Finding a reason to build a project can be hard, but for Wayne Powell it was a matter of tying up a loose end. Having been into old Fords from an early age, Wayne had previously owned a Mk2 Escort van but sold it before he got it on the road, so he felt he still had a bone to pick. “When I was 18, I had one and started fitting a 2-litre Pinto in it, but stupidly sold it before finishing it,” he explains.

Although he always regretted the sale, Wayne went on to own plenty of classic Fords in his youth, from Mk1 Escorts to Anglias. Later came Mk3 and Mk4 Escorts, including vans, as well as Orions and then Sierras, as Wayne tells us he has owned his three-door Cosworth for nearly 20 years.

But despite this, Wayne took a break from the classic Ford scene for around 20 years, as he delved into the world of modified Vauxhalls but when this van came up for sale, he felt he had a score to settle. “I’ve always had a soft spot for vans generally, there’s something about them and I just love the look of a Mk2 van,” he confirms. 

Returning to Ford

It felt right to pick up where he left off years before and Wayne also figured he would save a lot of time and effort by buying a van already done when he bought it back in December 2021. He actually already knew of the van before he saw it advertised and it seemed perfect; an Australian import shell that Wayne reports still has its original sills, arches and rear panel. Built back in 2019, it was also resprayed and fitted with an ST170 engine on throttle bodies, but by the time Wayne got hold of it, sadly it had passed through a few owners and was a bit abused.

“It looked nice from far, but was far from good,” he tells us. “There was rust the length of both roof gutters with dents and damage on each and every panel.”

Undeterred, Wayne cracked on and chose to redo the bodywork, as well as revamping the interior, as he reveals. “I think it must have had some kind of roof rack fitted in its past life as the roof rails needed replacing, but as I’m a bit detail-obsessed I nearly ended up taking it back to bare metal. So it had a full body rebuild and was repainted in Ford Nitrous Blue, which is the colour of a Mk3 Focus RS. The fag-burnt seats were also chucked and some Recaros added.”

A good friend who worked at a Lexus dealership painted the car to a very high standard and Wayne built the car up around some 7.5×13 RS-style wheels, which meant he had to narrow the axle by 40mm each side to accommodate them.

Starting over with the ST170-powered Escort Van

Wayne tells us it was back on the road for the summer of  2022, or so he thought, as it was then he found out there were more issues than just the bodywork and interior, as every time he took it out, he found himself stranded by the side of the road. After the fifth time getting caught out, Wayne got the van home and pulled the engine out. “It all just seemed all wrong,” he recalls.

“The mechanicals were nothing but problems and it was always broken down, slow and rubbish. So the ST170-powered Escort Van was back off the road, stripped and all that stayed this time were the front coil-overs and radiator. But I stuck with the ST170 engine as it’s cheap to start with, readily available and was already dripping with Retro Ford conversion parts.”

Rebuilding the ST170 engine

Being an experienced mechanic, Wayne started building the new engine himself with a huge spec in mind. But lack of time and questionable machine work from outside sources forced him to turn the job over to Nick Watling at Automotive Machine Services, who took over where Wayne left off.

That meant the 12.5:1 compression bottom end with forged pistons and steel rods that Wayne built was joined by a specially-developed cylinder head combination Nick created and it breathes through a set of huge 50 mm throttle bodies. Behind it is a Quaife Type-9 gearbox with a clutch to suit and in the rear end is a Gripper diff, although it wasn’t quite that simple to put together. 

“The first gearbox had a long first gear and it was horrible, so that’s been changed,” tells Wayne. “And the LSD has been replaced twice, as first I tried another but that made the car push on too much, so I bought a Gripper diff that was custom built to my specification. The four-pot brakes that were on it also wouldn’t stop it, so I took a trip to Burton Power and bought some Hi-Spec six-pots.”

Interior modifications on the ST170-powered Escort Van

Inside, Wayne also brought the interior up to standard by retrimming genuine RS2000 Recaros along with new door cards and carpet, while a change to a set of custom 8×13 Image split-rims fill the arches perfectly and complete the look.

Daily driver?

The result is a van that’s great fun to drive and does exactly what Wayne wants from it, which largely involves being a hooligan. “Apart from the clutch, it drives unbelievably well,” Wayne reports. “It’s so nice, I would be happy to use it as a daily driver, even with the mental engine. I’ve been told Escorts with this kind of power should run into the 11s at Santa Pod, but I don’t go drag racing anymore.”

That’s not to say the ST170-powered Escort Van doesn’t get driven hard, as the pictures show. “I let it warm up and then give it some,” he tells us. 

Having rebuilt the van almost entirely, it’s unsurprising to learn that the only plans left now are for a few extra interior touches. “I want to retro-fit all modern but period-looking gauges into my clocks, so I have a speedo and rev counter that work as they should.”

Other than that, Wayne plans to keep using the van just as he intended, which means the Mk2 Escort van box has been officially ticked off. 

Words: Simon Holmes. Photos: Adrian Brannan.

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As you well know by now, the tuning potential of Ford’s rally-bred icon could be described as almost limitless, perhaps only restricted by budget and imagination; little wonder it still holds so much respect within the modified car community to this day. Mark Eltringham ranks himself as a die-hard Cosworth fanatic who’s maintained a strong connection with the EsCos since its inception, so it seems only fitting we take a closer look here at his amazing build. 

Mark’s love affair with the Escort Cosworth

Mark clearly remembers the first time he clapped eyes on an Escort Cosworth, at the influential age of 16: “I spotted one in Mallard Green in my local dealership,” he recalls, “I instantly fell in love and knew this was the car for me!” That dream would have to wait of course, as this was a time when insurance premiums began to skyrocket, even if Mark could somehow manage to gather the funds to buy an Escort Cosworth in the first place.

“My first Escort ended up being a Mk4 Eclipse,” he smiles, “not quite a Cosworth, but it got me about!” Thankfully, the situation soon improved, and Mark quickly moved on to a string of performance cars including Renault 5 GT Turbos, Mazda RX-7s and a Mitsubishi Evo. Despite the notable appearance of cars from various manufacturers other than Ford, Mark did find the time to purchase and enjoy no fewer than four Sierra Sapphire Cosworths. “These were all modified in some way too,” he tells us. “I can’t deny they were all amazing cars, but I still had that hankering to find myself an Escort Cosworth.”

Finding the perfect project car

Now, it’s no secret that the values of any old Ford have sharply risen in recent years, and few more so than those wearing a Cosworth badge. This meant a stock, cherished example of Mark’s dream car would have been totally out of reach on his relatively modest budget, but fortunately originality, FSH and low mileage were of little concern. “I knew my budget would most likely only stretch to a project or an incomplete car,” Mark admits. “To my surprise, I managed to find one.” Spotting an online ad for a Diamond White 1997 Escort Cosworth on social media with an inviting price tag, Mark wasted no time in contacting the vendor – an intriguing proposition, as production had ended in early ’96.

“It turned out the description was wrong, and the car was actually built in 1993,” he says. “This wasn’t a great start, but I decided to take a closer look anyway.” As you’d expect for a heavily discounted Cosworth, this car had lived an eventful life and would require some major TLC. “I discovered the Escort had been built from a genuine Ford Motorsport lightweight shell for rallying in Europe by AMP Motorsport in Belgium back in the day,” Mark explains.

“Originally LHD, it had then been imported to the UK where it was campaigned in circuit racing and converted to RHD and RWD.” Later the Escort would be sold on, only to continue its adrenaline-fueled life in the form of a track-day car, but Mark tells us any history becomes a little hazy after that. “Essentially, all this information only confirmed it had been used and abused pretty much all its life,” he laughs. “The last two years had been quieter as the car hadn’t moved from the bodyshop where it stood.”

Initial build plans for the modified Ford Escort Cosworth

Knowing full well another opportunity to purchase a bargain Escort Cosworth was unlikely to happen any time soon, Mark handed over the readies and took a punt. “My initial plan was to fix any current issues and enjoy the car as it was for a while,” he continues, “but as I’d bought it in winter, I didn’t see much point in waiting around to begin a rebuild as that was my long-term plan anyway.” The abused Cosworth was then promptly stripped back to a rolling shell, in preparation for Mark to compile a list of parts he’d need. “I considered converting the drivetrain back to 4WD,” he says, “but as I’d just sold a 4×4 Sapphire I decided to stick with the existing 2WD setup – RWD is always more fun anyway!”

Painting the Escort Cosworth

As the strip-down progressed, Mark began to explore various ideas of how he wanted the car to look. “Effectively this was a blank canvas, as there was little evidence remaining of the original car,” he says. “I’d have been far more reluctant to make any dramatic changes to an Escort Cosworth that had been well looked after.” This at least gave him the excuse to opt for a completely different look, and as the list of mods increased, so did the piles of modified parts littered around the Eltringham household. “My wife wasn’t overly impressed at this stage,” he grins. 

Once the fully strengthened and seam-welded Motorsport shell had been prepped ready for paint, Mark began searching for a suitable bodyshop to carry out this task. “Initially I struggled to find anyone willing to paint the rolling shell,” he says. “Eventually a local paintshop was willing to take the car on.” The result is a clever switch from the familiar Diamond White to the more vivid Frozen White as seen on the later-generation Focus RS.

“I reckon Frozen White makes the car pop and stand out from the crowd,” says Mark. Predictably, and in order to save weight, not all of the original panels would make a return to the shell, Mark opting for carbon-Kevlar WRC wings and a carbon WRC spoiler instead. Along with the addition of a Morette twin headlight conversion and a set of Compomotive MO6 18” rims, which are always a winning combination on any Escort Cosworth, Mark’s example suddenly contained bags more attitude.

Existing mods

As this RS had previously been used in motorsport, predictably it arrived with a few existing mods. “The suspension had been upgraded to an adjustable AVO tarmac setup, but I found the ride to be rock hard even on the softest setting,” Mark explains. “After some investigation, I opted for GAZ GHA suspension and the car still handles just as well unless you’re on the absolute limit, but it does now have a tolerable ride.”

Tuning the YB engine

Meanwhile the existing Cosworth YB required a freshen-up which resulted in Mark tackling a rebuild of the head and bottom end. With such an aggressive exterior look, he was never going to settle for the modest factory specification here either, and the engine now boasts pocketed pistons, BD10 cams, a Group A head gasket, Bosch 550cc injectors, vernier pulleys and a high-pressure oil pump. Coupled with a Garrett T34.63 turbo running 27psi of boost, and mapped by none other than Cosworth gurus NMS, this equates to a highly potent 380bhp.

“I went for Link MonsoonX engine management with an onboard Windows 10 PC linked to the ECU with a 7” touchscreen,” says Mark. “This ensures I can keep an eye on how the car is performing and make any changes as necessary.” A new uprated engine loom and custom vehicle wiring loom were found to be necessary, and to satisfy ample fuelling he’s opted to fit a Premier Fuel System carbon bag tank with twin Bosch 200 pumps.

Further modifications for the Escort Cosworth

With that noticeable increase in power all sent to the rear wheels, the T5 gearbox now benefits from hardened internals and an Alcon 6-paddle clutch, while a combination of Compbrake 6-pot calipers with 330mm rotors up front and 4×4 calipers with 300mm vented discs on the rear greatly improve stopping power. “When the car was first built for motorsport, it received a welded-in multi-point rollcage, triangulated from the struts to the rear diff,” Mark says. “I never planned on taking this out, though it was tricky to repaint it by hand!” Retaining the cage also meant that installing the flocked dash took more time and effort than he’d hoped too! Aside from that troublesome cage and a dash that’s a nightmare to keep clean, the remainder of the cabin is a lightweight motorsport-themed affair as you’d expect, with carbon doorcards, Sparco seats, Stack gauges and a GPS speedo all present. 

“There were a few issues to sort and numerous setbacks throughout the build, but it was all worthwhile as the reactions I’ve had so far have been highly positive,” Mark smiles. “I guess people are used to seeing pound signs and consequently returning their cars to standard spec, so this is something different.” Despite those setbacks, Mark hasn’t been put off tackling another project and his Mk2 Fiesta XR2 with full Subaru Impreza running gear sounds like a lot of fun, plus he’s also considering taking on a Mk1 Focus RS. “I reckon the Focus would complement my other cars really well,” he ponders, “especially if I ever fancy a slightly less harsh ride, the Escort can sometimes feel a bit like you’re inside a tin can with someone throwing stones at you!”

Modified Ford Escort Cosworth verdict

Still, with a 380bhp RWD Escort Cosworth at his disposal, we’re sure the benefits outweigh those foibles, and Mark certainly has no regrets taking on this project. As we witness him drive off into the distance at hysterical speed with that unmistakable YB exhaust note after saying our goodbyes, it offers a pleasant reminder of a time when witnessing a Cossie at full chat was an everyday occurrence. With Ford and so many other manufacturers announcing a seemingly endless string of electric SUVs these days, we fear future generations won’t truly realise what they’ve missed out on… 

Words and photos: Jon Cass.

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Project cars, more often than not, are fuelled by overactive imaginations. The seed of the idea that spawned the car you see here, to swap an EcoBoost into a Ka, was sown back in 2019 when Craig Sudron was pondering how that engine was based on the old Sigma architecture, which would allow it to mate straight up to a Puma bellhousing, and that in turn would mate with a Ka gearbox. And once you’ve arrived at a realisation like that, it’d frankly be irresponsible not to act on it.

Craig’s car history

Craig’s got a pretty stellar back catalogue to draw influence from when it comes to proving his automotive credentials; he built and IVA’d a Fireblade-engined Westfield, there’s an impressively lengthily-named Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA V-Limited which he reckons he’ll never sell, and further highlights among the many cars he’s owned include the Honda S2000 and Nissan 350Z, both of which were bright yellow. But it’s not all JDM lunacy (like you’d see at our Japfest event!); no, this EcoBoost-swapped Ford Ka interface didn’t just spring up out of nowhere.

In fact, Craig works as a development engineer for the Ford Motor Company, and worked on the Fiesta ST programme which involved driving camouflaged STs in lots of different countries and conditions. “I worked within the Ford Performance team from 2019 to 2022 as well,” he explains. “During this time I was on the development of the Puma ST – both the 1.5 and the latest 1.0 mHEV DCT version – and I also worked with (and drove many miles in) the 2016 Ford GT press cars, which I went on a lot of European public affairs work and events with.”

Why build a Ford Ka track car in the first place?

So, it’s starting to make sense. Irrational project concepts based on thoroughly rational thought processes. All of this started to come together at a time when Craig was keen to build himself another track car anyway, and he’s always had a bit of a thing for the Ford Ka; his then-girlfriend (now wife) had one as her first car, and subsequently treated herself to a StreetKa as her first ‘nice’ car – and, as Craig’s keen to point out, the Ka is interesting in that it shares a lot of character traits with the classic Mini: they’re both light, cheap, basic, reliable, good-looking, have a wheel at each corner for exemplary handling and, er, really love to rust.

“As for the 1.6 EcoBoost, I’ve always had a soft spot for that too,” he says. “Having worked on the engine calibration throughout the Mk7 Fiesta ST’s development programme from 2009 to 2013, I drove those cars in Finland, Arizona, Colorado, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany and of course the UK; it’s a great engine, made even better installed in a 920kg Ka!”

Swapping the EcoBoost engine into the Ford Ka

With all of these ideas rapidly coalescing, Craig was keen as mustard to get started, and in the twinkling of an eye he managed to find a unicorn of a Ka (i.e. one that had very little rust). “It was £500 and was a non-runner,” he recalls. “Most people wouldn’t have paid that, but I liked it for three reasons: it was my favourite colour, purple, it had only done 18,000 miles, and had absolutely no rust around the filler cap area, which is so rare on Kas! There was only some minor rust on the sills, so the deal was done. I then found an EcoBoost in a scrapyard in Swansea, and made the seven-hour round trip to pick that up for £550. These engines are a lot more expensive now…”

This was August 2019, and by Christmas the engine was physically in the car. A friend, James Irons, was drafted in to make the custom intake parts as welding is his speciality, and Craig then spent the next few months figuring out the wiring, working out which bits to keep and what he could lose from the Fiesta ST looms. By March 2020 it was running, as a sort of cobbled-together test-bed so that everything could be checked and refined before final installation. At this point, he was able to crack on with solving the various challenges presented by the chassis and the interior, before sending the car back to James for a bespoke exhaust system.

First track day testing for the EcoBoost-swapped Ford Ka

“I got it MOT’d in September 2020, but still had a load of work to do before I was ready to track it,” Craig continues, “and I was still coming across lots of teething issues. The first track day was Snetterton on 8th June 2021 – which ended badly, quickly. After maybe ten laps or so, one of the coolant hoses on the header tank popped off and, despite me watching my temp gauge at the time, it didn’t move because obviously it was reading hot air and steam at that point!

My only clue in hindsight was that I lost rear traction entirely round Palmer corner and spun onto the grass. It was weird, but I blamed my car setup and just carried on; the Ka only lasted the rest of the lap without coolant and got me back to the pits, and I quickly realised what had happened. So the coolant must have sprayed onto my rear right tyre on Palmer corner, and that was the end of the day for me. It then took me quite a while to take the engine apart and see what was wrong.”

Moving house and having a one-year-old daughter were perfectly reasonable excuses for the slowdown in progress, but eventually Craig was able to turn his attentions back to the ongoing EcoBoost-swapped Ford Ka project. Cracking the engine open he discovered that the head had massively warped, and as such it was scrap. Nil desperandum, he sourced a straight second-hand head and got the engine back together by April 2023, having heavily improved and beefed-up the coolant system.

Further track modifications for the EcoBoost-swapped Ford Ka

“A busy summer meant minimal work on the Ka, but then over the winter the car went back to James again for a custom FIA-spec rollcage to be made,” says Craig. “He also fitted the LSD – James knows his way round gearboxes as well as being able to weld! – and then I drove it here and there to shake it down, on sunny Sundays and commuting to work in it and so on, before some track days over the summer – the first of which was Brands Hatch on 13th June.

“First and foremost it’s a track car so that’s what it will primarily be used for,” Craig goes on, “and to be honest the only real reason it’s always kept road-worthy is for shakedown purposes. I intend to do track days, hillclimbs and sprints this year and next year, to develop the car and myself; then I may consider circuit racing if I can find a series that suits me and the car.”

Conclusion

Whichever direction the project takes, one thing you can be absolutely sure of is the integrity of the engineering. This stuff’s in Craig’s blood, it’s second nature to stress-test things to the nth degree and formulate elegant and robust solutions, and it’s that clarity of vision that’s led to what is quite possibly the coolest Ka on the scene right now. A thoroughly irrational concept, executed with perfect rationality. 

Photos: Jason Dodd.

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The M car family represents the pinnacle of BMW performance machines. Each car is the halo model of its respective model range, the zenith, the peak of what BMW is capable of doing. They are cars to be driven, cars that demand to be driven, cars for true performance enthusiasts. The idea, then, of bagging one on air ride is enough to send most M enthusiasts into a meltdown, but Colt Powell (@coltpowell01) doesn’t care about that. He’s all about enjoying his cars his way, and ultimately, that’s what matters.

Colt’s car history

Before we get to his sacrilegious M3, we need to meet the man and find out a bit more about him and his motoring past. “I’ve been interested in BMWs for as long as I can remember, and this is most likely due to the fact I grew up playing the Need for Speed games and ended up absolutely falling in love with BMW as a whole,” Colt tells us as we chat. “As a kid, I always dreamed of having one of the cars pictured on the front of the game (M3 GTR) and I guess my taste has been shaped by this,” he grins.

While his first car didn’t wear a blue and white roundel on its bonnet, it was still part of the BMW family, being an R53 MINI Cooper S, and Colt turned it into a full-on show build, complete with – you guessed it – air ride. However, the call of Bavaria had to be answered, and Colt popped his BMW cherry in style. “My first BMW was an E38 728i. I bought this car as I can’t get enough of the iconic shape of this particular model,” he enthuses. “I was also drawn in by the luxury of 7 Series, as well as their ability to stand the test of time, not just with the way they look, but the fact that the features included 20 years ago are still up to par with other modern vehicles today,” he reasons.

Buying the BMW M3

The 728i ended up on hydraulics, and it was exceedingly cool, but Colt wanted more. “I wanted something fast and stylish as opposed to my low and slow E38,” and the M3 ticks all those boxes. “I was also drawn in by the V8 engine, it was the biggest engine I’d had, up until now,” he adds, and that’s because his M3’s stablemate is a bagged 760Li. “I found the M3 five hours up north on Autotrader. Luckily, the car was in great condition when I bought it,” he smiles, and Colt was now a proud member of the M car club.

He also had a plan for it; “I knew exactly what I wanted to do from the beginning and ended up doing it,” he grins, and with his MO being air ride, it was inevitable that the M3 would end up touching down and delivering maximum drama. And that it does, as you can see in the photos – this E93 Cab looks spectacular aired out, but achieving that perfect drop was no mean feat. At the heart of the chassis sits the Air Lift Performance 3P air suspension setup, but the wheel arches have also been shaved for Colt to achieve maximum lows.

Choosing the wheels for the bagged E93 M3

Just dumping your car on air isn’t enough, because if the arches are going unfilled and your wheel choice is weak, it’s going to ruin the whole build. Luckily, Colt is a seasoned wheel addict who knows a thing or two about fitment, so this M3’s wheel game is absolutely on point. It is wearing a set of custom-built BBS RF splits that have been stepped up to 19”, and that means absolutely glorious polished stepped lips and dish so deep you could drown.

They’ve got silver centres, while the BBS centre caps have gold text on a white background to match the bodywork, and we love that level of attention to detail. And to top it all off, the fitment is absolutely majestic, with the stretched tyres and millimetre-perfect offsets allowing the arches to rest between lip and rubber, and you could not ask for more than that. Unsurprisingly, it’s the wheels that are the pinnacle of this build for Colt; “These wheels have been on a few of my cars now, and I intend to keep them forever. They’ll always be my first choice of wheel, and they are my favourite mod on the car – they completely transform the look of the car to another level,” he enthuses, and we can only agree.

Exterior modifications on the E93 M3

The E9x M3 is a fantastic-looking car out of the box, but Colt’s example is serving up rather more visual flair thanks to the styling touches he’s added. “I’ve always liked the clean look,” he explains, “and a friend of mine works in a bodyshop, so he did all of the bodywork over a weekend for me,” which is handy. Up front, the bumper has been smoothed, and beneath it sits a custom GTS-style lip, which has been painted white to match the body and comes to rest a hair’s breadth from the ground when Colt airs out, and it makes the M3 look awesome. Body-coloured side blades add to the visual drama and also help to make the car look that much lower in profile, there are also body-coloured trims, and it all combines perfectly to give this M3 so much more road presence.

Bagged E93 M3 interior

Colt has left the interior alone, aside from adding Apple CarPlay, but, to be fair, the red leather is eye-catching enough on its own, and we love that sharp contrast of interior and exterior when the roof is down. The engine has also been left standard because, as Colt says, “The 420hp was enough for me!” though he has added a custom exhaust because the S65 V8 is far too quiet in stock form, and with the roof down, it means he can really enjoy that glorious eight-cylinder symphony.  

Bagged BMW E93 M3 verdict

In just two short months, Colt took his totally standard first-ever M car and turned it into a head-turning show build. Regardless of how you may feel about air ride, and especially air ride on M cars, you can’t disagree that Colt’s creation looks spectacular. And, unlike so many modified builds, this one is well and truly done. “I’m happy with all the mods I’ve done, I wouldn’t add anything else to it, and I couldn’t be happier with the car” he grins, and we’re not surprised. And with one air ride project wrapped up, Colt can now focus his attention on that aforementioned E66 760Li Jap import, and we’re expecting visual flair, with killer fitment because when it comes to bagged BMWs, Colt’s a pro.

Photography: Ade Brannan.

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Ford Escorts will always be inextricably linked with rallying, the two things go together like fish and chips. For most people, the first mental images to be conjured when the subject is brought up would probably be the Mk1s and Mk2 of the sixties and seventies, extravagantly sliding through gravelly forests, BDAs snorting and mud splashing across their Uniflo or Rothmans liveries. But there’s far more to the rally Escort oeuvre than that, of course, and for enthusiasts of a certain age, the F2 rally cars of the mid-1990s will always be the kings of the genre.

F2 Rally Car History

A subdivision of the WRC from 1993-99, F2 cars were front-wheel-drive nat-asp machines with exaggerated bodywork that caricaturised the standard factory lines; the likes of the Citroën Xsara and Peugeot 306 were artfully amped-up to cartoonish proportions and, in 1994, the Ford Escort RS2000 Kit Car made its debut.

By 1997, this had evolved into the RS2000 Maxi, an even more extreme variant with colossal rear arches aping those of the old Works Mk1 Escorts with the dial turned up to eleven. These were formidable and exquisitely engineered machines, and perhaps the most resonant part of their appeal across the ages is that they appeared on the rally stages at just the right point in history; Max Power, Fast Car, Revs and Redline were shifting unprecedented numbers of units through the newsagents, and for a generation increasingly enamoured with hatchbacks sporting extravagant bodykits, the link between the motorsport these enthusiasts saw on TV and the cars they saw at the local cruise on Saturday night had never been clearer.

As the decades eased by, these Maxi Kit Cars passed into the realm of back-in-the-day legend along with all those iconic Rattlesnake Escorts and Carisma GT Turbos, and the fact that new fibreglass Maxi RS2000 kits are now available on the market means that fans are able to relive those glory days with fresh new old-school builds. Naturally there’s always the hurdle of finding an RS2000 to base it on – but hey, it wouldn’t be any fun if it was easy.

Brian’s car history

Striding into the arena at this point with the swagger of a man who knows how to get the job done is Brian Boyce, the mastermind behind the Signal Yellow Maxi RS2000 you see before you. He’s seen a thing or two when it comes to modding old Fords, and given that he already had a project-spec RS2000 to play with, this all came together rather fluidly.

“I’ve owned and modified cars since I was a teenager,” he assures us. “My first car was a Mk3 Cortina at the age 14; it needed some work so me and a friend did it all ourselves, then I swapped it for my first motorbike. I’ve had all sorts of modified cars vans and so on, and one of the best builds I did was in the nineties – an Orion 1.6i Ghia painted pearlescent rose pink, with an RS Turbo engine and gearbox and a whole load of other mods.”

This stuff’s in Brian’s blood, and the car you see here has actually been in his possession for seven years or so, passing through various evolutions along the way. This was originally a Mk5 RS2000 forest/gravel rally car, and the thing that really convinced him that he wanted to buy it was the presence of a Quaife 5-speed dog ’box, plus the fact that the RS I4 engine was sporting some hot cams and fancy head work… all of which would ultimately prove to be irrelevant, but the heart wants what it wants and Brian was keenly on the righteous path.   

Plans for the Escort Mk6 RS2000 build

“My son, Marcus, had bought a Fiesta ST180 and put a Stage 3 upgrade on it, giving it 365 ponies under the bonnet,” he says, “so I thought: that’s what I want. With that thought I also wanted to build it as an Escort Maxi Kit Car – being a massive fan of the underrated Mk6 RS2000 it just made sense. I contacted a friend who is quite well known in motorsport fabrication, Scott McMinn at McMinn Motorsport, to chat about what I was going to do to the car. I took it to Scott’s place and we set about what we initially discussed, but then with his input the project grew arms and legs – like the front and rear Escort Cosworth Group A anti-roll bars, the Tilton 600-series floor-mounted pedal box, the list goes on.”

It’s clear from the incredibly high-end specification of this car that Brian is a man who insists on doing things properly, and with the influence of Scott’s years of experience, what began as a kernel of a good idea developed into an incredible modern interpretation of the classic Maxi Escort formula, utilising cutting-edge and up-to-the-minute technology to refine every individual element. And while all of this was going on, a further positive influence was about to enter the narrative.

Building the modified Ford Escort RS2000

“We soon ended up with tubular crossmember wishbones and a rear independent axle being fabricated,” Brian continues, “along with a new fully triangulated 8-point rollcage. I had initially decided to go for the ST180 engine and gearbox, but really I wanted a sequential transmission; I had contacted a few of the gearbox manufacturers but they couldn’t supply a ’box with the torque figures I quoted, so it seemed like I’d have to go with a 6-speed H-pattern OEM ’box with a Coolerworx shifter. But then one day, after fitting the Fiesta’s engine and gearbox – an easy job for Scott – Andrew Gallacher of AG Motorsport came in…”

This meeting of minds turned out to be a game-changing shift in the direction of the project. With Brian, Scott and Andrew putting their heads together, their collective knowledge and creativity immediately took things up a notch.

Upgrading to a Quaife Sequential Gearbox

“I spoke to Andrew about wanting him to rewire the car, and also about the possibility of a sequential gearbox,” says Brian. “He said to leave it with him, so I did. Scott and I carried on with the fabrication of the car until it was all done, then I took it home to strip it down one last time for a final inspection before prep and paint, all of which was carried out by myself. Then I was on Facebook one day and Andrew happened to tag me into a Quaife 10j 6-speed sequential he had just fitted into a Fiesta ST180, so I contacted him about it and got one ordered!”

The timing worked out perfectly, as the Escort was due to go to AG Motorsport anyway for the fitment of the AiM dash and PDM and the SCS Delta ECU, so Andrew was able to swap in the trans at the same time. And as you can see from the eye-watering spec list, as well as the astonishing fit-and-finish of the car, the Quaife 6-speed was the cherry on top of an already delicious cake.

Verdict

This modified Ford Escort RS200 is a true wolf in wolf’s clothing, big and brash and endlessly aggressive; it channels the spirit of the Max Power era along with the contemporary F2 rally heroics of the age, and trebuchets it firmly into 2024 with its thoughtful and intelligent approach to using the latest technological solutions. And yes, it has been built to be hard-driven, of course it has. “I intend to use it as a race and track car,” says Brian. “We’ve had a couple of snagging things to do, then it’ll be good to go.” And when it does go, we’d all better stand back. After all, motorsport mayhem is where Escorts have always thrived, and Brian and the lads have spawned a real animal here. 

Words: Daniel Bevis. Photos: Ade Brannan.

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Modified Ford Escort Mk6 RS200 images

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With 1050bhp under his carbon bonnet, it’s no wonder Leon Green’s infamous JPS Motorsport Mk4 Supra pounds the 1/4 mile in 10.02sec…

Leon Green’s Supra growls along the Santa Pod drag strip. Although he’s driving the car painfully slowly, the photographer’s Mondeo is flat-out in the first three gears just to keep up. For a brief moment the sun shines hard through the thick covering of cloud above and the pearl orange paintwork shimmers back in approval. He’s not doing any runs up the best-known drag strip in the UK today, but it’s become the spiritual home of both Leon and his fearsome Toyota Supra Mk4.

