Tag: Modified VW

REVO TUNED VW MK7 GOLF R: VIENNESE WHIRL – FC THROWBACK

Welcome to this week’s FC Throwback, where we take a look back at some of our favourite previous feature cars. This week its REVO’s 500bhp Golf R demo car from 2019, which at the time was hot off its pilgrimage to Wörthersee…

Feature taken from Fast Car. Words Emma Woodcock Photos Daniel Edwards

Soul isn’t stored in the spec list. It’s the driving, the events, the people and the experiences along the way. That’s why – despite the hunkered stance, upscale electronics and 503bhp that define the REVO VW Golf R demo car – this story starts with a thousand miles of open road. “A lot of people might have preferred to be in our support van,” laughs Dan Edwards, the company’s marketing manager, “given that most builds with this kind of power aren’t designed to drive that far. But it was really cool for me to be able to experience it, to further testify what this Volkswagen can do.”

The destination was every bit as exciting as the journey: Wörthersee Treffen, the largest VW festival in the world. REVO had visited before – flying over to meet and greet with clients – but the 2019 roadtrip was the start of something much bigger. “We turned up,” laughs Dan, “and we took over! It’s incredible to meet our German and Austrian customers and hear how much the love our brand, and the show itself is so much fun. I’d never been before but it’s always been on my list.”

Dan’s international interactions didn’t stop at the EU borders. In an antipodean twist, the REVO team also found themselves chatting with Marty and Moog from Mighty Car Mods. “They had a Mark 4 Golf GTi with them which really should have been in a scrapyard, so we ECU flashed that,” he explains, “but – back in Australia – they’ve got a Golf 7 R with exactly the same packs as our demo.” That’s what happens when tuning goes global.

Dig into the engine bay and the worldwide appeal isn’t hard to parse. REVO has created this Golf by combining two distinct parts collections – the Performance Pack and the Power Pack – to throw down 503bhp and 405lb-ft of torque. “We’re moving away from the Stage 1, 2 and 3 concept,” Dan clarifies, “and these packages take the guesswork out of tuning. They’re items you can add together and know the car will run like it should.” Those peak power figures are dyno-proven, by the way, and are achieved with entirely standard engine internals.

The Performance Pack comes first and focuses on getting air through the engine with maximum efficiency. Hardware changes start with a three part, carbon fibre air intake system, using a finned air scoop and computer-designed airbox lid to get intake air flowing more quickly and more smoothly than standard. On the other side of the turbocharger, incoming oxygen then meets a REVO intercooler. A bar and plate design that’s equipped with an upsized core, redesigned end tanks and silicone hoses, it keeps air cool so that performance won’t drop off in even the hardest use. A larger diameter, stainless steel downpipe – designed with help from experts Scorpion Exhausts – completes this stage of the physical transformation. Stir in revised software and 394bhp.

It’s a great intermediate package but the team wasn’t going to stop there. “We know the MQB platform inside and out,” says Dan, “we’ve become experts in it and it’s really robust.” To prove its point, REVO has fitted the Golf with an IS38ETR turbocharger for even more go. Retaining the original Volkswagen housing, albeit in reworked form, the uprated turbo boasts a billet compressor wheel, larger turbine shaft and a strong thrust bearing to ensure it can withstand very high power outputs. Improved high and low pressure fuel pumps, a 76mm Milltek stainless steel exhaust system and firmed up REVO engine mounts appear in support.

A Stage 3 engine control unit reflash unlocks the Golf’s ultimate potential. Uploaded via the OBD port, the pre-built tune pushes the car past 500bhp, increase the rev limit and unlocks left-foot braking. A similarly extreme Stage 3 DSG transmission map also features. That means a raised rev limit, the removal of automatic kickdown and variable launch control that lets the Golf R rip at anything up to 4500rpm.

Running gear changes are just as radical. The original springs are gone, replaced with Bilstein height-adjustable suspension, while the stock tyres have been replaced by a set of Nankang AS-2+ performance tyres. The go-fast rubber is mounted on a set of RVO19 19 inch cast alloys. An uncluttered, ten spoke design, these rims are an in-house design that weigh just ten kilos per corner. That’s just for road use. On track, where every second really counts, the Golf runs with a similar set of 18-inchers and AR-1 rubber, a Nankang design which is used in a range of circuit racing championships.

