the car,” explained Winston, “filling all the holes but keeping the factory shapes. Arun was a saint coming over and welding everything up. He must hate me... I hate myself for doing it,” he joked. Adding character and a rare flare to the exterior treatment is the choice to convert the front end to the seldom seen base model rectangular headlights, looking akin to a Mk2 Ford Capri front, the front lights as well as a host of other earlier vintage Rocco parts contribute to give the coupe a very distinctive look. “When it came to paint it was a choice of four early Mk1 colours,” explained Winston, “the Bright yellow L11C made the cut in the sample

book and it was deffo confirmed seeing it in the flesh on a Mk1 at the Wolfsburg museum. I’m guessing not many were sold in that colour as that’s the only time I’ve seen it.” Changing from a subdued stock grey hue to a retina roasting bright yellow was a brave move that had more than a few shaking their heads. "As soon as they saw it roll out of the paint booth everyone changed their minds and loved it.” The elegant simplicity of pure classical design extends into the interior; this is unadulterated minimalism at its best. The carpet and headliner have been ditched, with everything that remains being basic and beautifully uncluttered. Lowback Recaro buckets and a basic Momo tiller give

the cabin a feel of unpolluted purity that should be the hallmark of any Mk1 VW. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not difficult to imagine the undiluted visceral pleasure of driving this beast, the uncomplicated essence of a hotrod; loud, fast and dangerous. The painstaking hiding of wires and cables, secret out of sight panels cleverly constructed to declutter or even switchgear redesigned to blend better and more invisibly, all mere details in a concept skilfully executed. The plan was to build a car that could be just as awesome as all those memorable Euro greats of the past, a display of excellence in engineering, detail and style flying the colours of the United Kingdom... Mission accomplished n

any and every unused hole throughout the entire car was welded closed and smoothed over... we lost count when we got past four-hundred hours!

December 2017

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Ricci Concept Motor Company Limited, Unit 11, South Orbital Trading Park, Hedon Road, Hull, East Yorkshire HU9 1NJ

he line between performance road car and fully paid-up race car has never been so blurred, with modern hot hatches like the Golf R giving 300bhp+ performance to the masses, not forgetting trick DSG transmissions and the kind of chassis which would’ve made your average supercar owners’ jaw drop a decade or so ago. Of course the world of race car technology 70

Performance VW

hasn’t been standing still while this hot hatch arms race has been in full swing, far from it! Modern race car technology is at a level which defies belief, and all while being more accessible (not to mention easier to use) to the average clubman racer than ever before. There’s only one way of truly assessing the relationship between cutting edge hot hatch and cutting-edge club racer, and that’s by gathering together two of the established ‘best of the

breed’, hence the duo of Milltek Sport built Golf Rs you see here. Milltek’s involvement is crucial, not least as the UK exhaust legend has been at the forefront of the Golf tuning scene for many, many years, and also because both cars are covered with the firm’s engineering fingerprints. First up, the white road car, one which is about as far from standard as it’s possible to get – it’s actually marginally more powerful than the full-fat racer we’ll come to later! Both

ROAD &TRACK Milltek Sport’s race programme has massive, real-world ramifications for its road cars, and this pair of Golf Rs make it very clear indeed. Words: Paul Cowland Photos: Ollie Wildsmith cars derive their performance from the same source, VW’s famed EA888 inline four, it’s just that the road car’s spec has been taken that bit further by dint of not having to comply with race regulations. Said engine’s spec now reads like every Golf R owner’s Christmas list, with the most obvious addition being a TTE 525R hybrid turbo. A far more potent unit than the OEM part, it’s effectively the bedrock of the white car’s engine spec and one which enables it to make a

massive 530bhp. “We’ve been big fans of the Golf R since we first got our hands on the model some years ago, but the white car, our current demo vehicle, is easily the most extreme one we’ve built to date,” muses Steve Pound, CEO of Milltek Sport. “What’s perhaps surprising is how readily the R makes such high numbers, though of course our decision to upgrade the turbo really widened our options in this respect.”

Swapping the turbo enabled Milltek to devise a suitably focussed turbo-back system for the car, and even for a firm as well versed in the dark art of exhaust design as Milltek Sport it really is a belter! Made from high grade stainless steel and mandrel bent to perfection, the 76mm performance system snakes its way from the turbo to the rear of the car in a manner intended to promote exemplary gas flow traits. The result is an exhaust that’s both proven to enhance December 2017

Performance VW

Dub Details WHITE MK7.5 GOLF R ENGINE: 1984cc EA888 DOHC 16v with TTE 525R hybrid turbo, Milltek Sport 76mm turbo-back exhaust system, Wagner competition intercooler, uprated fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator, Racingline Performance VWR R600 intake, Racingline Performance VWR oil management system, custom MRC Tuning map. POWER: 530bhp. MCR Tuning mapped DSG gearbox, OEM four-wheel drive system CHASSIS: Racingline Performance VWR lowering springs, Racingline Performance VWR monoblock big brake upgrade, OZ Racing Ultraleggera HLT alloys EXTERIOR: Golf R in white, panoramic roof, 102mm carbon fibre trims, Milltek Sport livery INTERIOR: Complete OEM interior with Bak Performance carbon steering wheel

performance, yet is also civilized enough to be used on a daily basis - it’s completely drone free and therefore well suited to the morning commute, yet can pile on the drama as and when required. Other spec changes include a suitably uprated fuel pump (one manly enough to keep the thirsty four-pot fed and watered), a Wagner competition front-mounted intercooler, the latter essential for ensuring suitably reduced inlet temperatures, Racingline R600 intake and oil management system, and custom MRC Tuning maps for both the engine and gearbox. If there’s one theme which runs throughout this particular car, it’s accessibility. Its 530bhp performance might be manic and enough to

catapult it north of 150mph in an indecently short space of time, but Milltek has gone to great lengths to ensure that doing so won’t result in a large, Golf-shaped hole in the nearest hedge. This commitment to corking the Golf’s claws can be clearly seen in its chassis, where Racingline hardware can be found fore and aft with the massive monoblock front calipers and equally beefy discs being most obvious. Other Racingline kit includes lowering springs to bring the car closer to terra firma, plus lightweight OZ Racing Ultraleggera HLT alloy wheels, the latter contributing to a significantly reduced unsprung weight. The blue Golf, the competition car, benefits from Milltek’s industry leading levels of R&D,

December 2017

Dub Details BLUE MK7 GOLF R (RACE CAR) ENGINE: 1984cc EA888 DOHC 16v with TTE hybrid turbo, Milltek Sport Race exhaust system, Racingline Performance VWR R600 intake, Racingline Performance VWR oil management system, Forge intercooler and coolant hoses, Liteblox ultra-lightweight battery, MRC Tuning engine map. Power: 500bhp. MRC Tuning mapped DSG gearbox, OEM four-wheel drive system CHASSIS: 9x18” Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. Racingline 3-way adjustable race suspension, Vagbremtechnic six-piston front calipers with AP Racing fully floating discs and Project Mu pads. SuperPro Anti-Roll bars and adjustable alloy lower arms, SuperPro polyurethane bushes throughout EXTERIOR: Golf R in blue, R400 bodykit with SRS Tec Wide front fenders INTERIOR: Stripped interior with KPM Racing FIA approved weld-in roll cage, Corbeau Seats & Luke Harness