“God of the Pod”

Just a couple of weeks ago, Leon blasted past some stiff opposition to become the ‘God of the Pod’ at the Redline Rumble. Leon’s tuning firm, Japanese Performance Specialists (JPS Motorsport), rebuilt the engine just in time for the competition. They had it running on Friday, ran the engine in on Saturday and Leon raced it to victory on Sunday! The only past winners of this competition are the Norris Designs Evo VII RS, and the Calder Racing Developments Supra, both of which have run over 200mph. So by winning the competition, Leon has gained membership of a very exclusive club, and earned the immense respect that goes with it.

After flicking through some images of the event in issue two of J-Tuner, we find a shot of Leon doing just that while beating the 200mph 4WD Fensport Corolla off the line. After years of development, Leon’s Supra is starting to take some serious scalps on the drag strip.

On his winning run, Leon managed an amazing 10.02sec at 145mph! “It‘s always been my goal to run a 9sec, fully weighted,” remarks Leon. “From the stands, people might think the car is fully stripped, but in reality I think all the bolt-on parts have made the car heavier than standard! If it‘s lighter than 1700kgs I’ll be surprised.” This certainly makes Leon’s achievements even more remarkable. It has brutal horsepower at the top end of the strip, and the ability to fire off the line with urgent efficiency.

JPS Mk4 Supra fast road setup

“It’s the result of years of R&D on the car” explains Leon, before highlighting the key modifications needed to aid traction off the line. On the day of the shoot, the Supra was fitted with 19in Blitz Technospeed rims and Tein adjustable suspension. This is essentially his ‘fast road’ setup, but for drag racing, Leon swaps to Bogart 11x15in wheels with BF Goodrich tyres, and an HKS drag suspension setup. In drag spec, a quick burnout warms the rubber for optimum traction before staging. When the lights go green, Leon stamps on the loud pedal and the weight is shifted to the rear of the car, an effect emphasised by the soft HKS rear suspension. As a result the weight transfer pushes most of the mass over the rear wheels, providing optimum traction.

While this is happening, a shot of nitrous is fired into the heavily-built engine which includes forged rods and pistons, a strengthened crank and a pair of very special turbos. Leon uses the wet nitrous setup as a form of anti-lag, injecting a mixture of fuel and nitrous oxide into the cylinders to increase engine revs rapidly, helping spool up the twin turbos. He’s keeping the exact amount of nitrous he injects a secret, but it’s certainly an effective dose. The turbos themselves are special units which JPS Motorsport are developing with Turbo Technics. There have been many different turbo setups on the car, which has had £170-200k spent on it since Leon bought it in 1996.

Choosing turbochargers for the Mk4 Supra

“I’ve had stage one, two and three turbos on the car, before moving on to HKS 2835s and then HKS 3040s,” explains Leon, describing around seven years of setup changes. With so much money invested in the car, why has he not gone for a huge single turbo? “There are two answers to that question: the first is that it left the factory as a twin-turbo, so I‘d like it to remain that way. The second is that I‘m not prepared to put up with the flat off-boost performance associated with huge singles.”

“I was pretty happy with the performance of the HKS 3040s originally,” Leon continues, “but with the help of Turbo Technics, we’re trying to achieve better response and gain a bit more power at the top end, too. I know it’s difficult to achieve both, but that’s what we’re trying to do.” With brand new Turbo Technics units that look physically similar to the 3040s, Leon has achieved his goal: “We recorded 4psi of boost at 4000 rpm with the 3040s, but 10psi at 4000 rpm with our new turbos.” On the strip, that means more power, sooner, and lower times. Incidentally, the dyno graph also showed a small, but significant, power gain across the entire rev range.

Keeping the Mk4 Supra cool

To make the most of these turbochargers, Leon has fitted a host of supporting mods, and claims the key to sustained big power is to concentrate on the ‘flow’ through the engine, and on engine cooling. There are loads of JPS Motorsport fabricated heat shields throughout the engine bay. Leon had also performed a big-winged sump conversion, which drops down an inch and is wider than the OEM item, and all the water-cooling lines are aluminium and heat-wrapped. Even the fuel pumps sit underneath the car to keep them cool.

When air is sucked through the HKS filters into those super-efficient turbos, it’s sent down wide pipes to a custom JPS Motorsport intercooler setup. Leon has utilised a huge (and deep) Trust core, and combined them with his own end tanks and piping. Again, this is the third intercooler arrangement he’s used, and is perhaps one of the most extreme modifications on the car.

“I had to cut a six-inch section of the chassis out to make it fit. I thought about it for ages, but ultimately it needed doing,” Leon confesses. Now, two 70mm pipes deliver hot, compressed air in one side, with a single 100mm outlet flowing the cooler stuff through a monstrous 100mm throttle body and into a gorgeous Veilside inlet plenum.

Supporting engine modifications on the Mk4 Supra

To match the large volume of air entering the cylinders, six HKS 1000cc injectors provide obscene amounts of fuel, mounted in a Veilside fuel rail. A JPS Motorsport ported and polished cylinder head then gets everything in and out as quickly as possibly with help from oversize Ferrera valves and HKS 272° camshafts. Obviously, all the internals are strengthened to cope, with forged pistons, H-section rods and modified crank all needed to take the stress. At a relatively modest 1.9bar of boost (approx 28psi), Leon’s brutal Supra forces 873bhp through the rear wheels, which is over 1000bhp at the flywheel.

Talking of stress, Leon has fitted an ATI front pulley dampener. He claims this is essential when running such a large engine spec, as it eases the imbalance often generated by hard-working engines, which could result in damaged bearings. It’s an approach he’s used throughout the build, concentrating on cooling and efficiency as much as ultimate horsepower. And believe me, when the result of all that engineering leaves through the Veilside titanium exhaust system, the noise is spectacular. After all of these years of constant evolution, Leon is in the position to finally break into the 9sec barrier. Will he do it? Of course he will. Stay tuned.

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Tech Spec: 1050bhp Toyota Supra Mk4

Engine:

2JZ-GTE 3.0ltr straight-six twin-turbo; Autronic SM2 engine management; Autronic Direct Fire CDi 500R; HKS EVC boost controller; JE forged pistons; H-section con-rods; knife-edged and nitrated crank; ported and polished JPS Motorsport cylinder head with 1mm oversize Ferrera valves; HKS 272° cams with adjustable pulleys; HKS racing spark plugs; PWR aluminium radiator; JPS-Motorsport intercooler; Turbo Technics/JPS Motorsport development turbos; Veilside inlet plenum; 100mm throttle body; Veilside fuel rail; 6x 1000cc HKS injectors; ATI front pulley dampener; 2x HKS tubular manifolds; HKS downpipes; JPS Motorsport screamer pipes; Veilside titanium exhaust system; 2x Bosch Motorsport 044 fuel pumps.

Transmission:

JPS Motorsport modified auto ’box and clutch assembly; high-stall converter.

Suspension:

Tein adjustable coilovers for road; TRD front strut brace; JPS Motorsport rear strut brace; HKS drag suspension for competition events.

Brakes:

(f) AP Racing 6-pot calipers; 365mm grooved discs; JPS Motorsport braided lines; carbon metallic pads (Porterfield pads for ‘race’ and top speed runs); (r) JDM OEM discs and pads.

Wheels/Tyres:

Blitz Technospeed (f) 9×19 rims; (r) 10×19 rims; Goodrich G-Force T/A tyres; drag: Bogart 11 x 15in rims on rear with either BF Goodrich 275/50/15s or Mickey Thompsons where allowed.

Exterior:

Bomex front bumper; TRD carbon fibre vented bonnet; JDM-spec ’98 headlights; Veilside side skirts; JPS rear spoiler; Lamborghini Murcielago orange paint.

Interior:

Konig seats; Autometer gauges: fuel pressure; transmission temperature; boost pressure; EGT oil temp; oil pressure; TRD tachometer; blue nitrous purge button; Knock Link; HKS boost controller unit; Clarion headunit.

Words: Dan Goodyer. Photography: Simon Dodd.

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The iconic Mk2 ‘Zonker’ is something of a cult creation on the water-cooled VW scene. An official prototype built by VW Sport, back in 1987 the car featured all-wheel drive and ABS way before its time. The three-door GTI was actually built on the assembly line at VW AG’s advanced Halle 54 production line in Wolfsburg. With its all-wheel drive, ABS and forced-induction (which we’ll get to soon) the car was effectively the forerunner to VWs Rallye Golf.

After being built, the Zonker was sent to VW Motorsports’s factory in Hanover for a high performance 16v engine, along with close-ratio five-speed ’box and even a catalytic converter for the car was soon to be destined to US shores.

When it landed Stateside, the real fun was just about to begin. Now, some names are synonymous with tuning cars. When you hear this particular name in question, those of a specific generation will certainly appreciate that behind it is a long-standing history of performance tuning and reliability.

Callaway Cars

That name is Callaway Cars, which was created by one Reeves Callaway (1947-2023). Callaway’s turbo and tuning kits have made their way into many different cars over the years since the late 70s. Most only know of the later Corvette cars, parts, and accessories, which were available in the global aftermarket world.

You might be wondering why we are speaking of a tuner that, basically, had his bread and butter in “American Muscle”. Well, Reeves had his hands in a couple of very well-respected and renowned VW projects and performance kits, too.

There are many “Callaway kitted” Mk1 GTIs and S2 Scirroccos still alive out there today, especially in North America. Most old-school and some new-school VW heads know of them. Probably most notably, Reeves had created a phenomenal 1983 Rabbit GTI demo. Well, it was until Callaway’s involvement with the Zonker project.

Callaway ups the power of the Mk2 Golf Zonker

On its arrival to the US, the Zonker was sent straight to Callaway’s Old Lyme, Connecticut facility, where it received the full works. A Garret turbocharger and custom inlet/intercooler fronted the upgrades to the engine which, once dyno’d, saw the car deliver a healthy 219bhp. When you consider that a little later, VWs flagship Rallye only produced 160bhp, you appreciate just how special the Zonker was at the time.

The car’s current owner

Fast forward to 2024 and the car is now in the hands of Tom Giordano, from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Tom grew up with a love for European cars. And he is no stranger to VWs, having owned many a 16 valve, a few Sciroccos, a few Mk1 Rabbits, and a Mk2 Jetta. With this car included, he has actually had no less than two Callaway cars. Admittedly, Tom likes to acquire rarities and “things from when I was a kid, that I could only have dreamed of owning at the time”. This being a one-of-one example, The Zonker definitely fits into the category of rarity!

Tom acquired the car back in 2011 (yes, over 12 years ago) and to this day, he is still shocked that he owns what is best described as an icon of the scene. How did he find it in the first place?

Buying the Zonker

Well, one day, Tom was scouring VW Vortex (as we all used to do from time to time) and came across a posting of the car being for sale. Deep inside he said to himself that he would love to buy it, “It’s the Superhero of Golfs. Why wouldn’t you pick the very best Golf ever made! Plus, being the only one, one of the rarest VWs in existence?” However, he actually passed the thread on to a friend who was actually going to visit the seller to buy other parts.

When the friend got there, you know exactly what happened. Yup, an offer was made, and the friend bought the car. Luckily for Tom, six months down the line, the friend found that the car “wasn’t for him” and offered it up. Tom made a deal and snapped up the Zonker straight away. He wasn’t going to miss out again and he’s owned it ever since!

When Tom finally got the car, he says: “It was beautiful! It still smelled like new and had very low miles!”. As with any car acquired second hand (or third or fourth), Tom started this journey by making sure it was sound.

Modifying the Mk2 Golf GTI Zonker

Straight away, he fitted a new exhaust manifold. Through the years, the turbo outlet flange had started to crack due to the heat created from the boosted motor. This, along with upgrading the front brake setup to the tried and true, Corrado G60 11” rotors, were the first of the maintenance changes. Tom went through the car and fixed, as he put it ;“All the small things that would leave you on side of the road”.

The biggest issue he discovered was that it didn’t like to run for long periods of time, finding that the car would run hot and the Callaway Micro Fueler (Callaway’s extra injector controller), would have the car running rich, by dumping too much fuel, eventually fouling out the plugs. This proved troublesome as it would leave Tom roadside having to remove the custom top mounted intercooler/intake manifold, as the plugs reside underneath it.

Transmission changes

In many attempts to resolve this, Tom decided to switch gears and pull out the old CIS-E system and retrofit a newer DIGIFANT-I (Digi1) set-up, sourced from a Corrado. This proved to be the proper resolution, along with preserving the original VW parts and management, keeping the OEM look and feel.

Tom was able to have his good friend Blair Garland from Tommy’s Automotive in West Chester, Pennsylvania, rebuild the transmission, which was a major task. Tom says that “this was a huge ask”, of his friend. The car was now drivable and most importantly, reliable, meaning roadside overhauls were a thing of the past. He could also now row through the gears with ease.

Bringing back the former glory of the Mk2 Golf Zonker

As the Mk2 Golf Zonker was now several years old from initially being put together, there were obvious signs of age and wear elsewhere. The front BBS spoiler was cracked, along with what he says was “a weird tone” on the driver’s side door. Tom knew that nothing less than bringing the car back to its original state would suffice. So, he worked with PPG to have the door and trunk jambs scanned to get as close as possible to the original and unmistakable yellow shade. The jambs would be the least faded from sun and elements. A perfect match was soon found, and the car had a “glass out” respray of Post Golf Yellow (the original colour of the car).

The paintwork, the repairing of the fibreglass front spoiler, reinstalling the BBS body kit, took almost a year to complete. Skip to a few years later, and Tom also cleaned up the engine bay to what you see here. He also installed a Digifant air filter box, to make it more OEM proper.

Chassis modifications on the Mk2 Golf Zonker

With the change to larger front brakes the OG wheels just wouldn’t fit. The wheel size had to be uprated from 14” to 15” to accommodate the Corrado G60 set-up, but thankfully the OG RZs have been swapped for the larger diameter of the same wheel. The addition of AP coilovers has the car sitting as you see it today, which is a subtle change but just makes the car look even better in our eyes.

The coilovers were sourced from his friend Marc Scheper at Bolt Action Euro in the Netherlands, when the OG VW Sport setup finally went soft. Tom says that the hardest part in bringing new life into the car was, “Sourcing parts for a one-of-a-kind car, especially when it’s closest sibling (the Golf Syncro) was never available or brought to the US market. In the future, Tom looks to freshen the engine bay further and move to an engine management system that allows for more drivability than it does now, but the car is what it is and will always be, The Zonker.

Tom has had lots of help over the years with the car and is proud to still be the owner. He openly states that the Mk2 Golf platform is his favourite and with this car in its current form, and to quote, “I feel the car is the most drivable GTI there is – more solid than the Mk1, and I know I’ll get some hate from that! I love how the all-wheel drive feels through a turn, and the turbo lag is classic 80’s! Plus, it’s yellow, what’s not to love about that?!”

Showcasing the Mk2 Golf GTI Zonker

If you see Tom at a show or venue, he is more than happy to tell The Zonker’s story. Over the years he’s told its tale many times to people who don’t exactly know or believe in its provenance and actual build parts. He says that many a time he’s endured, “people bending over to see if it really has rear axles, like the story was made up”.

Over the past 15 years, the car was seen in limited display. Of late though, with chassis exclusive car shows like Mk2 Mayday and others, the car has been out, out, and on display for all to see, getting the love it deserves. The car is a piece of VW history and it’s great to see it in its full glory.

He states that the people in the VW community, “have been very happy to see it. The reaction it gets at shows, is much different now to that it had a few years ago. I think people are more open and excited to see the car and hear its story, now.”

When asked if he would do it all again, Tom clearly says, “Yes! I have a beautifully preserved, one-of-a-kind, car to hand down to my kids!” Tom is now “Very slowly building an S1 Scirocco, with all kinds of the rarest of parts”, which we know will be a stunner! Applause to you Tom, for your accomplishments here keeping a legendary car up to snuff.

If you want to read more about the build, check out the Zonker thread here.

Words: Ted Dorset. Photos: Tony Watson.

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When it comes to drag racing, few places in the world can hold a candle to the speed Mecca that is Santa Pod. Nestled in the otherwise sleepy village of Podington, Northamptonshire, the iconic quarter-mile strip is known the world over as one of the fastest stretches of tarmac on the planet. Drag racing fans travel from all over the globe to witness the extraordinary feats of petrol– and nitro–fuelled fun as daredevils strap themselves into and onto some of the most extreme vehicles on the planet and hurtle towards the horizon at often world record-breaking speeds.

It takes a special kind of petrolhead to push the boundaries of the standing quarter-mile, one that’s not only willing to risk their lives for an adrenaline hit that lasts less than ten seconds, but is also prepared to invest their blood, sweat, tears and a whole bucketload of money into building their maniacal machines. Of course, as diehard modifying fans ourselves, we can easily understand the lure of tuning your car to go faster, handle better and generally be more fun, but for those at the upper echelons of drag racing, these cars aren’t just considerably quicker versions of your daily driver – they’ve metamorphosed into something much more extreme.

How the Mk5 Ford Escort has evolved over 19 years

Hailing from the sunny Mediterranean island of Malta, 38-year-old gypsum installation expert Jurgen Caruana is one such automotive extremist, who likes his cars to be similarly single-minded in the quest for ultimate speed. You see, what started out as a humble 1.4-litre LX-spec Mk5 Escort has evolved over his 19-years of ownership. Firstly with the addition of a 1.6-litre RS Turbo engine, before a Zetec bottom end and 8v head found their way under the bonnet. Both of these incarnations were merely quick street cars though, and were soon eclipsed as the draw of ever-diminishing quarter-mile times began to take over Jurgen’s every waking thought.

Soon the ability to drive the car on the public highway was all but a distant memory, as a fire-breathing fully forged 2.0-litre equipped with a gigantic metal snail became the car’s new powerplant, while the radial street-legal tyres made way for fat wrinkle-wall slicks. No longer could the Escort transport Jurgen and his family on trips to the supermarket, or even partake in a few laps on a track day. Now its only mission was to cover a sticky quarter-mile stretch of tarmac in the quickest time possible.

“For such a small island, there’s a really strong car scene in Malta,” explains Jurgen when we meet him and his extreme machine on a scorching summer’s day at Santa Pod’s Doorslammers event. “Us Maltese petrolheads love to modify our cars, and drag racing is a very popular motorsport, however most people focus their builds around Japanese machinery like Hondas and Toyotas. But for me, it has always been about Fords.”

From Malta to Santa Pod

This addiction to building ballistic Blue Ovals has led to Jurgen travelling almost 2000 miles over land and sea to test its mettle on the legendary quarter-mile strip here in Blighty. With the Escort on a trailer, that’s one epic journey which sees Jurgen and his band of equally speed-obsessed mates leave Malta on a ferry before traversing the west coast of Sardinia, the entire length of Italy, then northern France, before crossing the English Channel and hitting the UK. And if that’s not commitment to your cause, we really don’t know what is!

“There are drag strips in Malta, but nothing that compares to Santa Pod,” beams Jurgen, proud to be competing in his own car at the venue of his dreams. “So it was well worth the journey to come here to race.”

Tucked in a gazebo in Santa Pod’s pit area, Jurgen and the team busily prepare the car for its debut run up the strip. Tyre pressures are monitored and laptops are plugged in so the vital parameters of the engine’s FuelTech FT600 ECU can be checked and tweaked to ensure the best results off the line.

Ford Escort Drag Car Engine Modifications

With the front bumper removed, we get to eyeball that monstrous motor and drink in all the details. “The engine is based on a 2.0-litre Zetec from an ST170,” Jurgen explains. “It has been rebuilt with a fully forged bottom end, including pistons, rods and crankshaft, and has an additional aluminium girdle with billet main caps and a cement-filled block to improve block rigidity and strength.”

This belt-and-braces approach to the bottom end has wisely been extended to the head too, where strengthened Supertech valves with double valve springs are actuated by custom high-lift Cat Cams camshafts with adjustable vernier pulleys.

But while all this extra strength would be considered overkill in the ST170’s usual naturally-aspirated environment, it is absolutely essential to hold things together once you add the tsunami of boost that the Garrett G42-1200 turbo supplies. Capable of flowing enough air to produce a whopping 1200bhp, this brutal blower, mounted down low in the front bumper on a Zisco forward-facing exhaust manifold, is running a comparatively conservative 800bhp in Jurgen’s Escort and is cooled by a custom charge-cooler with bumper-mounted ice box.

Cooling the Ford Escort Drag Car

“When running high boost levels, adequate cooling of the intake charge is critical,” he says. “On a hot day like today at Santa Pod, it can make a big difference to the car’s performance. And in Malta, where the average ambient air temperature is much higher, it’s even more important if you want to maintain peak performance and reliability.”

But where the nearside of the front bumper is all about keeping cool, the offside is a veritable inferno, as this is where the turbo’s hot-side spits out the waste gases from the custom exhaust system and screamer pipe that exit just ahead of the front wheel.

“It’s pretty loud when you launch it,” Jurgen laughs. “But you only have to bear the noise for just over nine seconds and you’ve crossed the finish line.”

Of course, few people are going to be concerned with a noisy exhaust when they’re fighting to keep this beast in a straight line and out of the barriers for the next quarter-of-a-mile, but Jurgen has made a host of running gear modifications to help him do just that.

Ford Escort Drag Car Transmission & Chassis Modifications

“The power is transmitted to the tarmac via a Toyota MR2 5-speed gearbox with an SQS dog kit and sequential shifter,” he says. “Along with the engine, this shifter sits on a Zisco Race Fabrications custom front subframe with custom wishbones, and a rear axle that’s mounted further back to increase the wheelbase to add extra straight-line stability.”

GAZ adjustable coilovers are dialed-in to reduce rear squat and improve front end traction, while the wide 10×13” Keizer front wheels with M&H slick tyres do their best to contain the tortuous torque unleashed by Jurgen’s right foot. Unlike the front, traction is the enemy at the rear, so Jurgen has fitted a pair of ultra-skinny 4.5×15” wheels with drag radials to reduce frictional losses as well as improve aerodynamics.

Speaking of aero, as a drag car, the last thing Jurgen wants is too much downforce, as that will only slow him down. However, his Escort does have bodywork upgrades and they are no less functional. The front end is from an Escort Cosworth, as the wider front arches are needed to house the wide slick tyres, while at the rear a low-level spoiler helps reduce drag and keep the rear of the car running straight and true.

The eagle-eyed among you will have no doubt spotted the lightweight Plexiglass windows as well as the huge parachute bolted to the rear; this is a requirement of any car that is capable of posting in excess of 150mph in the quarter-mile, and is used only in an emergency, to slow the car as quickly as possible if all else fails.

Interior modifications

Inside, the Ford Escort drag car is also kitted out with worst case scenarios in mind, with a full drag specification rollcage, window nets and a single aluminium Kirkey bucket seat with Sparco harnesses. The rest of the interior is similarly function-over-form, being stripped to the essentials of speed such as the sequential shifter, lightweight carbon panels, an OBP pedal box and a FuelTech steering wheel, which is riddled with holes for an additional weight saving.

When the time finally comes for Jurgen to hit the strip, the team push the Mk5 into the queue and wait their turn patiently until it’s their time to line up at the start line. Firing the mighty engine into life, the angry exhaust note is ear-splitting, even on idle, and turns absolutely thunderous as Jurgen completes a tyre-warming burnout that spews plumes of acrid blue smoke from the front arches.

Launching at Santa Pod

Inching into stage, his eyes fixed on the Christmas tree lights at the centre of the track, the revs raise to a crescendo before the green light signifies for all hell to break loose.

Unfortunately, when the clutch is dropped, rather than the usual slingshot launch to the horizon that Jurgen and the team were expecting, the Escort stutters and bogs down before limping off the line.

Much head-scratching and studying of the datalogs later and Jurgen tries again. Once more, the build-up is fine, but the launch again proves tricky and the run is abandoned. After having successfully completed a 9.7 second pass in the car with its current setup at a track in Malta only weeks before, the launch issue is perplexing the team, and frustrating Jurgen.

“With everything in drag racing pushed to the very limits, it can only take a tiny issue to cause a problem,” he shrugs. “We know what the car is capable of, even at low boost, and were hoping to push into the eights here at Santa Pod, but the drag gods are just not smiling on us today.”

What’s next?

The team tries to get the Escort off the line cleanly multiple times over the course of the weekend, but nothing seems to work and Jurgen’s dream of a personal best pass at his dream track will have to be put on hold for another day. But they say you can’t keep a good man down, and Jurgen is no exception. He’s loved his time at Santa Pod and vows to come back to tame this iconic strip at next year’s event. Let’s just hope his ford Escort drag car has had enough of teasing him and will finally give up the pass he’s been hoping for.

Words & Photos: Dan Sherwood.

Love modified cars? Did you know that we host a number of performance car events throughout the year? Be sure to check out our Fast Car Events page for more information on what’s next.

The post 800bhp Ford Escort Drag Car appeared first on Fast Car.

The BMW M3 has long been the blueprint for performance car fans looking to blend the thrill of driving with the practicality of everyday use. But when you take one and start stripping it back, adding precise modifications, and honing it into something with both purpose and passion, you get a car that’s more than just a performance machine—it becomes a statement. This is exactly what Pipercross have done with their latest creation: a modified G80 M3 inspired by the Club Sport that pushes the boundaries of what a modern performance car can be.

This build is not only about the raw numbers or eye-watering speed; it’s about tuning every detail to deliver a car that’s refined, aggressive, and ready for the track. Here’s how Pipercross have transformed this M3 into an all-out performance weapon while keeping true to the BMW mantra of ‘sheer driving pleasure’.

Planning the G80 M3 build

Pipercross have never been a brand to settle for anything less than excellence. When they decided to create a Club Sport version of the BMW M3, they were not interested in just slapping on a few bolt-on upgrades and calling it a day. Instead, this build is about evolving the car’s potential over time, refining each component in a way that enhances the driving experience while staying rooted in the concept of a true, driver-focused car.

This modified G80 M3 is still in its early stages, and that’s part of the appeal. It’s a phased build, designed to evolve with the car’s performance. From the moment they decided to bring the car to life, Pipercross wanted something more — a machine that blends the brand’s tuning philosophy with BMW’s iconic Club Sport character.

Improving air flow into the modified G80 M3

And with the Air Max Carbon Intake Kit at the heart of it, the first step has been a resounding success.  This isn’t a part you’ll find just anywhere. It’s a Pipercross creation, designed and developed entirely in-house over the course of a year. The result? A beautifully crafted piece of engineering that looks as good as it performs.

Carbon fibre is a tuner’s dream material: it’s lightweight, it’s strong, and it does wonders for improving airflow. Plus, it isn’t bad on the eye either, is it? The Air Max intake has been meticulously engineered to not only save weight but also increase intake efficiency, allowing for a smoother, more responsive power delivery. And it looks gorgeous to boot! It’s this level of detail that elevates the car from simply good to absolutely great.

In terms of performance, this intake system enhances the M3’s ability to breathe, making it more efficient at higher revs. This means quicker throttle response, sharper acceleration, and a subtle but unmistakable improvement in power delivery—ideal for both track and road use.

Chassis modifications on the modified G80 M3

No great performance car is complete without a suspension system that can keep up with its capabilities. In this case, the team at Pipercross have chosen to fit Nitron dampers. Nitron is synonymous with top-tier performance suspension, and their setup on this M3 has been meticulously tuned for the perfect balance between daily driving comfort and track-ready precision.

Adjustable dampers allow the driver to dial in the suspension for varying road conditions. Whether it’s the smooth curves of a country road or the brutal demands of a track day, the suspension offers the kind of flexibility and control that an M3 deserves. You’ll feel it in the corners — sharp, precise, and ready to tackle any challenge you throw at it.

But Nitron’s contribution is not just about handling; it’s about giving the car a direct connection to the road. Every corner, every undulation is felt through the chassis, making it a car that’s just as much about the driver’s engagement as it is about the lap times.

Modified G80 M3 brakes

In a build like this, upgrading the brakes is a no-brainer. The G80 M3 is no slouch when it comes to power, and with a car that’s capable of pushing the envelope, you need braking to match. Enter Tarox floating discs and upgraded pads, designed to withstand the high demands of track driving while offering consistent, reliable stopping power.

The Tarox system provides a strong bite, confidence-inspiring feel, and most importantly, resistance to fade under extreme braking. This car isn’t just about going fast, it’s about being able to stop just as fast. And with these brakes, you’ll have complete control at every speed.

Interior modifications

The interior of this M3 is where form and function really come together. Pipercross worked closely with Cobra Seats to create the perfect bucket seat: the Nagaro Munich. This is no ordinary racing seat. It’s a blend of carbon fibre construction and luxury detailing, designed to keep you firmly planted during aggressive driving but also offering the kind of comfort you’d want on longer journeys. Ideal for that club sport purpose of driving all the to the Nürburgring or Spa in relative comfort, yet still being supportive enough to hold you firmly in place when you’re at full throttle clocking up some impressive lap times.

The Munich seats are the top-tier version of Cobra’s popular Nagaro bucket, with carbon backing and bespoke embroidery that pays homage to BMW’s Motorsport heritage. The seats provide excellent lateral support, ensuring you stay securely in place when cornering hard, yet they still retain a sense of refinement and quality that doesn’t scream ‘track car.’

Exterior modifications on the G80 M3

The exterior modifications are subtle but purposeful, starting with the *M Performance wing. The standard duct tail just didn’t cut it for this build. The larger wing not only gives the car a more aggressive stance but also enhances its aerodynamic efficiency, providing greater downforce at higher speeds. This is about more than just looking the part—it’s about creating a car that is as stable at 150mph as it is at 50mph.

With the added wing and aggressive stance, the M3 looks ready for action. But the wing’s performance benefits go beyond aesthetics. It plays a crucial role in improving stability on the track, keeping the rear planted and balanced, especially during high-speed corners.

What’s next for the modified G80 M3?  

Pipercross are no strangers to the art of tuning, and this build is just the beginning. Their Club Sport M3 will continue to evolve over the coming months, with more phases planned. Future upgrades may include a roll cage and more aggressive weight-saving measures, further enhancing the car’s track potential.

The beauty of this build lies in its ongoing evolution. Instead of going all-in from the get-go, Pipercross have carefully mapped out a future for this M3 that’s as thrilling to anticipate as it is to drive. Every new phase is another chance to make this already impressive machine even better.

This club sport BMW M3 is the epitome of what happens when you marry passion with precision. Every part of this car has been carefully chosen to ensure it delivers not only on the road but also on the track. And while it’s not quite finished, the build is a testament to the vision of a car that’s more than just a performance machine — it’s a living, breathing expression of what happens when a great car meets great engineering. If this is what the beginning looks like, we can’t wait to see where Pipercross take it next.