“I really do rate those tyres,” says Alex Bones, a Time Attack hotshoe and the man most often asked to take the REVO Golf on track, “they’re basically semi-slicks and very predictable.” It’s not the only thing he likes about the Volkswagen. “Passengers are often quite shocked! A wolf in sheep’s clothing is the best way to describe it and people don’t expect that level of performance from what is essentially a family-look car!”

Scorching hot laps are only possible thanks to Alex’s faith in the braking system. The discs and calipers are still standard at the rear but up front, where the action really goes down, every component has been touched by REVO and stopping specialists Alcon components. Where once 340mm rotors stood, the red Golf now boasts two-piece, fully floating, C hook discs which measure a full 380mm. The calipers have seen improvement too, moving from stock items to REVO by Alcon six-pot, all-aluminium pieces. Ferodo Racing pads and braided brake lines complete the transformation.

Whether it’s Wörthersee or Aussie YouTubers, the REVO development programme doesn’t end at the firm’s Daventry headquarters. Thanks to a global selection of dealers and distributors, the modification package has landed on Golfs everywhere from the Midlands to Malaysia. It’s a key strategy that ensures the Performance and Power Packs will hold up anywhere in the world. “We don’t want software that just works in Britain, on British fuel, in the British climate,” Dan explains. “In Russia it’s really cold and they’ve got poor quality fuel, while in South Africa the petrol is okay but it’s hot, it’s humid and Johannesburg customers are living at altitude. We have to take these factors into consideration.”

The community approach is reinforced by the matte wrap, REVO and its subsidiaries all using the same look on their demonstration machines. “We designed it in house,” says Dan, “the Golf used to be matte black and it was mean but so subtle that people used to walk past it. Now it looks as fast as it is and gets noticed!” Up on the roof, the pair of large numbers are to signal each machine’s nationality and place in the REVO community. Germany has 03; Russia has 02; South Africa has 01. And Daventry? A double zero for patient zero.

Five years after the build began, the Golf is still dropping jaws at every opportunity. “It’s crazy behind the wheel,” Dan smiles, “but it all depends on how you drive it. Rolling around sensibly, you could put your mum in the car and she wouldn’t notice the difference over something standard… but plant your foot and it opens up a whole new world. It keeps pulling; it’s an insane package.” With few mechanical opportunities left to explore, REVO are considering a Clubsport transformation with bucket seats, harnesses and a half rollcage but the Golf’s future is all about the driving. After all, no car sets the heart racing when it’s standing still.

TECH SPEC: VW GOLF R

STYLING
REVO custom full car matte wrap in red and black with double zero roof decal, black VW roundels, front numberplate delete, Mission Wörthersee rear window decal.

TUNING
VW Golf R 2.0 TSI EA888 turbocharged inline-four with REVO Carbon Series air intake system, uprated high and low pressure fuel pumps, REVO IS38ETR uprated turbocharger, REVO turbo muffler delete, REVO bar and plate intercooler with REVO silicone pipes, REVO downpipe with sports catalytic converter, Milltek 76mm stainless steel cat back exhaust.

CHASSIS
19-inch REVO RVO 19-inch alloys with Nankang AS-2+ tyres (road), 18-inch REVO RVO 18-inch alloys with Nankang AR-1 semi-slick tyres (track), REVO by Alcon 380mm C hook front brake discs with REVO by Alcon six-pot front calipers, Bilstein B16 height adjustable suspension, REVO MQB chassis and engine mounts.

INTERIOR
VW Golf R interior with Alpine 9-inch touch screen central display.

Source

November 12, 2020
TUNED VW MK6 GOLF GTI: PRANCING HORSEPOWER – FC THROWBACK

Welcome to this week’s FC Throwback, where we take a look back at some of our favourite previous features. This week it’s Steven Soprano’s tuned VW Mk6 Golf GTI from back in 2014… Don’t be fooled into thinking those Ferrari 458 rims are just for show – this K04-powered Mk6 GTI packs a supercar-slaying punch!

