Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Performance VW

So, what do you think of the new, slightly smaller format of the magazine we launched a few months back? Did anybody even notice? I though I’d give it a while before mentioning it, to give you all a change to get used to it. It’s quite possible some of you didn’t even notice, as the pagination still remains the same as does the amount of content, we’ve just made the magazine ever-so slightly more compact in its appearance. Why? Well, smaller gadgets are cooler, right, so why not the magazine? I must admit, I don’t normally like change and when the publisher mentioned the new format I was initially a bit on the fence, but seeing the magazine in print I’ve got to say I absolutely love it. It…

Every now and again you spot something online that stops you in your tracks, and these new wheels from German firm, Retrorad did just that. A modern take on the classic Pirelli P-slot wheel, these bad boys are diamond cut with black inserts to mimic the classic 14/15” wheel from the early 80s, but these are available in 8.5x19” ET45, so will fit most new wave 5x112 models. Even the centre cap is aluminium so that, too, could be diamond cut. We like the fact the screw to hold this in place is hidden in the ‘d’ of the Retrorad logo. Price at 1690 Euro a set (which includes worldwide shipping) we’d say they’re an absolute steal. When we spoke to Manuel at Retrorad, he mentioned they’re also hoping to…

HG Motorsport have just released its new Ego-x exhaust for the Golf 7R Variant facelift and SEAT Leon Cupra 300 facelift. The valved exhaust is completely handmade and Tig-welded in 76mm/3“for a very impressive sound even with the installed OPF. Want to hear for yourself, then a sound file is available at www.HG-Motorsport.de. The team has also just announced its new HF Series catch can for all 2.0 TFSI transverse engines. These are apparently not cheap tanks with nothing inside but real German engineering featuring separate chambers, plus also a Sintermetallic-Filter aimed to boost your engine’s performance and longevity. PRICE: 299.00 Euro for catch can 1599.00 for cat-back exhaust system CONTACT: www.HG-Motorsport.de Got a product, service or offer you want our readers to know about? Email: pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with all the…

Unitronic is pleased to announce this new downpipe solution for the 2.5TFSI which is a direct bolt-on upgrade. The downpipe is designed to optimally eliminate unwanted restrictions in the factory downpipe, reduce turbo lag, and enhance the exhaust note, while utilizing a 5” 400cpsi ultra high output catalytic converter, designed in partnership with Unitronic, from our emissions partners at Global Emissions Systems Inc (GESi). For more info, head on over to www.gerunitronic.com PRICE: $1799.99 without midpipes. $1999.99 with midpipes CONTACT: www.getunitronic.com…

It’s hard to write the summary of the 2020 Dubs at the Lake show without mentioning the state of the world we find ourselves in. It’s a story that’s familiar to many - routines upended, anxiety and uncertainty, inherent pessimism, and a news cycle we can’t escape. But, it’s against that background that you can find contrasting elements. Community. Relaxation. Simplicity. An overall sense of just having “a really good day.” The latter themes are the significant ones, and are wholly embraced by not only the show’s organisers, but also so many who came in from points north, south, east and west to attend. It’s interesting to note that with many large destination shows postponed or cancelled, attendance has swelled at those that do occur, and when paired with an…

For those that tuned in last month, you’ll have hopefully read about my journey so far; how I shipped my Jetta GLI across the pond and then road tripped down to the famous Austrian Treffen with Jamie Orr and a bunch of friends, taking in a handful of unmissable spots along the way. Having headed north after the show we arrived back in Amsterdam and it was time to say goodbye to my co-pilot Logan, who was booked on a flight back home and then to welcome my girlfriend, Helen who had flown over from Canada on the same day. Over the next three weeks, we toured France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Monaco and Switzerland, covering over 8000km. LOVE IS IN THE AIR Our first destination was Paris. Romantic, I know!…

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Being your own boss can, at times, be a recipe for admin-fuelled grief, but it’s a position with a long list of perks when you get it right. It’s a route to making the would-be nine-to-five fit around you; setting your own hours, deciding what you want to work on and calling the shots on how you want to do it. Perhaps most importantly, it’s also an opportunity for some of us to sidestep the run-of-the-mill company cars and vans and factor in the biggest perk of all; the shop truck. There’s certainly nothing run-of-the-mill about Dave Goodwin’s choice of workshop wheels, but then the same applies to his working life. An automotive trimmer with over 22 years of experience under his belt, including stitching hide at the Aston Martin…

This exciting new product from Rally Design has taken some time to develop. The interaction between the detent knob, gearbox ratio, potentiometer and LED display was difficult to achieve, as it was important that one click of the detent knob revealed a new LED light in the display. Anyone who has seen a driver, with his head in the foot well, trying to determine the position of the balance bar bearing within the brake pedal will see the value of this innovative product. The kit itself includes ⅜ UNF and 7/16 UNF drive cable adaptors, 700mm drive cable, 20 LED display/digital circuits and a 12v input power. display/digital circuits and a 12v input power. PRICE: £118.56 CONTACT: www.rallydesign.co.uk…

The guys at Tux just dropped us an email to announce its new Riviera RF108, which it claims is a sophisticated multi-spoke mesh design, with finishes including the stunning Bronze Double Dark Tint, Carbon Grigio, Gloss Black and Black Dark tint, the options are incredible. The RF108 adopts a sharp and sleek multi-spoke design, which in any colour finish looks amazing. Available in most sizes from an 8.5x19” right up to a whopping 10.5x23”, the wheel starts at £1200 per set! For more info head over to www.rivierawheel.co.uk PRICE:From £1200 (set) CONTACT: www.rivierawheels.co.uk…