Performance VW

and the result is a racer that’s incredibly user friendly and impressively easy to exploit, and this is backed up by its results; Chris Hoy used this very car to contest the Mission Motorsport Race of Remembrance race at Anglesey last year alongside Tom Onslow-Cole. “This car was actually pressed into service at the last minute, when our race-prepped GTI encountered insurmountable software issues the night before the race itself,” explains Steve. “We had this Golf R at the track at the time, and the decision was made to convert it to a race car there and then!” Though already at the track and undoubtedly a potent machine in its own right, the Milltek Golf R was far from race ready and sported a setup

better suited to combined road and occasional track day work, so there was a lot of work to be done in the 2 hours granted by the event organisers. The work involved was nothing short of amazing, with some serious (not to mention irreversible) modifications carried out by the team; “Sacrificing the Golf R was a fairly easy decision – we couldn’t let the Mission Motorsport team go home without racing – but we had to make some fairly big and permanent changes to the car including drilling through the roof for the radio system and cutting vents into the bonnet.” The modifications worked and the Golf eventually took 3rd in class, proof of both the latent talents of the R and the abilities of Milltek Sport. Since then the car has been taken even

Sacrificing the Golf R was easy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let the Mission Motorsport team go home without racing

December 2017

This is one of those cars that’s probably greater than the sum of its component parts further down the competition road, gaining an FIA approved weld-in roll cage, Corbeau bucket seats with multi-point harnesses, SuperPro anti-roll bars and adjustable alloy lower arms, Racingline adjustable suspension and massive, retina-wrenching six-pot brakes with fully-floating AP discs and Project Mu pads. That nuanced chassis setup enables this unassuming looking (Racingline stickers aside) Golf to handle in a manner that defies belief, gripping to corners like chewing gum to a pavement! It also means that it can fully exploit its 500bhp, all of it delivered in a wholly tractable manner. The source of that power can be traced to the Golf’s Stage 3 hybrid turbo, custom map, Forge intercooler and, in a move to head off any oil starvation issues before they arise, a Racingline oil management system.

Performance VW

“This is one of those cars that’s probably greater than the sum of its component parts – it really can embarrass cars which should be, on paper at least, far faster round a circuit,” muses Steve Pound. It’s a Milltek Sport car so it follows that this racer has a suitably trick exhaust system, one almost entirely free of baffles! The few sections designed to reduce its volume were included purely as a sop to track noise regulations, and the result is an exhaust that sounds like God stamping on Lego bricks and upturned plugs. Sounds good, right? There’s more good news as well, namely that everything Milltek has learned from campaigning the Golf on circuits up and down the UK (plus the odd jaunt to the Nurburgring) has been funneled right into its road car programme, and (as everyone knows)

if it’s good enough for the track, then it’s good enough for the road. Better yet (for one lucky individual at least), the race Golf is currently for sale! Yes, you could own this very car. “The blue Golf has been an invaluable tool over the last year or so and has served as a test bed, allowing us to trial a number of different products and design theories, but it’s now time for it to make a move for something else,” says Steve cryptically. So there we have it, a pair of visually similar Golf Rs designed to tackle two totally different tasks, yet both built by the same company using the very same ethos. It’s a compelling mix and one which has real world ramifications for Milltek’s customers, no matter whether they use their car for monstering Eau Rouge or popping to Tesco and back n

www.millteksport.co.uk

over 35 years of continuous exhaust development and technical expertise to produce an ever-expanding range of performance products.

+44 (0)1332 227 280 // millteksport.com

TAKING CARE

OF BUSINESS

We head over to KW Automotive's UK HQ to not only look at what separates the German chassis enhancers product from everybody else's, but also get an incite into exactly what goes on at its multi-purpose Kent facility.

e feel that we're on safe ground when we say that no other chassis component has the potential to so drastically change the manner in which your car looks and drives as suspension. Whether or not the addition of aftermarket suspension is a change for the better or the worse rather depends on the specific nature of the kit in question, and the world of modified cars isn't exactly short on stories of individuals who've managed to wreak havoc on their car's handling by bolting on the wrong suspension and simply hoping for the best! The best way of ensuring that you're bringing about positive chassis changes is by turning to

Performance VW

a trusted suspension manufacturer then, and they really don't come much better trusted than the spring and damper gods at KW Automotive. Relatively small they might be, but KW has cultivated an enviable reputation for being able to bring about stunning improvements in road holding both on and off the track, and it's all down to the all-encompassing passion for all things powered by an internal combustion engine shared by every one of its staff. Said passion means that KW engineers aren't merely committed to the task at hand, they really do live, sleep and breath it, which explains why we opted to take a trip to KW Automotive's UK base to learn more about the firm, its origins and why it's been able to design and build such transformative suspension kits.

Humble Origins

One of the principle reasons for KW's commitment to cars of all shapes and sizes stems from the all-encompassing automotive passion of its founder and MD, Klaus Wohlfarth. Klaus cut his teeth on the switchback roads surrounding Fichtenberg, and being a petrolhead he swiftly discovered the limitations in both his car’s standard suspension and the aftermarket offerings available at the time. “I decided to start my own suspension company back in 1995 and opted to focus on the kind of cars I knew well from personal experience,” explains Klaus. “We were originally based in a chicken farm of all places, not an ideal base from which to undertake advanced suspension engineering, but it was a start.” Klaus and his small, closely knit team of engineers (all of them petrolheads, naturally) worked all the hours in the day in order to devise a number of prototype coilovers for a small selection of fitments. Looking back at said prototypes now it’s hard not to view them as fairly rough and ready, quite clearly the product of a young firm still finding its feet, but there was no denying their capabilities. Klaus’s work spoke for itself and spoke very loudly indeed, with those first few customers swift to champion the coilovers’ ability to transform the handling of both road and track cars. It meant that it really wasn’t that long before the company, now called KW Automotive, was able to debut its small yet perfectly formed range at the 1995 Essen Motorshow, a move which led to a flurry of orders and countless requests for specific fitments. KW Automotive was in business.

the UK arm is charged with much bespoke coilover assembly, development, bench testing & advanced damper ECU work Coil Sprung

Based in the West of Germany and not a million miles from Stuttgart, KW's base of operations is in the pretty town of Fichtenberg, the site of its main HQ, warehouses and advanced research and development facility. Passion for petrol and pistons can inspire you to do great things, and this is never more apparent than when looking at KW’s base, stuffed with some of the most advanced development machinery, rigs and CAD/CAM software in the industry – enough to make most OEMs green with envy! KW's commitment to engineering excellence manifests itself in the manner it goes about developing new fitment options, a regular occurrence. Advanced computer modelling is employed of course, but only after the specific model in question is brought into the KW workshop for an incredibly thorough analysis; measurements are taken, tolerances jotted down and reams of notes made, all in an attempt to assess where improvements in handling can be made. This process is nothing if not involved, and also one which is undertaken for each and every model, as Richard Good head of KW UK, explains. “The factory will use an example of each and every variant of a set car, and the Mk7 Golf is a good example. Obviously we undertake separate product analysis for the likes of the R and the GTI, but also less performance orientated models like the GTD and smaller TSI engined cars. All are brought into the workshop where they’re treated to an exhaustive R&D phase.” KW can also call on the services of a shock dyno, an immense piece of engineering which permits its engineers to evaluate how its products will perform in any given driving scenario – without setting foot outside. The dyno is able to simulate compression, bump and rebound in real time, allowing the engineers to assess where improvements can be made and handling polished. Even with this and many, many other advanced bits of kit at its disposal, a pleasingly large amount of KW’s suspension development (certainly its ultimate sign-off) comes down to ‘feel,’ something Richard is swift to highlight. “Our head of Research and Development in Germany is well known throughout the company for his arse, namely its ability to feel the improvements made by our suspension and where improvements can still be found! Cutting edge machinery is great but there’s no replacement for ‘feel'.”