Feature taken from Fast Car. Words Mark Riccioni Photography Kevve.BE

Power is a funny ol’ thing. It makes people do crazy things, and while Belgian-born Steven Soprano isn’t about to invade Iraq for oil, his addiction to the world of horsepower has led him to build the super-sleek tuned VW Mk6 Golf GTI pictured here.

“As soon as I could drive I bought myself a Mk3 Golf VR6,” explains Steven, a plumber by trade who has always owned VAG cars. “Usually your first car is a 1.0-litre, so the VR6 felt like a rocket ship! But you get used to it, and before long you want more and more.”

After the VR6, Steven’s quest for power took a slightly alternative route. Covering more than 15,000-miles a year, Steven had to consider fuel economy, but then he found something to give him the best of both worlds – the magnificent 1.9-litre TDI lump found in the Mk5 Golf. With the right kind of upgrades you can create a proper fuel-efficient monster! Steve’s Mk5 Golf was now producing 210bhp while returning over 50mpg on a long run – perfection, right? Not exactly…

The diesel Mk5 was the perfect daily, but it just wasn’t scratching the ‘itch’ that only a ballistic, turbocharged petrol motor provides. Step forward the 2.0-litre Mk6 Golf GTI delivering 210bhp as standard. “To be honest I actually fell in love with the colour before the car!” laughs Steven, who managed to find a Mk6 GTI in the super-rare Rising Blue colour traditionally found on Golf R models. “It was quite quick as standard, and originally I didn’t want to go too crazy. But power is a funny thing… it’s hard to just stop.”

Initially Steven focused on the exterior, fitting wider front arches, Golf R bodywork and a full front-end respray after battling with stone chips and poor weather. It looked the part, and to add a bit of extra noise Steven fitted a full Milltek 3in exhaust that didn’t just transform the sound, but also the way he drove the Mk6 too.

“It sounded insane, especially with the DSG gearbox that pops during gear changes,” adds Steven. “So I went one step further and fitted a 3in turbo downpipe along with an ECU flash. Power was approaching 280bhp, but the standard turbo was at the limit, so I bit the bullet and upgraded to a K04 turbo instead.”

In addition to the K04, Steven also added uprated injectors, an air intake and intercooler upgrade and a full remap taking power up to 372bhp and 351lb/ft – over 150bhp more than standard! This kind of horsepower transformed the Mk6 into an absolute animal, capable of chasing down super saloons and supercars all around Belgium. Steven finally had a ‘suitable’ level of horsepower. Now it was time to sort the interior and a killer stance…

Stance AND performance? Surely not! But Steven wanted the best of both worlds with his Mk6 GTI, and he’s 100% nailed it. Having used air suspension in the past Steven knew of its handling capabilities, especially combined with a top-quality management system like Accu Air’s E-level. With air struts provided by Koni, the Golf can be raised for driving fast and slammed for that Internet-winning stance. Job done.

With supercar performance and a love for Italian exotics, there was only one wheel choice Steven had in mind – 20in Ferrari 458 Italia rims. Super light, super strong and super expensive – what more could you possibly need? They look entirely at home tucked under the Golf’s arches and make a welcome change from the Audi/Bentley wheels usually found on stanced VWs.

“They’re my favourite part of the car… after the engine,” laughs Steve, who finally has a car that ticks all his boxes… well, nearly. “I’ve had the car four months now, and it’s been running 370bhp for a little while now. I’m used to the power, so I think I need more. Next step is 450bhp, maybe 500bhp.” Now we’re talking!

TECH SPEC: TUNED VW MK6 GOLF GTI

Tuning
Full Milltek non-resonated 3in R20 exhaust system, Milltek 3.5in downpipe, CTS K04 turbocharger upgrade, CTS dump valve, CTS full intercooler kit
Carbonio intake system, Bosch fuel injectors, full remap to 370bhp, 355lb/ft

Chassis
Koni air suspension with Accu Air E-level management, 20×8.5in Ferrari 458 Italia wheels
Vredestein Ultrax Sessanta 225/30×20 tyres

Styling
VW R20 optional kit, wider front arches, rear wiper delete, LED R20 daylight running lights, LED rear lights, LED OEM licence plate lights, bi-xenon front headlights , OEM rear-view camera, PDC