Love modified cars? We host a number of performance car events throughout the year at some of the UK’s most iconic venues. Head over to our Fast Car Events page for more info on what’s coming up next.

The post Modified BMW G80 M3 Gets Club Sport Treatment appeared first on Fast Car.

The debate will forever rage about which generation of M3 is the best, and, while fans of each model will always fight for their chosen car’s honour with a fiery passion, we can all at least agree on the fact that every generation is special for its own reasons and that there is truly no wrong answer. However, it always feels like the E46 M3 is the one with the biggest following, and it’s easy to see why.

Even today, almost a quarter of a century after it was launched, it still looks fantastic. After the subtle and subdued E36 M3, the E46 M3 was BMW absolutely on top of its design game, and the car has so much purpose and presence, as well as just being a perfectly proportioned and incredibly stylish machine. Then you’ve got the god-tier chassis it was blessed with, which made it one of the best-handling cars of its generation, and that means it’s still incredible to drive 24 years later. And the cherry on top is the S54 engine, making 343hp at a sky-high 7900rpm, delivering a spine-tingling straight-six howl as it does so.

Pretty much everyone who loves BMWs would love to have an E46 M3 to their name, and that makes Daniel Gumienny (@dan_m3e46), the owner of this example, a very lucky man. But, as you might have noticed from the pictures, his is rather special. There’s a lot going on here, and trust us when we say that this is one of the finest E46 M3s you’re going to find, anywhere.

Daniel’s car history

For Daniel, BMWs are just a bit special, and, growing up, he always wanted to own one; “BMWs are my childhood dream. Since the first time I saw an E30 325i on the street as a child, I knew BMW would be the car I will be driving,” he grins. “In my opinion, BMW has the most beautiful design, sport features, and the way the car drives, BMW always stands out among the others in every aspect,” Daniel enthuses, and you can feel just how much the Bavarian brand means to him.

“My first BMW was an E36 320i; I was in love with that car because of the six-cylinder engine, and these days six-cylinder engines still sound like music to my ears,” he smiles. Since then, he’s owned a few BMWs, with the current line-up including an F10 530d that serves as his daily and an R 1250 GS Adventure bike, but it’s the car wearing the M badge that we are interested in.

“The E46 M3 is, in my opinion, the most beautiful M3 model created to this day by BMW designers and the last true old-school sports car, mechanically,” Daniel says. “I bought it on Autotrader; it was in used condition, and it required a few jobs to be done,” but it’s now a full-on build that will leave your jaw on the floor.

Supercharged E46 M3 exterior

There’s so much we want to talk about, but we have to start with the outside because, well, just look at it. Everything about this M3 is so right; Daniel has done an incredible job making it look sensational, and this is, without a doubt, one of the best M3s we’ve ever set eyes on. “I wanted my M3 to stand out among the others and be unique, so I have modified it in my vision,” he smiles, and he’s really gone above and beyond to make his M3 special. First of all, there’s a custom front bumper, which has been enhanced with the addition of a carbon splitter, and then you will notice that those rear arches are exceptionally fat, with Daniel having them widened to dramatic effect.

They give this M3 so much presence, and it just looks so incredibly muscular and powerful – which it is, but we’ll get on to that later… This M3 also has an OEM CSL boot lid, as well as a carbon diffuser, and the finishing touch is the carbon roof that’s also been fitted, and it makes this car all the more special. Finally, it was treated to a respray in its original shade of Silver Grey and looks stunning for it. We can’t get over how good this M3 looks – it is perfection.

Chassis & Wheels

Speaking of which, those wide arches have been absolutely stuffed with a set of stunning aftermarket wheels, and they add even more visual drama to this build and take it to the next level. “I chose the BBS RS2s as I like the design and fit on the E46 M3 the most, I didn’t like any other wheels as much,” he enthuses, and we can only agree.

These spectacular BBS splits measure 19” across, a hefty 9.5” wide up front, and a massive 11.5” at the rear, necessary to fill out those fat arches, and there’s just the tiniest bit of poke, which adds extra aggression to the whole package. And you can’t just fit a set of stunning wheels like that without adding a bit of lowering, which Daniel has done via a set of BC coilovers. They bring those swollen arches down low over the sidewalls, and that drop delivers some serious visual drama that makes this M3 look even better.

Interior modifications on the supercharged e46 M3

When your M3 looks this good on the outside, you can’t cut corners and leave it with a standard interior, and Daniel has gone all out on the inside. “It all started with the Recaro Sportster CS front seats, I went for elegance, sport and comfort,” Daniel explains. “Then all-new leather upholstery; I wanted to choose an interior colour not typical but matching the car colour, which was ordered to be custom made,” and the end result is stunning.

The Sportsters are absolute goals, pretty much the seats that every BMW owner wants in their car, and Daniel’s choice of leather colour, a delicious cinnamon shade, totally transforms the interior. At the back, meanwhile, sits a roll-cage, while the steering wheel, gear, and handbrake gaiters have been finished in Alcantara.

Engine modifications on the BMW E46 M3

Considering how astonishing this build is on every level, it might be surprising to hear us say that we reckon we’ve left the best for last. That’s because what’s lurking beneath the bonnet is something seriously special, and what’s filling out the M3’s front bumper might just have given you a clue as to what it could be. “I wanted the car to have more power, as it’s never too much,” grins Daniel. “So I decided to go with an ESS 580hp supercharger. To prepare the original engine for the power increase, I replaced the rod bearings, fitted a new head gasket, and modified the Vanos oil pump disc.”

The sight of a supercharger will always make us happy, and hearing that Daniel has a massive 580hp to enjoy makes us exceedingly happy indeed, especially when it’s been paired with a full Supersprint exhaust system that really amplifies that soaring straight-six soundtrack. It’s a combo that makes this E46 M3 even more awesome. And, because stopping is just as important as going, sitting behind those BBSs, you will spot the red calipers of the 996 911 GT3 brake setup that Daniel has installed.

Favourite modification

Everything about this supercharged E46 M3 is just awesome, there’s no other way to describe it. Daniel has done an incredible job, and every aspect of this car is simply astonishing. He’s put so much into it, and the results speak for themselves; this is such a complete build, pure modified perfection.

Every element shines on its own and works wonderfully as part of the whole, and it’s not surprising to hear that Daniel can’t choose just one aspect of this M3 as the one he loves most of all. “I can’t pick; my favourite is the car as a whole,” he grins. “The car was modified over the years I have owned it, mostly in my free time as my hobby,” Daniel adds, which makes the finished build all the more impressive.

What’s next for the supercharged E46 M3?

Except it isn’t finished, of course, and Daniel has been busy since the photoshoot; “I added some interior details, including a carbon front CSL centre console, a quick-shifter, a race shifter cover, and a rear seat delete with an Alcantara-trimmed board. In the future, I’m planning to add Air Lift suspension,” he says, and clearly, no matter how perfect and complete a build might appear to an outsider, there’s always something else on the owner’s mind.

But when those modifications are constantly enhancing and improving a car that’s already at this incredible level, they’re worth it. The E46 M3 is an exceptional machine in standard form, arguably one of BMW’s best, but even where M machines are concerned, there’s always room for improvement, and Daniel’s build takes things to the next level, and beyond.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

Love modified cars? We host a number of modified car events throughout the year. Be sure to check out Fast Car Events for more information on what’s coming up next.

The post Supercharged E46 M3 With 580hp appeared first on Fast Car.

There are few cars that can be described as a true legend within the Ford scene, but this modified Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth is most certainly one of them. Owned by the equally legendary Rod Tarry and built by tuning marvel Mark Shead of MA Developments, it was the first road-legal Cosworth to crack 200mph, and despite its subtle looks it has been at the very forefront of YB tuning for over two decades. What’s more, it still is in its new guise, having been recently rebuilt and recommissioned by Mark.

Modified Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth build journey

Rod’s story began in 1996 when he bought the rear-wheel drive Sierra Cosworth to use as a fast road car. A 400bhp conversion soon followed and Rod enjoyed it like that until the urge for more began to build, which is a theme that propelled him throughout.

A 500bhp build followed together with uprated brakes, a bigger and better gearbox and bullet-proof diff upgrade to ensure safety and reliability. But that’s when things got a lot more serious as Rod was spurred on when he discovered he owned the fastest Cosworth around, with a top speed of 183mph, and then decided he wanted to retain that crown. So in 2003 he commissioned Mark to build a 640bhp engine with 530lb.ft of torque, together with a shot of nitrous that would see around 720bhp available – a figure completely unheard of at the time.

It was enough to keep him on top and in 2004 the car became the first road-legal Cosworth on the planet to exceed 200mph. To push the record further, a larger GT40 turbo was fitted to find 680bhp and with a 100-shot of nitrous it saw the record raised to 206mph in 2005. Still hungry for more, the development of an 800bhp engine started in 2006 and took some time to complete, but in December 2008 the new unit made 838bhp and 666lb.ft, although no more records were attempted.

Striving for greatness

What was always remarkable about Rod and his modified Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth was his enthusiasm and passion to use the car, and despite being in his sixties at this point he was often a regular at car meets, magazine shootouts, as well as appearing on TV. Sadly, Rod passed away in 2018 at the age of 72, before this revision of the car saw completion. He remains sorely missed within the Ford community for pushing boundaries and actively using the Sierra just as it was intended, both on the road and airfield – but his legacy lives on, as the car’s final stage was completed by Mark, who pushed on with the project together with new owner, Carl Billings, and now it’s back better than ever.

“Rod’s original goal when he set out to rebuild it this time round was simple; he wanted to go faster,” Mark recalls. “There was no figure in mind but he wanted it to be better suited to the road, with more driveability too.”

Pushing the boundaries of YB tuning

The current build has taken around eight years to complete as it pushed the limits of YB tuning further than ever before. It revolves around an original 200 block that has been linered and includes a bespoke steel crankshaft and Mark’s own specification forged pistons together with steel rods to bring capacity out to 2150cc. A bottom end girdle helps keep the assembly intact, while a Titan dry sump setup ensures it’s all well-lubricated. The head gasket arrangement is custom; the bolts to clamp it are aero-grade bespoke items, and Mark says this is about as far as you can go with a YB gasket setup.

The head has been heavily fettled and fitted with Mark’s own specification cams to help boost the huge BorgWarner EFR9180 turbo that’s fed by a twin-scroll manifold to improve spool and response. It’s governed by a single 60mm external wastegate that vents back into the downpipe and 3.5” exhaust system, before being sent into the custom Spec-R intercooler. From there, it’s pushed through to the Jenvey Dynamics plenum, which feeds four individual throttle bodies; one for each cylinder, designed to improve low-down throttle response. Fuelling is controlled by an Emtron ECU and voltage amplifiers ensure the fuel pump pressure and coil packs don’t drop during sustained periods of full throttle.

Modified Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth power

The dry sump setup, improved electronics and ECU upgrade with motorsport levels of safety features to automatically shut the engine down if it sees oil or fuel pressure drop were also a welcome addition at this level. There are of course other tricks to the engine build and together it works brilliantly well, as Mark reveals: “There are lots of little bits in this build that help make it a much better package overall,” he explains. “And the Jenvey throttle body setup paid off as it helped it drive nicely lower down. The headline power figure is currently 758bhp and 604lb.ft at 2.6-bar of boost on pump fuel, although it previously made slightly more power with a bigger exhaust housing. But current owner Carl requested a smaller housing to improve response on the road, which it does by spooling 400rpm earlier.”

Chassis upgrades for the modified Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth

A testament to how well the car was built earlier on, the rear axle remains in place but the Tremec gearbox gave up during an early mapping session. It’s now been replaced by a Tremec TKO600, capable of taking the huge torque and the original clutch setup has also been brought up to date with a custom TTV Racing triple-plate unit. Elsewhere, the original Leda coilovers have been rebuilt and re-valved by Black Art Suspension and provide a significantly improved ride, whereas the AP Racing brakes that have been on the car for many years still work well.

Elsewhere, Rod was always very particular about what he wanted from the car; it was never going to be a stripped-back, bare-bones racer with a complex rollcage to navigate, although later in the build he did have a subtle rollcage made in the name of safety. Instead, the fast road car theme always remained, which is why the original leather trim is in place and there was never anything added that didn’t need to be.

Exterior mods

Outside, the car has been given a mild freshen-up with a return to amber indicators, the front bumper has been fitted with an RS500-style splitter, and there’s a Sapphire 4×4 rear light panel.

Carl is smitten with the car and has been working through the little bits, like replacing the solid mounts with rubber items to reduce vibrations, but Mark is still open to the idea of doing the 200mph+ it did before. “If Carl told me he would like to do top speed events again then that wouldn’t be a problem; I’ve done it before so wouldn’t mind doing it again,” reveals Mark.

The fact that this car still continues to impress is testament to Rod and Mark’s vision, and we’re glad Carl is picking up where they left off.

Words: Simon Holmes. Photos: Ade Brannan.

Love performance cars? Did you know we host a number of performance car events throughout the year? Be sure to check out our Fast Car Events page for more information on what’s coming up next.

The post Modified Sierra Sapphire Cosworth With 768bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

What defines a future classic? There’s no golden ticket to get onto collectors’ radars – interesting engineering, design or some media notoriety certainly helps – but there’s also no substitute for the influence of supply and demand. Rarity doesn’t guarantee desirability, but it is a stable foundation for any other factors to build on and the Golf is no stranger to models that tick that box.

Slackening of purse strings at Wolfsburg have given us machines like the Mk2 G60 Limited, Mk7 GTI Clubsport S and (if you consider the original planned production run) the Mk4 R32 is worthy of that list too. For some owners, rarity (and rising prices) are a reason to carefully preserve the factory spec with only occasional use. For others, there’s fun to be had enjoying what makes them unique.

Why modify a limited run car?

“People are 50/50 about it,” smiles Reinhard Rode, reflecting on turning a one-in-333 limited edition into a one-of-one track-ready project car. “Some people ask how I can modify something as rare as this, but others tell me it’s how these should have been from the factory, and that I’ve finished VWR’s work. The standard Golf R is good, but the 333 is the final boss – the ‘Endgegner’, as we say in Germany. I knew the car would be awesome if it was tuned.”

That ‘final boss’ status is as fitting for its place in his project history as it is its role in the Mk8 line-up. Reinhard was born into a Volkswagen family – the grandson of a truck driver at the factory, nephew of a life-long employee and with brothers and cousins employed by suppliers to the group. However, it’s his parents who can lay claim to having the biggest influence – both of them have worked for Volkswagen, and his Dad’s CV includes a stint within Volkswagen and Audi’s motorsport divisions during the 1970s and 1980s. Projects that would drip-feed knowledge into future GTIs and, more recently, the R line-up too.

Reinhard’s car history

However, the most obvious legacy of that work is closer to home. An 11-year-old Reinhard found model cars and old materials from his Dad’s motorsport career, started asking questions and quickly developed a curiosity for performance-focused engineering. By 15, he’d bought his first project car – a ’78 Mk1 GTI with a Folger wide-body kit, which he still owns. By his mid 20s, he’d picked up a side job working on other people’s cars.

And, by 30, that trail had led him to set up his own Volkswagen Group specialist garage, named Werk 2 in Southeast Germany, close to the Austrian border. It’s become a go-to for everything from routine maintenance to performance tuning and full restorations since the shutters opened in 2015, and an opportunity for Reinhard to immerse himself in that mechanical curiosity.

“We had a Mk8 Golf R before this one,” he continues. “It was among the first cars off the line back in February 2021, because I wanted to be one of the first people to modify one. That car was really useful for figuring out what is needed to get to the perfect Golf R spec, and it was hard to replace. I drove a lot of cars before choosing the next project, including an Audi RS3 and Cupra Formentor VZ5, but they’re both boring if you test them side by side with a completely tuned Mk8 R. The Golf feels like those trainers you love wearing every day.”

VW Golf R 333 edition launches

Thankfully, Volkswagen had some alternatives up its sleeve. The Golf R 333 edition launched in 2023, shortly before the Mk8’s mid-life refresh. Strictly limited to a numbered run of 333 vehicles and offered with the option of collecting them at a handover event at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, it’s a rare machine compared to the most exclusive Golfs. Volkswagen built 400 examples of the Clubsport S, for example, and the R proved to be just as desirable – the entire production run sold out within eight minutes.

There’s more to it than badges and graphics. At launch, the 333 was the most powerful factory Golf to date, sharing its powertrain with the 20 Year edition, and was specced with track days in mind. Volkswagen upped power to 333hp (a 13hp increase versus the standard Mk8 R), added an Akrapovič titanium exhaust and Nürburgring-focused drive mode, and equipped it with Michelin semi-slicks too. It’s a proven spec sheet; the 20 Year edition lapped the Nordschleife four seconds faster than the standard Golf R, and two seconds faster than the GTI Clubsport S – despite having two extra doors, back seats and a four-wheel drive system to haul around.

However, it wasn’t the performance upgrades that caught Reinhard’s eye. “All of my fun cars have been yellow – the Mk1 GTI, Mk2 ‘PostGolf’ and TT RS – so I was dreaming of getting a yellow Mk8 R, but Volkswagen only offered black, white and blue. Then my guy at Volkswagen told me there was a limited edition coming, just for me. The rarity makes it special and there’s a personal thing for me too. My first licence plate was RO-DO 333, so that number has an extra meaning in my life.”

Mk8 Golf R 333 Build number 3

Builds don’t come much earlier than this. Highlighted by the numbered plaque on the dashboard, you’re looking at the third off the line, and easily the first one to deviate from factory spec. The ScheinwarferFabrik (HeadlightFactory) tinted headlights match the black accents Volkswagen used as a contrast to the Lime Yellow paintwork, while the steering wheel offers similar colour co-ordination inside. It extends the carbon fibre dashboard inserts to sections of the rim and adds blue paddles to tie in with the OE stitching. The 333’s Nappa leather sports seats and 480-watt Harman-Kardon audio needed no further upgrades – so they haven’t been touched.

Generous factory spec is just as well, because the option list was as limited as the production run. Volkswagen stopped at offering customers a choice of road or track tyres, but boldly marketed the performance as being more than enough to keep customers satisfied. In fairness, 62mph in 4.6 seconds from standstill and an electronically limited 168mph would have put it among supercars back when the Mk4 R32 launched in 2002. However, Reinhard could see room for improvement.

“Because we had 40,000km [24,000 miles] of experience with the Mk8 R, this car was built to be more performance-focused,” he continues. “My plan was to make this the most modified 333 in the world but keep it looking like it came from the factory this way. Werk 2 means ‘Factory 2’ in German – we tune cars as much as we can, and improve them in every way, but visually we’ve only changed the details.”

Performance upgrades for the modified VW Golf R Mk8 333

Naturally, a lot of the hard work was channelled into the Golf’s powertrain. Reinhard added a full Revo Performance Pack, including a larger bore carbon fibre inlet, larger intercooler with uprated boost pipework and custom ECU software. On the outlet side, the HJS downpipe features a street legal catalytic converter, while the Akrapovič hardware has made way for a 90mm DTH Reaper exhaust system with a party trick. Its bypass valve allows some extra noise to be dialled in when he feels like it, then wound back down to avoid tinnitus during road trips.

That injection of additional power required upgrades elsewhere, too. There’s an extra radiator and uprated oil cooler tucked away out of sight in the carbon fibre-dripped bay, and the transmission isn’t factory spec either. Software changes are a tougher task on post-2022 Golf R DSG ‘boxes, as they can’t be flashed – a bump in the road requiring a new TVS Engineering mechatronics software with management to match. Optimised shift points aside, the upshot of that hard work is a launch control system, and sharper responses to manual gear changes.

Otherwise, the Golf doesn’t give much away. The front wings are subtly flared items from Muecke, perfectly following the original shutlines but reducing the risk of scrubbing while cornering aggressively, while all of the important hardware has been updated underneath.

Chassis modifications

KW Clubsport V4 coilovers, thicker H&R anti-roll bars and Racingline control arms offer a visually impactful reduction in ride height and – more importantly – plenty of adjustability for road and track use. Subtle changes to the bodywork are finished off with a set of Maxton side skirts, and a splitter to press the front tyres a little more firmly into the tarmac at speed. Oh yeah, and ceramic paint protection to keep the yellow vivid on road and track.

With 466hp and 600Nm (or almost twice the output of the Mk4 R32) Reinhard has been just as selective with what’s tucked under the arches. The Sparco Assetto Gara wheels measure an extra half an inch wider than the factory Estorils, but equipped with a stud conversion for easier trackside swapovers and are adorned with ‘333’ branded centre caps – both are details Volkswagen missed. They’ve been wrapped in Bridgestone track tyres, fitted with a pressure monitoring system for peace of mind and offer plenty of air flow over the RS4 brakes that are now caged in behind the spokes.

“The big brake kit was ‘stolen’ from my wife’s B8 Passat,” he laughs. “I wanted the best performance from factory brakes that would fit under 19-inch wheels and the 10-pot, 420mm setup from a B9 RS4 is perfect for that. It isn’t quite plug-and-play, I had to build spacers between the hub and disc to make them fit, but they work well.”

This modified VW Golf R Mk8 is no trailer queen!

He’s had plenty of opportunity to find out first hand. Not content with re-working a low-volume rarity, Reinhard has spent the months since tasking that carefully planned spec with some long-haul road trips. The Golf crossed Germany, France and the UK to visit Caffeine & Machine, dropping in on Edition 38 Reloaded and even manging a few laps at Silverstone’s National Circuit during Gassed on Track. That’s almost 3,000km (1,800 miles) in four days, fault free and under its own steam. Not a bad spread of talents for a single car.

“The best place to enjoy the Golf is in the corners and going up and down the Alps close to where we are – it can drift out of every roundabout exit if you switch ESC off,” he tells us. “Everything works together perfectly. It’s calm and reliable for long road trips and can daily drive it and get over 40mpg, or I can go to a track day and show off what a ‘little Golf’ can do before calmly driving it home again.”

What’s next for the modified VW Golf R Mk8?

Of course, the ‘Endgenger’ still has more to offer. Having explored the potential of mostly bolt-on upgrades, Reinhard is – as you might expect – still curious about what the platform can deliver. The wishlist, so far, includes a TTE hybrid turbo and forged engine to break 555hp and 666Nm torque, and he admits he’d be tempted by five-pot Audi’s RS engine swap once he’s reached the limits of four cylinders. He clearly isn’t worried about making the purists break out in a cold sweat.

However, if it’s scarcity you’re looking for, you can’t get much rarer than a vividly hued Golf R with the thick side of 600hp on tap. Given that the Mk9 seems increasingly likely to swap internal combustion for battery power, the run-out of hot Mk8s could well be the last of a breed that includes some of the rarest models ever to wear the Volkswagen badge. This one is a hint of what might have been if Wolfsburg’s purse strings loosened a little further – a full-bore evolution of the everyday performance car concept that began with the Mk1 GTI almost 50 years ago. And if that doesn’t define a future classic, we’re not sure what will.

Words: Alex Grant. Photos: Ade Brannan.

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The post Modified VW Golf R Mk8 333 Edition appeared first on Fast Car.

The Ford engine back catalogue is filled with countless awesome motors capable of producing some serious power with not a whole lot of effort. The Cosworth engines are, without a doubt, the most highly regarded, in particular the legendary YB (which might as well stand for ‘Yeah Boost!’), and Ford’s own recent turbo offerings are capable of delivering some serious power themselves. So, if you’re hunting for horsepower for your Ford, you don’t have to go far from home. Tell that to Farooq Siddique, then…

Y’see, when Farooq wanted a serious powerplant for his Mk1 Focus project, he set his sights on the other side of the world, and now, nestling beneath the bonnet of this build, you will find none other than a Toyota 2JZ. Legendary though it may be, we can sense the tightening grip of fingers on paper as many of you furrow your brows in disapproval, but Farooq’s Focus delivers the goods, and it’s an awesome build that you can’t help but be impressed by.

Farooq’s car history

Just who is this man who brazenly brings together east and west in a ferocious fusion of power? Well, funnily enough, by day he works as a risk management consultant, so he should be well aware of the risks involved when swapping a Japanese motor into a Ford where the Blue Oval fandom is concerned. But then again, there’s a reason you’re reading about a Focus, and that’s because Farooq is himself a dyed-in-the-wool Ford fan.

“I’ve been into Fords since I was about 12, when we moved house and I saw my neighbour’s Series 1 Escort RS Turbo, and fell in love with it,” he grins, and he’s had a few Fords to his name. His first was an XR2i, a fine choice, and he’s also had a Fiesta 1.1 Popular converted to Fiesta turbo,  but this Focus is simply on another level.

Why a 2JZ swap in the Mk1 Focus?

“I wanted to build something a bit special and different, and the Focus shell is a good base for lots of different conversions. Plus, I had always liked the shape of the Focus, and they were getting rare,” reasons Farooq, so he went shopping. “The shell was found in good condition, sitting in someone’s garden, and was planned to be used for a project, but the person didn’t have time to start so they put it up for sale,” he explains. Immaculate shell in hand, the project could begin, but what exactly was Farooq cooking up?

“The original plan was to convert it to Cosworth 4×4, however, the prices of the engines started to shoot right up, and after doing some more research, I realised you need to spend lots of money to get big power as the engines are limited as stock,” he explains. “My friend purchased a Lexus GS300, which had an NA 2JZ – it was rear-wheel-drive, and I loved it. I then realised the 2JZ-GTE was a much better engine, and not badly priced,” and the rest is history.

2JZ engine mods

That engine is, without a doubt, the star of the show here, and it dominates the build. And as for the spec – oh boy, is this a serious piece of kit. The 3.0-litre straight-six 2JZ had its tall block fully stripped down and a host of fresh accessories fitted before it was treated to a custom exhaust manifold to accept the twin-scroll BorgWarner S362 SXE turbo. This has been mated to a Turbosmart 38mm external wastegate, and there’s a custom SMM 3” turbo-back exhaust system that delivers maximum flow, along with an awesome soundtrack.

A Bosch 044 motorsport fuel pump feeds Fuel Injector Clinic 775cc injectors via a Whifbitz fuel rail, while intake cooling is taken care of by a fat Mishimoto intercooler up front. The whole lot is overseen by an Ecumaster Black ECU with mapping by Dynatune, and the end result is over 625bhp at the crank and 598lb.ft of torque, which is a vast amount of both. That would be a lot in any car, but in a Mk1 Focus it’s totally wild, and this machine really is an absolute beast.

That much power needs a beefy ’box to get it to the ground safely, and Farooq is running a BMW GS6 53DZ six-speed manual, equipped with an Adamat custom adaptor kit rated to 1200Nm with a twin-plate clutch system. There’s a rear GS300 diff, which has been stripped and rebuilt, a CB helical racing LSD, and a custom propshaft.

2JZ Mk1 Focus chassis mods

Naturally, with so much power on tap, a seriously sorted chassis was the order of the day, and here Farooq has fitted HSD coilovers which deliver superb handling along with a purposeful drop. These are backed up by custom polybushes, camber-adjustable Hardrace front upper arms and rear lower arms, while the front and rear anti-roll bars have been polybushed, all of which combine to create one seriously sharp chassis setup. And, naturally, with over 600bhp to play with, you need stopping power that can match all that go – so this Focus has been fitted with Lexus LS400 front brakes and GS300 rears, along with a hydraulic handbrake.

Sitting over those brakes and filling the arches are a set of 18” Bola wheels with some very aggressive custom offsets that give this Focus a really mean stance. “I wanted some nice big wheels to fill the arches, and because of the Lexus running gear, the hubs allowed me to do this,” explains Farooq. “I wanted something that contrasted the Audi Ibis White paintwork, and these wheels were perfect. I’ve always been a fan of Bola wheels,” he adds, and it’s easy to see why, as these ones work so well here and suit the Focus perfectly.

Exterior modifications on the 2JZ Mk1 Focus

While this Focus definitely has presence, it doesn’t get all up in your face, and that’s just the way Farooq intended it. “I wanted to keep the car looking subtle from the outside, so I did a few mods such as Rieger bumper extensions with an additional Rieger splitter added. My favourite mod was the rear WRC spoiler with Mitsubishi Evo fins moulded into it,” he says with a smile. And then you’ve got the colour itself; “I always loved the Audi Ibis White colour, so the full car was painted. This was done by a friend at L & J Bodyshop; it was a full glass-out respray inside and out, and the shell was shot-blasted, then dipped and treated to Ford White primer before painting.”

The rest of the styling is all very subdued but combines to make all the difference. This Focus wears a Collection Edition front and rear bumper and sideskirts, a set of bonnet latches, and gloss black trims; it’s been de-badged and de-wipered at the rear. It also has custom front wings to accommodate the wider track, and custom-modified rear arches, along with a selection of other goodies. The monochrome exterior looks great, and everything that Farooq has done works together beautifully.

Interior modifications

Finally, we come to the interior, and there’s a seriously tasty selection of mods in here. “I wanted to keep it simple, so it’s got two OMP seats, and a false floor at the back was fitted with a sound system. I also wanted to keep the gloss black theme going from the outside into the inside,” he explains.

“My favourite mod inside was the flocked dash as the original Focus dash is a horrible grey plastic,” Farooq adds with a laugh, and the flocked finish makes the interior feel so much nicer. He’s also added an LDperformance DASH display with additional gauges, a black roof lining, and a snap-off steering wheel. The seats are paired with red OMP harnesses mounted to the custom SMM rear rollcage, and the finishing touches are the custom carpets and custom blue LEDs in the dash.

2J2 Mk1 Focus verdict

“It took four years to complete, on and off, with kids, weddings, house and jobs getting in the way, so I had to juggle everything,” says Farooq as we take in the build. Whichever way you cut it, this is an awesome machine, with monster power wrapped up in a subtle package, and that 2JZ is the star of the show.

“The big BorgWarner turbo is my favourite modification on the whole car – it spools up quickly and sounds amazing, especially the turbo flutter,” he grins, and you simply can’t go wrong with some serious boost. Impressive as this build is, Farooq does have one other rather major mod on his mind at the moment: “I’m looking to possibly change the gearbox to a seven-speed BMW DCT as there’s a company in the UK now selling the complete conversion kit,” he muses, and that would take this Focus is the next level. “But, apart from that, the plan is just to enjoy the car,” he adds, and the smile which accompanies that tells us he definitely does.

While we’re sure there are plenty of you reading this who would prefer that Farooq had kept things purely Ford under the bonnet, no-one can argue that the 2JZ is a monster of an engine, and here it’s resulted in one monster of a Focus.

Photos Ade Brannan

Love modified cars? Did you know we host a number of performance car shows across the year? Be sure to check out our Fast Car events page to see what’s coming up next. 

