Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Performance VW

Youtubers, Instagrammers, TikTokers, influencers, social media celebs… what do you make of them all? Okay, it’s not really fair to generalise, as the range of characters this group of individuals is made up of is so vast it’s almost hard to comprehend. Personally, I reckon there is some really great content on Youtube, though, if you look hard enough and bypass all the wannabes. I do worry, though, that the quick-hit approach of TikTok and the IG/FB reels is going to totally destroy all of our ability to pay attention to anything longer than five seconds at a time. Going back to Youtube, if everybody on there was as grounded as this month’s cover car owner, Dan Chambers, then we’d have nothing to worry about. I think the fact Dan’s…

TAMIYA KAMEI R/C Mk1 GOLF We have some great news this month. Back by popular demand is Tamiya’s 1/12 scale Volkswagen Golf Mk1 Racing Group 2 R/C car. The kit-formed Golf comes in the distinctive Kamei livery and is based on Tamiya’s proven M-05 M-chassis platform. The M-05 is a simple to build FWD (front wheel drive) machine, which allows for plenty of after-market parts to be outfitted as you grow with your skill. The Volkswagen Golf Mk1 was a well-known machine in European touring car racing during the 70s and 80s. The Kamei-sponsored car, with its distinctive livery, ran in the low-modification Group 2 class of its day. Here, the basic kit will set you back just £145.00, but remember you will need to add controllers, battery packs and…

People are always keen to get their cars in these hallowed pages but this guy went the extra mile. As I write this on a cold December 2022 evening, I’m grateful to 31-year old, Dumfries-based Grant. It’s his job to keep us mere mortals safe on the M74. A mammoth task at the best of times that includes traffic management, attending accidents, barrier repair and gritting. After putting in a long day after a significant snow dump, he braved the congestion himself and commuted home to talk me through his epic Golf. That’s commitment for you. Grant started his Automotive journey with a Mk6 Fiesta Zetec 1.25. When insurance costs eased, this was replaced with another Mk6 but this time the peppy ST model with K&N filter, Miltek exhaust and…

Right, want to know a secret? You can keep a secret, can't you? Okay, here goes. I didn’t start my VW days behind the wheel of something cool like a Golf GTi or even a Cal-look Beetle. No, it was actually driving a Mk2 Scirocco Scala. Talk about left-field, but you know what, I loved that car? And yes, I bought a Scirocco by choice, too. Okay, initially, I wanted a Mk1 GTI but, with six points on my license, couldn’t afford the insurance and a Corrado was just too expensive to buy in the first place. So, I guess the Scirocco was my third choice, but that didn’t stop me loving it and I still have a soft spot for them to this day, as does 32-year-old Kewin Barbosa…

"I first got into doing Youtube videos back in 2019, when I bought a long wheelbase Crafter that I planned on turning into a camper van,” remembers 35-year-old Leicestershire lad Dan Chambers. “I’d had some issues with stress in my job as a shop fitter and my partner Abi and I decided to sell up everything and go travelling, initially just around the UK, but then further afield, and the Crafter was to be our new home for the next few years.” The pair decided that Dan should have a go at documenting the build process with a series of videos that could be shared on Youtube, as a way to help him sort his head out and relax. “We started our own Dan&Abi channel to host the videos and I…

While a lot of attention is given to the Golf R in both four-door hatchback and estate forms, we mustn’t forget that the same powerplant and drivetrain is also available elsewhere in the Volkswagen model range. The Arteon super saloon (and “Shooting Brake” estate) and the Tiguan and T-Roc SUV models are also available with the same high-performance 2.0-litre TSI engine and four-wheel drivetrain. Undoubtedly, it’s the high-performance SUVs which are of most interest to Performance VW readers, especially when you consider that there’s also the Touareg R, which comes with a 3.0-litre V6 / electric hybrid drivetrain, with 462hp and 700Nm, making it the most powerful production Volkswagen yet! 2022 TIGUAN R ENGINE: 1984cc 4-cylinder EA888 evo4 turbo TSI with direct petrol injection. MAX POWER: 320hp (235kW) MAX TORQUE:…