December 2017

British Beef

It might be a proudly German company with its roots in that nation's industrial heartland, but KW has long been a committed player within the UK's aftermarket suspension scene, so much so that the British arm of the company can claim to punch well above its weight in terms of output. Far more than a mere distribution centre (not something which can be said of many of the firm’s rivals), the UK arm is charged with much bespoke coilover assembly, development, bench testing and advanced damper ECU work as Richard was keen to show us. One aspect of the UK arm’s operation which might be surprising, certainly when you realise that KW’s coilover portfolio is comfortably one of the largest in the world, is how little stock is kept on the shelves at any one time. There are several reasons for this, with one being the engineer’s ability to build suspension kits to order in very little time, which allows the company a great deal of flexibility and agility when it comes to meeting individual orders. “Another reason for us keeping relatively limited amounts of stock on the shelves at any one time is the relentless pace of product development,” explains Richard. “We’re constantly revising our products, altering the internal valving and generally looking for improvements wherever they can be found, and we hate the idea of selling a customer an outdated product by dint of the kit in question having sat on the shelf for an extended period.” Smart thinking!

Right: Richard shows us inside the KW Supension lab

Performance VW

Richard Good – Mr. KW UK

Now head of KW's British arm, Richard Good's position at the company came about through an almost fanatical obsession with all things cars – a passion that's come in handy since he joined the firm! “I come from a military background and my dad was stationed in Germany for much of my childhood,” he muses. “I remember one of the soldiers on the base rocking up in a Mk1 Golf GTI in the early ‘80s and falling head-over-heels with the car, and that’s an image that’s stuck with me ever since.” Richard’s love for cars was all encompassing and all pervading, but his tolerance for school was anything but, hence why he ducked out aged just 15. It was a move which his dad was less than happy about (and that’s putting it mildly) and one which saw the teenage Richard sent out to find employment right away. He swiftly convinced a local garage to take him on to clean cars and make tea, and began to work his way up the mechanical ranks by dint of car work and a love for internal combustion engines, eventually qualifying as a mechanic some years later while working for a local VW/Audi specialist. Richard’s connection with KW began in the late ‘90s, back when he was running a small tuning workshop in Kent. A customer with a Golf GTI drove in clutching a magazine with an advert for KW suspension in the back, and asked Richard how he could go about ordering some. “I called up KW and was told that they didn’t export outside of Germany, so as it was Friday evening I jumped into my Corrado (the same green Corrado you can see in these very images) and drove all the way to Germany. It was obviously a totally spontaneous trip so I didn’t have anywhere to stay, and ended up sleeping in the back of my car parked outside the KW office for two nights! It meant I was waiting for Klaus outside the front door come Monday morning,” he laughs. “My association with the company grew from that point onwards.”

Money Where Their Mouth Is

All this talk of automotive passion is all well and good, but it’s worth naff all if it isn’t backed up with action, which is why KW owns an impressive collections of demo cars. The constantly expanding fleet of cars is as large as it is varied, home to countless Volkswagens and Fords, not to mention more exotic offerings from Porsche, BMW and Audi. Richard is swift to point out that all of these cars have to earn their keep from the moment they arrive. “Of course we use them to develop and promote new products and fitments, but we also want our dealers and employees to be able to drive them; how can we expect them to be able to sell the virtues of a Variant 3 shod Golf if they haven’t experienced it for themselves?” It’s easy to forget that KW Automotive is not a large company. While its range of suspension offerings is on the large side of massive, the firm itself is very much punching above its weight, and this ability is almost entirely down to the dedicated, passionate nature of each and every employee. Steve Jobs might have been onto something after all… n

Shout:

www.kwsuspensions.co.uk

December 2017

THE PERFECT SUSPENSION FOR EVERY PURPOSE. KW automotive UK Ltd Phone: 0870 990 7536 Fax: 0845 021 2548 eMail: info@KWautomotive.co.uk

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KW clubspor t “Performance for everyday use and suspension technology at its best makes KW for us the No. 1 choice - on the road and race track.“

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Managing Directors Manthey Racing GmbH

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www.KWautomotive.co.uk

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A LIFEST B What started out as just a car group over two decades ago has grown into something much more than that. The Westside Cartel is now a global car family with its own unique events, its own style of tuning and its own way of life. We recently caught up with the crew exactly 21 years since our first ever group shoot for a reunion! Words: Elliott Roberts Photos: Scott Morgan

Performance VW

ack in the early to mid 90s life was a lot easier; there was no Internet to distract us, no over complicated engine management systems to govern what we did to our cars and far less scene politics to get in the way. It was all about the cars back then! The Westside Cartel was formed by a few West London VW enthusiasts who felt they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite fit in with the two other well known groups at the time (one a little bit stuffy and the other a bit off the wall) and so decided it would be fun

YLE!

to create something a bit more laid back. What started with just a few ‘Westside’ windscreen sun-visor stickers and the occasional local meet soon grew into something much more serious as the local meets quickly turned into regular jaunts out to the best shows mainland Europe had at the time and a club that soon boasted some of the best modified VW metal the UK had to offer. With this very magazine launching back in 1996, then editor Greg Emmerson decided we needed to catch up with the freshly formed club and some of its key members to find out what made them tick and what cars they were driving.

