Performance VW

What a cover… what an issue! The engine alone (Oettinger 16v on ITBs) inside Aaron Stehly’s Mk1 is one of the best we’ve ever seen and that’s before you start delving into the other hot rod-inspired parts of the build. It’s insane! Find out more over on page 8. Elsewhere in the issue, we bring you Chris Baird’s 510bhp Mk7 Golf Clubsport (p26), a JDM-inspired Passat R36 on air suspension (p54), and a Helios Blue Mk2 Jetta running more rare OEM+ parts than we’ve seen in a build for quite some time (p60). Demonstrating we can appreciate a sensibly modified car (or two) when we see one, we’ve bagged a pair of stunning Mk7 Clubsports (p34) owned by a husband and wife duo that used to be heavily into new…

As our scene matures we are seeing more and more serious builds and PVW always strives to get the scoops on the latest and greatest but this Mk1 takes things to another level, even by our standards. For many, Aaron Stehly won’t need an introduction. The 38-year-old Minnesota based serial dubber has worked his way up through the cycle industry and is now Director of Education for Quality Bicycle Products. In Volkswagen circles he has made a name for himself both in the modified scene and in professional racing since getting his road licence in 2000 and then shortly after, with the encouragement of his uncle, achieving race licences through Skip Barber Race School. Eagle-eyed readers will remember Aaron’s TFSI Rallye from our June 2015 issue which was a cutting…

It’s not often we dedicate a special section to bodywork but the attention to detail and metalwork displayed on this build warrants it. Aaron fills us in as to the craftsman responsible for this masterpiece: “The car was originally with a close friend of mine, Dan Ernewein. He ran an old school hot rod shop called D&E Specialty Cars near my home in Minneapolis. He was one of the old generation of traditional builders and had been a mentor of mine over the years working on cars. He taught me how to weld when I restored my first MK1. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2015 after working on this car for some years. I was at H2Oi 2015 with my Rallye when I received the news. After he passed, a close…

FROM $99.99 American tuner, ECS Tuning recently found a desire from its enthusiast customers to convert their Quattro cars to rear-wheel-drive in order to pull smokey donuts on cue. Why leave the drifting fun to the Beemer boys and JDM scene, hey? So, it soon designed & engineered an in-house solution that allows owners of manual B8 A4s and S4s running a Quattro set-up to easily delete their front axles yet keep their wheel bearings secure in the hub. ECS Tuning’s Front Axle Delete Plug Set retails at $99.95, but it does currently require the centre diff to also be welded at this time. Not liking to leave a job half done, however, the ECS team are in the process of testing its prototype Differential Delete Kit (hence the photos) which erases…

KW Automotive has reported a growing number of its customers are fitting alloys and lowered suspension to their electric vehicles. As a result, KW has been developing coilovers for a growing number of EVs, the latest kit being offered for the Cupra Born (K1). The KW V3 coilover suspension and the adaptive KW DDC plug & play coilover suspension can lower the car by 20 to 45 millimetres. While the KW V3 (£1870.00) can be adjusted manually in terms of damping, the DDC plug&play (£2425.00) - with its electric damper control - is recommended for all Cupra Borns with optional DCC standard chassis control. The two KW coilovers, made in Germany from stainless steel, are available now at www.kwsuspensions.co.uk PRICE: From £1870.00 CONTACT: www.kwsuspensions.co.uk…

If you are looking for big sound and massive bass from your vehicle’s audio system you are often limited only by space rather than your imagination. Phoenix Gold are excited to offer the incredible ZPROB654 Active Speaker Enclosure, an innovation in in-car audio technology. This 90cm enclosure is fitted with four 6.5-inch 300W speakers and two 3.6-inch 160W tweeters, together pumping out an amazing 1520Watts of pure sound creating a truly amazing audio experience. And all this for £214.99. To find out more, head across to the website below. PRICE: £214.99 CONTACT: www.topvehicletech.com…