Maxxd.com – Modified and Performance Car News

Original Land Rover Defender lives on as Bowler performance SUV

Many would have lamented Land Rover’s 2016 decision to end production of the original Defender after a run spanning more than three decades.

It’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed at Land Rover which started selling a redesigned Defender this year. To appease fans of the original Defender, Land Rover will get Bowler to build new off-roaders using the original Defender’s iconic shape, specifically the four-door Defender 110’s shape.

Bowler is a fellow British firm that specializes in building high-performance, rally raid-style SUVs. It’s worked closely with Land Rover for decades and in 2019 was finally brought into the Jaguar Land Rover fold as part of the automaker’s Special Vehicles Operations.

Bowler’s Defender will be very different from the original. For instance, the company will use its own rigid platform known as the CSP (Cross Sector Platform). The patented platform provides for common electrical architecture, powertrains and drivetrains to be applied, and can accommodate a 6×6 configuration. Vehicles based on the platform typically use off-the-shelf items to ensure spares and service items are readily available from established OEMs and their dealer networks across the globe.

Bowler will also pack its Defender with a 567-horsepower version of Jaguar Land Rover’s familiar 5.0-liter supercharged V-8, which should see the SUV sprint to 60 mph from rest in around four seconds. Other features will include four body-hugging sports seats, a roll cage, and comfort features such as air conditioning.

Order books are now open ahead of limited production starting in 2021. The estimated starting price for one is 200,000 British pounds (approximately $258,695).

Bowler has built up an impressive array of vehicles based on its CSP platform, for both road and race applications. And soon it will have V-8-powered Defenders to strengthen its image. We can’t wait.

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November 4, 2020
CAR LEGENDS #34 – BMW E30 3-SERIES

Although BMW have a history of motorsport success going back the best part of a century, it was the release of the E30 3-Series in the early 1980s that put BMW firmly on the map of the UK tuning scene. Light, good looking, tunable, rear-wheel drive, reliable and fun, the E30 ticked all the boxes, and even nearly 40 years after it appeared, it’s still a very popular car to tune.

While the E30 brought us the first of the legendary M3 models, with its high-revving four-cylinder engine and wide box arches, it was the far more common and affordable E30s, especially the BMW 325i, that became the tuner’s car of choice, and it still is today.

Thanks to the solid BMW build quality, huge amount of tuning parts available and component interchangeability with other BMWs, E30s are very easy to turn into real performance monsters. From turbocharged straight-sixes to big V8 and even V12 engine swaps, they’re also far smaller and lighter than most modern rear-drive cars.

Although prices are getting higher as E30s get scarcer and gain classic car status, they are still affordable and make a great base for some crazy rear-wheel-drive action. The newer E36 3-Series BMWs are currently cheaper than the E30, and if we’re being totally honest, they are better performing overall, but there is just something about the E30 that makes them still the one to have.

And the fact that almost anything that fits into an E36 also fits the smaller, lighter E30 is a bonus, of course. With big-power E30s still cropping up all over the world, this is one legendary car that won’t be forgotten for a very long time.

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November 4, 2020
VW GOLF R MK8 REVEALED WITH 316BHP

Thought the Mk7 VW Golf R was good but a touch boring? The new VW Golf R Mk8 is here and it comes with an optional Nurburgring mode as well as drift mode to help liven it up.

Hot on the heels of the unveiling of the Golf GTI Clubsport Mk8, the new VW Golf R Mk8 receives the famous formula we know so well from VW; a turbocharged four-pot, AWD and DSG. This time, power is up 10bhp on the last model (yep, that’s all!) and VW reckons it can lap the Nurburgring 17 seconds fast than its predecessor, although that time is dangerously close to the FWD Honda Civic Type R FK8. That was, however, undertaken using the optional Nurburgring mode, which adjusts the damper settings for optimum performance over a circuit notorious for being road-like.

What is drift mode?

The all-new VW Golf R Mk8 also has an optional Drift Mode. Drift Mode works by employing a new active rear differential with torque vectoring that can transfer most of the engine’s performance towards the rear wheels. This means that it behaves like a RWD car momentarily while in use. Once you select another drive mode, the Golf R will return to AWD.

That torque vectoring wonder diff will also help transfer power to the wheels with the most grip when not using drift mode, and in doing so, raises the vehicles dynamics. The biggest criticism of the Mk7 Golf R was almost that it was too good, too safe and that transferred into a car that felt almost boring to drive. The focus on the car’s dynamics leaves us hopeful that the new car will convert the naysayers into fans.

How fast is the VW Golf R Mk8?

Power comes from a 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder engine (V4 of the EA888 engine) and produces 316bhp and 310lb ft of torque from 2100rpm through to 5350rpm. This power is transferred through a DSG gearbox and put down by all four wheels. This means that 0-62mph takes 4.8 seconds and it goes on to a limited top speed of 155mph, or 168mph if you opt for the Performance Upgrade Package, which was also seen on the Mk7.

What else is new on the VW Golf R Mk8?

To identify the Golf R Mk8 from its regular cooking siblings, the R sits a solid 20mm lower and is fitted with an aggressive front splitter, a black rear diffuser, quad-exit exhaust out the rear, bespoke wheel designs and bigger brakes. It’s the standard affair inside with blue sports seats, stainless steel pedals and some R-specific designs on the infotainment screen.

Similarly to the Mk7 Golf R, the new R can also be specified with the optional Akrapovic exhaust, which brings weight down by 7kg and transforms the sound emitting from the tailpipes to give it a more aggressive tone.

As part of the Performance Package that increases the top speed from 155mph to 168mph you also get a different set of 19inch wheels and a larger rear spoiler that aids downforce.

There’s also a new “R” button which is mounted onto the steering wheel. With a hard press, this puts the car into its hardest setting, Race, which presumably knocks the traction control settings off and ramps everything from the gearbox and diff to the engine’s throttle response right into its sharpest setting for optimum performance.

We were hoping that the VW Golf R Mk8 would deliver a close-to-400bhp experience to take the fight to the Mercedes A45 S. Prices for the new R haven’t been confirmed thus far, however, you can expect a price tag of around £35,000.

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November 4, 2020