Volkswagen Modified Cars

Cars.co.za seems to be the go-to YouTube channel when it comes to quality car content from South Africa. It’s always interesting to see how the car scene is in other regions of the world and this highly modified Mk V Volkswagen Golf R32 is a perfect example, as it is capable of making plenty of exotic cars cry on the drag strip.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is a hot hatch and has been around the block for quite some time now. Although the company is gearing up for the 2022 Golf GTI, it has decided to look back and pay homage to the yesteryear Golf model – the 1984 GTI, to be specific – by fusing it with the latest generation. Volkswagen has teamed up with Philadelphia-based VW enthusiast Jamie Orr and created a concept that combines the best of the present and the past.

Volkswagen noted that the inspiration for this concept was an enthusiast-built Mk2 version of the GTI, which supplanted the only U.S.-built generation of the GTI in 1984. The goal was to highlight what has made the GTI special through the years.

The car retains the same stock drivetrain and as it is the most powerful Golf GTI ever. Even the interior was left as it is. For the retro touches on the exterior, Orr and his team decided to swap the wheels with a set of 19-inch BBS Super RS shoes that feature the iconic BBS waffle and hex pattern. They were shod in Delinte 235/35 D7 rubber.

The highlight, however, was the BBS retro red and black vintage livery with pinstriping running from all across the body. The car was even lowered, courtesy of H&R coilovers. The Borla exhaust from the Mk8 was retained as Orr was happy with it. Overall, this is a sweet build that mixes the retro touches on the new Golf GTI.

When Volkswagen revealed the Mk.8 Golf R, everyone was very impressed. The familiar 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger was massaged to deliver 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque – a nice improvement of 27 horsepower and 30 pound-feet over the MK.7 Golf R. On top of this new Golf R brought the future with it thanks to some awesome high-end tech like that cool all-digital dashboard. In the end, the Golf became a formidable competitor for cars like the Honda Civic Type R, beating it out in almost every category except top speed, which it lost by 2 mph (167 mph vs. 169 when the Golf was equipped with the performance package.) But, what if this kind of performance isn’t enough? Wait, who am I kidding? This is TopSpeed, and it’s never enough. Well, I suppose it’s a good thing that ABT has our back, and even thought what I’m about to tell you is going to sound pretty awesome, it’s going to get better in the future too!

Every now and then, Volkswagen releases a random concept that showcases aftermarket mods and the potential of said model in the hands of someone willing to make some mods. Cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTE HyRacer showed us what was possible with the Golf while the Jetta GLI concept most likely gave birth to a few stunning blue Jettas on the road. There was also the Tiguan SE R-Line Black Rino Concept that somehow blended functionality with a low-rider stance. Now, Volkswagen is growing its enthusiast fleet again with the Arteon Big Sur concept.

Have you ever played with those tiny pullback toy cars? There is some pleasure in seeing them sprint so fast. The same goes with hot hatches as well. There is something about them, the way they zoom like a mouse let out of a trap. Now, imagine if a hatch features two engines under the hood. Well, that’s what this company from Romania has done to what used to be Volkswagen’s smallest hatch. The tuner has plonked two engines into the Volkswagen Lupo and took it to the U.K. to race it down the drag strips there. If this trend picks up and companies create such cars more often, we are in for a big, big trouble.

Remember the name ‘Arctic Trucks’? They are the same folks whose claim-to-fame was when Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove a customized Toyota Hilux at the North Pole. This company is back in news and this time for working on the Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck. Arctic Trucks calls is the ‘Icelandic-spec’ version of the VW Amarok.

Volkswagen is bringing three Jetta sedans at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show. The flashiest of the three is the Air Design USA Jetta SEL, which takes its cues from all the accessories that Air Design offered for the sedan that was the rage back in the 1980s and 90s. The program is a perfect call back to those times, especially with the arrival of the A7 generation of the Jetta. The Volkswagen Air Design USA Jetta SEL takes its place at the SEMA Auto Show alongside H&R Special Springs Jetta R-Line and the decked out Jetta S by Jamie Orr.

Well known Volkswagen enthusiast Jamie Orr thought of a fantastic project with Volkswagen of America - to build an awesome custom Volkswagen Jetta S in six weeks’ time and present it at this year’s SEMA. With the photos of his astounding Jetta bathing the fields of social networks all around the world, I am here to tell you about the tiresome, but fun six-week voyage Orr had to take to finish this project. Right now, the White Silver Jetta S is exposed at the SEMA Motor Show, and it showcases a wide array of aftermarket parts. Orr was directly involved with the development of these parts as they basically did not exist six weeks ago. Not in their physical form, not as 3D rendering pieces on a PC, or even as ideas. Well, right now, they garnish the exterior of possibly the best car Volkswagen showcased at SEMA this year. This all-involving project was focused on crafting aftermarket pieces from the ground up.