Fast forward over two decades and the club now has members all over the world, its own events (both sides of the Atlantic) and more members than ever. Did we ever envisage all those years back that exactly 21 years on (to the very issue) we’d be back with many of that original crew for a reunion? Probably not, but when the guys came over to our stand at Edition 38 back in September to catch up, somebody suggested it would be great to get everybody together for a reunion of sorts after so many years. As we know what a nightmare these guys are to pin down, we suggested that meeting the

day before the 10th anniversary of the Westside show for a group photoshoot might be a good way to guarantee most of the guys were around. We never imagined for a second that we’d pull it off, but we did and what an awesome experience it was for all involved. We hope you guys enjoy looking at the photos and reading what the guys have been up to as much as we did. With so many clubs and groups that have been and gone over the years, it’s great to see that one of the UK’s original VW clubs isn’t just still going strong but it’s actually flourishing in the process. Here’s to another 21 years guys! December 2017

Jimmy Be

AGE: 43 // OCCUPATION: Businegg ss Dev pment Manager // LOCATION: West Lonelo don

What year did you join Westside? 1996 What does Westside mean to you? It's a following, an old-skool petrolhead club. Being part of a close knit group.. it’s like family, all of us sharing a passion for cars, a common interest. It’s what we love doing, modify cars whatever they are. What's the best part about being in Westside? Having a good laugh when we're all together, we have some crazy characters! We all benefit from having extremely knowledgeable car people in the group, a few of us have been round the block, trust me. Also, having 15- to 20-car conveys to shows in Europe is a buzz! What's the downside to being part of Westside? The only downside is trying to get everyone to agree, especially when it comes to our show. It’s a big club, from the outside people don’t realise how difficult it is to organise your own show, but ultimately we want our show to be one that people look forward to the most! What's been your main highlight since joining? My Mk1 PVW cover car. Our 10th year anniversary show and being involved in bodywork modifications on a fair few show cars over the years, especially ones coming out of Payne’s bodyshop and when 'Micky' my Uncle was at Craftsmen bodyshop. I even worked on the Performance VW Project Greylord Golf Rallye! What's your favourite car show besides Westside? It use to be VW Mania in Belgium, Castrop in Germany and Wothersee in Austria is always a good get together. Nowadays there isn't really a favourite as such, it's more of an opportunity for the lads to have a proper catch up and a bit of a road test for the cars.

Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? I'm a Ford boy at heart, my first few motors were Fords! But if you ask anyone, there is something that just attracts you to a Mk1 Golf GTI. It has a fanatical following, it’s the first proper GTI. For me, it's how cool you can make VWs look, too, even a Polo estate can look awesome if it's just slammed on the floor with some retro styling! Did you feature in the original PVW group shoot? Yes. If yes, what happened to the car in that feature? It got completely rebuilt, body and engine, never to be seen at any shows or meets since I sold it 2007 though. I believe it's still in tact, but missing an engine. It's a shame, because it was built to a very high standard and would be attracting a lot of interest at shows today. What cars have you previously owned? I’ve lost count! I’ve had a Renault 5 Gordini, Mk2 Escort Harrier, Fiesta Supersport, XR2, Nissan Cherry Turbo, Mk2 Golfs 8v, 16v, VR6 Vento. Proberly all VW TDIs, plus Audi A4s, A6s, Mk4 and Mk5 Golfs, even a Honda Type R Integra. I'm still in the

motor trade, so I come across many cars to own. What cars do you currently own: I have a Mk1 Golf GTI, Audi A6 TDI and a Mk3.5 Colour Concept Convertible. How long have you owned this car? Six years. What modifications have been done to that?: It’s got a G60 engine, coilovers, G60 brakes, updated roll bars, poly bushes, front and rear lights, seats and steering wheel. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? Yes, my plans are to keep it. My main focus is to fix/change things that I think need replacing, I want to improve the feel of the car. Add a few more suspension components, rear brakes, also small amounts of bodywork. I've got a new set of wheels for next year also. Will we see you in another 21? We have talked about it, we haven't lost our enthusiasm, in fact we've come to realise that you don't know what's round the corner, so all the lads try to meet up as much as possible. We lost our dear friend Jerry to cancer last year, but I can 100% say if we've got our health, we'll keep doing what we all enjoy!

Spencer St

hen AGE: 43 // OCCUPATION: IT Infrasep tructure Specialist // LOCATION: London

What year did you join Westside? 1995 What does Westside mean to you? Family/brothers from another mother. What's the best part about being in Westside? It’s belonging to a team work, the jokes and advice. What's the downside to being part of Westside? We’re always late for shows... What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Our early European trips (being completely flat out in 5th gear for 20+ miles racing Jimmy B through Belgium. If it's going to blow, it will do it today. What's your favourite car show besides Westside?

Performance VW

VW Days (It's all about the drive to and from the shows). Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? It started off as cheap, fast motoring. All comes down to German engineering I guess. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? Yes. If yes, what happened to the car in that feature? I’ve still got it and it’s here today (A394 EGX)! What cars have you previously owned? I had a Mini, Mk1 Golf Clipper, VW Polo and an Audi A3. What cars do you currently own? I’ve got a R32 Golf, a Porsche 911/997 C2S and my Mk1 Golf.

How long have you owned the current car featured here today? 24 years! . What modifications have been done to that? Over 24 years everything, bar changing the panels, windows and dash. It’s had a full respray inside and out (been three different colours), completely de-locked, A4 door handles, side strips removed and lead filled, rear panel smoothed. It runs a two-litre ABF 16v on R1 bike carbs, flowed head, lightened flywheel, converted to cable change O2A gearbox with O2J tower, Remus exhaust. HR platform adjustable (the original coilover), Mk2 Golf servo and master cylinder, VR6 front callipers, G60 discs, rear disc conversion (Mk4 callipers) and Les Hicks show cage. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? Mk1s are for life not just Christmas! I will be buried in my car (double plot). Future plans are new engine, interior and wheels. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Yep, I'll still be here with my Mk1, driving it like it stole it!

Sajjad Anwa

AGE: 47 // OCCUPATION: SalesrDirect // LOCATION: Gerrards Cross or

What year did you join Westside? Founded in 1990 (I think!). What does Westside mean to you? It started as just a group of mates with the same passion for cars, but has developed over the years into life long friendships. What's the best part about being in Westside? There is always someone that knows someone that can sort out any issue! What's the downside to being part of Westside? Trying to organise a night out, we hardly ever get everyone together, hence why our yearly show is so important to us. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? The early years were particularly fun when none of us were married and we could go to any of the great Euro shows without a care. The Baarlo trips are legendary! What's your favourite car show besides Westside? We really enjoyed Worthersee as it was also a good chance to have a lad’s holiday. I think Players Classic is awesome, too. Carl and Jay smashed it with the venue and whole character of that event. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? I always liked them ever since I saw a picture of a tuned Mk1 in the pages of Fast Lane back in the 80s. It was Lhasa green

with gold BBS RS rims, that's when I knew what my first car would be. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? Yes. If yes, what happened to the car in that feature? It’s rotting away on someone's front drive in Heston! Shame it was not garaged for all those years. It would take something to bring it back now! What cars have you previously owned?: Three Mk1 GTIs, a Mk1 Convertible, Porsche 944 Turbo S, Passat 1.8T estate, Mk4 Golf GTI, Mk5 Golf GTI, Mercedes C36 AMG, Audi S3, Audi Allroad and Porsche Boxster S. What cars do you currently own? My Mk2 Golf R32, Mercedes 320CE Convertible Sportline, Audi S4 B8.5, Audi A2 1.4 Tdi, MGB GT Mk1, Porsche 911SC Targa.