The post 2JZ Mk1 Focus With 625bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

Dropping a big engine into a small car has always been a great way to increase performance. From fitting the 1.6 CVH turbo into an XR2i to a Cosworth YB into a Mk1 Escort, countless conversions have taken place over the past 40-odd years. Which makes perfect sense: if you start with something larger and more powerful, then, generally speaking, it’s easier to make the car faster – especially if it’s turbo’d and you hit it with the tuning stick.

So, if someone suggested fitting a smaller engine to increase performance, you’d question their sanity, especially if it came from something two-wheeled… And Japanese.

But there’s more than one way to get your performance thrills, as Will Cairncross’s fizzing bike-engined Fiesta demonstrates.

How the bike-engined Fiesta plan came about

Will admits, “As with all my projects this was completely unplanned. Two years ago, my dad decided to build a Dutton Reef amphibious kit car, which uses a Mk7 Fiesta Zetec S as a donor and uses pretty much all of the Fiesta: interior, engine, suspension, the lot.

“There was a stripped shell in my workshop on a dolly. I’d been eyeing it up for weeks; my mind was ticking away every time I saw it.”

The motivation to go for it came when Will’s mate popped in: “Robin is a dab hand when it comes to building bikes, trikes, cars and pretty much anything else. He casually remarked we should build a bike-engined track car, and that was all the persuasion I needed.”

By the end of that week, Will had already ordered the S2000 bodykit from a company in Poland. It was on.

Will says, “The brains behind the build was Robin; he’s built so many things, it simply couldn’t have happened without him. While I can do most things relating to the build, I just simply wouldn’t have had the confidence and trust in myself to do it.”

Why use a bike engine on a Mk7 Fiesta?

But why a motorbike engine? “The main reason was to keep the weight down. The whole engine and gearbox setup we used only weighs 68kg. This build is all about the power-to-weight ratio,” Will explains.

He continues, “The price helps too. We were able to buy the complete engine, gearbox, and everything needed to run it for just a couple of grand.”

With the 180bhp Suzuki GSXR 1000cc engine being so small, physically dropping it into the Fiesta’s engine bay was a piece of cake – there’s plenty of room. The Suzuki engine is tiny compared with the typical Zetec or EcoBoost you’re expecting to find, so you get a great view of everything else, including the Gaz Gold suspension setup.

Will explains, “It sits in a fabricated cradle that bolts to the one-off subframe. It wasn’t particularly difficult to get it all to fit, but it’s all custom fabrication so was time-consuming to get right.”

“The cradle proved to be a Godsend not long ago when the engine blew up: we were  able to swap the engine in just four hours.”

Tuning the bike-engined Fiesta

The engine has been treated to a few upgrades to maximise performance, including a Dyno Dynamics Power Commander 5 and Auto Tune. Hardware upgrades include OBP header tank and oil catch can, a Facet Red Top Works fuel pump and a high-flow alloy radiator. But there’s more to come, as Will has already got his eye on a TTS Performance supercharger kit too.

Putting that power to the ground, Will made use of the GSXR’s gearbox, which is integral to the engine. This means the Fiesta already has a six-speed sequential gearbox built-in, and it sends power to an Elite Racing Transmissions MX200 rear end via a custom propshaft. All very clever stuff.

But it gets even cleverer. “The MX200 diff unit not only has a limited-slip differential, it also has a reverse gear too. That means the car has a little party trick: it has six forward gears, plus six reverse speeds too.”

Will’s not finished there. “I’m going to fit a new Healtech gear indicator to mount to the dash, as it’s the first sequential-gearbox car I’ve had, and I quickly lost track of what gear I was in at Pembrey the other week.”

Exterior modifications on the bike-engined Fiesta

When it came to the exterior, Will wanted something that would suit the aggressive track focus of the Fiesta: “It was always going to take on the look of a rally car; in my view there are no better-looking cars than those from the WRC, from almost any era. Initially I was hoping for an R5 kit but the cost difference between that and the S2000 seemed too much to justify, so that was that.

“On the upside I do actually prefer the look of the front end of the S2000 cars.”

It certainly looks the part, finished in Frozen White, but that wasn’t the original plan.

Will says, “It was always going to have a full livery wrap, either a nod to a real car or something bespoke to promote my business.

“But once the car was painted and the matt black details started going on I swayed right around to leave it in the clean Frozen White.” With carbon headlight blanks and a set of tasty OZ WRC wheels, it looks ready to attack a special stage – or in this case, Castle Combe race circuit.

Interior modifications

Inside, there are no concessions to comfort or style. Everything has been fitted to save weight and make it as safe as possible. An OMP multi-point roll cage has been welded into place and provides ample protection, as well as adding rigidity to the shell.

It took some work, though, as Will explains, “I never want to get involved in painting the inside of a fully-caged car again. I’m not sure my back has fully recovered, even now.”

Having started off with a bare shell there was no need to remove anything, so Robin and Will could get on with the job in hand, adding only the bits they needed – including carbon fibre seats, TRS Magnum harnesses, and OMP Targa 330mm steering wheel.

Behind the wheel sits an AIM Solo 2 GPS speedometer and lap timer, fitted into a custom carbon housing. Beneath the wheel there’s an OBP pedal box – a work of art in itself. Open the tailgate and there’s a neat box, which contains the fuel cell – again, all really well thought-out and perfectly executed.

Bike-engined Fiesta Mk7 verdict

So what’s it like to drive this 790kg, 180bhp Fiesta in anger?  Well, with a power-to-weight ratio of around 230bhp-per-tonne, it’s about the same as the S2000 rally car this car shares its bodykit with.

Will says, “The driving sensation is massively heightened by the rawness of the car. The lack of driver aids, the noise, the heat in the cabin, the rattles and bangs make it feel super exciting. Certainly, the closest thing to a race or rally car I’ll ever be behind the wheel of.

“It won’t be the fastest top-speed car at the track, but it gets there quick and can carry it through the corners, which makes for fun.”

But that’s not the end of the story. As we mentioned earlier, Will has plans to fit a supercharger kit to the GSXR motor, which will give this Fiesta something like 350bhp-per-tonne – and that’s like a full-blown WRC Fiesta. We can’t wait to see (and hear) when the ‘charger is finally fitted.

“Anyway, I get to pay Robin back now by fitting the bodykit and painting his build – yep, there is another one of these on the go.”

Words and photos: Davy Lewis

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The post Bike-engined Fiesta With Rally-Inspired Styling appeared first on Fast Car.

In today’s crossover-obsessed world, it’s easy to forget just how ubiquitous coupes were 30 years ago, not to mention how good buyers had it at the time. Back in the early 90s, most manufacturers offered a more style-focused alternative to their usual family-movers, usually with a couple of extra cylinders or forced induction thrown into the mix, and Audi was no different. The S2 Coupe was a leftfield option, but, with 230hp, four-wheel drive and a 154mph top speed, it’s aged well in the performance stakes – and Charlie Williams’ has aged better still.

“I’ve never felt this way about a project,” he tells us, smiling. “These early 90s cars are a great balance between feeling old school, while still being reliable and fun to drive. It’s making 374bhp and 402lb/ft, so it’s quicker than most things on the road, but it’s got that classic turbo lag where you get nothing until about 3,500rpm then you hear it spooling and the power wallops you in one go. It always puts a smile on my face.”

Charlie’s car history

The last few years could have shaped up very differently if he’d followed Plan A. A self-confessed Audi fan, Charlie grew up around German cars and took only a brief detour into French metal before following in his parents’ footsteps. He’s had a broad enough selection of Ingolstadt’s products in the meantime to know when he’s onto a good thing. The S2 keeps his daily-driven A6 company, and filled the gap left by his previous project – a low-slung 50 (think Mk1 Polo) which hadn’t quite hit the mark as an ownership experience.

“The turning point was going up to Birmingham to look at another 70s car, an Audi 100 Coupe S,” he continues. “The 50 was pretty but it was a dog to drive, and the Coupe was the same, so I started looking for something newer. In my mind, I was looking at something from the Mk3 Golf era, but it had to be an Audi. There was this guy called Rich Colvill with a red S2 on Inspiri wheels, and I remember thinking that was the coolest thing ever. So I did a rough search on eBay on the way home from Birmingham, and this one came up in Brighton the next day.”

Buying the Audi S2

Timing wise, he couldn’t have been luckier. The previous owner had bought it to keep himself entertained while his two Porsche 964s were off the road for paint, and it was priced comfortably below the market value. He’d rejected three cash offers above the asking price by the time Charlie (who’d got in first) arrived to take it for a test drive, and it was too good a deal to pass up. Within 48 hours of deciding against a 1970s project car, Charlie was heading back to Kent with something much newer – and much faster too.

He tells us: “It was completely standard and in good shape, but it turned out it had a few big boost leaks so it was down on power. I didn’t realise until I took it to VRS in Northampton for a remap a couple of weeks after I’d bought it – I was used to 60bhp in the 50, so it felt really nippy to me. They went through everything, swapped out all of the perished hoses and got it running nicely. That was good enough, for a while.”

Chassis modifications on the Audi S2

Of course, reviving the straight-line performance highlighted a few decades of bagginess in the chassis. Instead of pushing further, Will at VRS advised a full under-body overhaul to restore the Coupe’s factory agility, and Charlie admits getting carried away. Everything underneath has been re-painted fitted with new bolts, all of the bushes and driveshafts are new, and the Coolerworx short shifter helps give the six-speed close-ratio ‘box some 2020s precision.

“This is the first car I’ve really done the right way,” he continues. “I’d already put BC Racing coilovers on it by the time it went back to VRS, but it came back feeling like a new car – really tight, responsive and well planted too. I bought the BCs because I was on a budget, but they’ve really exploded since and that popularity is well deserved. They aren’t crashy, the adjustability is good and it’s great to drive. They’ve been amazing.”

Will wasn’t done with it yet. Audi spent the late 80s and early 90s pushing the limits of its turbocharged inline-five, setting records at Pikes Peak, knocking American V8s down a peg or two with the 90 quattro IMSA GTO, and laying the foundations of today’s performance line-up. The S2 Coupe was the first S-badged Audi, while the S2 Avant was the basis of the RS2 – the first RS model. Not a bad place to start if you’re looking for more power.

Audi performance upgrades for the modified S2

Most of the upgrades have an Audi part number. The turbo, manifold and injectors are bolt-on parts lifted from the RS2, while the individual coil packs are from a later TFSI engine – and are cheaper as a set than the S2’s are individually. They’re paired with a Wagner Tuning front-mount intercooler and custom exhaust system built by Dave Phillipson at Overkill Performance, which has a party piece. At the flick of a switch, the S2 bypasses two loops through a large backbox and signals its arrival with an unsilenced five-cylinder howl.

“I grew up in the Halfords era so I always wanted a loud, quick car but it never really happened – I had to scratch that itch,” Charlie laughs. “The trouble is, I live on a street where the average age is about 60 so I had to be able to quieten this thing down. If you open it up while it’s on boost it’s the most disgustingly rowdy thing ever, but the backbox completely knocks the sound down.”

Exterior changes on the modified Audi S2

He’d been luckier with the bodywork. The modified Audi S2 had survived a quarter century of wet British weather without any rot, but lacquer peel and masking lines on the rear panels were telltale signs of below-par paintwork at some point. It couldn’t go untouched.

Naturally, this was an opportunity to think about other additions, and there are more of them than you might notice at first. The grille and Porsche-like teardrop mirrors are from an RS2, the front lip is from an Audi 80 Quattro Competition (a rare homologation special saloon for Germany’s Super Tourenwagen Cup series) while subtle colour-coding helps modernise the coupe’s styling without losing its 90s charm. Audi didn’t scream about the S2’s Cosworth-baiting performance – and that’s still the case here. At least on the outside.

“The stock seats are quite high, and I’m six-foot-four. I fitted Recaro Pole Positions first, as the interior was black leather, and swapped out the ugly four-spoke airbag steering wheel for the earlier three-spoke one wrapped in alcantara with a white centreline to match the dials. Then German eBay happened,” shrugs Charlie, opening the driver’s side door.

Recaro seats for the interior

“I was on holiday with family, looking through German small ads, and I found two sets of Recaro A8s in Germany for a good price. These had been in a show car, so they were already trimmed in a grey suede-type fabric with deep purple shells. I got back from holiday on Wednesday and drove out to get them on Friday. It ended up costing £300 in Covid tests for me and my mate to spend 12 hours in Germany.”

These weren’t the easy win they appeared to be. Their previous owner had embossed Porsche ‘Turbo’ script into one of the panels and, despite the best efforts of Lee at L Drake Auto Trim, it was impossible to match. Unwilling to compromise, the job snowballed into a full rebuild with larger shoulder bolsters, alcantara trim and retro Recaro badges to finish them off, while Charlie painted the shells a more OEM-style satin black. They’re matched to the door cards and rear bench, while black alcantara has replaced the sagging headliner and aged boot trims. It’s modern, but sympathetically so.

“Lee specialises in E-Types and DB5s – proper coachwork interiors with scratch-made door panels and that sort of thing – and he’s done an absolutely beautiful job,” he continues. “Because he’s local we go to shows together, and he’s noticed there’s a crease in the driver’s seat where I sit. He’s told me to bring it back so they can be steamed out for this year. It’s nice to see someone take care of their work like that afterwards as well.”

Finer details

Interior work included filling in some gaps that appeared with recent additions. The Coolerworx shifter had left an open hole down to one of the heat shields under the car – almost enough to warm the cabin without using the heaters. Fed up of stuffing microfibres into the void, Charlie found someone on the S2 forum to make a thick plate for the centre console to block it out. It’s a neat solution – the shifter is slotted through a CV joint on the other side, and the visible part is trimmed to match the seats.

Modified Audi S2 wheels

The finishing touch was (as is often the case) a tricky element to get right. With a track-ready style in mind, the S2 spent a while shod with a tough-looking set of Rotiform SIX aftermarket wheels, matched to the track-ready Pole Position seats it had at the time, but Charlie couldn’t find the right size tyre to get the stance right. The O-Z Futuras were imported from Rimart in Poland as 17s and had their first outing wrapped in semi-slicks, but he still wasn’t convinced by the fitment.

Version two is a one-off. Fully rebuilt by Elie at Voodoo Motorsport, the wheels measure up at 18×8.5 inches using an SSR step up kit, with brushed and clear-coated lips for simple cleaning at shows and grey centres as a nod to the interior. Michelin Pilot Sport 4s and four-pot Porsche brakes – something else this car has in common with the RS2 – not only look the part, but they’re working hard with almost 400hp on tap.

“So often, when you step up a set of wheels, the centre looks very small and you get this salad bowl effect, which I didn’t want. I wanted to face-mount the wheel so the centres looked bigger, and that was a challenge because the Futuras are flat-backed – so the locator that goes between the lip and barrel is on the front,” he explains.

“Elie over-drilled seven of the bolts and pushed a dowel in to lock the face with the lip, then you bolt through that. The dowel is smaller than the head of the bolt so you can’t see it. Nobody has done it before, but they’ve been perfect.”

What’s next for the modified Audi S2?

But has the car as a whole reached that point? With a wedding on the horizon, you could forgive plans being on hold, but there’s still room to build on good foundations. Charlie already has a set of Rotiform VCEs waiting in the wings, once he’s figured out a chunkier tyre setup, and he’s weighing up air ride so he can raise it a little for driving. None of that is going to get in the way of enjoying it as Audi intended, though.

“It’s still quite subtle, but I’m not into loud cars so it won’t change much. I’ll probably change the turbo at some point, so that it responds a bit quicker and it’s more driveable, but that’ll mean new exhaust manifolds, modifications to the exhaust and a standalone, and I’ll have to open the block to put rods in. That’s a big job, so it can wait a while,” he says.

“Anyway, I don’t want to do things too quickly, or I’ll get bored of the power. I’d rather take my time and get more life out of the car, but I’m adamant that it isn’t going anywhere – I made absolutely the right choice.”

Verdict

In an early-90s market saturated with coupes, so did whoever specced this leftfield option 30 years ago. Understated visually but aggressive when provoked, the S2 Coupe’s appeal hasn’t softened in the meantime – and Charlie’s done a flawless job of bringing it up to 2020s spec. Just like that first owner, we’d say he’s got it pretty good.

Words: Alex Grant. Photos: Joe Austin.

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The post Modified Audi S2 Goes OEM+ appeared first on Fast Car.

It’s hard to believe that, up until what feels like a few years ago (even though it was probably much longer ago than that…), the E36 was very much the unloved 3 Series. When it was launched, the E36 was not met with the universal acclaim of its predecessor, with some cost-cutting measures evident, and early buyers coming over from their E30s were disappointed.

The LCI model tackled a lot of problems on the early cars, but time proved that the E36 was not built to the same standard as the beloved E30 and the E36s soon became the cheapest BMWs you could buy. Even the the E36 M3 became unloved – when it was launched, it was criticised for being too soft and lacking the hardcore nature of the legendary E30 M3, and, for quite some time, it failed to find fans, and prices were rock bottom.

Damon’s car history

Fast forward to now, and the E36 is now becoming a much-loved modern classic, while the E36 M3 is a rapidly appreciating M icon that has found a firm fanbase, and Damon Mehr (@slowm3hr) is a fully paid-up member. But, then again, he’s something of an M addict in general and as big of a car enthusiast as they come, and they are both his passion and profession.

“I run a performance shop as well as an auto boutique (@mehrwerks),” Damon tells us, and BMWs hold a special place in his heart. “I’ve been interested in BMWs since the first time I saw a Laguna Seca Blue E46 M3 when I was around 12 years old. They’re special to me because this is the car brand that got me into this passion and hobby,” he grins. “My first BMW was my first car, and I specifically bought that model only because it had two exhaust tips! I had no other information on the car,” he laughs, but the car in question was a 335i, so it was a fine introduction to the marque. His current Bavarian collection is enough to make any BM fan’s heart race, with no fewer than four M3s to his name – two E46s, an E90, and the E36 we’re featuring here.

Buying the E36 M3

“I decided to buy my E36 M3 because it was the only M3 I hadn’t previously had. It had a very big market for parts and modifications and was a great way to show off my shop’s services,” Damon explains. “I actually found the car in a back parking lot of a random side street, rotting away.

The car had no interior, bad paint, and no drivetrain,” which makes it sound like a nightmare purchase for just about anyone else, but for Damon, it was the perfect blank canvas. “Before I even bought the car, I knew exactly the route I wanted to go with it at the time, and it only took two months from the day I got the car to get it to how it sits now,” he smiles. That is impressive, but then again, at the tender age of 23, Damon has already owned over 100 cars, including everything from M3s to Corvettes, Evos and now a GT3, and he’s modified most of them, so this is most definitely not his first rodeo.

Transforming the E36 M3

With Damon now the owner of an E36 M3 shell, there was a lot of work to do to transform this into a fully functional car and a rolling demo for what his shop is capable of, so he wasted no time and got stuck in straight away. “The first thing I did when I got the car was look for the bare motor block. From then, I sent that out to the machine shop and started ordering all the supporting mods for the build,” he explains, and it seems fitting that we start with the engine because it is an absolute monster.

Turbocharged E36 M3 build

Pop the bonnet on Damon’s E36 M3, and you will be greeted by a very clean shaved bay and the sight of a very large turbo mounted to the side of the S52, and it’s making some very large numbers, indeed. The engine itself is a fully built S52 with Wiseco pistons and Pauter rods, with a built and ported head with aggressive cams, dual valve springs and oversized valves, along with a custom in-house turbo kit, plus an upgraded fuel system running double pumps and 2100cc injectors, all topped off with a standalone ECU setup, also tuned in-house.

The end result is an absolutely monstrous 840whp and 811lb ft wtq, which means this M3 is knocking on the door of 1000hp; that is just insane, and definitely a great way of showcasing just what Damon’s shop is capable of. Power is sent to the wheels via the standard ZF five-speed gearbox with an IRP shifter on top and a DKM twin-disc clutch to handle those massive outputs.

Turbocharged E36 M3 chassis modifications

The chassis has received some enhancements to help the car deploy all that power and allow Damon to make the most of everything it has to offer. “The car was sitting on air suspension for the longest time for some car shows, but I immediately regretted my choice due to the ride quality,” Damon laments. “I then upgraded to AST coilovers, and the only other chassis modifications I did was the front and rear subframe reinforcements to ensure no failure with the excess power,” he explains, and these are joined by Turner control arms and poly bushes throughout.

Those ASTs deliver a purposeful drop and get the car sitting perfectly over Damon’s superb choice of aftermarket wheels for this build. “At the time, all my other cars were running the same Volk Racing TE37s, so I had to match them. I definitely had some other wheel ideas, but the deal came up and I had to take it,” he grins, and we don’t blame him at all. The 18” TE37s look fantastic on this E36, and the square setup has them filling the arches to perfection.

Exterior styling on the turbocharged E36 M3

Considering how much of a beast this build is, you really wouldn’t know it to look at it, and, as far as M3s go, this one is pretty subtle. “I really just wanted a minimalistic look to the car with the aggression being under the hood,” Damon reasons. “I did all the paint and exterior work myself, and it took less than a month,” he adds, which is especially impressive when you consider just how bad the car was when he bought it. Damon opted for Mugello Red when painting the car, and it looks fantastic in that shade. It wears just a few styling enhancements, namely a carbon front lip and side blades, which contrast perfectly against the bold red bodywork and add just that little extra hint of aggression to proceedings.

Interior mods

“For the interior, I wanted to do a racecar yet luxury approach,” Damon explains, “which is why I went with the leather Pole Positions and full carpet, instead of it being fully gutted,” and it’s a killer combo. The single-piece Recaro bucket seats are joined by a set of red OMP harnesses mounted to the Studio RSR cage fitted in the rear. Then you’ve got the Renown steering wheel, the AEM gauges for AFR and oil pressure, and the finishing touch is the pair of red door pulls, all of which combines to deliver the perfect blend of hardcore racecar vibes with everyday comfort.

What’s next for the turbocharged E36 M3?

As impressive as this whole build is, and an 840whp turbo M3 is always going to be impressive, it’s the fact that it took Damon just two months to put this car together from scratch that really blows us away, especially when you consider he started from little more than a bare shell, and that he shaved the bay and did all the paintwork on the whole car himself. And while there is a lot to love about this build, it’s the engine that is, without a doubt, the star of the show, as well as Damon’s favourite part of the whole project. “It completely transformed the car into something relatively undriveable,” he chuckles, and we can only imagine how much of a handful this monster M3 is.

But for not much longer. The modding mind never rests, and Damon is currently busy working on the M3 once more; “I am actually currently in the middle of swapping the drivetrain once again, this time to an E46 M3 S54 engine and six-speed transmission,” he tells us. That might be a step down in terms of power, but it will make this M3 drive very differently, giving Damon a whole new experience, as well as once again showcasing the talents of his shop. This 3 Series has come a long way from when Damon first got his hands on it, and it’s now an epic E36 that really shows off this generation at its very best, and when you see a stunning example such as this, it’s easy to see why the once unloved 3 Series is now a firm fan favourite.

Love modified German cars? Don’t forget, we’re hosting our German Car Festival event at Goodwood Motor Circuit this October 5^th!

Photography: Karmen Trebolo (@kncapturescars).

The post Turbocharged E36 M3 With 840whp! appeared first on Fast Car.

Inspired by Ford’s all-wheel-drive WRC Fiesta, Terry Hough had a vision to build a fully kitted-out replica ripe for a rally stage. But during the build his rallying plans were ditched and the project took a different direction – resulting in a 420bhp Mitsubishi Evo-powered stock-looking road-going Mk7 Fiesta. Needless to say, it creates quite a stir…

We first saw Terry’s crazy Fiesta at a very busy Oval Owners’ club meet; as it cruised into the car park at a sedate pace, people barely paid any attention to the TDCi-badged Mk7 – and that’s the whole point of this car. As sleepers go, this Fiesta must be one of the most discreet and unsuspecting examples we’ve ever seen.

But once the bonnet was opened, a crowd quickly formed. And, of course, his exit that day wasn’t quite so pedestrian – as the innocent-looking Fiesta fired off into the distance, a few wry smiles appeared.

Terry’s car history

Terry has always been a fan of fast cars, and for the last 20 years there’s been no shortage of them in his possession.  He says, “I’ve always liked my Fords, and had all sorts from XR2s and XR2is right up to an Escort Cosworth and a Sierra RS500 Cosworth. I also built a 300bhp Corsa GSi with a C20LET engine.”

Currently, a 700bhp Evo 8 MR and an RWD Sapphire Cosworth reside in the garage along with his Fiesta.

As we know, it’s not wise to unleash the full potential of such powerful machines on our roads. So, Terry, who happens to be quite talented behind the wheel, decided to take up rallying. He says, “I drove a Sapphire Cosworth and a Mitsubishi Evo 7, and both were great fun on stage rallies.”  It was around this time that Terry was offered an accident-damaged Evo and spotted a niche in the market.  He says, “At first the owner was planning to repair it, but it wouldn’t have been cost-effective. I offered to buy the car instead and broke it for parts.”

Having made a tidy profit, more damaged Evos arrived, and the parts continued to sell – at a time before investors took an interest in such cars and prices were still affordable.

Plan to build an Evo-powered Mk7 Fiesta

Seemingly content with his brace of rapid cars from two different marques and a lucrative side-business selling parts, it was while watching the WRC that Terry came up with an ambitious plan.

He recalls, “I was impressed by the new ford Fiesta WRC and had the idea to build something similar myself using an Evo-based platform. The difference was, it would have to be done on a much tighter budget.”

Armed with an array of Evo parts in his unit and knowing a donor Fiesta wouldn’t be too hard to obtain, a plan was hatched to marry up the Ford’s bodyshell with the Mitsubishi running gear.

Terry remembers, “As I was on a limited budget, I had no intentions of splashing out on a brand-new ST or anything like that. I managed to source a lightly-damaged Fiesta Zetec S TDCi, which I soon repaired.”

As the project progressed, Terry’s initial plans changed, though it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

He continues, “I priced up a Fiesta WRC bodykit and roll cage and they were out of reach. Coupled with the ever-changing rules in rallying, which meant I might never be able to compete in the car, even if I did build it, I had to look at an alternative plan of attack.”

Terry’s solution was to continue his ambitious project, but with a focus towards track days, hill climbs and upsetting owners of far more exotic cars on the road.

Evo VI RS donor car

When it came to choosing the Mitsubishi running gear, Terry’s wealth of experience meant he could select the best on offer from the vast Evo stable.

“I bought a complete Evo IV RS, as I knew certain parts were stronger and able to cope easily with big power upgrades. I didn’t fancy the idea of replacing major components every month,” he explains.

Just like any other project of this scale, careful measuring was necessary to ensure the Fiesta shell could be positioned correctly around the Evo’s chassis and running gear. The Evo IV’s narrower dimensions compared to its successors meant the driveshafts, suspension and arms would fit neatly under the Fiesta’s arches.

Meanwhile, the floor, inner wings and front and rear turrets all required time-consuming adaptation and fabrication to fit the Mk7’s measurements to ensure the exterior remained unsuspectingly standard.

Terry explains, “I had to unpick and cut down the Evo floorpan and turrets so I could use the Evo’s suspension setup. All of the spot welds on both cars had to be drilled out individually, which took ages.”

Custom fabrication on the Evo-powered Mk7 Fiesta

Although some of the Evo’s chassis could be carried over to the Fiesta, Terry fabricated the current front slam panel and boot floor. “I wanted to use the Evo’s radiator and intercooler, which required a custom panel to be made,” he explains.

Meanwhile, the smaller dimensions of the Fiesta boot required a custom floor into which the diff and suspension turrets could be mounted. The coilover suspension and AP six-pot front and four-pot rear disc brakes all originate from the Mitsubishi Evo stable and, combined with those relatively discreet but attractive 17in Speedline alloys, you’d be hard-pressed to notice any major differences from a standard Fiesta. As we said, the amount of fabrication work involved under the skin to achieve this is unreal.

Using the donor Evo RS meant the bulletproof front and rear diffs and close-ratio five-speed gearbox were able to handle the power of pretty much any engine Terry chose.

He smiles, “I opted for an Evo IX MIVEC engine with a Turbo Technics 5209 turbo upgrade. The ECU has since been remapped and runs 360bhp in standard form but is switchable up to 420bhp on high boost.”

Handily, the remainder of the Evo IX’s ancillaries, including the cooling system, could all be rehoused in the Fiesta’s shell, while there’s now a Walbro fuel pump in place along with a custom stainless 3.5in exhaust system.

Terry adds, “The hardest part while installing the engine was sorting the wiring loom. I had to cut and shorten the Evo’s loom and splice it into the Fiesta’s to ensure everything worked – that all proved to be a painstaking task.”

Evo-powered Mk7 Fiesta Interior

One aspect you may have expected Terry to change was the interior – fitting bucket seats would have been a walk in the park compared to the rest of the build. Yet, open the door and almost the entire interior remains just as Ford intended, right down to the standard Zetec S upholstery.

“I had to adapt the Evo clocks to fit inside the Fiesta’s binnacle and also fitted a boost gauge in the driver’s-side air vent,” Terry points out. “I’d put so much effort into keeping the exterior standard, I felt I had to do the same when it came to the interior.”

The whole project took just 18 months to complete, and when you consider how much work was involved, that’s incredible.

Evo-powered Mk7 Fiesta passenger ride

We were lucky enough to be treated to a passenger ride in this bonkers Fiesta on the day of our shoot and although we expected this car to be rapid, we were still in for a shock. Maybe it’s the standard interior and especially those familiar Zetec S spec seats that added to the wild and certainly memorable experience, but once Terry planted the throttle, the car that had been previously half-a-mile-or-so ahead was now right in front of us within the blink of an eye.

Coupled with the Evo’s 4×4 system and AP Racing brakes, it handles well too: roundabouts and bends are dispatched in deceptively quick succession, even in the wet. We’d go as far as saying this is one of the quickest road-legal Fiestas we’ve come across, and with a 0-to-60mph sprint in just 3.5 seconds, that’s hardly surprising.

Verdict

Terry happily admits he changes his cars regularly, but he says this Fiesta will be staying with him for a long time yet. There are plans to extract even more power once the engine is forged, and with supporting upgrades added, this Fiesta should see an impressive 600bhp. There’s talk of entering more hillclimbs and track days too.

Yet this car comes into its own on the road where the grin factor is massive, and the majority of the public are clueless as to what lurks under the skin.

Terry says, “Even people who’ve noticed the 4×4 system are expecting to see a Cosworth engine, not a Mitsubishi conversion.”