APR has been tuning Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen vehicles for quite some time now and for this year’s SEMA show, the company is set to showcase a very special Volkswagen Golf. APR has named this car the RLMS, and it will be spitting fire at the SEMA.

You think that the Ranger Raptor is cool? Look at this! It is a Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI tuned up a notch by the fantastic Polish tuner Carlex Design. While the Poles are best known for their work on the interior of cars - something we have witnessed with their incredible Mercedes-Benz X-Class transformation - their latest works revolve around exterior mods as well. This is not surprising considering that specialists there have become well-known all over the world. They have to widen their business scope, don’t they?

I think we are lucky they did because the latest work by Carlex Design on Volkswagen’s mid-size pickup squeezes out the best of what the German pickup can offer. While we in the U.S. can’t actually get the Amarok, adventurous Europeans can go mad with it. All with a 3.0-liter TDI, V-6 that develops 268 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. That is so much more than 210 horsepower from the Range Raptor’s 2.0-liter diesel mill.

Please welcome the Volkswagen Atlas tuned by APR, a company well known for its Volkswagen Group projects. The new Atlas comes with a series of important upgrades that transform it from a decent, sensible family hauler into a beast-looking machine that feels more like the Hulk with its green vinyl wrap than it does something you’d use to take your kid to soccer training. The American tuning company that’s specialized in Volkswagen cars got its hands on an Atlas powered by a 2.0-liter, four-banger, and it went all Golf R on it, ultimately increasing the power, improving looks, and transforming the decadent machine into a show-off beast.

When you have a car that already holds the Nürburgring lap record for a front-wheel drive production car, there’s little reason to expect the car to be capable of bigger and better things. While that may be true in a production sense, the aftermarket world is a different beast altogether. Previously thought of to be improbable are being made possible with the right program and no more is that evident than ABT Sportsline’s newest aftermarket program, one that specifically takes on the record-setting Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport, otherwise known as the king of the ‘Ring as far as FWD cars are concerned.

So how exactly did ABT Sportsline get to improve on a car that already packs 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque in standard guise and a ridiculous 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque in its more powerful “S” configuration? The short answer, of course, is tuning know-how. The German automaker is one of the most respected tuners in the aftermarket scene, a level it has attained after years of churning out impressive tuning kits for a wide range of makes and models.

ABT’s program for the Golf GTI Clubsport is no different as it packs a comprehensive list of upgrades that includes a new aero kit, interior upgrades, suspension improvements, and of course, an engine program that revolves around the tuner’s award-winning New Generation tuning module.

The results on the Golf GTI Clubsport and the Clubsport S are significant. The GTI Clubsport, for example, gets its power up to 335 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque while the Clubsport S sees its output shoot up to 365 ponies and 339 pound-feet of torque. For a hot hatch that already boasts of being the standard-bearer among all hot hatches, it seems unfair that both versions of the Golf GTI Clubsport still has a room for improvement.

Then again, that’s why ABT Sportsline is considered as one of the best in the business.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport by ABT Sportsline.

The Volkswagen Golf VII GTI Clubsport S made headlines in April 2016 for breaking the Nürburgring lap record for a front-wheel drive car when it posted a time of 7:49.21, besting the Honda Civic Type R’s time by 1.4 seconds. It was an impressive achievement that didn’t go unnoticed by aftermarket tuner Speed-Buster, which is now offering a tuning program for the less-powerful Golf VII GTI Clubsport with the promise of bringing its output up to 326 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque, head and shoulders clear of the output of the “S” version.

While I’m off the belief that Speed Buster should have developed a similar program for the Golf VII GTI Clubsport S, I can’t complain about what it was able to do for the standard model. With the resulting power under its hood, the Speed-Buster-tuned Golf VII GTI Clubsport is not only more powerful than the standard S version, it also clears past the Golf R, thus establishing itself as a bonafide hot hatch on wheels.

The only caveat to this program is that it’s strictly made up of an engine tune. That means that it has no exterior and interior upgrades, no suspension modifications, and no new set of wheels. But where it lacks in those sections, those who are interested in the engine tune should take comfort knowing that they’re getting a legitimately more powerful Golf VII GTI Clubsport without having to burn too many holes in their wallets.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

ABT Sportsline is adding another program to its long list of tuning upgrades for Volkswagen models. This latest offering is for the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport and just like past kits for VW’s resident hot hatch, this one comes with a mix of everything, from exterior upgrades to performance enhancements that bring out as much as 340 horsepower and 318 pound-feet of torque out of the car’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

As suave as the work on the engine is, the aerodynamic upgrades are just as important. True to its reputation, ABT Sportsline built an aero body kit that touches on all sections of the hot hatch. Likewise, the Golf GTI Clubsport’s chassis and suspension modifications weren’t spared from the tuning prowess of the German aftermarket company. The only thing missing from the kit are interior upgrades, although knowing ABT Sportsline, don’t expect these enhancements to go past the usual tuner-sourced pedals and floor mats.

