Table of contents for September 2022 in Performance VW

If you thought the Mk3 Golf had a bad rap when it launched back in the mid-90s then spare a thought for its lardier brother, the poor old Vento. Okay, our American cousins may have loved the Mk3 Jetta (as it was known over the pond), but they’ve always had dodgy taste anyway. Over here in Europe, the poor Vento didn’t really take off at all. However, looking at Christian Drechsel’s R32-powered example (p8) on this month’s cover, it’s hard to understand why. Perhaps the yanks did have it right after all… This month’s mag features Golfs from both ends of the generation game, with a stunning series 1 running a Polo 16v (34) at one end of the scale, then a Mk8 GTI v R (p24) duel at the…

ID. AERO CONCEPT Volkswagen is looking into the future and has just released these exclusive design sketches of the ID. AERO, the first fully-electric limousine for the Chinese market. The production version of the ID. AERO is expected to go on sale in the Chinese automobile market in the second half of 2023. The corresponding production model for the North American and European market will be presented in 2023 with production of the series version of the ID. AERO starting at the Volkswagen plant in Emden. Watch this space… CONTACT: www.volkswagen.com POWERFLEX T5/6 REAR SPRING ISOLATOR Powerflex is delighted to expand its broad application list for the ever-popular Volkswagen Transporter T5 and T6 models with a tough new rear lower spring isolator. This is a direct replacement part specifically developed…

Superstition can be a very powerful thing. For the people who buy into the whole idea that our fate is somehow influenced by external factors such as what clothes we wear, the order of certain actions we make or simply the act of seeing something that’s slightly unusual, it can be a very real phenomenon that’s not to be taken lightly. But while there are countless items or situations out there said to doom us with their bringing of bad luck, on the flipside, there are also plenty of talismans we can use to counter them. Think four-leaf clovers, horseshoes and the slightly grisly rabbit’s foot. To people who don’t believe in superstition, they are just three disparate objects, but to those that do believe, these simple items can give…

When Dani Blasco contacted us a few weeks back to ask whether we wanted to publish a report on the 10th anniversary running of his VW Golf Challenge event, we were somewhat shocked. No, not because he asked us, rather the fact that it was ten years since his first event way back in 2012. “For that first challenge in Morocco we had just six Spanish Mk2 Golfs take part, whereas for 2022, 50 cars attended!” During those ten years the event has seen seven rallies run across Morocco, two in Romania and now one in Tunisia. Despite the increase in attendees, the Challenge is still organised by the same two guys - Dani and his business partner are both massive Golf enthusiasts. Naturally everybody was pleased to get back…

My Tornado Red GTI has hit just over 10,000 miles since I purchased it last August, so a minor service was booked in at Canterbury VW. Initially, this was expected to be a straight forward affair as the car has been spot on since I’ve taken it under my wing and rectified any issue it had. However, a phone call a couple of hours later with the garage was cause for slight concern - the near side front CV joint was split and not far off of being a major issue. Luckily, it was spotted just in time but the car would have to be kept in overnight for the fix. On top of that first issue the passenger airbag warning light had also reappeared, and a VW technical bulletin…

JULY 24th FITTED UK Manchester Central, UK www.fitteduk.com 29th XS CARNIGHT 20Y (TOP 50) Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany FB: XS CarNight AUGUST 5-7th ULTIMATE STREET CAR Santa Pod, Wellingborough, UK www.santapod.co.uk 12-14th VW FESTIVAL Harewood House, Leeds, UK www.vwfestival.co.uk 13th KOOLER BY THE LAKE Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA www.koolerbythelake.org 13-14th VAG FAIR York Fairgrounds, York, PA, USA www.vagfair.com EUROKRACY 13-14th Mirabel, Quebec, Canada www.eurokracy.com 14th ROLLHARD X BICESTER Bicester Heritage Centre www.rollhard.co.uk/bicester 14th VAG NATION RELOADED Venue TBC FB: VAG Nation Belgium 20-21st WEEKEND AT JAY’S Bath and West Showgrounds www.weekendatjays.com 28th EUROBUILT The Vermont State Fair www.eurobuiltvt.com 28th CRUISE CULTURE Carmarthen Showgrounds, SA33 5DR www.cruise-swansea.co.uk SEPTEMBER 1-4th L’OE SHOW 2022 Downtown Pottstown, PA, USA www.loeshow.com 2-4th EDITION 38 Overstone Park, UK www.edition38.com 2-4th VW ACTION Santa Pod, Wellingborough, UK www.santapod.co.uk…

Things have become a little more SUV-shaped recently but (in Europe at least) Volkswagen is a brand synonymous with hatchbacks – and that rolls over to its performance models too. Whereas you’ll find race-bred saloons at the focal point of the BMW M Division and supercar-baiting wagons in the spotlight at Audi Sport, there’s almost 50 years of hot hatches at the pointy end of Wolfsburg’s bragging rights. It’s given the rare deviations from that theme something of a cult following. The Vento felt almost Q-car like compared to the limelight-hogging Mk3 Golf that it shared showrooms with. Despite being marketed for its load-carrying practicality, cut-above-the-rest safety features and efficiency-boosting aerodynamics, it had some decent performance pedigree up its proverbial sleeve. Volkswagen equipped its compact sedan with a 174hp VR6…