How long have you owned the current car featured here today? About 11 years. What modifications have been done to that? It has an R32 engine, VR6 gearbox, Work Equip custom machined wheels, Koni coilovers, Brembo brakes, Recaro seats, full MJ interior retrim, full paint and modified arches by Dynatek, custom sound install, plus numerous mods throughout. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? Yes, even if I don't drive it I will store it. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? I hope so, with my daughters Sana (14) and Anya (13), both have the same passion for cars, they are already planning what they want to do with their first!

Hiten Patel

AGE: 40 // OCCUPATION: Self emplo yed // LOCATION: Essex

What year did you join Westside? In 1996. What does Westside mean to you? Keeping friends with a passion for cars together and helping build each other's cars. What's the best part about being in Westside? Being well known in the VW scene. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Waiting for the rest to turn up, especially when going to a show.

What's been your main highlight since joining Westside?: There have been far too many… What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Players. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? They have been part of my family since a young age. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? Yes. If yes, what happened to the car in that feature?

I still have it in my garage. What cars have you previously owned? A BMW M3, Audi S3, Porsche Turbo S, E55 AMG and C63 AMG. What cars do you currently own? I’ve got the MK1 Golf GTI Campaign, a Mk2 Golf VR6, BMW X5 4.8is and Bentley GTC Speed. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? Five years. What modifications have been done to that? It runs a 1.8-litre 16v turbo (KR), Audi S2 (turbo, pistons, inlet, exhaust manifold, injectors), G60 ECU, Nology HT leads, hydraulic clutch, 02A 16v gearbox, EMP custom intake pipework and turbo back exhaust system, Koni fully adjustable ride height suspension, H&R front and rear anti roll bars, Eurosport front upper and lower braces, Eurosport rear brace, Wilwood 4 pots with 280mm drilled/grooves discs (front), and drilled/grooved discs (rear) with 16” BBS RS, plus Corrado Recaros, re-trimmed to match original. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? I’m keeping the Mk1. Now that is done it’s time to bring the Mk2 out on the road again. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? I hope so.

December 2017

Saqib Ah

med AGE: 39 // OCCUPATION: Director/ Owner BD Clean // LOCATION: West London

What year did you join Westside? 1998 What does Westside mean to you? Westside is more then just cars and old people, it's about everything else that comes with it. Westside means mates for life! What's the best part about being in Westside? Tea and biscuits while talking about our next projects, plus members going out of their way to help one another. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Being part of the crew has cost me £1000s over the years! Corruption kings give you ideas for the show cars that cost you lots of money. They don't even spare the daily drivers. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Has to be organising the show and everything around the show. Getting together all your friends and family in one place with great food and cars has to be up there! What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Players Classic. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? I was corrupted at a very young age living next to Jimmy B for 18 years. Waking up on Sunday morning to the sound of six Mk1s getting ready for International. I just had to become a part of it.

Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No. What cars have you previously owned? A Mk2 20vT, Mk2 R32 and Mk1 16v on carbs. What cars do you currently own? A Mk1 16vT (ongoing project) and this Mk3 16v. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? One year. What modifications have been done to that? It's running H&R Ultra Low suspension, Rotiform wheels, Vento front, VR6 brakes, GTI Anniversary interior, gear knob and seat belts.

Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? I need to complete the Mk1 project first with a new engine and then maybe it will be a case of fitting an R32 conversion in the Mk3. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Well I'd certainly like to think so. I can't see life outside of the Westside family, so if I'm still here I will be either in the Mk1 attending shows or in the passenger seat with my boy Mikhail in the driving seat!

Rakesh

Rathod AGE: 36 // OCCUPATION: Astrologe r // LOCATION: East London

What year did you join Westside? Around 2000. What does Westside mean to you? It’s a group of good friends who share a passion for cars. What's the best part about being in Westside? A helping hand in any situation is never far away. What's the downside to being part of Westside?

Performance VW

Trying to get somewhere on time is always a challenge for us guys. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? All the European shows we used to attend years ago with a full force of cars. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Worthersee.

Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? My dad was a VW/Audi mechanic so I was always around them growing up. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No What cars have you previously owned? A Mk4 R32, Mk4 TDI, Audi A4 B7 salon, Audi S5, Mk2 VR6 and a Mk2 8v GTI. What cars do you currently own? A Mk2 Golf 20v, Mk1 Golf GTI Campaign, Audi S2 and Audi A4 B7 estate. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? Four years. What modifications have been done to that? It’s fully stripped out with a FIA roll cage, carbon/Kevlar ABT kit, wrapped in grey with Pikes Peak livery, fully worked five-cylinder engine producing 627bhp (full feature soon). Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? I plan to use it for hill-climb racing. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? I hope so…

Bob Kaler AGE: 45 // OCCUPATION: Profes sional driver // LOCATION: West London

What year did you join Westside? 1997. What does Westside mean to you? It’s a group of mates who are into cars. What's the best part about being in Westside? Rolling to shows together, having a laugh, building cars together. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Rolling to shows together, having a laugh, building cars together then repairing cars to get home from shows. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Going to European shows, meeting up with the Westside Europe family. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Worthersee. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? They just cool cars that were cheap and easy to modify back in the day. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No. What cars have you previously owned? An XR3I, Fiat 131, BMW 323i, Mk2 Golf 16v, Golf Rallye, and a

BMW 530i Sport. What cars do you currently own? A Mk5 Golf Edition 30 (What about the Porsche? – All). How long have you owned the current car featured here today? Three and a half years. What modifications have been done to that? It’s

got a Westside sticker. Ha. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? Yes. Hopefully keep it standard but with this group of mates, who knows? It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Definitely!

Randip Wilk

AGE: 44 // OCCUPATION: Retailhu Director // LOCATION: Bromley

What year did you join Westside? 1994 I think. What does Westside mean to you? It's about friendship and a way of life. What's the best part about being in Westside? Having jokes together, cruising the streets and ripping the cars, plus drinking and eating. Ha. What's the downside to being part of Westside?

No downsides, only on the up! What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Being part of one of the most recognised VW groups and going on Euro road trips. What's your favourite car show besides Westside?: Players. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? Well my dad

had a VW and Audi since in was 10 and he let me buy my first VW at 15, an Audi 80 Sport. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? Yes, I was in the first feature. If yes, what happened to the car in that feature?: I still have it. It's parked up at my dad's house, one owner from new in 1984. What cars have you previously owned? That Audi 80 Sport, a Mk2 Golf owned since 1984, a Mk1 Golf owned since 1994 and an E30 M3 owned since 1998. What cars do you currently own: Got a few. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? 23 years. What modifications have been done to that? It’s running a Group N 8v with lightened pistons, flywheel, crank, big-valve head, high lift cam, modified fuel pump. AP coilovers, 17” chromed BBS wheels. Shaved badges, black rear lights, cross heir front lights. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? Yes, I will keep it. Maybe a turbo coming of some sort, maybe a throwback to the 90s, who knows. Ha. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Of course, if we can still get petrol!