All told, the kit is what you’d expect from an aftermarket company as renowned as ABT Sportsline. The tuner has been in the game for a long time and it’s with kits like this one that provide a clear example of the experience that comes with having some years in the business.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen Golf Club Sport GTI by ABT Sportsline.

ABT Sportsline has been around the tuning game for 25 years (not to be confused with Auto-Abt’s own 120-year history) but its history with SUVs only goes back to 2002. Despite the abbreviated history, the German tuner has evolved into one of the biggest aftermarket tuners in the world, specifically when it comes to Volkswagen models. That fact was on full display recently when ABT presented its latest aftermarket offering for a VW with a tuning program dedicated to the Touareg SUV. There are no mouth-watering spikes in power to speak of with this kit, but the tuner did what it does best, polishing the Touareg’s power and performance numbers by helping add juice to the SUV’s two diesel engines, including a peak output of 385 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque for the Europe-spec 4.2-liter V-8 TDI engine.

In addition to the power upgrades, ABT Sportsline also has a specially developed aerodynamic package that adds both aesthetic and functional appeal to the SUV. New wheels are also part of the kit as they always are in any ABT Sportsline program. There are also chassis and suspension upgrades to help balance out the Touareg’s handling characteristics with the power upgrades in tow.

There’s a lot to like about this new program from ABT. Volkswagen Touareg owners, in particular, should be ecstatic about the opportunity to get some extra muscle out of their luxury SUVs. There aren’t that many tuners that venture into VW SUVs quite like ABT Sportsline so having this program available is a blessing in it of itself. The fact that it comes from one of the industry’s best VW tuners is just icing on the cake.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

The Volkswagen Golf Mk VII has been around since 2012 and in the past four years, it has evolved into a favorite among aftermarket tuners. Programs from ABT Sportsline and MTM have been released in the past few years, and now O.CT Tuning is jumping aboard with its own tuning kit for the VW hot hatch. The biggest thing about this particular program is its versatility, specifically with the number of engine upgrades that are available, including one that bumps the Golf R’s output to an impressive 450 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque.

All in all, the tuner is offering a total of four engine upgrades for the Golf R. Each of these kits come with its own set of advantages that are created to address the needs of a particular Golf R owner. Some might prefer the powerful version whereas others may be content with either of the first two stages of the program. The point is that there’s an engine upgrade for every discerning customer.

Obviously, some people might frown upon the absence of anything relevant outside of the modifications to the Golf R’s turbocharged four-cylinder engine. That’s something O.CT Tuning can’t escape from, but the tuner knows that already. In its mind, this particular tuning kit is all about extra power and extra performance, and for what it’s worth, it did a great job addressing those needs. Sometimes with a hot hatch like the Golf R, that’s really all the car needs to really take its chops to the next level.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

The second-generation Volkswagen Touareg does not count as a performance vehicle, or even a sports car for that matter. It’s one of Volkswagen’s SUVs that’s admittedly long in-the-tooth after bursting into the market in 2010. But the surging popularity of SUVs continues to this day and it has given cars like the Touareg an added dimension of appeal that doesn’t come from customers, but from aftermarket tuners. Ten years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a tuner willing to make a kit for an SUV. But now? Everyone’s doing it, including Wimmer Rennsporttechnik, which has just presented an updated version of its Touareg kit, one that helps the SUV’s 3.0-liter TDI V-6 engine improve its output to 310 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.

On the standard level, the 3.0 TDI Touareg is capable of producing 204 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of twist. Those are good numbers, but not great. So Wimmer modified the SUV’s engine control unit, and in doing so, it managed to squeeze out an extra 106 ponies and 111 pound-feet of torque. Those modifications were done in 2015 so naturally, the German tuner went back to the well and added a few more tuning bits on other aspects of the SUV.

The result is this: a 310-horsepower Touareg with a new set of wheels, an improved suspension, and a throatier sound courtesy of a new exhaust system. The tuner didn’t indicate what kind of improvements these new components add to the SUV’s performance capabilities, but rest assured, the Touareg is better in so many aspects with the Wimmer kit than what it would have been without it.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Introduced in 2012 as a road-spec version of its WRC racer, the Volkswagen Polo R WRC Street was billed as a special edition model that was released to give people the chance to see the Polo in a guise it’s never had before. Only 2,500 of these models were made available and each one of them came with a series of distinctive features no other Polo R had. None was more important than the use of the Golf GTI’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

Fast forward to today and the Polo R WRC Street can still hold court as one of the most desirable Polo variants in the market. That’s a big reason why Wimmer RS decided to give the special edition Polo its very own aftermarket upgrade.

The significance of this is far-reaching as the German tuner seems to believe that even with the Polo R WRC Street’s "special" engine, it can be even more special if it’s given the proper tuning upgrade. The tuner set out to do just that, and by and large, it came up with a kit that even the Polo R WRC Street would be proud of. The only downside to this program is that it’s limited to a specific model, and a special edition at that.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.