Red's Mk2 Golf GTi 20v Turbo

After several years with only 115 bhp from my old mk2 golf gti 8v, I craved more power. Luckily with the VW range, they produce some awesome engines and with conversions being common place. The tough decision between the might 2.9 VR6, the understated Supercharged G60 and the new power of the 1.8 20v Turbo engine. Having weighed up the options for too many months, and viewing more cars than I care to remember, this little beauty popped up, with the owner needing more funds for his Rallye. Yes, i had gone down the Turbo route. Modern engine from an Audi TT in a sure to be future classic shell, spelt a winning combination for me.

I picked the car up with an overboost problem, meaning i could not drive there car to its full potential until we fixed that the next day. This was fixed, and there came my addiction for boost. At this point he car was at a health 180bhp and was embarassing some cars that had no idea what was hidden under the bonnet. The addiction grew, and 3 months later the car was sent to Stealth Racing for a set up, and more importantly the DTA remap to give me more power. She came out with 228bhp and 252 torque, a healthy gain. The car was transformed, the throtte response was more clear and crisp, making the car much more rewarding to drive. The turbo, being the smaller Ko3, virtually elimates any lag making the car responsive to acceleration in all gears.

The car, after all the other cars I have driven is phenonimal. The power can be a little tricky to get down even in the dry, being able to spin the tyres in 2nd and 3rd. The handling is crisp with the coilovers, making it firm but helps the handling over standard golf suspension. The car is extremely enjoyable to drive, screaming along in any gear surprising some more powerful cars along the way. Future plans could involve upgrading the turbo to see some big power gains of around 300bhp, but the next step along the line is a good day down the pod, to see what the car will run.

Spec:

VW Golf Mk2 GTi
20v Turbo engine from 25k Audi TT (180bhp) - mapped to 228
DTA engine management
Willwood 288mm Calipers
MkIII 02A gearbox and Sachs sporting clutch
FK Coilovers
16 inch OZ Superturismo/ 15inch Avez A's
MkIV rear calipers
Eibach ARB's
Mercedes Intercooler
Pacet Fan
Forge Re-circ
Forge Actuator
Rallye Half leather Interior

Running 228bhp and 252 torque