December 2017

kh AGE: 21 // OCCUPATION: TechnSu ical manager // LOCATION: Surrey

What year did you join Westside? A while back. What does Westside mean to you? Being with friends and enjoying car builds. What's the best part about being in Westside? Going to car shows in the UK and abroad with all our Westside members. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Spending too much money on our projects. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Meeting and making lots of friends in the UK and abroad. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Worthsea in Austria. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? I blame my uncle for introducing me to VWs as he had a Mk1 GTI. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? Yes, I had the silver Mk1. If yes, what happened to the car in that feature? It was sadly written off by me. What cars have you previously owned? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a Golf Mk1, Golf Mk2, Golf Mk3, Golf Mk4, Corrado G60 and Corrado VR6.

What cars do you currently own? A Scirocco R and this Mk3. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? One year. What modifications have been done to that? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on H&R ultra lows, has Recaros, big brakes, a chassis

notch, rear beam aligned, rear red Hellas, plus lots more. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? The car is already sold. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Of course.

Ali Anwa

r AGE: 40 // OCCUPATION: Something or the other// LOCATION: West London

What year did you join Westside? 2002. What does Westside mean to you? Family. What's the best part about being in Westside? Brotherhood and all being on the same page with our passion for cars. What's the downside to being part of Westside?

Performance VW

Motivation to keep going. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Gaining brothers for life! What's your favourite car show besides Westside? My Garage. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? It's all in the

VW build quality. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No. What cars have you previously owned? A Mk2 GTI, Mk3 VR6 (PVW cover car in June 2007), Audi A4 B5, Audi A6 C5 and Audi Q7. What cars do you currently own? A Mk3 GTI and Mk5 R32. How long have you owned the current car featured here today?: Just two months. What modifications have been done to that? Everything you see with plenty more to come... I have some unfinished business with the Mk3. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? It's a keeper and will then be given to my son when he turns 17. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Hopefully... If not then you will definitely see the next generation of Westside in the form of all our kids.

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d Holt AGE: 44 // OCCUPATION: Volkswvi agen Group Roadside, Area Mana ger // LOCATION: West London

What year did you join Westside? From neary the beginning, I use to do all the stickers for the guys and would have some of the Westside cars on our stands at GTI Festival and Internationals at the TRL. What does Westside mean to you? Long-term friendships. What's the best part about being in Westside? The group of people and our cars. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Keeping up with the best around and trying to stay innovative. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? Being involved in the organising of our annual Show & Shine since its start. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? I use to love VW Mania, which is sadly no more. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? It’s the subtle styling scene, quality and ease of repair. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? I was there on the day, but didn’t have a VW at the time so didn’t feature. I helped hold up the traffic for the rolling shots in my Cavalier GSI. Ha. What cars have you previously owned? A Fiat 126, Ford Mk3 Escort van, Vauxhall Cavalier 2000 GSI, BMW 325i Sport, VW Mk1 Polo, VW Sharan VR6,

VW Mk5 Golf GTI and VW Touareg. What cars do you currently own? My Mk3 Golf Cabriolet, a VW Mk1 Golf LS and VW Tiguan R-Line (Mk2). How long have you owned the current car featured here today? Since 2002. What modifications have been done to that? It was repainted in BMW Diamond black with smoothed bumpers, Frenched tailgate and flared arches, Ferrari 550 front seats with all the interior colour matched to a new Mohair roof, upgraded lights all round and Porsche Boxster S 17” alloys.

Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? It’s not worth much now and gets used for the odd school run, it’s like part of the family. I would love to give it a revamp, but the Mk1 comes first at the moment. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? I’m sure we will all still be around. I’ll just be hitting retirement, so hopefully by then I’ll be sharing the VW love with the grandkids. Cars will be a different thing in 21 years time, will we still be able to drive or will they be driving for us?

Burhaan Va

t AGE: 39 // OCCUPATION: Directna or of BD Clean // LOCATION: Birmingham

What year did you join Westside? Can't remember. What does Westside mean to you? My car family. What's the best part about being in Westside?

Performance VW

Having like minded brothers that love what you love. What's the downside to being part of Westside? You always have to improve on what you have or you

get left behind. What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? European trips. What's your favourite car show besides Westside?: That's a tough one. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? The lines, curves and that ass! Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No. What cars have you previously owned? Yellow Corrado G60. What cars do you currently own: Mk2 VRT, Mk2 G60, Mk2 GTS, Corrado G60 and Mk3 16vT. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? For three years. What modifications have been done to that? A lot. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? The interior is going to be changed next year. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Yes, definitely.

Abbas

Anwar AGE: 35 // OCCUPATION: Rail Eng ineer // LOCATION: Reading

What year did you join Westside? When I got my first car, a small bumper Mk2 in 1999. What does Westside mean to you? Cool car crew! What's the best part about being in Westside? Always being able to be around cool cars and being able to meet 100s if not 1000s of like-minded people over the years. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Show organisation is madness! What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? There have been many over the years, but having my Corrado project on PVW’s Ultimate VW cover is up there. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Goodwood Festival of Speed. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? Mainly because I grew up around Mk1s. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? Nope, I was too young for that! What cars have you previously owned? I’ve had three Mk2 Golfs, three early body Corrados, two W124 E class saloons, Audi A4 B5, two Audi A6s, a R129 SL (all slammed and tuned).

What cars do you currently own? Mercedes W219 CLS, Mercedes R129 SL and on-going 16v Corrado project. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? Five years. What modifications have been done to that? Mostly suspension work and custom wheel fitment, also any on going restoration work.

Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? I have always loved the SL and wanted one when I was younger, I love it and I’m not planning on selling anytime soon. The resto work will just continue until its perfect. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Hopefully my Corrado will actually be finished by then. Ha.

Michael Sloo

aker AGE: 40 // OCCUPATION: Social pm Worker // LOCATION: Holland

What year did you join Westside? 1998 What does Westside mean to you? For me Westside means family. What's the best part about being in Westside? The group itself. It’s not just us guys but also all of the kids, wives and the rest of the family members. What's the downside to being part of Westside? What shall I say. It’s not easy with all of this testosterone in one place. Ha.

What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? When I first met some of the guys back in 1998 I never thought I would be a part of such a family thing. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Players Classic. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? VW was my first car and ever since then I have liked them. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside

group shoot? No I didn’t. What cars have you previously owned? I used to have a Mk2 that I owned for 15 years. It had a lot of conversions but eventually it had to make room for my Mk1. What cars do you currently own? I have a Mk1 that's under construction at the moment (the ex-Marco Haeger car). I also bought this red Corrado a couple of months back and drive an Audi A3 daily. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? I’ve owned the Corrado for three months now. What modifications have been done to that? Nothing yet it is how I bought it. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? Plans are some different wheels and brakes. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? Then I would be 61. If I am still around then yeah, you will see me here again.