Interior
R20 seats (black leather with Alcantara), piano black painted dashboard inserts, blue stitching throughout

Cheers to
DVX Performance, VAG-parts, KEAN Suspension, S-works, Mag Racing and Crauwels Banden

Source

October 1, 2020
INTERIOR MOTIVE: VW GOLF MK3.5 CABRIO

This Mk3.5 cabrio has been a relentless four-year odyssey for apprentice trimmer Max Hawkes. And with an eye for detail and the passion and tenacity to see it all through, he’s achieved his dreams of a super-intricate show stopper…

The pursuit of effortlessness is something that really characterises the modern world. A huge amount of effort goes into the act of making life simpler – just look at the radically reworked interior of Max Hawkes Mk3.5 Golf cabrio for proof. He can take his phone out of his pocket and leave it on his custom wireless charger, and it’ll automatically start working with the wireless CarPlay function on his cutting-edge Kenwood headunit. How clever is that? This act of casual simplicity is shored up by an incredible level of complexity and effort, and that serves as a symbol for the car as a whole. Classy, crisp, tastefully finished… what appears at first glance to simply be a nicely looked after 1990s Golf reveals ever-deeper layers of graft and sweat the more you look. What we’re observing here is four years of solid effort, the upshot being one of the most comprehensively modified VWs on the scene today.

The story begins, somewhat unusually, with Max being gifted the car by his parents as something to practice his interior trimming skills on, and it’s fair to say he picked up that baton and ran with it. “They probably didn’t expect me to take four years to start trimming it though,” he laughs.

VWs were in his blood from the start, having grown up around various classics that his dad was working on, and Max’s first car – a Lupo – provided a solid learning curve. Road-trips with mates to buy wheels, fitting coilovers on the drive, this is the stuff lifelong memories are made of. Around this time he started an apprenticeship at celebrated trimmers d:class Automotive, which was when the cabrio arrived on the scene. Then another Lupo appeared, and a ’65 Beetle, and a 6N Polo rally car… but all the while the Mk3.5 had been lurking in the background waiting for its time to shine.

“My dad bought it from a painter he used to work with, where it was being used as a work van and family car, so the interior was absolutely destroyed,” Max recalls. “It was completely stock, a 2.0-litre Colour Concept in Jazz Blue. The carpets were soaking wet with hydraulic fluid from the roof, and it had a few mouldy surprises around the interior. We also found endless toys and Lego men dotted around – which have been decontaminated and kept safe! Yet, for a Mk3 of its age, it had very little rust so it proved to be a perfect base to work from.”

And without further ado, Max got to work. Having run budget coilovers on all his previous projects, he was keen to try air-ride with this one, so job one was to fit a used Air Lift setup with 3P management, and this was quickly followed by addressing that questionable Jazz Blue finish. So he began to prep for paint and, since there’s no point doing things by halves, he also set about rolling the wings flat and filling in the indicator holes, relocating the repeaters and welding the aerial hole. The car received a smattering of USDM chic too, with the front bumper and rubstrip providing a transatlantic flavour along with the ‘twindicator’ headlights. (And if you’re wondering why they’re Mk4 headlights – the Mk3.5 cabrio was a facelift of the Mk3, which kept the same body but adopted the styling of the Mk4. Clear? Great).

With these details taken care of, the shell was handed to a professional for a fresh new coat of Sahara Beige… and with the old 2.0 8-valve engine removed anyway, he figured he may as well swap in a 2.0 16-valve ABF. Why not, eh? The GTI-spec motor was treated to twin Weber 45s for an old-school twist, having been stripped, cleaned, serviced and painted. It sits in a beautifully smoothed bay, a custom manifold-back single-box exhaust helping it find its voice, and having had an astronomical quote to sort the wiring loom, Max opted to do it himself. “This was by far the longest and most confusing part of the entire project,” he says, “although it did lead to one of the funniest memories – accidentally having the horn wired to be permanently on every time the key was turned, making my girlfriend jump out of
her skin!”