got an event? Let us know! Email us at: pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with the date, location and website and we’ll get it on these pages! JANUARY 12-15th AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL NEC, Birmingham www.autosportinternational.com FEBRUARY 3-5th VDUB CAMP FEST Warmbaths, A Forever Resort, S.Africa www.vdubfestival.com 3-4th EUROTRIPPER 10 Fort Myers, FL, USA www.eurotrippershow.com 24-26 THE LONDON CLASSIC CAR SHOW Olympia, London www.theclassiccarshowuk.com MARCH 12th ULTIMATE DUBS Telford International Centre www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk 18-19th VOLKSWORLD SHOW Sandown Park, Surrey www.volksworldshows.com 26th THE FAST SHOW Santa Pod Raceway www.santapod.co.uk APRIL 1-2nd DUBSHED Eikon Centre, Lisburn, BT27 5RF www.dubshed.com 15-16th OFFSET SHOW Royal Cornwall Events Centre www.wgnuk.com 15-16th GR8 CAR SHOW Kortrijk Xpo, Belgium www.gr8mag.be 16th ELSECAR AT THE RACES Doncaster Racecourse www.elsecarattheraces.com 23rd GTI SPRING FEST Santa Pod Raceway www.santapod.co.uk 30th THE DRIVERS COLLECTION Magna Science & Adventure…

Imagine a digital display that not only shows all your car’s vital stats in one place, but one that offers data logging, performance metrics, diagnostics and that fits in with the OEM display theme your car left the factory with? Well, imagine no more as VADpro (Versatile Automotive Displays) has recently released a new line of displays to the enthusiast market that offer just this. Developed by the talented team at CANchecked, VADpro delivers your important vehicle data the way you want it. The VAD32 (3.2” screen) seen here is designed to be perfectly integrated with your Mk7’s interior. All graphics, colours, widgets styles, and dashboards can be customised using the included software. Yes, this is so much more than a generic boost gauge! You can literally personalise every page…

Anyone who’s read car magazines for a while will be familiar with a handful of common tropes. Many of these car’s stories begin with comments like “I got crashed into and went nuts whilst it was in the bodyshop” or “I said I wasn’t going to mod this one…” My personal favourite is “I only took it off the road for a couple of weeks, but life got in the way and here we are 20 years and a couple of kids later”. This story, however, has a little twist on that theme. This car hasn’t taken 21 years to build because his family life got in the way, this car has taken 21 years to build, because it is family and I’ll be damned if Ray Ditta doesn’t take…

We’ll level with you; there aren’t many new van and MPV launches that really grab our attention here at Performance VW, but the ID.Buzz is living up to its name. In a part of the market often defined by characterless utility, the latest addition to Volkswagen’s electric ‘ID’ line-up is a long-awaited reinterpretation of the T1 Transporter. A car with the same visual impact as the concept that unveiled on a Californian beach way back in 2017, now available at your local dealership. It was bound to happen eventually. Volkswagen revived the Beetle way back in 1997, then again in 2011, but both had the compromise of stretching a rear-engine body shape over a front-engine platform borrowed from the Golf. By comparison, the ID.Buzz feels quite authentic; its toaster-like silhouette…

The current R versions of the Tiguan, T-Roc and Touareg are but the latest in a long line of high-performance SUVs from the Volkswagen Group. Cast your mind back to 2003 and the Touareg V10, powered by ‘the world’s most powerful passenger car diesel engine’ at that time. Producing 313hp at 4000rpm and 750Nm (553lb/ft) of torque at 2000rpm, this big heavy SUV was capable of a 0 to 62mph time of 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 140mph, along with EU combined fuel economy of 23.2mpg. Then there was the R50 version in 2007, powered by a 5.0-litre V10 diesel engine that produced 349hp (257kW) and 850Nm (627lb/ft) of torque, in conjunction with a 6-speed auto transmission, capable of 0 to 62mph in 6.7 seconds. It came as…