December 2017

uben Gata-Aura AGE: 43 // OCCUPATION: Owner of Tuningwerkes // LOCATION: Sou th London

What year did you join Westside?: In the early 1990s. What does Westside mean to you? Westside is a collective of old skool mates who love old skool cars. It brings us (and show goers) together. What's the best part about being in Westside? The friendship is paramount. There are so many characters in Westside and we all get on. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Is there one? What's been your main highlight since joining Westside? I don't think there's a single one, but watching Westside grow is up there. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? Hmmmm... Edition 38 and Players are up there. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? I blame my family. My family trained technicians, opened their own business. They raced a 1979 GTI and air-cooled stuff. I guess it was inevitable. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No, sadly I missed it! What cars have you previously owned? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had

almost 30, including Golf GTIs (mainly Mk1s), but I had one Mk2 (featured in PVW), a Mk3 GTI and VR6s, plus Mk4 (featured in 2005). There has been a couple of Mk5 GTIs, a Mk6 GTI, a TT or three... the list goes on! What cars do you currently own? A Golf 7R and Audi TT Mk1. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? 1 year. What modifications have been done to that? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got an APR Stage 2, APR intake, APR intercooler,

Milltek exhaust, plus Bilstein coilovers and OZ Ultraleggera rims. Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? It depends if I see something else I like. If I keep it, then 20s, suspension tweaks and a better sound system. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? In my turbocharged wheelchair? Hell yeah!!

Farooq 'Fr

ankie' Ahmed AGE: 39 // OCCUPATION: Neuros urgeon // LOCATION: London

What year did you join Westside? 10 years ago? Since I've known Hiten I guess but I'm not very active until recent. Low key! What does Westside mean to you? It means a crew of friends who share a passion of classic VWs. What's the best part about being in Westside? Being able to talk a load of car jargon and talk a load a waffle, have a laugh and also be serious with cars. I also really enjoy helping out with organising and judging at the Westside show. What's the downside to being part of Westside? Having no time these days to attend meets and shows, got loads to do all the time now with family and work commitments! What's been your main highlight since joinging Westside? Getting a T-shirt for every Westside show

Performance VW

and judging the Audi class. Best of all is having the chance to meet crazy car guys! We all just love cars and modifying them. What's your favourite car show besides Westside? I like at lot of European shows and a lot of the classic car shows here in the UK. The most enjoyable part is the drive to the show. Why Volkswagens, what's the appeal? They go on forever because they're built so well, plus they do get a lot of respect wherever you go in the world! You can't help but have love for a classic VW. Did you feature in the original PVW Westside group shoot? No. What cars have you previously owned? A lot of old Jap cars, Hondas and Nissans, plus a Nova GTE, Merc W123 and 124, Golf Mk2s and Mk3 VR6.

What cars do you currently own? Mostly old Mercs, one being a 5.0 W123 and a couple of Veedubs, plus an Audi RS2. How long have you owned the current car featured here today? After Jeremy (it's previous owner) passed away I bought it with the help of some close friends including Hiten and Rakesh. We wanted to keep it close to us and be able to enjoy having Jerry's pride and joy at as many car shows as possible. We knew he would have loved that. What modifications have been done to that? Loads, from suspension upgrades like coilovers, anti-roll bars, bushes and brakes. It has a wonderful Sportline Recaro trim and beautiful BBS rims, plus a few tweaks to the 8v engine; exhaust, throttle body, manifold, HT leads. It drives like a loved modified car! Best of all it's a really original car, very clean throughout. You won't find another one like Jerry's! Do you plan to keep it and if so, what's your plans for the future? I plan to keep it for as long as possible. No plans, though, Jerry built it perfectly. Bless him. I just want to look after it the best I can! And enjoy it.. It's 21 years since the originl group feature. Will we see you in another 21? If I'm alive, yes.

SPIT & POLISH_q 19/12/2016 10:50 Page 1

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Performance VW

SAYYES TO RACEISM! If you haven’t heard of Poland’s Raceism event yet, then you’ve been missing out. We flew out to Poland for this year's The Event, the fifth running, and checked out what makes it so special. Words: Patryk Bielin Bielinski Photos: Matt Dear

t’s hard to believe, but this year's edition of Raceism (called The Event) marked the show’s fifth anniversary. Raceism is a Polish show which attracts hundreds of participants from all over the Europe and continues to grow each year. But the event’s success hasn't come out of nowhere, it’s the result of lots of hard work and some serious planning. In 2012 Adrian Kapica, along with his Raceism crew, organised their first show, which was more like a club meet than a proper event, and very few would have imagined it would grow to be one of the most important shows in Europe. The first official edition was held in 2013 and showed what great potential that original idea had been. We remember attending and how the first edition of Raceism simply blew us away. It was an amazing location (City Stadium in Wrocław), with even better cars than we’d seen in Poland before and a true royal climate – without doubt it was a show that was on a world-class level.

Since that time, ever year the organisers have been more focused on growing the event and improving it. The 2017 edition was no exception. We were able to see the best projects not only from Poland, but also from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Moldova, Slovakia, Spain, and even Russia – impressive doesn’t even cut it! Partners like RAD48, FelgenOutlet, Vossen, Rotiform and Air Lift Performance, to name just a few, confirmed an excellent standard of The Event. What's worth noting is that Raceism is not just about the show, but also the go. Organised in collaboration with the Next Level Crew drifting competition means it has attracted a lot of additional spectators and was a great display. Not interested in drifting? Ok, let's talk about the cars themselves, shall we? Raceism is famous not only for its excellent organisation and unusual location, but fist and foremost it’s all thanks to the astronomical quality of cars. With nearly 700 projects on show, cars like modified Nissan GT-Rs, Lamborghini Huracans, Maserati

December 2017

GranTurismos, Mercedes-AMG GTs and Porsche 911s are just some of what you can expect to see. But if expensive sports cars aren’t to your taste then don’t worry, in addition this Polish show also offers a vast selection of classics and literally everything in between. Fans of old school motors certainly didn't leave disappointed thanks to the two-door Mercedes W111, sweet Polish Fiat 126p, first-gen Mazda RX-7 or cool Volvo 244 DL. However, if expensive big boys toys or even classics are not for you then you will definitely be interested in what The Event has to offer in the VAG camp. No, we haven’t forgotten that all important. Take, for example, Marcel Klok’s Audi R8 proudly standing next to the Martini-livery Golf Mk1 built by Michael Ehrt, or the crazy, stanced Mk4 of Alexey Semenov’s parked near to Victor Stefanica and his Porsche 944 on BBS RS (one of our favourites). Oh, and don’t forget about Auto Finesse’s green Passat (full feature soon),

Performance VW

Remigiusz Wo niczak’s Mk2 VR6 (PVW 09/09) or Krzysztof Pigła’s 1.8T Mk2 on center-lock BBS E26 (also with a full feature coming soon). This line-up speaks for itself, but The Event is not just about cars. The unrivalled atmosphere of the stadium was combined with live graffiti content, hip-hop concerts and interesting interviews which made the event unique and more complete. The TOP16 is judged by an international jury and Adrian, with his aesthetic attention to details, took care of the most unusual awards, graphics and stage appearances. Devil, as they say, is always in the detail! The Event is perhaps the most international, yet most refined, most desirable event in Europe. We guarantee that it’s the most original show among a sea of samey car shows. So if you are not a gremlin who writes "Say no to Raceism" on your Facebook wall, then why not check it out by yourself next year? n