While all this was going on, he’d been putting a lot of thought into wheels; Max knew he wanted something custom and deep-dished, and ultimately landed on the idea of Porsche cookie cutters. These were reimagined as 16-inch three-piece splits, with the arches reprofiled to house their broad and staggered girth. “DR Services helped with widening the rear arches,” he explains. “No cutting of the outer arch skin took place, they were panel-beaten out to be at least 1.5-inch wider than factory while keeping the original look – meaning most people probably wouldn’t even notice this has been done! The inner arch was also cut and reshaped to allow for clearance of the tyre in the arch when aired out.

“Once the car was wired and water-tight, it was then the last push to go to a family friend’s business, JKM Motor Services,” he continues. “They did an outstanding job making the car run perfectly for the first time since we ripped out the old engine. It then went for its first MOT with the new engine, where it passed first time and was legally roadworthy! And then came the deadline: Players Classic 2019 at Goodwood, where I was on the stand for Kenwood. The final stage of this build was where my expertise lie – the interior build…”

This is where things start to get really juicy. Such is the level of detail, Max reckons he put well over four-hundred hours into the retrim, which frankly just boggles our minds. First stripping everything out, he meticulously planned where to fit the sound-deadening and position every element of the comprehensive suite of Kenwood upgrades he was planning. “One of the biggest modifications was to fit a doubleDIN headunit into the singleDIN dash,” he explains. “I wanted this to look as original as possible, as if it was factory. With the help of John Mandeville, the entire centre section was modified and reshaped to accommodate the brand new, state of the art Kenwood headunit”.

The DMX8019DABS Multimedia System is one of the most advanced releases we’ve ever seen, the new headunit is the pinnacle of Kenwood’s popular DMX range, and the one with a monster spec that you’ll inevitably end up drooling over in Halfords when it hits the shelves this month. What makes this slimline mechless system so special? Well forget the term ‘game-changer’ for a second and think ‘wireless Apple CarPlay’!

That’s right, this box of tricks is the very first from Kenwood to use wifi to offer Apple CarPlay without the need for a hard cable connection. The future’s wireless and Max is already ahead of the game. “I also created a wireless charging facility in the base of the centre console, so that I could effectively charge my phone while maintaining connection to wireless CarPlay featured within the new stereo.” explains Max.

The doorcards were then extensively modified, carpets replaced in a more old-school style, and then a thorough design laid out for the retrim: Max wanted all of the stitching to flow from one panel to the next, a cohesive aesthetic with each piece drawing the eye to the next. Brown leather was chosen, with contrasting cream twin-stitch to tie the interior and exterior colours together. It’s extremely cleverly done, with the stitching visually isolating the driver zone from the passengers, while the side sills run alongside to tie in the B-pillar and rollbar, finishing in the rear quarters and over the rear seat. The details are mind-blowing too – the fusebox cover has even been lasered with the original fuse order. The attention to detail is staggering.

“Aside from the stitching, I used a CNC machine – courtesy of d:class – to perforate the speaker grilles on the doorcards and rear quarters,” he goes on. “The pattern consists of a range of varying-sized triangles, inspired by the Kenwood logo, which expand toward the speaker itself. The CNC machine also produced the centres of the seats; this was a hard part to design, as I needed to ensure that it remained simple and fit in with the rest of the theme of the car, while also showing the capabilities of the machine. A lot of people may not notice that the perforation in the seat base fades from front to back, and also has a body-colour beige within the holes. The embroidery in the seats is perhaps not so subtle, but is an ode to all the companies that have helped me along the way.”

With the Players Classic fast approaching, Max decided to trim two of his custom wheels in matching leather, before trimming the original hoodbag to match. Everything on the car that could be refinished was, with our hero using a full six hides of brown leather. “My colleagues and boss helped massively, but nearly all of the retrimming was done by myself,” he says. “As a final flourish, I got my friend James Giddings to re-cover the BBS steering wheel – he said it was the hardest wheel he’d ever retrimmed in his entire career, a fact he pleasantly reminded me of every single day!”

The finished product we see today is sumptuous, fabulous, impeccable, and it’s key to remember that it was really all about the build: this Golf has basically been Max’s whole life for the last four years. A group of close friends helped keep him sane and pitched in where they could, but around 90-percent of what’s been achieved was all Max’s own work, and it really is a phenomenal achievement. Four-hundred hours painstakingly retrimming the interior alone, as well as finding cunning places for all of those Kenwood speakers, and of course that super-clever head unit; then there’s the flawless bodywork, the custom wheels, the hot-to-trot carb-fed ABF… the level of work and creativity in this car is simply unbelievable. So when you see it at shows – which you will – bear this fact in mind: it takes a hell of a lot of stress to look this relaxed.