Not looking forward to spannering on your car outside with winter fast approaching? We might have the solution. With the Clarke range of Garage/Workshops, you can protect your pride and joy from the elements this winter in a tight fit, well-lit, protected environment through ratchet tight cover tensioning for that drum tight finish. Using a heavy duty advanced cover that is triple layered, waterproof, fully UV treated for long term protection against sun, rain and wind, you can guarantee that you are investing in a product built to last. The bright white interiors provide optimum light inside the garage for excellent storage or working conditions. With prices starting from £274.80 and a variety of sizes up to 24’ (L) x 12’ (W) x 8’2” (H) this could be just what…

Usually positioned at the understated end of the hot hatch spectrum, Volkswagen seemed to break out of its shell with the Mk7 Golf. With the reins a little looser on engineers, Wolfsburg gave us factory-built GTI performance specials, wide-bodied TCR racers and years of Nürburgring lap record wrangling with winged Hondas and Renaults. It’s quite the legacy. Of course, in tandem, the R came into its own as well. Six previous generations of GTI proved the Golf had no issue striking a balance between head and heart, but the R cranked everything up a notch. It’s possibly the ultimate daily driver; tractable, affordable, and a remap away from supercar-worrying performance. All of which sounds like good foundations for a track-tuned special that never came to market – and that’s a…

It’s safe to say Audi’s awesome 2.7-litre biturbo bruiser is certainly a beast when all is going well, but it can be quite a fragile creature if not tuned in the correct way, which can lead to expensive repairs. Needless to say, thirteen years is a long time when you own and drive a modified B5 RS4 on a regular basis, but that’s exactly the period I’ve had my Vegas Yellow car. It was also probably the first B5 bodied RS4 on earth to be painted that colour! Now it’s fair to say I am quite a passionate Audi enthusiast. I bought my first quattro in 2004 and all my cars have been quattros ever since (Yes, I think that’s a safe statement to make – Ed). The first one…

TOM WARDLE IG: tom_wardle_ AGE: 24 LOCATION: Gloucester MODEL: 1990 Mk2 Golf VR6 turbo PURCHASED: Bought in 2015 as a lightly modified 8v FIRST MOD: Lights and single head light grille, then the engine work FUTURE MOD: The VRT swap, but the single part would have to be the Coolerworx shifter SPENT: Probably too much FUTURE PLANS: built motor and AWD conversion DUB DETAILS ENGINE: Mk3 Golf 2.8 12v VR6 rebuilt with stock internals, decompression plate, eBay GT35 turbo, Tial 38mm with screamer to ground, 3” downpipe, with 3” single silencer system, 440cc injectors, shortrunner intake, 4” MAF with air straightener, alloy radiator, custom front mount, Forge recerc valve. Vibratenics engine mounts. Mapped by stealth racing and makes 391bhp with 380lb/ft CHASSIS: 16” Speedline Corsa wheels with Yokohama ADO8Rs tyres.…

American fabrication specialist, Eurowise has just announced a new line of hardcore off-road products for the 2002-09 Cayenne, Audi Q7 and VW Touareg, plus more! This line includes everything from a complete range of underbody protection skid plates to rock sliders, plus also bolt on budget lift kits. There's also full blown off-road adjustable coilover suspensions on the table. Its HD roof rack system (above, right) retails at $899, while lift kits start at $295, rear diff skids are $229.99, control arm sliders £189 and skid plates retail at $425. For more bespoke products for the entire VAG range head over to www.shop.eurowise.com PRICE: From $189 CONTACT: www.shop.eurowise.com…

Fed up with clocking a cloudy expansion tank in the corner of your engine bay every time you open the bonnet? Swapping your expansion tank is a nice simple job, and coupled with a coolant flush and change is a great task to tackle on a winter weekend. Suitable for most Mk1 and pre-89 Mk2 Golf models, along with Scirocco and Jetta variants. You could benefit from improved coolant level visibility, less contaminates in your cooling system and have the pleasure of binning the old one after more than 30 years of service! PRICE: £9.50 CONTACT: www.heritagepartscentre.com…

“The noise certainly doesn’t sound like it should be coming out of a thirty-year-old Jetta.” A statement which sums up this outlandish build very neatly, and as it’s uttered by its owner, Tommy Potts, he has a look of wonderment on his face. Like he can’t quite believe what’s been achieved with this car, that he actually gets to own and drive something so characterful and intoxicating. This would make sense really, as Tommy hadn’t ever embarked upon a build of this nature before. He’s one of those annoyingly talented and creative people who get things right first time and make sure everything’s done with fastidious attention to detail; naturally we see a lot of tight and nailed-down builds in this line of work, but this Jetta really did stop…

Show cars are great and all, but the trouble with some full-on builds is that no matter how carefully you drive to shows, weaving around puddles and tip toeing over speed bumps, they’re still going to get dirty and pick up the odd scratch. The whole experience can, in fact, become quite a stressful one. And the moment you resort to putting the car on a trailer to get around, well, you’re kind of lost the whole ethos of a Volkswagen. When forty-something, OG Westside member, Jimmy Begg finished his previous Mk1 Golf (which actually graced our cover way back in March 2008), he’d grown a bit tired of polishing and pampering the damn thing. Back in the day the Westside cartel was formed around low cars that were built…