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Pioneer AVH-Z5000DAB

SRP £559

Pioneer’s AVH-Z5000DAB is able to strike the perfect balance between performance, technology and price, making it something of an audio legend (and a bit of a bargain to boot), and more than capable of holding its own against more expensive offerings. This unit majors on ease of connectivity, meaning it can be swiftly and seamlessly connected to smartphones, in turn allowing the user access to the myriad applications supported by modern Apple and android hardware. The unit’s 6.2in, clear-type touchscreen can be used in conjunction with Apple’s much vaunted CarPlay system, an addition which makes listening to music while on the move a doddle, and this is never more apparent than when using Spotify. Indeed, the world’s most popular music streaming application is intuitive to access and configure, while Bluetooth capability allows for seamless streaming of music while on the move. Pioneer feels that there’s little worse than being left ‘out in the cold’ technology-wise, which is why the AVH-Z5000DAB can function just as seamlessly with android smartphones as with Apple, and it’s all down to Android Auto. Similar in concept to CarPlay, Android Auto enables android stream music, access and utilise appropriate apps, all without distracting them from the most important task at hand, driving. Spotify, CDs and Bluetooth are all well and good, but Pioneer also recognises the continued importance of radio to the majority of drivers, hence the AVH-Z5000DAB’s built-in DAB/DAB+ Digital Radio, a handy feature which will doubtless become all the more so if the government goes ahead with its planned ‘digital switchover’ in the coming years. Factor-in the Auto EQ, Auto Time Alignment and Optimised PCB layout, and it becomes all too clear why Pioneer products have been the audiophile’s choice for generations.

Pioneer AVH-Z7000DAB King of the 2017 range, and a unit with the power to slacken jaws at the press of a button, the Pioneer AVH-Z7000DAB is a true audio powerhouse. We’ll get into the technical aspects of this unit in a second, but first it’s important to address just what makes this such an amazing bit of kit – its fully motorised, ‘flip-up’ screen. A full seven inches across, the touchscreen is mated to what must count as one of the most impressively-engineered multimedia player chassis currently on the market. It effectively transforms from a single DIN unit into a double DIN, allowing owners of the former access to a wealth of features normally restricted to those with double-DIN dashes. It’s an action that never ceases to amaze and stubbornly refuses to get old! In line with the other AVH-Z units in the Pioneer 2017 range, the mighty AVH-Z7000DAB can support an array of useful third-party applications, one of the most exciting (not to mention useful) being Waze, a community-based navigational app. Already a proven product, with a massive community of dedicated users, Waze can be accessed via AppRadio mode, and effectively means that it can effectively double as a navigational unit as and when required… and at no additional cost to you. Spotify can be utilised by both Apple and android users (the former via CarPlay, the latter through Android Auto), with the music streamlining services’ song libraries now able to be controlled directly via the headunit itself. With the AVH-Z7000DAB, the days of getting lost while fumbling for your favourite music are utterly banished! It also sports a built-in DAB/DAB+ radio, further underscoring its suitability for those that value music above all else.

100

Performance VW

SRP £629

Pioneer speakers

Pioneer TS-WX70DA Trick features, displays and app connectivity

TBC

are only one part of the Pioneer puzzle though, and the firm is just as well placed to offer all manner of supporting audio hardware, including active subwoofers. Which sub you should buy your nearest and dearest rather depends on your budget, and how much space they have in their car, hence why we reckon the TS-WX70DA is such a good bet thanks to its compact size, innovative design and considerable audio punch! Pioneer Digital Bass Control lies at the heart of the TS-WX70DA, a unique feature that effectively allows for a pair of unique bass modes to be toggled between, as and when the user feels. The two modes in question are DEEP and DYNAMIC, with each able to produce bass that’s not only strong, rich and deep, yet also distinct from one another. The latter point is of particular importance, as it’s what allows the TS-WX70DA to handle such a massive variety of different musical genres, all of which offer different demands and unique characteristics. It ensures that whether you’re buying for a Metallica or a Mozart fan, they’ll be well covered by the TS-WX70DA. The TS-WX70DA is far from a one-trick pony, and the aforementioned Digital Bass Control facility is backed up by good, old-fashioned, 200W power, not to mention Pioneer Class-D sub technology and a pair of 16cm drivers. This immense power doesn’t come at the expense of practicality, however, and the TS-WX70DA’s compact chassis actually measures a mere 97cm in height. This ensures that it’s easily small enough to fit the majority of installs, even those where space is at a premium. It’s so small that it doesn’t rob boot space, to the extent that luggage can even be loaded on top of it.

Pioneer started out as a dedicated speaker maker back in 1937, so it should come as no surprise to learn that it still makes some of the best in the business! In fact, the firm’s speakers are often seen in fully paid-up audio competition cars, meaning the petrolhead in your life will be in very good company indeed.

FROM 9 £21.9

Pioneer TS-D

The Pioneer speaker range is nothing if not inclusive, and the company prides itself on being able to offer advanced audio upgrades for all, no matter their budget. The TS-D speaker series is a case in point; the units contained within it are very affordable yet make use of much of the technology found in the TS-Z series below, including the much vaunted Open & Smooth concept. TS-D speakers also boast soft dome tweeters for extended high-frequency performance, their hemispherical shape proven to reduce dome break-up due to excessive vibration. The upshot of this is exceptionally low levels of distortion and smooth, natural sound.

Pioneer TS-Z

Pioneer SPH-DA230DAB The SPH-DA230DAB is Pioneer’s premier mechafree unit, and builds upon the company’s long history of developing lightweight players with a plethora of trick functions. It can handle all the connectivity options enjoyed by its AVH relations mentioned above (including navigation via Waze), and comes complete with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity technology. The former was something Pioneer, well, pioneered on the SPH-DA230DAB’s sibling, the SPH-DA120, and it continues to be a key factor, certainly if the intended recipient of your gift is a fully paid-up Apple fan. In line with the AVH duo mentioned elsewhere in this feature, the SPH-DA230DAB has a deeply impressive Bluetooth receiver nestled within it, one which is perfect for permitting music streaming via Spotify and, in a further nod to on-the-road safety, Siri Eyes Free technology. Said Bluetooth receiver has also been overhauled, and can now handle two separate smartphone connections at the same time; ideal for those with business and personal phones, and it enables hands-free calling and automatic phonebook transfer. Last, but by no means least, (seriously, there’s nowhere near enough space to go through all of these units’ capabilities here, you’ll have to pop over to Pioneer’s website), the SPH-DA230 boasts an advanced DAB/DAB+ radio receiver. This of course allows access to the staggering variety of digital stations operating in the UK today, and will also stand the person you’re buying it for in good stead when the FM switch-off comes into force sometime in the next decade.

SRP £399

As you might have twigged from the products mentioned already, the ‘Z’ at the end of a Pioneer product’s name signifies extreme audio capability, hence why the new TS-Z range is already winning praise from audio geeks around the world. They benefit from Pioneer’s Open & Smooth sound concept, which promotes smooth, off-axial frequency response, superior directivity and an extended frequency range. While those phrases might mean very little to anyone not a fully paid-up audiophile, their impact is impossible to mistake, with the TS-Z series offering an incredibly pure sound that’s about as close to the original performance as it’s possible to get.

TBC

contact pioneer-car.co.uk December 2017

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