This may not be a car for the purists, but if you happen to be an open-minded fan of a usable well-built sleeper, Terry’s ambitious creation surely ticks all the boxes.

Words & Photos: Jon Cass.

If you love fast Fords then you won’t want to miss our blockbuster Ford Fest event at Mallory Park this September 22^nd! Head to the event website here to get in on the action!

The post Evo-powered Mk7 Fiesta Sleeper With 400bhp & 4WD appeared first on Fast Car.

Pickup trucks, for the most part, are bought to be kicked about a bit and abused. They’re rugged, utilitarian things, acquired to achieve a purpose, so they seldom get cherished and pampered in their early years. It’s not uncommon to see a five-year-old Amarok or D-Max looking distinctly knackered. They get loaded up with gear, bounced over muddy fields or rubbly building sites, strewn with crisps and coffee, then dumped on the site, ready to do it all over again tomorrow. No-one’s out there with the microfibre cloths making them all pretty.

American pickup truck scene

These things always come back around, however. Look at the custom Americana scene. Pickup trucks are an ingrained staple of American life, and there’s a reason why so many 1950s and ’60s pickup trucks wear such dramatic and timeworn patina these days. The very purpose of these vehicles was to be functional rather than overtly desirable; sure, manufacturers put effort into giving them alluring design features to elevate them above their market rivals, but General Motors’ marketing department in the 1950s would no doubt have been a little surprised if they’d learned that these sturdy workhorses would become desirable collector vehicles half-a-century or so hence.

Just picture the scene: after a decade or two of hard work on the farm or delivering groceries in small-town America, a truck finds itself parked up in a rural field, its shiny new replacement taking its place in day-to-day life. The gentle chirrup of crickets as the milky orange sun peeps over the horizon. The delicate beads of dew on the rushes, mirroring those collecting on the grand haunches of gently weathering steel. Time creaks along. Slowly, inexorably, the sun warms away the moisture and sets about baking the abandoned hulk, as bored dogs and dispassionate rodents amble past. The sun goes down. The crickets resume their staccato symphony. The cycle starts anew. This is how patina is earned, base materials slowly but surely returning themselves back to the elements from whence they came.

But sometimes, just sometimes, there’s another way. And Jamie Price is here to show how beaten and well-used trucks can be given a fresh lease of life in a modern context.

Jamie’s car history

See the vivid orange Raptor here? It didn’t start life as a Raptor. When Jamie bought it back when it was nearly new, it was a perfectly respectable 2016 Wildtrak with a 3.2-litre Duratorq derv under the bonnet. “I’m a builder, and the Ranger was bought to be my daily driver,” he explains. “When the engine unexpectedly let go at 40,000 miles, and Ford were asking £10,000 for a replacement, I decided to do something a bit different…”

Now, in order to contextualise Jamie’s own personal interpretation of the concept of ‘a bit different’, it’s important to rewind back a few years or so and see just what makes him tick, automotively-speaking. “I’ve always been very much into modded cars, I’ve been a speed freak all my life,” he explains. “Right now I also own a 900bhp Mk4 Toyota Supra and a 400bhp 3-door Sierra RS Cosworth (see that Cosworth feature here). In the past I’ve had many Cosworths, including three 3-doors and a Saff, as well as a few Nissan GT-Rs – one R35 at 1,400bhp… and there was a 1,300bhp Mk4 Supra, both of those were magazine cover cars. I’ve had lots of fast motorbikes too, including a 507rwhp turbo Hayabusa, a supercharged Kawasaki H2, turbo GSX-R1000; I’ve had over fifty cars and sixty motorbikes so far, and I still have a few bikes.”

So hopefully all of that goes some way to explain what happened next.

3UZ V8 engine swap in modified Ford Ranger

When Ford suggested Jamie pay £10k for a replacement diesel motor, Jamie politely suggested that they might like to fornicate away while he formulated another plan. Few might have guessed what would happen next but the solution was to buy an old Lexus saloon and hoik the motor out of that. The car in question in this instance was a 2001 LS430, and the motor in that is a little bit special: a 4.3-litre petrol V8, it boasts such pleasing specs as 32-valves and quad cams, with VVT-i, all wrapped up in aluminium heads and an aluminium block. Straight out of the box it offers 300bhp and 325lb.ft, and of course there’s oodles of potential for more – as Jamie was soon to discover.

“I bought a stock LS430 and, with the help of Joel at Ignite Automotive, pulled the engine out,” he says. “It fitted in my truck lovely, it was like it was made for the job! Some of the wiring was tiresome to sort, but Joel got there in the end and it all works as it should.” The engine remains stock internally, and was treated to a 3” exhaust system and a custom intake; it’s overseen by a Syvecs S7-Plus ECU, which was fitted and mapped by Mike at SRD Tuning, and now the Ranger boasts an impressive 350bhp. A much more Jamie-like figure. (And he’s not done either – don’t be surprised if a couple of turbos appear over the winter.)

Modified Ford Ranger gets Raptor widebody kit

With enthusiasm for the modified Ford Ranger renewed after this sizeable infusion of power, Jamie didn’t want to leave the job half-done. Daily miles can leave their natural knockabout patina, it’s the pickup truck way, but he was feeling really rather affectionate towards the old workhorse by this point. And so the makeover began. A full, genuine Ranger Raptor wide-body kit was fitted, which included a complete rear tub change along with new front wings and new front and rear bumpers. The 9×17” Motegi wheels wear chunky apocalypse-proof Grabber tyres, and the aggressive suspension lift comes courtesy of Pedders coilovers. With all of that extra grunt, he saw fit to upgrade the braking system as well, so now the business end wears colossal K-Sport 8-pots. It all adds up to a formidable and brutal machine.

Modified Ford Ranger verdict

“Yes, it’s still my daily driver,” Jamie grins. “That’s what it was originally bought for, and that’s what it still does today. I’ve done around 15,000 miles now with the V8, and it’s been amazing; the general public seem to love it too, I get people coming up to me every day asking about the truck.”

There are a number of reasons for that. It might be the incredible and unexpected noises it makes. It might be its habit of travelling significantly faster than anybody’s expecting it to. Or it might just be that, in the rust-never-sleeps realm of the pickup truck, it’s surprising to see one that looks so utterly pristine. Sure, like all trucks, this one gets kicked about on a daily basis – but the difference here is that it’s done with affection. Built tough to be tough, but with a whole lot of heart inside.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

If you love modified Fords, then don’t miss out on our Ford Fest event this September 22^nd at Mallory Park. Head over to the event page here to purchase tickets.

The post Modified Ford Ranger Gets 3UZ V8 Swap & Raptor Kit appeared first on Fast Car.

When the F8x M3 and M4 models were launched, BMW’s first-ever turbocharged M car, the F10 M5, had already been on sale for a couple of years and showcased the incredible performance offered by turbo power. However, that doesn’t mean that the move to forced induction for the M3 (and newly launched M4 Coupé) was any less controversial, especially when the duo arrived with just 11hp more than the glorious V8 E9x M3 model that preceded them.

But any fears that this latest M incarnation might be in any way disappointing were quickly dispelled when people got to drive them and experienced the performance of the twin-turbo S55, along with the sharp chassis and everything else that makes M cars so great. And while it’s 10 years since the F8x duo was launched, they remain awesome cars, especially with the vast amount of performance upgrades available for them.

Australia’s Fastest S55-powered car

While there are countless modded F8x M cars out there, there are clearly defined levels to the performance upgrades that owners fit, and there’s a very big difference between one running downpipes and a map, for example, and a car like Ozzy Toks’ Yas Marina Blue M3.

This car is Australia’s fastest S55, and is, as far as Ozzy and the team at EuroWerke, the Euro servicing and tuning centre he owns and runs in Sydney, are aware, the second-fastest unopened S55 in the world, and has run a 9.74 quarter mile at 145mph. Not that you’d know to look at it – yes, it’s been lowered, had some carbon addition and a set of wheels added, but so have 99% of F80s out there. You’d never call an M3 a sleeper, but you’d certainly not expect quite that level of performance, and wrapping it in a sensible saloon body makes it all the sweeter.

Ozzy’s car history

You would, however, expect a build of this calibre from Ozzy – this is a man for whom BMWs are a lifelong passion, and he’s had Bavarian metal on his brain since he was a teenager. “The quality and fun when driving one makes them special,” he enthuses. “Whether it’s a 318i or an M5, they give you a unique experience,” and we all know he speaks the truth.

“My first BMW was an E36 318is. It was all I could afford at the time, and I loved the fact that it looked like an M3,” Ozzy tells us, and this was followed by many more BMWs and many modified BMWs. “The list would be too long if I tried to name them all. Let’s just say a lot,” he laughs.

Building the fastest tuned F80 M3 in Australia

We very much doubt this is Ozzy’s first M car, or his first M3, or his first modified M3, and he went into this F80 with a plan. “I bought this car to promote our shop and show what we are capable of achieving,” he explains.

“We found it in Melbourne, and it was nearly new, it was only two years old. The plan was to make it the fastest F80 in the country,” Ozzy grins, and we know for a fact it was mission accomplished.

Engine modifications on the F80 M3

Of course, that is no small feat, and achieving that goal took some serious work. “Everything has been done to the motor other than opening it up. We fitted EU5 direct injectors, which flow more fuel, allowing us to run E85, a bm3 flex sensor, which allows us to run flex fuel, and an in-house low-pressure fuel pump upgrade, allowing more fuel flow to the HPFP.

We also fitted a Pure Turbos Stage 2+ turbo upgrade, which uses stock frame turbos that boost well beyond 3000hp without any issues, a Gintani crank hub, which is the only true crank hub fix, O-Spec downpipes which are full stainless steel and our own product, our own O-Spec forward-facing intakes, and an SSP Spec R DCT Clutch Upgrade Kit, which we need so we can launch at full torque at 5000rpm,” Ozzy grins.

That is a serious selection of performance mods which has resulted in some serious power. This F80 M3 is now pushing out a massive 789hp along with 811lb ft of torque, monstrous outputs that make it very easy to see just why this is Australia’s fastest S55 and how it’s capable of running nines.

Chassis upgrades on the tuned F80 M3

Of course, one does not simply give their M3 almost 800hp and call it a day, so the rest of the car has been upgraded to suit namely the chassis. “The car is running MSS height-adjustable springs, which keep the original shocks while still allowing height adjustment and a smooth ride, and Powerflex dual-mount diff bushes, which add that little bit more stability,” says Ozzy.

These are joined by front and rear SuperPro anti-roll bars and custom upgraded driveshafts from The Driveshaft Shop to help get all that power and torque to the tarmac. There’s also a line-lock kit on board, which allows Ozzy to lock the front brakes to light up the rear wheels at the drag strip for longer to get more heat into them.

Wheels

Speaking of wheels, this tuned F80 M3 is wearing a sexy set of those. In the photos, it’s running 20” AME Shallen VMX splits, but Ozzy’s changed them since the shoot, and it now sits on 19” HRE FF01 FlowForm wheels finished in Tarmac satin black and wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres. “They were on a friend’s car, they looked great, and I always liked them,” reasons Ozzy. “When they came up for sale, we swapped my original 666 wheels for his,” and you can see how aggressive the HREs look on the EuroWerke Insta.

Exterior modifications on the tuned F80 M3

As you can see from the photos, this M3 has been treated to some styling enhancements, but it’s all been kept quite subtle. “I wanted to keep the factory lines and look, but also a little bit more aggressive,” reasons Ozzy and that’s exactly what he’s got.

The M3 wears M Performance carbon fibre mirror covers, carbon fibre lower front splitters and gloss black kidney grilles, along with carbon upper front splitters and a carbon CS-style front lip. Carbon side blades sit beneath the sills, while at the rear you’ll find a CS-style boot lip spoiler and an extended rear diffuser. All this combines to give this M3 more presence and aggression, but all without going over the top, and these sexy carbon additions just serve to perfectly enhance the car’s looks.

Interior mods

Finally, we come to the cabin, and here Ozzy’s approach was to keep it all as close to factory as standard as possible, just making the cabin a nicer place to be without taking things too far. To that end, the interior has been treated to a healthy amount of carbon fibre, which instantly enhances the experience.

The M Performance catalogue has been raided for the carbon DCT gear selector and surround, handbrake handle, as well as floor mats, and then there’s the Alcantara steering wheel with carbon trim, which has since been further upgraded to a custom carbon and leather item complete with digital display and shift lights, and there are also carbon fibre shift paddle extenders. The finishing touches are the red steering wheel and start-stop buttons, as well as an upgraded iDrive screen with Apple CarPlay.

Tuned F80 M3 verdict

What you’re looking at here is nine years’ worth of work, and Ozzy has accomplished exactly what he set out to do, which was build a car that would show off what EuroWerke is capable of and a nine-second F80 M3 running a stock block is most definitely that. We love the combination of mods across the exterior and interior, and the whole package is just top-tier.

And as for Ozzy’s top mod, well you just knew it was going to be about the engine; “It’s the turbos – the sound and the way they come on boost is awesome,” he grins. At this point, the F80 M3 project is complete – Ozzy’s goal has been achieved, and he’s looking for the next build, with that most likely being a G8x M3 or M4 or a manual M2. Whatever Ozzy picks, looking at this tuned F80 M3, you know it’s going to be an awesome next-level performance machine that will, once again, really show off what he and his team are all about.

Photos: Aaron Lam.

Love modified BMWs? Don’t forget that we’re hosting our German Car Festival event at Goodwood Motor Circuit on October 5^th where you’ll get to see cars like this F80 M3 in person and on track. Head over to the German Car Festival event website for more information and tickets.

The post This 800hp Tuned F80 M3 Is Australia’s Fastest S55 Car appeared first on Fast Car.

Dean Hyndman is a true trailblazer of the Fast Ford scene. His way is not to follow the established path, or fall in line with the commonly accepted ‘right thing to do’, but to carve his own route. Now, on paper, it seems as if he’s starting from a disadvantage – his project, as you can see, is a Mk6 Fiesta, and it was always the aim to build it as a drag car for the strip. Inauspicious? No, not a bit of it. Sure, the Mk6 may be ubiquitous on the Ford modding scene, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for originality. It hasn’t all been done yet, not by a long shot. And the fact that this platform is nobody’s go-to when the term ‘drag racing’ is mentioned hasn’t slowed Dean down at all.

So why choose a Mk6 Fiesta for a drag car in the first place? “Well, they’re cheap,” Dean laughs. “It makes a cracking base for drag racing, and you can pick them up for peanuts.” He’s not kidding. The car you see here was a £150 bargain found on Facebook Marketplace – and while the realms and definitions of ‘cheap’ have been somewhat stretched as the high-performance spec has developed, there’s no arguing that saving the money at the acquisition stage has allowed further investment to be channelled into the area of motive power. Because this thing is fast. Really bloody fast. In fact, this is the fastest Mk6 Fiesta in Europe, and that’s something Dean’s able to prove with maths and cold hard evidence.

Dean’s car history

It’s fair to say that Dean has a certain amount of form in this area, of course. He didn’t just fancy building a drag car simply to see what happens – this stuff is his life’s passion. Over the years he’s owned more Fords than you can shake the proverbial stick at, everything from a Mk1 Fiesta to a 500bhp Cossie, and it’s on the quarter-mile that he really feels most at home. Regulars at the strip may well be familiar with Dean’s previous drag build, a Mk3 Fiesta that ran elevens thanks to its hardcore Zetec turbo setup, making it the fastest Mk3 in the UK at the time.

The Mk6 Fiesta drag car you see here was built to replace that car, and to step Dean’s achievements and goals up to the next echelon of performance. “This Mk6 was built to run 10-second quarter-miles,” he says, matter-of-factly. “It’s snowballed from there, really – after many engines and years of development, the new goal is to run 8s. It’s been a crazy four years to get the car to this stage!”

Mk6 Fiesta drag car engine

The current setup uses an ST170 engine as its base, although there’s not a lot left stock with this motor; it’s running JE pistons, Pro-Race I-beam rods, M12 ARP head bolts, and a custom ported cylinder head from A.L. Developments.

The turbo is a massive Enhanced Turbo Superstorm 960 dual ceramic ball-bearing unit, and there’s a custom turbo cam kit, along with bespoke Crazycage Fabrications inlet and exhaust manifold and a Fueltech FT550 ECU, which was mapped by Gordon at Street Racers. The upshot is in the ballpark of 800bhp, which is pretty nuts, and that leads to some insane numbers on the strip. .

At the back end of 2023, the Mk6 Fiesta drag car clocked a 9.5-second run at 155mph. It’s quick enough to make this the record-holding Mk6 over the quarter-mile, and to put it into the top-five FWD Fords overall, but this isn’t enough for Dean. He wanted eights, and he’s going to get eights.

Making the Mk6 Fiesta drag car lighter

As you’d imagine, the car’s specification has to be one of pure function in order to achieve this. Every individual element has to be honed and refined, every part assessed for necessity as well as for whether it’s the most efficient or lightweight version it can be. Look through the wafer-thin plexiglass windows and you’ll see a cabin of pure purpose, shorn of all besides that which it needs to get from Point A to Point B a quarter-of-a-mile away with no messing about. So there’s no standing on ceremony: one of the headlights has been gutted to accommodate the tank that intrudes from below, because the tank is more important.

The brakes haven’t been upgraded, because there’s a parachute. There’s a Volkswagen gearbox simply because that’s the best tool for the job – an 02Q with Monster Performance 1-4 dog gears, plus a Quaife differential to stop Dean’s wrists from snapping. It’s a serious bit of kit. And despite the relatively unassuming exterior, ‘serious’ is a vibe bystanders pick up on straight away.

Verdict

“People just can’t believe how fast it is – and the sheer noise of it,” Dean laughs. And naturally the last laugh has to be his: he’s developing this car to run eight-second quarters, that’s its sole function in life… and with a purpose that clear and unalloyed, you can be damn sure that this supremely focused trailblazer is going to make it happen. Just wait and see.

Photos: Ade Brannan

Love fast Fords? Then don’t forget, we’re hosting Ford Fest this September 22^nd at Mallory Park! Visit the Ford Fest event preview page for more info.

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If anyone decided they wanted a stab at drifting, then owning a detailing company is a good way to go about it. Think about it, once they’ve transitioned from corner to corner, where do you think all that rubber ends up? OK, drift cars aren’t supposed to be show cars, but how good does a clean drift car look? Built properly, not a zip tie in sight, bliss. But what happens if the owner of the detailing company, James, also loves modified cars, with a catalogue of builds that could fill its own bookazine? Well, you get this, a 1000bhp+ 2JZ BMW E36 drift car with every part you could ever dream of. This isn’t just a drift build. It’s the complete package.

Tell me about the Auto Finesse 2JZ BMW E36 drift car

We’ve mentioned the headline 2JZ-GTE engine swap, but not acknowledging the outrageous bodykit would be plain rude. For those in the know, you’ll recognise this from a certain “The Kyza” on Instagram. And if you didn’t know, The Kyza produces wild car designs who just so happened to go on to launch his own company that produces kits, Live To Offend. The LTO bodykit not only makes the E36 far wider, it does so with almost OEM-like precision. This isn’t a rivet job, those rear panels are smooth, and look as if they should have been there from factory. It’s only really from the rear that you start to realise just how aggressive this E36 is. The Auto Finesse livery helps to accentuate the body’s clean lines while also being bold enough to make it heard.

As you would expect for a drift car, underneath is a fully custom setup in order to increase steering angle, as well as provide enough grip in order to be able to control slides. A lot of people don’t know that drift cars are actually very grippy. The more grip the cars have, the more speed and precision the driver can exploit. A car that is entirely slippy isn’t a fast car, nor is it one that is easily controllable. Drifting is controlled sliding, not out of control. And to keep the speed under check, EBC brakes help control slides and avoid sticky situations…

Interior changes

Of course, inside is a fully stripped interior, with roll cage, Recaro buckets and the all important hydraulic handbrake to sideways. It’s a slidey boi after all. Behind the steering wheel is what appears to be an iPad Mini, that displays the speedo, temperatures, boost pressure etc. James wanted to get rid of all the rubbish inside the car and replace it with carbon pieces that needed to be there. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, it was removed. This helps to create a super clean interior, that is clutter free and does exactly what you need it to do at all times.

Where can I see it drifting?

James isn’t shy of driving it either, snapping up an opportunity to join the Drift Kings sessions at Ford Fair 2024. We’re hoping James will again be treating the crowds to some sideways action at Trax this September 1st!

The post 1000bhp+ 2JZ BMW E36 Drift Car By Auto Finesse appeared first on Fast Car.

Quite a lot of what you’re seeing here can probably be traced back to the fact that Ben Sher’s first ever Ford was a Racing Puma. As introductions to a marque go, that’s a pretty darned forthright way to jump in with both feet. The Racing Puma was essentially a caricature of the regular production Puma, adding in cartoonishly wide wings and arches that made it look like an everyday example had been overinflated with some manner of industrial air pump, while the drivetrain and interior were colourfully refracted through a motorsport filter. And that, essentially, is what Ben’s done to this Fiesta. The potential was there, the basic profile was good, he just felt a strong compulsion to amp it up a bit.

Ben’s car history

“My first car was an EP3 Honda Civic Type R, which really got me hooked onto fast cars,” he explains. “But coming from a family of Ford lovers, there was only one way this was going to go! I went on to own Racing Puma no.427, which I bought for £3,000 back in the day, and I wish I’d held on to it as they’ve really shot up in value. After that I bought a Mk6 Fiesta ST150 to run around in, until the bottom end went, and the next Ford was a Mk2 Focus ST facelift running a solid 360bhp – I loved the five-pot and the fact it was bright orange, I regret selling it still to this day.”

Ben had good reason to move it on though, as what followed was rather impressive: a Fiesta RS Turbo shell kitted out with an ST170 engine on danST throttle bodies. That was built as a track car, although he found that he wasn’t able to get as much track time as he’d ideally like, so the Fiesta was moved on and replaced by a Hyundai i30 N as a daily, plus something a little bit frisky on the side. And that frisky thing is what you’re looking at here – a Mk6 Fiesta with the crazy dial turned up to eleven.

Building a modified Fiesta Mk6 for the track and show

It takes a certain type of commitment to start a build knowing that it has to fulfil two purposes: from the very outset, this Fiesta was intended to be both a show car and a track car; as such, it had to offer hilarious performance from a comprehensively upgraded drivetrain and chassis, while also being painstakingly crafted and maintained to a show-winning finish. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But apparently the concept of ‘a lot’ doesn’t register with Ben as being anything to be concerned about. He just gritted his teeth and got stuck in.

Buying an EcoBoost swapped Mk6 Fiesta

“I chose to build a Mk6 simply because I love them and I’d enjoyed owning a standard one before,” he explains. “I saw this one on eBay one night last November and thought: I need to have it. It had the ST180 engine in it, but was otherwise running basically standard with a set of Team Dynamics wheels. I had a plan for it from the start, and having my own garage business made all the work easier as all the tools are there, and having multiple ramps means I could work on it after hours more easily. I had the car a week and then it got stripped to bits!

“Another reason I wanted a Mk6 Fiesta was that I’d seen the JWRC kit on one years ago and always wanted one,” he continues. “So as soon as I had the money to buy a good Mk6 it was the plan straight away – I just didn’t realise how far it would go, I just kept on going until I got it right.”

What is JWRC?

That’s certainly as strong a reason as any, and Ben was more than equipped with the skills and tenacity to get it done properly. And to dispel a common myth, there’s nothing watered-down about the JWRC; the initialism may stand for Junior World Rally Championship, but don’t let that first word fool you – it’s a hardcore discipline.

Devised by the FIA as an accessible arrive-and-drive format, the series provides an opportunity for promising young drivers to test their mettle and show their worth while the industry bigwigs keep a keen eye on the emerging talent. Former JWRC champions include such luminaries as Sébastien Loeb, Dani Sordo, Sébastien Ogier, Craig Breen and Elfyn Evans, and you don’t need us to tell you what an impressive roll-call that is. So the aggressive aesthetic of JWRC was something that Ben very much wanted to channel for his project, to bring all of that rally menace onto the showground as well as the track.

Buying the JWRC kit for the modified Mk6 Ford Fiesta

“I waited three months for the full JWRC kit to be delivered, which gave me plenty of time to get the car ready for fitting,” he recalls. “I bought the suspension and installed that, and sourced the brakes – that was fun as I had to make the fronts fit, because it’s a kit for the ST180 which don’t directly mount to ST150 hubs; not a major problem though, as it just requires a bit of grinding down in the caliper brackets.

Then the wheels were ordered, which was a life-saver as there’s some work to do on the front end to get the wheels to clear lock-to-lock, because they hit the chassis leg and inner arch so it’s not a straight-up fit like people think when they buy them. Unless they’re running small wheels, but that looks terrible and you just wouldn’t do it. And the thing some people ask is why I haven’t lowered it – well, I love the raised rally look and that’s how it should be!”

The man’s absolutely right, of course. While it’s true in 95% of cases that making a car lower instantly makes it cooler, it wouldn’t provide the correct level of purpose and up-and-at-’em playfulness that this bright green brawler has in spades. In fact, that neatly underlines the supreme logic that’s infused this project all along: this has never been about doing what the scene sees as ‘correct’, or doing things to please forum warriors and Insta-cynics.

Bonkers but sensible

Ben built this modified Mk6 Fiesta to fulfil a dream, and he intends to use it to the fullest. After letting a few Ford icons slip through his fingers, this one isn’t going anywhere – and it has to be usable. That’s why the front half of the cabin sports pretty much a full factory interior in addition to those floor-mounted buckets. He’s going to be driving this on the road, either to shows or to the track, and it’s noisy enough as it is so he’s allowed himself a bit of carpet. It’s handy to have a stereo and a heater too, that’s not a compromise. That’s just good sense.

“When the JWRC kit arrived, it was fitted in-house, then the car was painted by JRM Coachworks who did an amazing job,” says Ben. “After that, it was a long drive down to Middlesbrough to collect the WRC wing, which was like hen’s teeth to find; I think the small wings people put with these kits don’t do the look any justice – go big or go home, right? And once the car was built and ready to drive, it got dropped off to Sitech to get a lot of work done – injectors, big turbo, cams, full exhaust system, mapping, the full once-over. To hear Simon say that it’s a top car really completed the build! And now it’s finished, well, it’s mega and it goes like the clappers.”

Modified Mk6 Ford Fiesta verdict

The finished product certainly is an impressive beast on all conceivable fronts. Like Racing Puma DNA spliced into an ST150. But perhaps we’re misguided in considering this to be a ‘finished product’ – because while Ben suggests that he’s reached the limit of horsepower before it becomes overkill in a front-wheel drive car, there’s also a hint that maybe conversations have been happening about an AWD conversion. If that’s the case (and let’s face it, once you’ve had an idea like that, you’re not going to put it down), the next time we see this Fiesta out and about, it could once again be a very different animal…

Photos: Ade Brannan.

Love modified Fords? Our season closer for Blue Oval fans take places this September 22^nd at Mallory Park. Be sure to check out the event preview here, or head to the event website here for more info.

The post Modified Mk6 Ford Fiesta With JWRC Styling & EcoBoost Power appeared first on Fast Car.

Whether it was finger flicking the controller of your favourite console or putting in laps on go-kart tracks, these youthful experiences acted as building blocks for a lifetime of automotive enthusiasm. The former allowed fans of Volkswagens to pilot a multitude of Wolfsburg’s finest in an assortment of environments. Being able to race an HPA-tuned MKIV R32 in Gran Turismo 4 from the comfort of one’s own bedroom was a game changer. Even before its digital debut in 2004, HPA Motorsports-bannered cars caught traction with enthusiasts worldwide. The distinctive blue piping for the twin-turbo VR6 motor is a core memory for many, either having a post of the bulging engine bay on their walls or seeing it first hand at car events.

HPA Motorsport history

Founded in 1991, Township of Langley, British Columbia based HPA Motorsports née Highwater Performance Autographics has a CV that could crash LinkedIn’s servers. The man behind it all, Marcel Horn, started tuning Volkswagens before he could even legally drive – tinkering with a Mk1 in his family garage. From there the Canadian company was formed and bing bang boom, transitioned into the powerhouse it is today.

Those in North America rocking KW suspension bits can thank HPA for introducing the brand to the NA market in 1998. A year later they played doctor and transplanted a VR6 into the recently released New Beetle, causing quite the stir by preceding VW’s insertion of the sporty 1.8T in the retro coupe. After seeing a Cabrio with a twin-turbo VR6 setup in a magazine, Marcel caught a plane to Germany to meet with Martin Gräf of HGP – the originator of the double-fisted boost builder. So began a long distance relationship in which both partners benefited from the strengths each other brought to the garage. They haven’t looked back since.

Early 2000 builds

In 2000, the GT6 Beetle, as HPA called it, gained a pair of snails and a handful of magazine features. They went on to win Best of SEMA in 2004 with their MK4 R32, leading to its place in Gran Turismo history. They repeated that accomplishment in 2007 with their twin-turbo Audi TT, the only company to win the top award twice. Volkswagen tapped the Canadian company to build a trio of cars for their 2005 SEMA debut dubbed Project R GT Concept for the brand new Jetta V, B6 Passat and Touareg. All three had twin-turbo VR6s and DSG transmissions. The Jetta won Best Euro.

It was the success at SEMA and Volkswagen’s trust in HPA that opened up a global market for Marcel and his crew. As HPA’s Brand Manager Jonathan Leung puts it, the common theme was “VR6, forced induction and AWD.”

HPA and the VR6 motor

HPA’s affair with the VR6 has persisted to the present day, even when Volkswagen themself abandoned the six-shooter in their halo Golf. The MK6 Golf R, no longer an R32, was down two cylinders and the distinctive growl of the narrow angle VR. Initially, HPA catered to the 2.0L and offering different tuning options for it (and they still do, mind you). But in 2014, they debuted their 3.6L VR6 twin-turbo MK6 Golf R, dubbed the FT740. It took Best Euro at SEMA that year.

In the nearly 10 years since, HPA has been busy building road and track terrors with the fit and finish of a factory install. They campaigned a duo of Jetta GLIs in the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge to prove their 2.0L program had the equivalent strength and durability as their VRTs. They recently paired with AREA Motorsport in the UK to compete in the Enduro 750 with four FR450 equipped MK7 GTIs, scoring a few podiums in the process.

VR550T program

And now, after two years of development, HPA is launching their VR550T program. Those detectives amongst us will deduce the latest from HPA is a turbocharged VR6 with 550 horsepower. What the gumshoes might not figure out at first is that this is a factory 2.5L motor, offered in the Chinese market Teramont. “You’ll see the VR550T program is the culmination of the last 33 years of our business and the result of our passion for the VR6 platform,” says Jonathan.

