It is breathtakingly fast. Never hadwe seen something as incredible as this; all this gargantuan fire-power packed into the size of a palm. It snorts loudly, but thank goodness for the alchemist’s formula, fire breathing is impossible, since it would be illegal as well. Treat it with disrespect, and it’ll bite back with a ferocity unseen from a mere hatchback.

The kind of beasts that REV chances upon our hunt for the best tuned machines on the planet; goes beyond the imagination of any. After all, these materialise in forms that we least expected it to be; like this subtle, subdued-looking German hatchback. They said after all, never judge a book by its cover!

August’s old Japanese hot rod, a Honda Integra DC5, was sold to make way for this hot hatch from another continent. Taking possession of his second German automobile (the fist being an Audi A5 coupe in Issue 45), August put his newly acquired sixth generation Volkswagen Golf GTi through various stages of tuning. Starting of with simple tuning upgrades, the journey soon took a deeper dive when he visited EuroSports, a workshop that is renowned for its expertise in tuning Audi and Volkswagen machines.

The visit plunged August deep into the endless chasms of tuning, with some serious fire-power going under the bonnet. Taking full advantage of the fact that its powerplant is a turbocharged inlinefour, works proceeded to massively increase its output potential by leaps and bounds.

A comprehensive plan was mapped out, starting with a CTS turbo intake kit that was neatly paired with the CTS K04 turbo kit, giving the sports variant Golf some serious toasty torque and explosive fire-power. Given its relative state-of-the-art tuning access, August’s Golf GTI received a comprehensive Stage 3 tuning that took care of mapping issues, as well as refiing the power and response of the German hot hatch when demand for immediate hyper-space jump is required.

With the chasms of a fiery dungeon wide open, heat was going to be a serious issue towards the integrity and well-being of the engine. Without second thought, a THS intercooler was installed to quell soaring exhaust temperatures, given the inherent nature of turbocharged engines.

Feeling unsettled with the wispy, stock suspension, August once again dug deep and reached out for some sizeable great handling upgrades. This combination included a scale of smaller, peripheral parts such as a Tyrolsports deadest sub-frame rigid collar set, which properly align the undercarriage for bang-on suspension geometry.

This was then paired with a set of Super Pro item that included control arms and an antilift kit to kill unnecessary bodyroll while increasing lower-body rigidity that could easily be felt in high speed corners, since the height of most hatchbacks could cause a degree of unsettling. Properly sealing rolling issues is a set of front and rear adjustable sway bars from H&R, which were considerably thicker than the stock set.

Climbing upwards, an Audi TT’s strut mount was ingeniously used to keep front-end matters pointed to where they matter the most; in the direction of steer without feeling figety. Finally, the biggest part of the handling puzzle is a ZF Sachs monotube coilover that greatly upped the Golf GTI’s handling. Stopping the vehicle was left in the care of a VWR 6-piston large brake kit that chomped on large 352mm rotors, hauling the German to a complete skid-less stop, thanks to the help of Yokohama Advan
Neova AD08R tyres, wrapped over a setof 18” Rota GR6 wheels.

The exterior of the Golf GTI is where all that work is proper hidden, under the simple guise of light exterior upgrades. Spotting only a visible Osir roof spoiler for some degree of rear aerodynamics, other simple cosmetic vanities include a black vinyl roof wrap, a gloss black VW logo and some OEM dress-up in the rear, thanks to a set of Golf R LED tail lights that fitted perfectly. How about that for a subdued looking beast that bites better than its bark?

Foreseeing that this would double as a daily workhorse, the Golf GTI would get nothing too extreme in its cockpit dress-up. Leaving room for additional loving when he needs bucket seats, the stock seats were re-wrapped in a twine of red amongst black leather, while OEM carbon fire trims complete a sophisticated look without getting awkward questions from passengers who might ride shotgun if this was meant to be a race car of sorts.

Loving the old school and deeming it as a necessity in any tuned vehicle, August acquired a set of Defi BF white meters that displayed oil and water temperatures, along with a boost meter that spoke of how much margin was gained after the comprehensive engine tuning.

Already the second German in his arsenal, August’s efforts and tireless work with the hot German hatch is coming to fruition. In fact, some dastardly plans lurk in the dark chasms of his mind. What’s next after this already-intense upgrade, we will never know. Till that day, REV is pretty sure that this would make doubting individuals eat their words, should they underestimate the potential of this simple looking hatchback!

Volkswagen Golf GTI MK6

Engine:
CTS K04 Turbo Kit, CTS Turbo Intake Kit, THS Intercooler, EuroSports Stage 3 Tuning

Undercarriage:
Tyrolsports Deadset Subframe Rigid Collars, Super Pro Control Arms, Super Pro Anti Lift Kit, Audi TT Strut Mount, H&R Front & Rear Adjustable Sway Bars, ZF Sachs Monotube Coilover, VWR 6-Piston Big Brake Kit, 352mm Heat Treated Brake Rotors, 18” Rota GR6 Wheels (8.5J, +45 ET), Yokohama Advan AD08R Tyres (225/40/18)

Exterior:
Osir Roof Spoiler, Black Vinyl Roof Wrap, Gloss Black VW Logo, VW Golf R MK6 LED Taillights

Interior:
OEM Carbon Fibre Interior Trims, Custom Rewrapped Red/Black Leather Seats, Def BF Series White Oil Temperature, Water Temperature, Boost Meters