After a successful trial run, our coffee meet is now a monthly fixture in the calendar! We initially thought of this idea as there didn’t seem to be any form of Coffee meet purely for VW owners in the South East. So myself and Jason Dodd set about enquiring with VW at Canterbury to see if it was something they would be happy to host! And to our delight they were… My Club is predominately aimed at Clubsport Edition 40’s, however, for this new staple event in our calendar the only criteria is that you own a VW. It’s such a wonderful morning aimed at including everyone, no one feels like they’re not part of it! There are hot drinks on constant flow and a range of pastries also (thank…

Austria’s Worthersee gathering is a show many Americans would love to visit and get involved in the week-long VAG festivities! Sadly, while many cannot make that trip across the pond, most can partake in the road-trip down (or, occasionally, up) to North Georgia to embrace a certain European-themed event that offers more than a hint of what Worthersee has to offer! Helen, Georgia is a small, sleepy town in the White County that’s quite frankly like no other you ever seen. Well, at least not in North America. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains this place has germanic-style biergartens, restaurants that sell wiener schnitzel, and most of the buildings there give the impression you’ve actually taken a flight over to Austria! Alpine Volks Fair is the vision of Paul Barney…

“They’d had heavy rain in some of the areas where it had not rained since 2017” Day 1 Ferry - Marsella to Tunis Day 2 Arrival in Tunis Then driving to Sousse, just 160 kms away Day 3 Sousse to Tozzeur - 465 kms The first part sees 250 kms on roads to the south west of the city, then they get started with the off-road tracks. Despite having prepared the tracks just two weeks before everybody was in for a surprise due to there having been some heavy downpours during that time. “They’d had heavy rain in some of the areas we were crossing, areas where it had not rained since 2017. So, at one point, when the track was crossing a river, the water had destroyed the path…

It seems a little counter-intuitive to say this in a car magazine, but the crux of a good automotive story is rarely the vehicle itself. From manufacturer R&D to painstaking classic restorations and the fine-tuning of a modified project, it’s the human side of the story that’s usually the most interesting. And, in this case, it was also the root cause of a desperate need for some good-old TLC. Two decades of all-season exposure to the Welsh climate had taken more of a toll on the G40 than I’d realised when I dropped it at AJ Retros (01656 749 394 @ajretrosltd) earlier this year. Used to dealing with much older cars, I’d assumed that the rust scabs appearing on the doors and sunroof would be a straightforward job, but closer…

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Our friends over at CKW2 wanted us to mention its bagged axle flip kit for the Mk1 Caddy - as fitted to Kyle Bush’s truck last month. The kit allows you to gain several inches of drop from the axle flip, as well as getting some serious load compensation and height adjustability from the bag. This kit comes with everything needed to install the unit in the vehicle, including high-quality Slam Specialties SS5 double bellow bags, short shocks, new u-bolts, and all new hardware to mount it to your rear of your truck. The price? $975.00! Greg at CKW2 informs us installation is very straight forward and does not require any cutting or welding. The unit does require a minimum of one leaf spring to be present and mounts to…

RAMAIR MK8 GOLF GTI It’s hard to believe that we’re on the eighth incarnation of the iconic Golf GTI. Over 46 years have passed since the first car rolled off the production line at Wolfsburg and now, in 2022, it’s as relevant today as ever before. The blend of good looks, solid build and an engaging driving experience has helped it to remain one of the world’s most popular models. It’s also one of the most tuned, which we don’t really need to tell you, do we? Key to the Golf’s longevity has been its blend of practicality, with an ability to put a smile on your face on the open road. Some models may, arguably, have missed the mark slightly, but it’s fair to say that VW got it…

In order to be featured on these hallowed pages, cars have to tick a few boxes. They have to be well finished, properly thought out and, perhaps most importantly, full of imagination. They don’t have to have had the GDP of an Eastern European nation thrown at them, or wear some crazy unique parts (although it certainly helps) – as long as they’ve got character, we’ll be interested. Ivan Favaron’s little Mk2 fulfils all the prerequisites; it’s not had daft money thrown at it, it’s properly thought out and, as an added bonus, has some awesome unique and high-end bits fitted. The word ‘Voomeran’ emblazoned proudly down the sides should give you a clue as to what we’re talking about, but we’ll come back to that later. As with so…

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“Hopefully, by next month I’ll have made my mind up what to do with the fleet. Currently, your guess is as good as mine…” #TEAMPVW Elliott Roberts @elliottdukeroberts Mike Kippen @mikekippen Jason Dodd @jasondoddphotos) Tony Taylor @drive2write Phil Weeden @phil100100 Bryan McCarthy @beardedmugmedia Jamie Orr @xjamiexoe Alex Grant @alexgrant_uk IN FOCUS! Jason Dodd @jasondoddphotos) JASON DODD, PHOTOGRAPHER PROJECT: TORNADO 05_MK5_Golf GTi Started: Aug 2, 2021 Comments: For some reason Jason added a Mk5 R32 to his growing fleet this month…