Gerald’s car history

Enter Gerald Orban, a 38-year-old software developer from New Westminster, British Columbia. “I was always attracted to going fast, and the connection between man and machine. I was exposed to go-karts growing up and while I enjoyed them I did not get a chance to drive them often. Fortunately, the world of video games really allowed people to live the fantasy of being a race car driver, and also to modify their cars to see how it can impact its performance. This was something where as a child I would sink tons of time into, and still do to this day in my sim rig!”

In 2015, after student loan obligations had been taken care of, Gerald was ready to get a car of his own to drive off the screen and onto the street. “Believe it or not, VW was not on my radar at all. I had grown up around a big JDM scene in Toronto, which coloured my original prospects.” Don’t worry, G. We’ll breeze past that as we all have our biases here. “I looked at STIs, Evos, etc., but none of them really felt right once I sat in them. On a whim I was pointed to the nearby VW dealership to look at a GTI, and instantly fell in love.” What did he fall in love with exactly? A MK7 GTI in Carbon Steel gray with the Performance Package, as he tells us, the perfect combination of looks, agility and speed, as well as sizable aftermarket support.

Initial mods on his Mk7 Golf GTI

The usual bits were applied, including a Remus catback and a tune. “I thought the car was decently quick from the factory, but the first time I mashed the gas on the onramp it was a massive rush of adrenaline with the increase in performance. The beginning of this journey really started.” As they say, the journey of a 550 horses begins with a single trot.

Ok, no one says that, but in 2016 Gerald crossed paths with HPA. “I’d heard about them as a boutique VW shop which does incredible builds, but it didn’t click [at the time] that the orange Audi TT from Gran Turismo was theirs. I was looking to do my stage 2 tune, which required a downpipe, and had heard they were going to be building them locally for people while also providing an accompanying tune.” And that, as they actually say, was the start of a beautiful relationship.

Bridging the gap between video games and real life, in 2017 Gerald attended his first track day. “I’d just purchased a set of [Michelin] Pilot Super Sports and was eager to see first hand what it was like to navigate a road course in the flesh.” The GTI was continuously upgraded, with the purpose always centered around making the car faster and more capable on track. This culminated in the final form of that GTI with HPA’s FR450, KW V3 suspension and a host of other track oriented mods,” Gerald tells us. “But it was always a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Very little would give away its potential when cruising on the street.” But there is only so much the front wheels could take and in 2020, Gerald began searching for a replacement.

Choosing the AWD replacement

There weren’t too many AWD options for him in the VAG family. It was a Golf R or the five-cylinder turbos in either the Audi TT RS or RS3 (DAZA). “I was initially really attracted to the TT RS because of the ease of extracting far more power from it than the 2.0T of the Golf R,” admits Gerald. “I was looking for 500-600HP reliably from pump gas, or a blend of race gas + pump gas.” A deposit was placed on a TT RS and it seemed he was climbing the ladder from VW to Audi.

But it wasn’t until he spoke with Marcel about building his next track machine that the covers were drawn back a bit on HPA’s upcoming VR550T. “Marcel sensed I was not happy about losing the Golf form factor and decided to let me in on a secret then. He showed me an engine on a stand, which would eventually be the heart of the VR550T swap and I was sold instantly.”

In order to justify the choice, Gerald did a cost analysis comparing having to buy new performance parts for the Audi rather than swapping what he could from the GTI to an R and the numbers for a fully modified Golf were more favourable than those of a TT RS. Add in his desire for a hatchback and the practicality of room for four adults and his choice was clear.

Buying the VW Golf R Mk7

Despite the VR550T being far from realized, Gerald found himself a nice 2019 R in Oryx White two weeks later. Any modifications that could be transferred from the GTI were and he ordered himself the vanity plate you see here as soon as he put down a deposit for the swap*.

*It’s important to note this is not just a swap. Jonathan tells us this is “a fully conceived balanced special edition package that is optimized to deliver reliable, no compromise, daily drivable, weekend trackable, fill up at the gas station, road trip throw the keys to anyone.” Spoken like a true brand manager, but it’s abundantly clear that HPA stands behind their work. They wouldn’t be in business for as long as they’ve been and their reputation reaffirms that.

They’re doing a serialized run of 50 VR550Ts built in-house by HPA. Gerald’s is number two and has acted as a feedback factory for the program thanks to his extensive track time.

VW Golf R Mk7 VR550T engine tuning

The engine is a German-built VR6 with a factory turbo – the first production version of this kind. They’re brand new crate motors and HPA went and secured a surplus of over 200 of them. The 2.5L VR6 turbo (DDKA) is overbuilt to withstand the poor fuel quality in China. A forced induction 3.0L VR6 was first talked about in the prototype Arteon R, but sadly never made it to production. As of now, a a CNC adapter for the DQ381 7-speed DSG with upgraded clutch packs is the only transmission, but manual transmission support is in the works. For those unfamiliar with transmission codes, the DQ381 is a smaller version of the DQ500 (DSG in the TT RS/RS3).

“We partnered with HGP Turbo who helped us develop an upgraded turbo package for the engine,” Jonathan goes on to tell us. “Our decades of experience tuning and adding forced induction to the 3.2L VR6 gave us the right blueprint of what needed to be done with the valvetrain to convert this torquey SUV engine to a high revving sports car engine.”

Reliability of the VR550T Golf R Mk7

The motor itself is upgraded substantially to handle the increased power without any concerns if it won’t start, overheat, or will it make it to your destination. Additionally, Jonathan tells us a lot of CANbus and electronic integration was performed to have the engine talk to all the ECUs without triggering any dashboard lights or preventing any of the functions in the cabin from working.

“The VR550T is a tribute to what we think VW should have delivered from the factory. The MK7.5 Golf R is a great platform with the best balance of modern touches. The VR550T has the serialization and VR badging that identifies it as a special edition car worthy of Wolfsburg and now it has the power plant to match.”

Chassis modifications on the HPA VR550T VW Golf R Mk7

So back to Gerald and his nearly three year wait for the ultimate track weapon. It arrived just before Christmas in 2023, which is the best gift anyone could buy for themselves. Looking at the car, it’s clearly put most of its eggs into the performance basket. But that’s the beauty of the R. It looks good straight from the factory and requires little to make it look great. Obviously, everything looks better lowered and in this case KW V4 Clubsports take care of that. But just so the stance crowd is aware, the suspension was set with purpose. Remember, Gerald doesn’t do anything unless it will brings results on track.

Aftermarket wheels

“The HRE wheels I use for the track are in a really rare spot for their fitment where I can get it to fit over my front BBK without having to worry about clearing the massive front calipers,” admits Gerald. “But I couldn’t help myself with the IPA bronze custom colour. It’s just such a nice complement to the Oryx white paint.” HPA’s 380 mm front brakes are made in conjunction with Baer and not only look the part, but perform even better. Massive 6-piston calipers grab a hold of the 2-piece rotors and scrub off speed at an alarming rate.

Exterior modifications on the VR550T Mk7 Golf R

We’re willing to bet the first thing that stands out is the big black hood, something that took a bit of mental effort to commit to. As someone who is not interested in modifications that draw attention, having a carbon fiber Seibon hood with two large vents surely seem to shout in the face of modesty.  “The hood was honestly the hardest leap to take for me,” says Gerald, whose words give off that wincing feeling as you read them. “Having functional cooling ducts was important for helping evacuate all the extra heat the engine and turbo generate, but I was not sure I wanted to accept such an aggressive look. After seeing it on the car it felt right with how aggressive the VR550T made it.” Verus front dive planes and a rear diffuser help tie the exterior all together.

Interior modifications on the VR550T Mk7 Golf R

Gerald took a little more liberty with the interior and his form follows function approach. A side effect is that it happens to look like it belongs in an Audi. “I wanted some nice buckets for the track and spirited driving and the Recaro Sportster CS came highly recommended,” says Gerald. After speaking with Tim Cardon from Velocity Upholstery, the pair agreed on an Audi RS style spilt honeycomb stitch on the seats and door cards. “I felt at this stage that my goals had shifted a bit and I wanted the car to represent an ultra-premium OEM+ variant of the R which VW could have offered. The Alcantara has the extra effect of helping you stay planted in the seat while carving the back roads as well!” Dual purpose Gerald strikes again! Always thinking.

On track driving

Speaking of track time, wasn’t that what this car was all about? “I frequent the Canadian Pacific Northwest tracks often: Mission Raceway (Mission, BC), Area 27 Motorsports Circuit (Oliver, BC), and Vancouver Island Motorsports Circuit (Duncan, BC). My track group of friends with Rizzo Motorsports have also been a great community to lean on for insights and suggestions on how to better prepare the car for the track, and to push each other to go faster.” After seeing video of some shakedown laps, hearing the Wookie wail of the VR6 over the turbo noises and watching everything pass by expeditiously, I can only imagine the amount of fun it is. I think the driver puts it best, especially when he has the perspective of his former FR450 for comparison.

“Comparing and contrasting the FR450 vs the VR550T is hard to put without lots of excitable curse words. The thrust of it and how ready it is to give you 100% of its torque is so aggressive that I’ve not felt anything like it. I have sat as a passenger in other track prepped cars with 600HP and they don’t accelerate anything like this. The emotions of the whole package are overwhelming and any time I mash it, it’s an ear to ear grin. Coupled with the KW V4 Clubsports, the additional weight hanging off the nose has also been managed very well in the corners.”

VW Golf R Mk7 VR550T verdict

To think, the purchase of a single downpipe way back in 2016 has led to owning a Golf R with a modern VR6 turbo is astounding. Having the privilege of working with HPA throughout the development of the VR550T and subsequent adjustments after track days benefits both Gerald and any other HPA owner looking to squeeze out the most performance both on and off track. “It’s great to have a shop so supportive and eager to help push its products to the limits,” beams Gerald.

In a world focused on frugality and fuel economy, we’re glad to see that the VR6 isn’t being completed overshadowed by the four-cylinder turbo. All hail the VR6!

Words: Bryan McCarthy. Photos: Jonathan Leung.

Love modified German cars like this VW Golf R Mk7 VR550T? We’re hosting the German Car Festival this October 5^th at Goodwood Motor Circuit. Don’t miss out on the action!

The post VW Golf R Mk7 With HPA VR550T Package appeared first on Fast Car.

When you think about the legacy of BMWs many M cars, it’s easy to dismiss the turbocharged generations just  because the cars that preceded them were the last of the NA models, and there’s something undeniably special about that. But the thing is that the first generation of turbo cars was also a really big deal. When you’re doing something new, you’ve got to start somewhere, so those first turbo models were trailblazers for everything that would follow. That transition from so many years of pure NA M performance to turbocharged power was not easy to accept for long-term BMW fans, so it helped that the F8x M3 and M4 were so impressive in terms of everything they delivered.

The fact that they offered so much performance definitely helped, and while the F8x styling may have been a little divisive when the cars were new, compared to some of BMW’s most recent efforts, today, they look taught, athletic and aggressive. And if we’re talking aggression, Huy Nguyen’s (@sinister_f82) M4 is just on another level, but then again, so is the whole build because this is one serious M machine.

Huy’s car history

Taking in everything that this full-on modified BMW F82 M4 has been equipped with, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Huy has been a lifelong BMW fan, and this build is the culmination of years of working his way through the BMW back catalogue, modifying as he went until he peaked with this veritable monster of an M4. But that’s not the case…

“I have always been a JDM guy,” he tells us with a chuckle. “I have had several Japanese cars, starting with my first car, a Honda CRX, then a Honda turbo S2000, which was a popular build of mine that was featured on several websites and magazines, a 1000hp Mitsubishi Evo X GSR, and another Honda S2000, which I decided to build after missing my first one.” In fact, even Huy’s move to BMWs was purely circumstantial…

Buying the BMW M4

“I bought my M4 after I had a couple bad luck streaks with my cars,” he explains. “I wrecked my Honda S2000 during a foggy, rainy night; dialling-in my Evo X after a motor build, I spun a bearing, which seized the engine; also, my daily car, after being old faithful, decided to die on me. That left me no choice but to look for a replacement,” sighs Huy. Not that stepping into an M4 was any sort of hardship, you understand. “I remember the first time I saw an F82 M4 on the street – it was love at first sight, I loved all the lines and curves. I told myself if I could ever afford one, I would own it. After a few years, I was blessed and have enjoyed every minute of it,” Huy grins, but the ownership experience had a less than auspicious start…

“I found my car on Facebook Marketplace. The owner lived close by and let me test-drive the car. It was wrapped and lowered, had a bootmod3 OTS stage 2 ECU tune, and rims. Not knowing much about BMWs, I thought I got a good price,” he explains. “I met up with the owner the next day and purchased the car. That’s when the headache began,” says Huy, his face dropping. “The owner lied about the crank hub being done. The car had HRE wheels, but they turned out to be fake. He also said the car was lowered on KWs, but that also turned out to be a lie. I ripped the wrap to find out the paint wasn’t pristine as the original mentioned,” and we wouldn’t have blamed Huy at all if that list of disappointment after disappointment put him off the car completely.

Taking it back to stock

“I was able to fix and re-do everything that was done to the car,” he says, and that’s when he could finally start enjoying himself, and that’s what led him down the slippery slope of modding… “To be honest, other than updating the rims and adding a lip kit, I thought that I would be done. The more I drove the car, it became an addiction, where I wanted to purchase more mods to continually improve the performance,” he chuckles, and it was this desire for more power that really kicked things off.

Tuning the modified BMW M4

The S55 is eminently tunable, with just a few basic mods required to send power levels soaring, so Huy got stuck in. “I started out with the basic FBO. Loving the car, I decided to swap the turbos out with Pure turbos, and now the car has everything other than a built motor,” he grins. “It has an RK Titanium intake and charge pipe, every CSF part made for the car – intercooler, heat exchanger, DCT transmission cooler, and Stage 2+ Pure turbos,” but there’s so much more on board here.

There’s a Dorch Engineering HPFP lift kit, an Evolution Of Speed intake manifold, a BMS Elite J-pipe and BOV, EU5 fuel injectors, a Snow Performance meth injection setup, a Precision Raceworks Stage 4 brushless fuel pump, Nexsys ignition coils plus VRSF cat-less downpipes, an Auto EL mid-pipe and an Akrapovic titanium exhaust. That is a lot of mods, and it adds up to a lot of power, with Huy’s M4 currently makes 630whp on 93 octane fuel and with meth, which is around 730hp, so this F82 is fast.

Exterior changes on the modified BMW M4

It looks fast, too, even more so than a standard M4, because Huy has not been shy when it comes to styling, and this BMW definitely stands out from the crowd. “I saw this Touge Showdown on YouTube years ago with a JDM Tuner that worked on an M4, and it had a Laptorr lip and I absolutely fell in love. Being there were no USA distributors, at the time, I contacted Laptorr and was surprisingly assisted by Taka and Sena there. They helped me acquire one and sent it to the USA. I got the lip the same week, where I had Aum and Gibby test fit it and send it to my painter Donnie.

The rest of the aero parts are a Vorsteiner Aero deck lid spoiler, GTS Aero blade and carbon fibre side blades. I also got a Varis hood and diffuser to complete the JDM look,” explains Huy. “Then I added a PSM Dynamic roof spoiler for that aggressive look. Completing the race look, I went with the M4 GT4 rear quarter Lexan windows, modified to install a Nuke Performance remote quick-lock filler cap.

“Sean from Mashimarho helped me acquire one of the first GTS-style tail light sets, and BavGruppe Designs and Bayoptiks collaborated and helped me with my custom RGB demon/halo and half-X headlights with upgraded E46 projector lenses to help me see at night. Also, I have a pair of carbon fibre fenders from Dinmann, and Sean helped me acquire the first production carbon fibre vents that mated with the Dinmann fenders,” he continues.

Colour scheme

“Last but not least, my painter Donnie sprayed the car with a Porsche Paint To Sample (PTS) Oak Green Metallic, and I left some carbon parts exposed,” says Huy, and we need a moment to take all that in. This M4 looks insanely good. It’s so aggressive, it pulls no punches, and everything comes together perfectly – the colour, carbon, the aero; it’s been built to get noticed, and it does.

Wheels and chassis modifications

And you just know that when we’re talking about looks, we’ve got to talk about wheels because they do so much in terms of a car’s overall appearance. “Being that I came from the JDM world, I decided to go with Advan GTs or BBS LM-Rs, and ended up with the BBS FI-Rs, since they were the only 19” wheels I could find that fit over the AP Racing brake calipers. They also completed the race look that I was going for,” says Huy, and the FI-Rs look fantastic on the M4, filling out the arches and amping up the aggression further still.

Naturally, Huy has not neglected the chassis, and this M4 has been treated to a comprehensive selection of upgrades beneath the surface. “Being blessed and sponsored on my EVO X build with Fortune Auto, it was a no-brainer that I reached out to Dev and Ray at Fortune Auto, where they provided me with 510 coilovers and Sinister-spec air cups where I can air up over speed bumps not to damage my front lip,” Huy tells us.

“I’m a spirited driver and take the car occasionally to the track, so I decided to fit the car with all of SPL’s suspension arms, end links, rods and bushes. Also, I replaced the carbon strut bar with an RK Titanium one just to set my build apart from every other F80 build,” he grins. “Aum from Brothers’ Garage helped me dial in the suspension alignment, knowing that I had traction issues from the torque. With the alignment and Toyo R888R tyres, I was able to grip and feel more confidence in high-speed cornering,” and with the M4 being a bit of a handful in stock form, sorting the suspension was definitely a priority with over 700hp on tap.

Modified BMW M4 Interior

Finally, we come to the interior of the modified BMW M4, and, if you couldn’t already tell, Huy has not scrimped on the cabin mods. “I contacted Marek from AMX Performance to do my custom door panels, Recaro Sportsters, and sun visor wrapped in leather and suede with the M tri-colour stitching. I added all the M Performance carbon parts, and for the ones that didn’t exist, I contacted Cannan from Dinmann to get some door trims, vents, and a carbon back seat delete. His products fit like a glove,” says Huy with a smile. “Going with the race look, I added the Studio RSR half-cage, which absolutely improved the handling of the car by stiffening the chassis.

Sean again assisted me, contacting Jeremy from JQ Werks to provide one of the first steering wheel systems to test on the M4. I love this thing, and I paired it with a MOMO leather steering wheel to replace the suede one, as I don’t like how the suede gets dirty after handling it a few times.

“The JQ Werks system is one of my favourite mods on the car – every shift is so crisp, and it looks like a race car,” enthuses Huy. The steering wheel system with its various controls and built-in paddles, looks insanely cool, especially when paired with the MOMO wheel. And then, everywhere you look, there’s carbon – it covers every surface imaginable, and then there are the extra touches like the digital vent gauge, the two yellow dials, and the lime green details on the Recaros to match the roll-cage. The amount of work and attention to detail that’s gone into the cabin is just unreal.

Modified BMW M4 verdict

And that applies to this whole build. Considering Huy went into M4 ownership with no real plans, for him to have put together a project on this scale is astonishing, and it’s a riot. The way it looks, the way it goes, and the countless individual touches across the whole build make it truly special. “It took me a total of three years to build the current version of the car you see here,” Huy tells us. “I had a lot of help from Brothers’ Garage, which installed most of the parts, and Sean from Mashimarho acquiring prototype parts and the best prices,” he adds. But despite there being so much going on with this M4 and so many top-tier mods, Huy’s modding brain cannot rest.

“I want to do a Nuke performance air jack and fuel system overhaul, a Varis wide-body, and also a different paint colour…” and, hearing that, it becomes clear that this isn’t even this M4’s final form. But what it is, is a next-level M4 that demonstrates just how car you can take this platform – the F8x has forged its own legacy among BMW’s legendary M cars, and thanks to enthusiasts like Huy, these cars will continue to capture the hearts and stir the imagination of BMW fans the world over far into the future.

Photos: Kevin Choi.

Love modified cars? We’re hosting the ultimate performance car event this September 1st at Silverstone! Trax brings together modified cars from all across the UK and even mainland Europe as we celebrate modified car culture at the home of British motorsport. 

The post Modified BMW M4 With 730hp appeared first on Fast Car.

As with so many things in life, the cult of the Mountune MR200 is all about layers. Complex strata within the Ford ecosystem. Funnelling down from the top, most Ford people know a bit about Fiestas, many Fiesta enthusiasts fancy the Mk6, admirers of the Mk6 will generally know about the ST150, and a niche sector within that group will be versed in the details of what an MR200 is. Very few of these unicorn-like models exist, but their followers are fervent and committed. And there really aren’t many people more emotionally invested in the legend than Martyn Lowe.

Why a Mountune MR200 Fiesta ST Mk6?

“I’ve always had a soft spot for the Mk6 Fiesta,” he assures us. “Since coming across Mountune with my track-focused MP185, and then reading about the MR200, it was always one I wanted to tick off the list. There were apparently only 75 MR200s, in three batches of 25; a number of these ended up abroad, plus some had casting issues, so I knew finding one would prove difficult. Inlets on their own command a premium!

“I’ve now owned four MR200s,” he continues, “as well as various other ‘200 Spec’ ST150s. The noise of the inlet is one of the main things for me, and also how it sits OEM in the engine bay. I purchased a red MR200 in October 2019, but then another came up four weeks later and I ended up buying that one as well… so within the space of a month I owned two, both in red. I later found out that the second one was previously the Paintmodz owner’s demo car, and had a lot of very well painted parts on it. So, the first one was sold, and then Covid hit, and I spent a lot of time during lockdown doing stuff on the red one. And that’s when this white one happened to come up for sale!”

Martyn’s car history

You see, the man’s insatiable. But perhaps this was all inevitable, in the grand scheme of things. After all, much like all the best project car stories, he was set on the righteous path from the very beginning by a father who really knew his stuff. Martyn’s dad was a Rolls-Royce and Bentley mechanic by trade, while in his spare time he was a rally navigator in various Fords, so junior grew up around cars and was a petrolhead from day one. As soon as he turned 17, Martyn got himself a driving licence and a cheaply insurable Peugeot to smoke about in, and very soon moved on to his first Ford – a Mk5 Fiesta Zetec S in silver.

“That’s where I found ZSOC.com, an internet forum that no longer exists,” he recalls. “I then went on to have another two of those after that, with a Puma somewhere in the middle, before the Mk6s started. I’ve owned eleven in total now, and not one of them has ever had less than cams. I’ve never driven a stock-power ST150…”

Car obsession

All in all, it sounds like a bit of a Mk6 Fiesta obsession, doesn’t it? But Martyn is nothing if not thorough, and you could never accuse him of not having done his research. He’s actually owned a grand total of thirty-seven cars in his eighteen years of driving, which all stems from a fundamental ingrained need to try everything he fancies to see what it’s really like. It hasn’t always had to wear a Blue Oval badge.

He’s had an EP3 Honda Civic Type R, Renaultsport Clios of the 172, 182 and 200 varieties, Focus STs, a VW Golf GTI and a SEAT Léon Cupra, plus a couple of Mountune-flavoured Mk7 Fiesta STs. Fair to say that hot hatches are generally the theme, and it speaks volumes that in amongst all of this diverse experimentation, he’s owned this particular white MR200 for a good three years now. It’s a car that’s just stuck. Whatever endeavours and adventures he embarks upon, it always comes back to Fords – and to Fiestas, and particularly Mk6 Fiestas, and specifically Mountune MR200s. Layers beneath layers beneath layers.

Previous owner’s build

“I knew of this white Fiesta through the power of social media, but had never seen it at any shows,” Martyn explains. “The previous owner had spent a lot of time and money on the car turning it into an MR200, and a very clean one at that. He put it up for sale due to wanting to get his bike licence; I wasn’t actively looking to change cars, but I had always wanted a white MR200 and this one had had a lot of work done which I would eventually have wanted to do myself anyway.

I set off on a three-hour journey to look at it, not with any intention of actually buying it… but as the garage door was opened, well, the rest is history! So I was back to owning two MR200s again, and I was lucky that my mate Ash, who I’ve known since we first met through ZSOC.com years ago when forums were still a thing, bought the red one off me – so I still get to see it, and we are able to get to shows, track days and other events together.”

Adding the missing touches to the Mountune MR200

This car was in terrific condition when Martyn got hold of it, the former keeper having fastidiously and painstakingly maintained it; indeed, the neighbour of the seller made a point of coming out to tell him how frequently it got cleaned. Of course, there’s always a to-do list, and we can all relate to that desire to make any car our own in one way or another.

Martyn’s game-plan was to add the final few ingredients from the 2012 Mountune catalogue, as well as fitting a set of Recaro Sportster CS seats, removing the rollcage, and having the rear bench trimmed to match the Recaros – all in the name of keeping it OEM+. A rare set of Alcon/Mountune front brakes were sourced and swapped in, the wheels tastefully repainted, and a whole bunch of custom carbon fibre parts commissioned and fitted. The result is something tasteful and seemingly simple, but increasingly nuanced and complex the more time you spend poring over the details.

It’s all in the details

“With the car having been turned into an MR200 with the previous owner at Mountune, the only significant thing missing was the exhaust,” says Martyn. “I managed to source one a few days before Ford Fair, which was a week after buying the car, and with the help of Ash we set about swapping it over.

All went well apart from the heat wrap getting everywhere upon removing the existing exhaust and itching for days afterwards! The main things that I have changed have been to get the last elusive parts fitted; while the inlet is rare and sought-after, I’ve only ever seen a handful of the carbon induction lids, and you’d be surprised how rare a gear gaiter can be…”

It’s been a protracted exercise in parts-hunting and tapping up the right contacts, and that’s where Martyn’s old-school days on the forums have really paid dividends – in addition to his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Mk6 platform. And after all of these carefully considered and expertly executed manoeuvres, he’s found himself with one of the most desirable Mk6 Fiestas on the scene

Mountune MR200 Verdict

“I’m very much of the mindset that cars are there to be used,” he says, “although admittedly this one is generally only driven through the summer months now, when it’s taken to shows, and for the first time last year I used it on track at Silverstone. I’ve always had a separate car to do track days in, but I’m now contemplating PPF’ing the front end of this one and getting it out more.

It always gets good reactions either at shows or just on the road, filling up at the petrol station and so on. And I’m not big about social media, so it’s great for people to see the car in person, and it still humbles me when others look around it. The best bit is the spotting of little details that people comment on, which you might not always be able to see online, so it’s always nice when things are picked out in person, which then helps to start a conversation.”

Yep, that’s the retro forum user talking. A car build isn’t about showboating and boasting, it’s about engaging people’s enthusiasm and sharing experiences and ideas. This stuff is a two-way street. Complex strata within the Ford ecosystem, layers beneath layers.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

Love modified Fords? Our season closer for all things Ford takes place at Mallory Park this September 22nd. FordFest is back after a 4 year hiatus and is bringing together a wicked collection of cars. Don’t miss it! Get your tickets here. 

The post Mountune MR200 Fiesta ST appeared first on Fast Car.

It’s no secret that Porsche has built some fantastic engines over the years. The thought of putting something American under the body of the Porsche 911 is enough to turn anyone’s nose up. But, when you consider the specification of the engine swap involved here, you start to understand why it makes a whole lot of sense. For starters, the LS7 engine is lighter than the standard 911 lump. Some 40kg I might add, too. Power wise, the LS7 wins again, the standard C4S 911 997 (the base car here) has a power output of around 350bhp. The LS7? 500bhp.This particular motor? 660hp. Torque? Well, the standard C4S had less than 300lb ft, this one has more than 500lb ft!

So for those of you sat there wondering why adding two cylinders to a Porsche 911 is a good idea, there you go. In fact, given the weight distribution on a 911 is weighted to the rear thanks to the engine’s placement, having a lighter block helps to balance some of that weight different out. Food for thought.

LS7-swapped Porsche 911 details

While the LS7 engine swap dominates the headlines, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that there’s a whole lot more going on than just the engine. You can start to quickly understand why this was codenamed the “GT3 RR” simply by looking how dramatic it looks. The “RR” here stands for Road & Race.. Wider than anything Porsche has sold, lower, and arguably more aggressive (if you ignore the latest 992 GT3 RS of course). It’s the perfect blend of race car and show vibes, resulting in what could argue is the perfect package.

To get the looks, VAD acquired the last of the 997.2 Porsche 911 GT3 R race kits. Comprised fully of carbon fibre, it widens the car to just over 2m at the rear, which in turn presented some build issues. The first was the fact that despite it being the wider C4S model from factory, the bushes and the control arms couldn’t cope with the extra width. As a result, the team had to custom fabricate new bushes and arms in order for it to fit. Adding in spacers and whopping 10.5x19inch wheels at the front and 13×19 inch wheels at the rear to fill the arches! For those doing the maths, that’s 265/35 19″ tyres at the front and a bonkers 345/30 19″ inch wheels at the rear.

The bodykit itself comprises of the front splitter and fenders, sideskirts, rear 1/4 panels, rear bumper, splitter and engine cover. As mentioned, it’s all carbon fibre, but the team at VAD decided to paint the bodywork in the famous Porsche Carmine Red. Yep, that’s my favourite Porsche colour, too. On the suspension side of things, the team adopted the GT3 setup and coupled it with rose joints for improved handling and response.

LS7 engine spec

OK, I did just say it’s not all just about the engine, but truth be told, it sort of is. I reeled off the stock LS7 engine specs at the beginning of this piece. What I didn’t mention, however, was that this motor is far from stock. It now produces a quite silly 660hp, and it’s all thanks to a whole host of custom parts. No, an LS7 motor doesn’t just slip into a Porsche 911 and Bob’s your Uncle.

Funnily enough, Porsche didn’t design the rear of the 911 to accept a donation from an American muscle car. In fact, almost everything about the engine, bar the aluminium block, is custom. That includes pistons, conrods, fuel rails, water and fuel system. It of course needed custom engine mounts for it to be secured, and no off the shelf exhaust system was ever going to do the job. Again, custom made but making use of a modified LS7 manifold coupled with sports cats to keep things legal. SMART thinking.

Check out this bonkers LS7-swapped Porsche 911 at Trax and German Car Festival.

The post LS7-swapped Porsche 911 With GT3 R Carbon Fibre Body Kit appeared first on Fast Car.

Glen Van Der Linden is a Golf guy. The 26-year-old window film specialist from Noord Brabant in the Netherlands is on his fourth one. “I’ve always liked the Golf model,” Glen tells us. “They’re fun to drive and with little adjustments, they look very good. But as you can see, it never stops with those little adjustments.”

Starting with a MK3 Golf GT, Glen kept it rather simple, including suspension upgrades and some minor modifications. Following that, a MK4 V5 was given some trim changes to help it masquerade as an R32, while a MK4 GTI on coilovers and aftermarket wheels ended his Golf game for a while. “After that, I owned a BMW E46 which was my first actual show car. I built that car from beginning till end.”