TECH SPEC: VW GOLF MK3.5

Styling:
Full respray in VW Sahara Beige, smooth USDM front bumper, ‘twindicator’ USDM modded headlights, brand new front wings rolled completely flat – with aerial hole welded over and side indicators relocated to USDM front rubstrip, rear arches rolled and panel-beaten wider by 1.5-inch to keep OEM look, custom brown mohair roof with tinted rear window

Tuning:
2.0-litre 16v ABF, twin Weber 45 carbs with Pipercross filters, manifold-back exhaust system with single rear silencer and twin upswept tips, custom expansion tank, battery relocated under rear seat and swapped for 2x race batteries, ABS delete (replaced with bias valves), top mount covers retrimmed, heater matrix inlet trim cover, gas strut trimmed, scuttle panel wiper clearance smoothed and trimmed, custom Pipercross cabin filter, engine bay smoothed, scuttle panel removed with chassis legs and side panels welded in – painted Sahara Beige

Chassis:
7.5x16in (front) and 8.5x16in (rear) custom Porsche cookie cutter split-rims – one side painted brown, one side trimmed in leather, original Porsche centre caps painted/trimmed to match with laser-etched Porsche crests, Air Lift suspension with 3P management, rear beam relocation plates (to centralise wheels when aired out), new OE calipers and discs all round, chassis notch for driveshaft, front balljoint extenders (to allow car to sit lower), custom power-steering lines and bottle

Interior:
Dash centre modified to fit Kenwood doubleDIN wireless CarPlay headunit – heater controls and all switches moved to allow for larger unit, 12v socket relocated to glovebox, dash trimmed to owner’s design, dash speaker grilles trimmed with Kenwood speakers pattern (designed by owner), lower glovebox trimmed inside and out, fusebox lid trimmed with laser-engraved fuse list, BBS steering wheel retrimmed with custom hand-stitch style, all interior plastics (apart from dash driver zone) painted to match leather, centre console retrimmed including wireless phone charger, all stitching flowing into dash as one loop to highlight driver zone, front windscreen surround and sun visors trimmed, front and rear doorcards trimmed with owner’s custom-designed Kenwood speaker covers perforated and embroidered, front door pockets with leather inserts (for softer touch), window switches relocated from doors to centre console, speaker grilles modified with leather covers, full custom carpet set in brown twin-loop, retrimmed matching leather hoodbag, front and rear Recaro Colour Concept seats retrimmed with seat centres CNC machined perforated, stitched and embroidered by d:class automotive

Audio:
Kenwood DMX8019DABS wireless CarPlay headunit; Kenwood KFC X174 front door speakers, Kenwood KFC PS1095 rear quarters, Kenwood KFC dash tweeters, Kenwood X301 4-channel amp, Kenwood PSW8 under-seat subwoofer, Kenwood DRV N520 dash camera

Thanks:
“I would like to say thank you to James Horwood, Bryan Butler, Craig Searle, Drew Stanley, Harry Pitcher, Kieran Bicknell, Dan Guiery: for the hours that they have put into helping build this car! Another massive thank you needs to go to Keith @Kenwooduk, for giving me the kick I needed to get the car done in time for Players Classic. I couldn’t have finished in time for that deadline if I didn’t have John Mandeville, David Price, James Giddings, Laurence Burchall and Andy Young and others at D:Class helping out. The bodywork wouldn’t have been complete without Angus for painting, Dave Rush on metal work and Barry for last minute crises! The wiring wouldn’t have been completed without help of a lot of people, mainly John Newman who knows so much about Volkswagens it’s unbelievable. Thank you to UK Hide, Pipercross, JKM, Meguiar’s, and Laser Cut London for the services and products that they supplied. And finally thank you to my parents for buying the car for me to begin with, and also Zoe for dealing with me through the past four years!”

Words Daniel Bevis Photography George F. Williams

Source

September 1, 2020