Obviously following the design cues of the recently shown Volkswagen Iroc Concept, the folks over at Volkswagen Design Center California led by Volkswagen Chief Designer Derek Jenkins created this special Volkswagen R GTI for the SEMA 2006 motor show. Are we looking at what could be Volkswagen’s new corporate grille?
A few body panels have been replaced with carbon fibre, and the suspension system has been updated by H&R Tuning to a H&R RSS Club Sport system, which consists of updated shocks and springs and a pair of adjustable sway bars – this results in crisper handling and a lower stance.
For the engine, aftermarket Volkswagen tuner APR was called in for the job. The stock turbo was thrown out for a larger Garrett unit, and boost upped to 1.45 bar with the help of upgraded injectors and fuel pumps designed by APR, as the stock FSI system cannot handle the higher fueling requirements of the additional power. With the larger turbo, a matching intercooler was fitted, and the exhaust system consists of an Iconel manifold and an APR stainless steel exhaust system. On RON93 gas, the car makes 375hp, but if fed with higher octane RON100 fuel, you get 400 horses. All these numbers translate to a 0-100km/h time of 4.8 seconds.
To rein in all that additional power, the brakes have been upgraded to 4-piston Brembo brakes and Brembo two-piece floating cross-drilled discs with billet aluminum hats. Inside the rear wheels are disc brakes fitted with drilled rotors, not as much bite as the front but the whole system works together very well. Wheels are 19 inch wheels wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup ultra-high-performance radials in 265/30/R19 size. The car is still a front wheel drive, but the clutch was upgraded to one that can handle all the extra torque (460 newton meters!), as well as a Quaife limited slip differential to stop the wheels from going bald trying to move from a stand still.
More photos after the jump.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
Derek Jenkins aaaaa, shoud be batter, looks like it TERNGANGA.
0-100km/h time of 4.8 seconds (this one terngaga all the way)
A 400hp front wheel drive Golf? Sure got a lot of torque steer when pushed hard on corners. They should make it a 4WD, will give Evos & WRX STIs wannabes a run for their buck.
Agree with normal_user that a 400bhp FF car would be funny to drive. Perhaps, they have sorted out the setting to accomodate the extra power to prevent excessive wheel spin. 4WD should be better.
hmm.. satria neo grill? d nose part…
Looking at the front profile, I feel like watching Cars (the animeted movie). Heheh. But this black hatch with thin red line really do the trick. It gives the impression that it is something that should be reckon with.
375 horses? On 2 front wheels? Phew! How do you handle that? Strap yourself to the steering wheel? Haha. Maybe normal_user was right. Get a 4WD system. Perhaps 4 shoes instead of 2, works far more better.
Whatever it is, this Golf? I like! =)
so much power but front wheel?? Why arr?.. rwd wud be nice.. can be a popular drift car.. AWD wud be great, can join WRC..
the tatoo print is cool.
best-looking GTI i've ever seen
This is a super-car slayer! Bet our British counterparts would get all excited about it. I wonder if it is going to production or it is already confirmed so.
WHO.. thumb up, up.. nice!. very will.
Wannabes??? This GTI should scare any "normal" Evo or STi. A Litchfield Type-25 would be a different story tho.
For those unfamiliar with the SEMA, that's the US equivalent of the Japan Salon. It's a stage for tuners and manufacturers alike to show off their skills. I'm sure one of VW's tuners will try to work things out with Derek to supply the tuning bits for "hungry" GTI owners.
No torque steer lah, it's got a good ATB LSD. Have you driven one of the new GTis? Just try it, you won't look back!
what is the fate of the car after SEMA?
i love the rims..
IROC=is very american,
dont let the american mess with it, got other local tuner capable of this same huge power,
hate that VIPER mouth there,
Love the whole car, especially the front end, looks aggresive but not over the top.
proton should learnt the interior design..WOW…cool dude
i love it…