Switching sides

So how did Glen end up with a 2011 Golf R, you ask? “I just finished the BMW E46 and one day I was driving to my work and I saw this blue MK6 R driving by and instantly thought that’s the car I need to buy!” If only all marketing was that simple…

“It wasn’t very hard finding this car,” admits Glen. “After seeing that particular blue R, I sold the BMW and not long after I bought my car.” And then the fun began, right? “I actually wasn’t planning on doing other mods to the car. It was already on air ride and Rotiform wheels. But I couldn’t resist and shortly after I had the entire air ride system replaced by Bonhof. I then got into the scene again and began modding the car more and more.”

That’s simplifying it a bit. According to Glen, he found the car in 2021 and drove it around for about six months before laying a finger on changing things. The Golf wasn’t exactly in the best of shape. Sure it might have had air ride already installed and some Rotiform shoes, but it was shot. So was the motor, requiring attention to the former to keep it road-worthy.

“Early 2022 I joined a car group where I met a lot of people and they introduced me to Bonhof,” recalls Glen. “He changed and improved the air ride system.” The kit consists of Bonhof floating compressors and an AccuAir aluminium tank. The chassis was notched allowing it to get low in all the right places.

Tuning the bagged Golf R Mk6

With the suspension sorted, Glen turned his attention to other aspects of the build. The motor was especially challenging. “Engine and electronic wise, I’m not very good,” says Glen, “but with the support of some friends we can make things happen!” He says the motor took a while to get right, but a quick glance in the bay can see a few things that are no longer stock. The RacingLine intake makes an impact with its R-branded canister. The red piping matches nicely with the R8 ignition coils.

What you can’t see is the larger turbo tucked behind the engine. Combined with the supporting cast of modifications, Glen’s R produces a healthy 400 hp and 530 Nm of torque. Volkswagen’s DSG is a 6-speed unit packing dual clutches to make shifting fast and convenient. And let’s not forget the Uber-Golf arrived from Wolfsburg sporting Haldex all-wheel-drive to keep the added performance aspect in check. Given the amount of work done to the engine, Glen was asked if it was worth the effort. “Had I known it would be such an pain in the ass, I would have replaced it with a RS3 engine.” Well then, maybe that’s something on the wish list, no?

Exterior modifications on the bagged Golf R Mk6

Look closely and you can see the car’s original colour of United grey, too. “I had it wrapped by Monkeydesign to Ultra gloss billionaires green from A.P.A. The roof is piano black high gloss PPF.” You’d be forgiven for thinking it was a multi-thousand pound paint job. “Because of the amount of flakes in it, people tend to think it’s paint. [They] have trouble believing that it’s wrapped, especially when the sun is out.” The colour is taken into the interior on the shell of the R’s wingback seats, but let’s not go inside just yet. It’s so beautiful out.

The front wings are wider thanks to SRS-TEC, a German company who specialise in subtle factory fit body mods. The same company was also tapped for their front lip, diffuser and rear roof spoiler. There is a green tint to the windows, expected considering Glen’s profession. And those massive TEC Speedwheels GT8 fill the arches nicely. Look closely and you’ll notice that not only have the standard front R calipers been painted a lovely shade of blue, but they’ve been joined in the rear by some Porsche hardware, all of whom are hugging onto drilled rotors.

Interior modifications on the bagged Golf R Mk6

Peer inside the 4-door and the first thing you’ll presumably notice are the optional half-leather, half-Alcantara Recaro wingback front seats. The shells have been matched to the exterior green and really tie it together. Afterwards, the lack of rear seats might be noticeable to some. “End of 2022, Braum [front] seats were put in, but they didn’t match with the backseat so I took that out.”

At that point, a friend of Glen’s applied Alcantara to nearly every touch surface, including the headliner, pillars and the platform where the rear seats once resided. The Braum seats were sold on and Glen returned to the wingbacks. You can see that a triplet of Morel subwoofers is making themselves comfortable there, surrounded by some brushed stainless steel monkey bars. “The roll cage was designed by me and a good friend,” Glen tells us. “Because I didn’t want a standard ISOFIX cage [a cage attached to the ISOFIX points], we designed it ourselves. It was welded by an acquaintance who’s a good welder.” Besides a carbon fiber steering wheel and gear selector, the interior remains much how it left the Wolfsburg factory.

Latest upgrades on the bagged Golf R Mk6

So, the age old question…is it done? “After the shoot I changed the wheels. I’ve had some two-piece custom built wheels made by Forged wheels. My plans for the future are building it again and change almost everything for the Bodensee Top 48 European Showdown next year, but I’m keeping that as a secret.” Oh, behave.

But in the meantime, Glen is going to enjoy the fruits of his labor. “I absolutely love it,” beams Glen. “Not everybody [who rides in it] will though because of the lack of suspension, but I love the hardness of it. It’s an absolute beast to drive also because of the 4MOTION and DSG clutch.” And besides the enjoyment from behind the wheel, he’s caught a couple of compliments for it here and there, too. “People are coming up to me and telling me they aren’t a fan of the Golf model, but they do like mine.” If that isn’t validation for a job well done, we don’t know what is.

Bagged Mk6 Golf R verdict

Modifying your car can be a bit foreign to some people who don’t colour outside the lines or are spendthrifts with their rent money. But for those who share the same mindset of pomp and personalisation, Glen’s right there with them. “It’s a community of people who share the same passion; the same people who are a bit crazy for building cars like ours. I personally don’t like stock cars and I see all the improvement possibilities, giving it my own unique style. So when people see me driving by they instantly know it’s me.”

If this story is a familiar drum beat for many of our readers, don’t fret. We’re here to support you and the scene that you call home. Know that your car is an extension of your personality. A blank canvas to project your thoughts and feelings on. And at the end of the day, just know that the key to success, and your ride, remains in your pocket.

Words: Bryan McCarthy. Photos: Lennart Dijkstra.

Want to see cars like this in person? We’re hosting the German Car Festival at Goodwood Motor Circuit this October 5th! Don’t miss out, get your tickets here. 

The post Bagged Golf R Mk6 With 400bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

One of the key facets of car modification is to rework your pride and joy to fit into your lifestyle. This can manifest itself in many ways; some people build race and rally replicas or homages in tribute to heroic drivers they’ve always admired. Others are committed to the lows, getting their ride as close to the tarmac as possible, and everyday speedhump mishaps be damned. Some compromise on sportiness to incorporate a little more practicality to suit their family routines. However the game plays out, these projects are companions to our day-to-day reality.

For Simon, the owner of this bagged Mk3 Focus RS, the fusion of show and go has always been paramount. He likes his cars fast and agile, but also with a show-worthy finish. And he’s no stranger either; way back in the day Fast Ford featured his Orion Turbo, and he’s owned a whole bunch of Fiestas of various generations including an ST150 which, yes, Fast Ford also featured a few years back. Safe to say this fella knows his stuff.

Simon’s car history

“I’ve always owned modified cars since I started driving – mainly Fords as that’s what I was brought up around,” he explains. “I’ve had my fair share…” Yep, he does seem to have ticked a lot of Blue Oval boxes. And when it came to the acquisition of this Mk3, well – it was actually the pandemic that sparked it all off. The devil makes work for idle hands, and all that. With the world shutting down and options for recreation limited, this serial Ford modder started to get some funny ideas.

“I was actually looking for a Mk2 RS originally,” Simon recalls. “After viewing a few and not finding the right one I’d sort of given up, but then my brother suggested I start looking at Mk3s instead. So I joined a couple of Facebook groups, and the day I was accepted into one group this car had just come up for sale! I contacted the fella straight away and, after a bit of back and forth, we agreed on a price. I then hopped in the car and went to view the RS in Wales.

At the other end, I was met by a lovely guy who was selling it; unfortunately he was having some back problems and was struggling to get in and out of the car, so he just had to part with it – and I could tell that he really, really didn’t want to. As soon as he opened up the garage I was like: take my money!”

Buying the Mk3 Focus RS

What was hiding behind that door was something truly impressive. Having covered a mere 7,000 miles, the Focus really did look like new; the former keeper had a made a few tasteful mods and only really used the car for going to shows, and consequently the condition inside and out was little short of astounding. Certainly the type of tidy blank canvas upon which Simon could apply his own particular brand of modifying prowess.

Now, it’s an interesting quirk of modern life that most people these days seem perennially ready to compromise. You might book a grubbier hotel for your holiday so that you can stay one day longer, or choose the own-brand cereal because it’s half the price even though it’s half as nice, or stick with your winter coat for another season even though it’s full of holes because you’re sure you’ll never find another one quite as comfy.

It’s true of a lot of modified cars too; you may fit panscraping static lows and a deafening straight-through exhaust because those things are cool, even though you know it totally compromises everyday usability. Perhaps you’ll unbolt the rear seats and wang in a rollcage, despite the fact that now there’s nowhere for the kids to sit. Life’s just one huge balancing act really, isn’t it? Ah, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Simon knows what he’s about, and is eager to show us how it’s done.

Tuning the bagged Mk3 Focus RS

“I was buzzing to own an RS, as I had always wanted one,” he grins. “I started to do bits to it after a few weeks, but the need for more power was the thing that was really niggling me, so a trip to Sabre Tuning was booked and the long list of Mountune upgrades began from there.”

The power upgrades have been comprehensive, and what resulted was a Stage 2 powerhouse serving up a solid and reliable 440bhp and 447lb.ft, more than enough to keep that heavy right foot satisfied.

Putting the Focus RS Mk3 on air ride

With power addressed, there was another serious element to consider: uniqueness. Because as much fun as it is to modify and upgrade a car, it’ll always be a little deflating if you end up with something the same as everybody else’s.

“I wanted to make it different, and one of my mates suggested putting it on air,” Simon continues. “That got me thinking, and after a bit of research the decision was made – and luckily I managed to find an entire kit for sale! So it was time for another road trip to go and collect all the bits, and a couple of weeks later and a few late nights after work it was on and fully working, thanks to help from James Fisher and my brother. I’m so glad I did go air, as the car just looks awesome slammed; it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s mine and I love it. Touch wood, I’ve had no problems with the car and the Air Lift system either.”

Interior modifications on the bagged Mk3 Focus RS

What’s really noticeable throughout the build is Simon’s attention to detail. No stone has been left unturned in the pursuit of finessing each individual aspect of the car, and his shopping list of parts must have been getting longer and longer throughout. Just take a look at the cabin, for example, and check out his enthusiasm for carbon fibre. It’s absolutely everywhere, subtle but insistent, from the steering wheel and handbrake to the door levers, gauge pod, gearknob, sills and all sorts.

Exterior modifications

It’s the same story across the car’s exterior, tasteful but striking, with Triple R Composites providing the front and side splitters, rear spats and diffuser, joined by a Maxton Design spoiler extension, Mountune spoiler wing splash, Autobeam sequential indicators, custom badging and various other niche accoutrements. It’s a greatest-hits of all the aftermarket has to offer, and it coalesces intelligently without looking overdone.

Conclusion

Sounds like he’s having difficulty leaving it alone then? “No, I think it’s done for the time being,” Simon laughs. “Now it’s just time to enjoy the car and get to as many shows as possible, as I’ve only actually done about 3,000 miles since I’ve owned it! But at the shows I attended through 2023 it had a great response and lots of nice comments – I’m looking forward to more in 2024.” You can catch Simon and his bagged Mk3 Focus RS on the Fast Ford stand alongside other modified Fords at this year’s Ford Fair.

That good karma, it goes in circles. Positivity never leaves a sour taste, and Simon’s infectious enthusiasm is sending good vibes across the RS community.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

Missed your chance to come along to Ford Fair? Well don’t miss out on our next event, it’s Trax Silverstone! With over 3000 cars set to be on display from a multitude of manufacturers, this one is not to be missed! For more information and tickets, visit the event website here. 

The post Bagged Mk3 Focus RS With 440bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

The 6 Series family has a long legacy, starting in the 1970s, and has given us some stunning cars. It’s such a shame, then, that this once great model went out with such a whimper in the shape of the G32 6 Series Gran Turismo, which looked nothing like the sleek coupés that had come before, and more like a bloated 5 Series. It’s a sad end to what was once a great GT, effortlessly combining luxury and performance in a stylish package, but the 6 Series gained a lot of fans over the years and generations, and thanks to them, we can enjoy cars like the one that started it all, the E24.

We love to see people caring for and preserving these classics, just like the example we’ve got here. But, hold on, something’s not quite right. Is that a towing strap? A stud kit? Is that a… roll-cage? We have questions – several questions – and Fred Marsh-Allen (@e24turboshark) is the man to answer them…

Fred’s car history

As we chat with the handyman, things seem pretty innocuous, and Fred had a similar sort of BMW experience growing up many did that shaped motoring lives and turned us into the BMW fans we are today. “I’ve liked BMWs since I was 16, and I had to choose a car for my mum from a used car dealer forecourt; it was a 1992 E36 325i (those early M50 E36s sound great),” he tells us, and from that point on he had his sights set on one day owning a BMW himself.

“My first car was an E36 318ti, and I bought it because it was the easiest way into a 16-valve four-pot BMW at the time,” he explains. “A year later, I bought an R reg E39 540i Touring, which was a spaceship in comparison. I should have kept that, for it was mint, and it fell off the DVLA database about two years afterwards,” he laments.

Fred’s also owned an E34 540i and currently owns an E60 530i alongside his 6 Series, so he’s clearly got broad BMW taste and good taste, at that, but what led him to buy an E24? “I had owned an E28 525e, E21 323i and various other older BMWs, but not an E24. This one was up for £3500, and it was a manual with Buffalo sports hide and an LSD. It was a no-brainer! It was in Guildford, it looked tidy enough in the metal but had a respray at some point, although some of the trim hadn’t been removed. The car drove very nicely and had just under 180,000 miles on it,” and so a purchase was made, and Fred did initially have a plan in mind.

Initial plans for the BMW E24 6 Series

“I planned to keep it as a light project – do the bushes and suspension, refresh the ignition and cooling system etc.,” says Fred, “but I decided to give it a half-decent paint job. When it was in the body shop, we found it was very (very) rotten and needed a huge amount of welding,” he grimaces. “There was filler everywhere (even on the roof). It was at this point I decided to turn it into a track car,” so all was not lost, and the unexpected E24 transformation began.

Chassis & brake upgrades for the modified BMW E24 6 Series

With the plan being to take this 6 Series on track, the rather old and soft standard suspension needed some serious upgrades, so Fred’s first port of call was sorting the chassis. “BC Racing coilovers were chosen for the suspension as there wasn’t a great deal else available at the time, with Ireland Engineering adjustable ARBs (again, all that was available),” but that combination was already enough to transform how the big Six drove, massively reducing body roll, stiffening everything up, sharpening the handling and getting the E24 sitting lower, too, which is always a nice bonus.

“The original ‘Hydroboost’ combined power steering and braking system was deleted, along with the ABS, and an E34 vacuum servo was made to fit. E34 540i brakes with Ferodo D2500 pads were fitted along with HEL braided Lines and RBF600 fluid. The car now has a 3.64 final drive with Racing Diffs 60% locking clutch setup, and the diff and ARB mounts have additional bracing to the chassis/body of the car,” explains Fred. “Finally, there’s a custom-made half-cage, which was made using an E36 Coupé cage roll-bar,” and that rounds off an impressive selection of upgrades that ensure this 6 Series is fighting fit and ready for the track.

Tyre choices

Naturally, a track car needs some sticky rubber, and you need some dedicated wheels, so Fred has a couple of sets to choose from. “The wheels shown are the Remotec 16” road wheels, and for the track, it has BBS RC090 Style 5 17s with R888R tyres,” which is a great combo both in terms of visuals and on-track performance. Fred has just also picked up a set of Compomotive TH17s for track use, which are very cool, and will give the big Six a proper track car look.

Turbocharging the modified BMW E24 6 Series

While everything we’ve looked at so far is great, the most exciting part of this build is what you’ll find under the bonnet; some serious work has gone into the engine, and it’s delivered some serious results. “This has been quite a long project,” says Fred. “I initially bought a load of bits a friend had cobbled together to turbo his E32 – they were an absolute bargain, and I just bought them as I knew they’d be easy to sell on.

However, a very talented friend of mine, Steven Crooks (who I first discovered through owning my E12 528 – he was the only person I could find who would touch the Solex 4A1 carb), knowing I’d had the parts for some time, asked me if I ‘had turbo’d that E24 yet?’ I joked that I hadn’t, but he was welcome to do it all for me. He responded with ‘OK then,’ and so began four years of scrabbling about on his driveway,” Fred laughs.

“The engine is the original M30B34 bottom end but with a M30B35 head, as they have slightly larger inlet valves and flow better; new stock-spec camshaft and rockers, a Cometic MLS head gasket and an enlarged plenum, which took Steve 10 hours to mill from a block of aluminium. The plenum has a ‘flipped’ inlet, with air now entering from the nearside, and a Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator covers the hole where the throttle body once mounted.

Supporting modifications

There is a custom-made fuel rail, Siemens 875cc injectors, and a 3” intercooler with custom aluminium intake pipework and airbox. We did a distributor delete/Bremi coil pack setup, and the car is running an Emerald K3 ECU with a custom engine loom and Magnecor high-temp ignition leads in a custom aluminium shroud. The turbo is a Pulsar GTX3584RS item (the previous turbo blew up on the dyno), with a Turbosmart ProGate50 wastegate, a Kangaroos Team exhaust manifold, a custom downpipe into 4” exhaust (it was side-exit, but another silencer was needed for track).

There’s also an Accusump oil accumulator, an E32 coolant expansion tank, and a K64 twin-plate clutch for the original Getrag five-speed manual gearbox,” and that’s an incredibly comprehensive list of engine upgrades. M30s can easily handle some boost, albeit with a helping hand, and Fred’s example is definitely delivering the goods, with 430hp and 460lb ft of torque on tap, and that’s a lot in what is now a lightweight car.

Shedding weight from the modified BMW E24 6 Series

That’s because Fred embarked on a comprehensive weight reduction programme across his Six. “The car has 90% of all the external trim removed, which saved approximately 14kg, and also an Xmoor Motorsport front bumper, DTM mirrors (the originals fell apart), and a Ford Capri Mk2 rear boot spoiler,” which has kept things subtle, but with a little touch of individuality, and we love the turbo script on the boot lid.

“The interior is completely stripped, with custom-made panels for the gauges, Foamex door cards, the battery has been relocated to behind passenger seat, which is also where the Accusump sits,” Fred explains, and he’s not kidding when he says the interior has been stripped. The carpets are gone, the sound deadening is done, there’s a lightweight Corbeau bucket seat for the driver, and combined with the exterior weight savings, this 6 Series now tips the scales at just 1320kg, which is impressive stuff for what was once a luxury sports GT.

Verdict

When you think 6 Series, you don’t think dedicated track car, but we love to see builds that subvert expectations. Fred’s E24 does exactly that, and this is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication. He’s owned his 6 Series since 2017, and it took six years to get it to where it is now and it was time very well spent because what a fantastic machine this is.

Opting for a track car build was certainly not on Fred’s to-do list when he bought it, it’s far better to see a rusty E24 6 Series turned into a stripped-out turbocharged bruiser than broken for parts or sold to a scrapyard. And while this is already a full-on build, Fred’s got a few more mods up his sleeve: “I’m planning to make the cage a full cage, upgrade the intercooler, as it’s currently restricting the power, fit some posh bucket seats, and do a sunroof delete,” and that will give it less weight, more power, and that means even more fun – what’s not to like?

Photos: Gregory Owain.

If you love modified German cars like the killer E24 you see above then you won’t want to miss our German Car Festival event this October 6th at Goodwood Motor Circuit. It brings together classic and new, modified and stock for a celebration of all things German on four wheels. Be sure to check out the event website for more information on tickets. 

The post Modified BMW E24 6 Series With 430bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

There are a few unicorns omitted from the list that have sold privately for undisclosed sums like the one-of-a-kind Nismo Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 LM that found a new home in 2022. Whether it’s private sales or public auctions, Skylines are being snapped up for crazy money all around the world, so here’s the most coveted Nissan GT-R Skylines of all.

1. 2006 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R NISMO Z-Tune $1,985,000

Image credit: Khun Pishetaphon Sunithi

In 2022, this Z-Tune hit headlines when rumors circulated that its new owner spent nearly $2 million securing the car. According to CarBuzz, the buyer says the sale price has been greatly exaggerated in the media but failed to be forthcoming with an adjusted figure. Even so, they attest this is the most expensive Nissan Skyline GT-R ever sold.

While Nismo’s original plan was to produce 20 Z-Tune spec vehicles, in the end just 19 were made, making them an extremely rare sight. Compared to the V-Spec II, the Z-Tune had a stronger engine block that was bored out to 2.8-liters. The larger engine was fitted with upgraded turbochargers that upped the power to 493 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque.

Image: Jack Howells

2. 2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R by Kaizo Industries Fast & Furious – $1,357,000

Any car with provenance is immediately more interesting for collectors and often results in vastly inflated sale prices. This R34 featured in Fast & Furious 4 and was driven by Paul Walker. Unlike most celebrity cars, Walker had far more involvement with this vehicle than just driving it. Working with Kaizo he designed the specification to be aesthetically in keeping with the film, as well as making it as powerful in real life as it appears to be on screen.

Inside, this R34 retains its digital display from the movie which was used to show the street racing map and countdown clock. It also has an extensive list of modifications including: a Turbonetics front-mounted intercooler, Nismo lowering springs, 19X11 Volk Racing RE30 19×11 wheels, Rotora brake conversion with six piston calipers on the front and four piston calipers at the rear, Nismo Version II bumper with side skirts and an MFD Xenarc Display unit with gauges programmed to the car’s ECU. It sold for $1,357,000, making it the 2nd most expensive Nissan Skyline GT-R ever sold.

Image: Collecting Cars

3. 1998 Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R Nismo 400R – $880,000

This 400R is the 40th model in a 40-car production run. It’s nicknamed Sully and was appropriately paired with the registration ‘N400 GTR’ when it sold at auction in the UK in May 2023 for $880,000. As the name suggests it’s got 400 hp, 346 lb-ft of torque and the redline is set to 11,000rpm.

Before the sale, its chassis and engine bay were detailed by Zealou5, the owner Bobby Proctor said, “This is without doubt one of the cleanest R33 GT-Rs we’ve had the pleasure of restoring. Literally no rust in the usual R33 weak points. Whoever had owned it previously had great respect for the car and probably never even drove it in the wet. It is the cleanest and definitely best protected Nismo 400R in the world as far as we are concerned.”

Image: Contempo Concept

4. 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R Nismo Clubman Race Spec $650,000

Listed in Hong Kong in 2022, this R34 reportedly sold for the asking price which was equivalent to $650,000. The Midnight Purple II paintwork is highly desirable as only 282 of the 11,578 R34s made from 1999 to 2002 were finished in this color. Although this rare color is enough to create a stir on its own, that’s not why this vehicle attracted a buyer willing to pay this much.

It’s this vehicle’s odometer that reveals its true value. When it was listed by Contempo Concept the dash showed 0km. Despite never having been driven, according to the dealer it was upgraded by Nismo to ‘Clubman Race Spec’ which includes new mechanical components such as suspension, brakes and transmission with modern high-performance parts. It was also treated to Nismo’s ‘R3’ engine upgrades.

Image: Mecum

5. 2001 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II $577,500

This is the second car on our list that was driven by the late great Paul Walker. According to Mecum Auctions it was used as a promotional vehicle for the Fast & Furious films during which time it’s estimated Walker drove around 18,000 miles in this R34. Since then, it’s featured in several BF Goodrich ads and now wears Black and Gold accents as a result.

Unusually, it’s one of approximately 14 2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec IIs that were brought to the US and legalized by MotoRex for use on the road. The 2001 R34 Skyline GT-R won’t be eligible for import to the US until 2026 so this is an extremely rare vehicle to see on the road in America. Combined with its celebrity provenance it’s easy to see why bidding reached deep into six figures in 2022.

Image: BH Auctions

6. 2002 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nür $549,000

Bingo Auctions in Japan – formerly BH Auctions – offered this Nur example for sale in 2021. The spec was enough to set this car apart as a special Skyline but this one had covered just six miles in its life. Its new owner must have felt like they’d bought a brand new car, it still had plastic seat coverings, wrapped up floor mats and protective film on the sills. It’s a collectors dream to get their hands on a brand new R34 Nur but it’s also criminal that a car like this has been sitting in storage for all these years.

If its current owner decides to keep it in storage it’s likely to appreciate considerably over the coming years. BH Auctions reportedly sold this car in 2018 for $316,500 so it’s conceivable it will continue to skyrocket as it ages. Even if it finally hits the tarmac it will remain one of the lowest mileage Nur editions for a long time.

Image: Bring a Trailer

7. 2002 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R M-Spec Nür $455,000

The winning bidder for this M-Spec Nur edition is the third owner of this Millenium Jade version, 144 of which were finished in this color. This is number 88 of 285 M-Spec Nur examples which were named in homage to the Nürburgring where the GT-R was developed in 2002. This one is fitted with Super HICAS rear steering, M-Spec suspension, Brembo disc brakes and gold Brembo calipers.

It was sent to Nismo of Kanagawa, Japan, for the Sports Resetting package and in 2021 it was modified with a twin-plate clutch, an upgraded intercooler, R-tune air intake, carbon-fiber inlet pipe set, 18″ LMGT4 wheels, titanium exhaust system, front and rear underbody spoilers, and a carbon-fiber rear spoiler blade.

Image: Bonhams

8. 1992 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Group A ‘BP Trampio’ Racecar $379,000

While this is the oldest car on this list of the most expensive Nissan Skyline GT-R cars ever sold, unlike the others, it has racing heritage that makes it far more interesting than a standard R32. In the Japanese Touring Car Group A championship, under the team Object T, this R32 achieved third place and won the last Group A race of the 1993 season. Of the nine races that season it was driven to podium finishes five times by Japan’s Hisashi Yokoshima and Tom Kristensen from Denmark. Kristensen later went on to win nine 24 Hours of Le Mans and holds the record for the most Le Mans wins.

Since its racing career, this R32 has been in a museum collection for 25 years and found its new home in March of this year. According to Bonhams it was prepared to return to the track for historic racing events. It has ECCS Multi-Point Electronic Fuel Injection, 600bhp, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes.

Image: Bring a Trailer

9. 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec Midnight Purple II $315,187

It’s no surprise another stunning Midnight Purple II Skyline features on the list. This one was sold in Colorado in 2021 under “Show or Display” conditions. In exceptional circumstances the US allows imports for cars that are younger than 25 years old if they are of “historical or technological significance”. It was approved for import in 2020 and can be driven up to 2,500 miles a year until its 25th birthday.

According to the listing, since being in America it’s undergone a mechanical refresh, including ​​Öhlins coilovers, timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, ignition coils, oxygen sensor, valve covers and refurbished fuel injectors. Its stock 18-inch wheels were also refinished and fitted with 255/40 Bridgestone Potenza S001s to complement the HICAS all-wheel steering setup.

Image: Keith Mulcahy, RM Sotheby’s.

10. 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nür $283,000

718 V-Spec II Nurs were manufactured alongside 285 M-Spec Nur examples. Due to its relative rarity the M-Spec is more sought after but arguably the V-Spec version came better equipped. A carbon fiber bonnet drops the weight by 20kg, giving the 276 hp and 289 lb ft of torque N1 race engine a fractionally superior power to weight ratio.

Rounding off our list of the most expensive Nissan Skyline GT-R cars ever sold is this example, finished in the model exclusive Millennium Jade Metallic with a contrasting black interior. It’s the 675th V-Spec II Nur to roll off the production line in 2002, before production ended in August of that year. Compared to others on the list this is a high mileage example at 38,000 miles but even then, its new owner was willing to fork out nearly $300k to be the custodian of this piece of JDM history.

If you love Skylines then you’ll not want to miss our Trax event at Silverstone this September 1st. Be sure to check out our Trax 2024 event preview here. Tickets are selling out fast so don’t miss out. Visit the event website here to secure your ticket. 

The post Most Expensive Nissan Skyline GT-R Cars Ever Sold appeared first on Fast Car.

Offbeat thinkers have always driven the modifying scene forwards. The ability to view an established form or entity with a fresh perspective is not something everybody can successfully deploy, but there are characters for whom this stuff is just second nature. Take a look, for example, at kustom legend George Barris, who devised such lunatic creations as the original Batmobile and the Munster Koach in the 1960s. Or Jamie Shaw of Carisma in the ’90s, who did weird and peculiar things to Renault 5s, and then took that mystical witchcraft and stirred it into a TVR Cerbera. These are not normal things to do, but c’mon – who ever wanted to be normal?

Within this realm of visionaries and dreamers resides Daniel Brown, the owner of this particularly peculiar Fiesta. And while first glances may not lead you to believe that anything especially radical is going on here, the relatively sober exterior actually hides a great many secrets. There are distinctly un-Mk6-like things going on here.

For starters, there’s an EcoBoost under the bonnet. Peep inside the cabin, and you’ll find that it’s been fully Mk7 Fiesta swapped. And the ethos for the whole thing comes from a distinctly unexpected angle too: Daniel’s dream Ford was always the Sapphire Cosworth, but with values of those having skyrocketed, he decided on the Mk6 Fiesta instead – something which couldn’t be more different to the old ’80s saloon, really.

Why swap in an EcoBoost engine to the Mk6 Fiesta ST?

His reasoning? That he also rather liked the Mk1 Focus RS when it came out, and the Mk6 Fiesta sort of reminded him of a scaled-down version of that. “They have a very appealing design,” he shrugs. “I have loved the Mk6 since they first arrived back in the day; my friend owned one brand new, and I always liked the feel of them on the road. I just love the aggressiveness of the shape and the body lines, and ever since the Mk1 Focus RS came out they made me think that this could have been the little brother to that car.”

Well, that’s as good a mission statement as any, isn’t it? And that does much to explain just why and how Daniel’s pursued the performance angle to such an aggressive degree with this car. None of the things he’s done here are what anybody would have expected, he’s not exactly trodden the beaten track – but it wouldn’t be any fun if it was easy, would it? Besides, this fella has plenty of form with putting the ‘wrong’ engines into cars with the aim of making them a bit scary. The likes of the 16v-converted 106 XSi, 2.0 XE-engined Corsa and Mi16 205 are all connoisseurs’ monsters, proving that he’s not one to shy away from tearing a car to bits and reinventing it as something fabulously abnormal.

Buying the Mk6 Fiesta ST

“I initially wanted to build a K20 sleeper Mk6,” Daniel explains. “My friend Mark who was racing Mk6s at the time said he would sell his spare ST150 rolling shell cheap. I went to his unit which was round the back of Sitech and had a look; it had no engine, no interior and the inside was sodden with water as the windows had been left open for months! But I was happy enough with it, and I handed him £400 for the shell and the car was at my work a week later.

“It was a solid base,” he continues, “and quite possibly the cleanest Mk6 shell underneath that I had ever seen. It just needed one tiny welding repair on the offside rear sill where they all go.

Adding parts to the bare shell

Luckily I have access to ramps at work, so up it went and I fully undersealed it, fitted a powder-coated rear axle, front subframe, front ARB and Zetec S front hubs to give it the best chance in the future – as the car is fully road legal and I use it all year round on the weekends, so it needed to be protected. We fitted all new arms, tie rods, track rod ends, shafts… basically anything mechanical on this car underneath is brand new and improved.

The only original parts left on the car are the rear calipers. I amassed all the parts to build this Fiesta to the spec it is now (excluding the engine) and we did it all in-house; my workmate Paul has hated me for the last two years as he is the brains behind putting it all together! Anyway, I’d messaged my mate Connor at Devine Autotech about his thoughts on K-swapping this ST150, and he convinced me to go down the route of an EcoBoost build instead. I’m glad he did as I love the fact it’s remained an all-Ford project – he had already built a few very capable EcoBoost-swapped Mk6s up here in Scotland, so the choice was made.”

Sourcing parts for the EcoBoost Mk6 Fiesta ST swap

The car was then delivered to Connor, and he and Daniel set about the task of sourcing all the parts required for the ST180 conversion. Which is a hell of a lot, frankly, as you’d essentially be best off getting a whole Mk7 Fiesta ST and pulling the bits off as and when you need them. But with his contacts in the industry, Daniel was well placed to set about finding everything he needed.

“I was able to pick up bits here and there cheaper than buying a full ST180,” he explains. “Some bits came from my boss, Grant, who owns a scrapyard; some came from crashed Copart cars, my pal Glen at Dalcrue breaks a lot of them, and a load of bits came through the track day group I’m involved with – Tracktion Track Days. There’s always lads breaking them in the group chat, so I was really lucky in piecing it together cheaper than buying a full donor car. I did make Connor’s life awkward at times though as there were occasionally parts missing, so sincere apologies to him for being a pain! But we got there in the end.”

Setbacks during the engine swap

Naturally there was quite a lot of potential for this project to become a total pain in the arse, because that’s just the way it is when you’re doing something deliberately wrong. Ford never meant for all of this stuff to be crammed into a Mk6, so it was inevitable that the unsuspecting hatchback might fight back a little. The engine itself tried to wave a little white flag, presenting a bunch of coolant all over one of the pistons, although thankfully that turned out to be little more than a head gasket issue.

And more recently an exhaust hanger snapped, causing the hot pipe to push against the plastic fuel tank and unhelpfully melt it – but Daniel sees all of these problems as opportunities. In that instance, it gave him the chance to upgrade to a carbon tank guard, Direnza torque mount and a fresh fuel tank, so now he doesn’t have to worry about that any more. And wherever you look across the whole car, it’s the same situation: every part, every upgrade, has a little story behind it.

Track car aspirations?

Now, given the hardcore spec and the painstaking attention to detail throughout the chassis, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this EcoBoost swapped Mk6 Fiesta ST is a dedicated track car. And to be fair, that was the primary focus throughout the planning and the build-up: Daniel had track work in mind all along, with the freshly installed rollcage being the most recent piece of the performance puzzle, and he’s planning plenty of circuit miles across 2024 and beyond. For those of you who’ll be joining us at Ford Fair (which is hopefully all of you, right?), you’ll be seeing this wee monster lapping Silverstone at maximum attack. There is, however, something of the Jekyll-and-Hyde about all this…

Road Runner

“The plan was always to use the car on the road,” he reveals. “Living in central Scotland, we have some of the best driving roads in the UK so I wanted to use it whenever I got the chance. I spent all of 2023 driving it on the road for weekend trips, local shows and meets, just putting miles on it really to test everything is working as it should be. 4000+ miles down and we are good! People’s reactions are the best bit about driving it too, it’s a real head-turner and I imagine people hear it before they see it – it’s not overly loud, but it makes all the right noises.

And when it’s parked up at shows and meets it gets a lot of attention… firstly from the number plate, then the huge intercooler, then people see the big brakes behind the 2118s, then they notice the side-exit exhaust, and the fact that it’s got a full Mk7 interior, and they start scratching their heads! This always ends in a conversation about what’s actually done to it, as frankly it looks like 90% of Mk6s out there.”

Forging its own path

That’s the secret-weapon nature of it, of course. It doesn’t speak all that softly but it’s hardly shouting, and it certainly carries a big stick. And the entire concept is anchored in that unexpected and endlessly potent engine choice.

“I know the EcoBoost isn’t especially pretty,” Daniel laughs. “I never really open the bonnet at shows because not many people realise what engine it actually has; there’s no turbo on show with it being hidden down the back, and it looks the same as any plastic-laden engine from the last fifteen years. Once people realise the engine though, they love it – it’s still a pretty rare conversion, as it’s far from cheap and most people go down the K20 route.

On the road it’s a different story too, no one expects 362bhp in something this small and light and they’re shocked when they see it go or get a ride as a passenger. Connor himself is always surprised at just how well it goes, and it was him that mapped it! It’s just had the perfect package of parts and mapping to get it to the way it is – this Fiesta goes like absolute stink and handles like it’s on rails, so that always shocks people.”

EcoBoost Mk6 Fiesta ST conclusion

That, really, was the point all along. Not specifically to shock people as such, but more to shock the very fabric of what modifying a Mk6 Fiesta entails. Daniel didn’t use a rule book, he didn’t takes his cues from other builds, and – above all – he didn’t compromise. The overarching idea was to have fun, and that’s exactly what this car provides; by employing an offbeat and unexpected perspective, he’s created a unique take on an established platform, and the result is a Mk6 quite unlike any other.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

If you want to see Daniel’s EcoBoost Mk6 Fiesta ST, alongside a whole host of unique, and mesmerising modified car builds then you’ll want to get yourself to Silverstone on August 11^th for our annual Ford Fair bonanza. It is what it says on the tin, it’s a gathering of the finest Fords in the UK for one action packed day at the home of British motorsport. Get your tickets here.

The post EcoBoost Swapped Mk6 Fiesta ST appeared first on Fast Car.

We Brits love a moan. Truth be told, though, we honestly don’t know how good we’ve got it when it comes to cars. Other countries have outrageous purchase prices; some countries have astronomical road tax charges; and while we pay a chunk for fuel, prices are far higher in many places around the world. And when it comes to BMWs, we’ve been fortunate enough to have never really missed out on anything desirable. There have been a few exceptions here and there for sure, like the E34 M5 Touring, for example, but, generally speaking, our selection of M-cars has almost always included the cream of the crop.

And we’ve always been treated to the full-fat models, unlike other markets, which have had to make do with detuned versions due to emissions and other restrictions. Case in point, North America and the BMW E36 M3. Our cousins across the pond never received a good version of the third-gen M3 – it launched with the 240hp S50B30US, and the Evo came with the S52B32, which didn’t even get any more power. So it’s little wonder Stateside BMW enthusiasts like Alex Tran look for ways to give their E36 M3s the power they deserve, and this example is simply sensational on every level.

Alex’s car history

It’s fair to say that Alex has come a long way since his first set of wheels, a 2000 Honda Civic Si, but while he is a massive BMW fan now, it was Japanese machinery that captured his heart initially. “I started to become interested in BMWs around 2012. I wanted German engineering. A step away from the JDM scene that’s something more comforting with power,” he explains, and he took the plunge into Bavarian motoring with an excellent first choice. “My first BMW was a 2008 E92 335i. I bought this model for its sleek body style, dual exhausts and mainly for the twin-turbo N54 engine it came with. I loved the power it’s capable of, especially after upgrading to a single turbo,” he grins, and if it wasn’t obvious from looking at his E36, Alex is a keen modder.

“My Civic Si had almost every JDM part possible from the interior to the exterior. Under the hood was wire-tucked with a built B18C1 turbo. My E92 335i was a complete show car, which was also featured in Performance BMW a few years ago. It had everything from custom-built three-piece BBSs to full carbon rear seat delete to a DOC Race 6266 single-turbo making 600whp,” he says with a smile.

Why a BMW E36 M3?

So, what led him to the door of E36 M3 ownership? “The E36 M3 has always been one of my dream cars. They are only getting older and pricier. Luckily, I scored this one right before COVID hit and changed the market dramatically,” Alex tells us. “I found the car on the OfferUp app. It was bone stock with 219k miles on the original S50 engine and chassis and definitely needed some TLC. To name a few things, it had the infamous headliner sag, broken door panels, a cracked windshield, and the radio and power windows didn’t work,” and while that doesn’t make this M3 sound like the most appealing prospect, Alex was able to look beyond all that. “All that mattered to me was the straight body,” he says, and that’s fair because it’s easier to fix all those bits than waging war against rust.

Engine swapping the modified BMW E36 M3

“My original plan was to keep it stock and restore everything back to functional and showroom condition,” explains Alex, “but that didn’t turn out as planned at all. After blowing the original S50 engine, I decided to go all-out with the build, and went with an OEM-plus track-theme powered by a S54,” he grins, and while that’s not what he had in mind for this E36, you won’t hear him complaining about the end result.

As impressive as this whole build is, the S54 swap is what makes it really special, and it gives this American E36 M3 the heart it always truly deserves. And needless to say, with Alex’s penchant for modifying, the legendary straight-six has not been left standard. “When I first received the engine, I replaced the rod bearings, Vanos, and resealed it top to bottom before throwing the swap in the car. I went with the Karbonius carbon CSL intake, Megan cat-less headers, Radium fuel rail, fuel gauge and oil catch can. I chose these mods because it has that OEM+ performance look and keeps it classy,” Alex explains, and those enhancements have just given this S54 the edge.

The carbon airbox dominates the engine bay, and it’s pretty much the rule that if you’ve got an S54 and aren’t adding forced induction into the mix, you’ve got to have a CSL-style airbox on there because the induction noise will change your life. With the combination of an E46 M3 mid-section and an Eisenmann Race silencer, Alex’s E36 is making all the right noises and delivers plenty of performance.

Exterior changes on the modified BMW E36 M3

On the outside, it’s clear this isn’t a stock M3, but it’s actually surprising how little Alex has added. This is very much a case of the right mods coming together to make a big difference, and it goes to show that it’s not always about going all-out but rather, making the right choices.

“I tried my best to keep the exterior looking as stock as possible,” Alex tells us. “The only things I added were the LTW wing, Fancywide V2 diffuser and Rieger GT front lip,” but just those three elements do so much together. Up front, the Rieger lip adds a big hit of aggression, and it’s balanced beautifully by that high-rise rear wing while the diffuser fills out the rear bumper to perfection. There are plenty of small details, too, which make all the difference, like the Euro clear rear lights, the 50th-anniversary heritage roundels, and the Goldenwrench green fuel cap.

Wheels and brakes on the modified BMW E36 M3

Of course, Alex’s choice of wheels also makes a big difference to the car’s looks, and they add so much just on their own. “You can never go wrong with a nice set of BBS LM wheels. They flow so well on almost every car, especially this one,” Alex reasons, and he’s not wrong. The LM is such an iconic wheel, one that works well on just about any BMW you care to mention.

The classic cross-spoke 17s have been treated to raw brushed and lacquered faces courtesy of Sensei6 and look fantastic, mounted with Project Kics R26 wheel nuts, plus, we love the British Racing Green centre caps that add just a flash of colour. And visible through the spokes are the red calipers of the Porsche 996 911 big brake kit that’s been fitted along with R1 Concepts discs, a combo which delivers serious stopping power whenever Alex demands it.

Chassis upgrades

The drop that Alex has applied here to get the arches scraping over the tyre sidewalls is absolutely spectacular and comes courtesy of the chassis setup his M3 has been endowed with. “I decided to go with BC Racing BR coilovers, Megan Racing rear camber arms, Turner Motorsport front and rear sway bars, and an OMP front strut bar and changed every suspension and subframe bushings to Garagistic’s poly bushings. I also reinforced every weak point these cars have that is prone to cracking.

The car handles great for such a simple street setup,” enthuses Alex, and this selection of mods has made a big difference to how the M3 drives. The chassis is hardly lacking in standard form, but these chassis upgrades have ensured there is virtually no slack left in the chassis, and this E36 now handles like an absolute dream and delivers sheer driving pleasure from behind the wheel. In fact, the chassis is what Alex loves most on the whole build; “I would have to say the suspension is my favourite modification. That’s what makes this car handle so well and makes this car fun to drive,” he enthuses, and that’s why you should never scrimp on suspension.

Modified BMW E36 M3 interior changes

Alex has also worked his magic on the interior, and it is packed full of impressive additions. “A roll-cage in this car looks so perfect, so I had to have one. I kept the entire interior in the car for that street OEM+ look. After I parted out my E92, I took everything that works in the E36 and threw it in, like the Recaro Pole Positions, RTD shifter, and Pedal Haus pedals and floor plate,” Alex tells us, but there’s so much more going on in here.

The Recaros are joined by Takata harnesses, and there’s a Renown steering wheel with Chasing JS titanium steering wheel bolts, an NRG short hub and a Works Bell tilt hub. There’s also an RTD Race shifter with a CAE British Racing Green knob – a nice little nod to the centre caps on the outside – along with a Storm Motorwerks handbrake handle with a Condor M-Rain gaiter. Finally, Alex also has an ST Track gauge pod that houses the AEM AFR, oil pressure and volt gauges, plus an Ecliptech shift light, and the finishing touch comes courtesy of the carbon LTW-style shifter and glovebox trim. It’s all rather more full-on than the exterior, but we like the contrast and we love everything that Alex has done in here.

Conclusion

In fact, we love the whole build; it really shows off the E36 M3 at its very best, and this car is the culmination of what Alex set out to achieve when he started this unexpected project. “I wanted to build this for the street, track, and show,” he explains, and this is an M3 that can do it all. It’s got the chassis, seats and shifter that make it a dream to drive on the track, enough comfort to make it a perfectly reasonable street car, and the flair and individual touches that ensure it never goes unnoticed at any car show that Alex pulls up to.

It’s taken Alex just one year to get the M3 to how you see it here, and in that time, he’s managed to do everything he wanted. While that doesn’t happen very often among modders, it’s a great feeling when it does. “The car is right where I want it to be without anything else needing to be done,” he smiles, which means it’s time to hit the streets, tear up the track, and park up at some shows to make the most of everything this awesome S54 M3 has to offer

Photos: Sheldon Yagyagan (@finalshutter)

Want to see modified cars as cool as this in person? We’re hosting our Ultimate Performance Event, Trax Silverstone, this September 1st. With club tickets virtually sold out, you’ll be able to ogle over more than 3000 modified cars at the home of motorsport. Visit the event website here for more information on tickets. 

The post Modified BMW E36 M3 With S54 Engine Swap appeared first on Fast Car.

Seven hundred and sixty-five horsepower. It’s an impressive figure for something with a big engine, a 2JZ Toyota Supra Mk4 for example. Or a dedicated drag car. But for a road-legal, front-wheel drive modified Civic Type R with a relatively humble 2.0-litre inline four under the bonnet, 765bhp is just insane. Beautifully, wonderfully insane.

Tuning an engine to more than treble its output is an expensive puzzle. Building a mint show car is time-consuming, but we’re sure Adam would point out he never set out to build a show stopper, or particularly considers his turbocharged Honda Civic Type R FN2 to be one. However, doing both to one car is a costly, labour-intensive challenge that would defeat most sane people. Fortunately, 30 year-old Adam Flowers isn’t sane. Hang on, this isn’t coming out right…

What we mean is, Adam has a special kind of commitment that only the most speed-addicted performance tuning junkies possess. He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t understand the phrase ‘that’ll do’, let alone uses it. He’s far more likely to do his best Oliver impression and ask for more – as the tortured K20 engine hidden under that Tegiwa carbon-fibre bonnet knows only too well.

FN2 naturally-aspirated tuning

‘It all started with a simple HKS induction kit,’ remembers Adam with a smile. ‘The kit sounded phenomenal, you could really hear the VTEC crossover.’ How many more innocent young wallets is the VTEC bark going to empty? This seems to be a reoccurring theme among Honda heads. Although few go as far as Adam.

‘I bought the car way back in 2011, with about 17,000 miles on it,’ he adds. ‘Championship White FN2s were rare at the time, they only made 600 Championship Editions in total and I’d never seen one before I bought mine. It was something a little different, and stood out from the rest of the FN2 Type Rs. In excellent original condition with only one previous owner, it was the perfect base to build a tidy, fast car.’

Within weeks, Adam had started the transformation. Initially he went down the NA route, aiming to improve the car for the road with occasional track use. The engine tuning focused on breathing mods including an RRC inlet manifold with a J35 throttle body, a Tegiwa exhaust manifold and a Milltek Sport non-resonated exhaust system. Honda tuning gurus TDi North remapped the car using Hondata Flash Pro, where it kicked out 240bhp. A decent hike from the original claimed output of 198bhp.

Initial chassis changes

At this point Adam discovered a couple of surprisingly effective upgrades. He explains: ‘I fitted some Eibach 30mm lowering springs and had a fast-road geometry setup that transformed the way the car handled. I know some people point out the FN2 has a solid rear beam rather than the independent rear suspension on other Hondas like the earlier EP3, but the bodyshell is also significantly stiffer than the EP3 too. After the alignment it was so much more planted in the corners, and is definitely a worthwhile mod.’

He also bought a used set of Stoptech Touring Series brakes off one of the Honda forums. ‘I actually couldn’t believe the difference, I was never impressed with the OEM brakes but the jump was massive. For a long time the brakes were my favourite upgrade and I would recommend them to anyone tuning an FN2.’

Time for forced induction

Shortly after, Adam took his increasingly hot Honda to its first track day at Oulton Park, where it performed well, with no issues there or on the drive home. However, there was a much more epic transformation just around the corner. Adam remembers: ‘I did some bodywork next; Mugen-style front splitter and rear spoiler, GP rear diffuser, black mirrors, etc. After a while I started looking at ways of getting more power.’

‘For me, NA tuning is such a costly exercise and I didn’t think it would return the power I wanted anyway, so I started looking at the pros and cons of supercharging or turbocharging the engine. I did lots of research but seeing a 500bhp turbo FN2 tuned by TDi North in action cemented my mind. It wasn’t just the power, it was all the turbo noises I loved too, the roar of the screamer pipe.’

Adam ordered a TDi North GT30 turbo kit, along with a stage four Competition Clutch and Wavetrac 4.7 limited-slip differential to help put the power down. Initially, the turbo kit bolted onto the standard K20Z4 engine. With the turbo blowing through the Milltek Sport 2.5in exhaust, and the Hondata Flash Pro still enabling the ECU tweaks, initial power was 370bhp, but after a few weeks that was turned up to 400bhp, then 425bhp and soon after 450bhp.

Unfortunately, one spirited drive resulted in him stripping fourth gear. This was a turning point in the project. But after spending a few quid, Adam knew he was at a crossroads. One way involved spending even more money to ‘do it properly’, the other was to just sell what he had and move on. He was seriously considering throwing in the towel.

Forged engine and upgraded transmission

Thankfully he came to his senses, priced up a 600bhp build with the guys over at TDi North and dropped his car off for work to begin. He admits: ‘It felt like taking ten steps back from the 450bhp I had and starting again, but I’m so glad I did it now.’ To prevent a repeat of the gearbox issues, Adam bought a list of upgrades including a PPG 1st to 4th gear set, plus MFactory carbon synchros and uprated driveshafts. An even bigger investment went into the engine.

Clockwise Motion in Worcestershire have built some of the most powerful K-Series engines in existence. While TDi North have tuned some of the fastest Hondas around, including cars that have dominated in the UK Time Attack Championship, VTEC Challenge and the Jap Drag Series. These tuning superpowers combined to create something very special. Clockwise Motion provided a short motor (sleeved block with a fully built bottom-end), along with a fully worked-over cylinder head. These were then assembled and ultimately tuned at TDi North, who by this time had replaced the Hondata with EcuTek management. The results were incredible.

700bhp+

With a GTX3582R turbo in place of the GT30, power quickly shot up to the 700bhp mark. ‘I was over the moon with that,’ says Adam, ‘that was way more than I expected, but TDi reckoned there was much more to come. And they were right! We ended up at 765bhp at 23psi of boost, a new record for a road-driven FN2 in the UK and possibly even Europe too! I was blown away. I never expected that result.’

What the turbocharged Civic Type R FN2 is like to drive

So what’s it like to drive a front-wheel drive car with 765bhp? ‘Surprisingly easy,’ claims Adam. ‘I don’t actually use the traction control at all, just my right foot. Obviously if you’re heavy on the throttle it will spin up and won’t stop wheel-spinning until the top of third gear, in the dry. So it’s a monster if you want it to be, but it also grips amazingly well if you drive it properly.’

It’s a real looker too. We love the black and white theme, particularly the aggressive front-end with the bumper cut-outs, canards and the minimalist front grille. ‘Yeah, I’m really pleased with the grille,’ says Adam. ‘A few people have told me it looks unfinished but I like the fact it exposes all the coolers. It’s just a standard grille with the centre section cut-out. Everyone has a Mugen grille but I wanted something different.’

A lot of attention has been paid to the finer details too. The colours of the Buddy Club bucket seat neatly match the original passenger seat. Equally, Adam has made good use of the crackle black finish under the bonnet. If it wasn’t for the gold heat-wrapping and Hybrid Racing fuel rail, you might not suspect Adam has touched much under there. Until he starts it up that is.

Verdict

It’s hard to get over how well presented this FN2 is. The mighty power figure will always grab the headlines but it’s not until you have a good look over the car, that you realize every single component is beautifully presented.

We often talk about performance tuning as being a game of compromises. You aren’t supposed to be able to have it all. However, Adam’s car demonstrates how small you can make those compromises, if you have a clear vision and the determination to push it through. Having the support of experienced tuning companies at the top of their game helps too. This front-wheel drive street car has just re-written the rule book. Seven hundred and sixty five brake horsepower. That’s not just raising the bar, that’s throwing it into orbit.

Billet Turbo For Honda Civic Type R FN2

The Garrett GTX3582R turbo hiding in the engine bay spins the wrong way. Unlike most turbos, this second-generation ‘supercore’ turbo spins anti-clockwise. This helps it squeeze into the Civic’s engine bay along with all the necessary piping. It features a stainless-steel .82 v-band turbine housing made by AET Turbos and has a forged billet compressor wheel. The main advantage of the billet wheel is that billet is stronger than traditional cast wheels, so it will handle more boost and abuse.

Limited Slip Differential

With just two front tyres trying to keep the full force of 765bhp under control, Adam has made some upgrades to stop them from spinning stationary. A Wavetrac LSD puts up an impressive fight, distributing power to whichever wheel has the most grip. While the tyres themselves are Yokohama Advan AD08R semi-slicks. Adam has been very clever with the wheel widths and offsets. He’s squeezed wide 235/40/17 tyres on the front, and has a pair of chunky 255/40/17s to go on very soon. Perhaps most importantly of all, the EcuTek has been calibrated to provide boost-by-gear. Less boost is available to the engine in the first couple of gears to help lay down the power.

Unbreakable Engine In Turbocharged Honda Civic Type R FN2

The foundations for this monster engine are extremely sturdy. Clockwise Motion has fitted the K20Z4 block with Darton Modular Integrated Deck (MID) wet sleeves. This reinforces the cylinder walls ready for boost. The stock crankshaft is forged from the factory. This has been complemented with Saenz rods with L19 bolts and Omega pistons. A host of other upgrades help keep the engine reliable. This includes an FD2 oil pump balance delete kit, which is lighter and provides greater oil pressure at higher rpm, preventing oil cavitation.

Using Your Head

Much of the magic of the rev-happy Honda VTEC engines lies in the cylinder head. Not only because of the clever switchable cams but also the overall geometry of the combustion chamber. In short, Honda K20 cylinder heads flow really well, even in standard form. Clockwise Motion has maximised the gains in this area. With extra porting and a 3-angle valve job using a mix of the firm’s own exhaust valves and Supertech intake valves. Double valve springs and uprated steel retainers help to keep the valves under control at high rpms. The ‘head is clamped down onto a Clockwise Motion head gasket using ARP bolts.

Fuelling System For Tuned Honda Civic Type R FN2

Adam points out the fuel system was one of several bottlenecks discovered along the way to 765bhp. It became a problem around the 550bhp mark. The solution was to fit a swirl pot with a combination of Walbro 225lph and Bosch 044 fuel pumps. Similarly, the 2.5in exhaust was never intended for forced induction, so TDi North fabricated their own 3in system. Lastly, Adam needed to find some colder copper-cored plugs and gap them closer. This was due to the boost pressure blowing the spark out prematurely.

ECU Wizardry

EcuTek provides the brains for this Championship Edition FN2. If you haven’t experienced EcuTek, it’s like engine management and a game app rolled into one. You can control loads of things using the app on your mobile phone, which makes changing things on the go really easy. Among the toys available to Adam are launch control, flat-shift, adjustable traction control, multiple maps, data logging and lots more besides. It’s an incredible system that we know TDi North are particularly keen on.

Words: Dan Goodyer. Photos: Dan Sherwood.

If you love cars like this, then you don’t want to miss out on Trax Silverstone this September 1st. In fact, we first spotted this car back at Trax 2018, and since then has developed into what you see here. It’s these types of ground-breaking cars that you’ll get to witness first hand at Silverstone. So don’t miss out! Check out the Trax event website here. 

The post Turbocharged Honda Civic Type R FN2 With 765bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

How much power is enough power? Well, for our mate Buzz, apparently there is no limit. You might have seen this car before, not only has it been to our event, TRAX (and will again be on display at the 2024 event!), but it also featured on Car Wow racing a certain David Coulthard in an ex Red Bull F1 car. Back then it had around 1200hp and made mince meat of the F1 car over the 1/4 mile as well as the rolling half mile. Well, Buzz has been on a mission to hit a 7 second 1/4 mile run for the past year. Over countless setbacks (he’s now on his 3rd V10 engine!), he was back at Santa Pod’s Doorslammers event to take the crown as Europe’s fastest Lamborghini. 7.89 seconds was the time to beat.

It didn’t take long to take the crown, on his 1st pass on the Saturday, 2nd of the whole event, map 3 of 3 was selected and it was time to go for gold. 7.87 seconds later and it was over, crossing the line at 190mph. In this mode, the T1 race engine and Boost Logic turbos were producing a whopping 2100whp, lifting the front wheels off the ground slightly on take off. And while that time was enough to be crowned as Europe’s quickest Lamborghini, there was still another day of racing left.

Breaking the record for a second time

Not content with knocking just 0.2 seconds off the record, Buzz decided it was time to remove the rear spoiler from his twin turbo Huracan, tape up the front bonnet aero gaps and hope for an epic launch. Some good old fashioned drag racing techniques. Lining up against Tom Wrigley’s BMW M3 (which happens to run 8s…) Buzz got a brilliant launch and pushed on to achieve a 7.75 second 1/4 mile pass, crossing the line at 192.9mph. Sadly, the weekend wasn’t topped off with the True Street class win (yes, you better believe this monster is road legal!) due to an issue with the car’s launch sequence as the lights were starting.

We spoke to Buzz after the run who was understandably ecstatic. While we can’t publish his exact words, we can get the general point over: “F****** come on! We came here to set the record and we smashed it. From losing my GT-R in flames to setting a European record then smashing it again in a Lamborghini. It’s true, the comeback is always greater than the setback, y0!”

Buzz couldn’t have done it without a number of people who are involved with the build. “I’d like to thank Gursev Virdee from GV Performance who built the car; Zohair Jaffery from Boost Logic for all the parts including the turbo kit; Tony Palo from T1 Race for the race spec engine and tuning the car on the Motec system; Rocky Bhattel for all his support; and finally, of course, my wife, Aubane, for allowing me to do this silly sh** and ruining my kids future savings!”

The post Europe’s Quickest Lamborghini: 2100whp Twin Turbo Huracan appeared first on Fast Car.

It all started with wanting a bit more horsepower.” Yep, heard that one before. The path leading up to this Fiesta’s current 355bhp guise has been one of tricky but rewarding stepping stones, all with the aim of creating something that’s as capable of delivering breath-taking performance as it is of scooping silverware on the showground.

Now, you may remember seeing this modified Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo featured in the February 2018 issue of Fast Ford. You may question why it was being featured again. But the transformation since that late-2017 shoot has been so in-depth, so seismic, so disruptive, that the car’s morphed into a whole other entity. This is, quite simply, one of the very best Fiestas in the UK today. Adam Pope’s devotion to its evolution is extraordinary. A regular on the show scene, this is the car that keeps coming back like a boomerang, each time attacking harder with the venom of a boomslang.

What’s different on the modified Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo this time?

Last time you saw this car in Fast Ford, it was running a pretty tasty spec. It had a 215bhp CVH, Compomotive MOs, Brembos, show cage, it was very cool. But so much has changed since then that it’s near enough a different car these days (dare I say it’s likely changed again since this shoot!). “Yeah, I’ve modified pretty much everything over the last few years,” Adam laughs. And perhaps the most significant changes have been going on under the bonnet: “I wanted it to feel properly lively, to be a bit of a handful. So I purchased a turbo first – the big GT3071HTA from Owen Developments, knowing full well it’d be too big for my CVH…”

CVH to ZVH…

This gave Adam the push to do something really special with his engine, concluding that the ultimate fusion of CVH looks and Zetec turbo power that a ZVH provides would be the way to go. An obsessive researcher, he then set about combing through the finer details of every ZVH build he could find, learning what had been tried-and-tested and what had failed, in order to build up his own perfect parts list. A lot of research also went into compression ratios and boost pressures, and after a protracted and in-depth period of burying himself in build threads and spec sheets, Adam emerged blinking into the light with a reasonably clear idea of what he wanted. And so, rolling up his sleeves, he got stuck into building the strongest ZVH he possibly could.

Cylinder head work

“I sent the cylinder head to my local machine shop to have the valve seats cut for the larger valves, and any other work that was needed,” he says. “Meanwhile I got working on the silver-top 2.0 block build-up, re-gapping all the rings on the Wossner forged pistons so I’d have correct blow-by; the pistons were mounted to H-beam con rods to take the high torque, and I set about measuring cylinder walls as I wanted an 86mm bore, doubled-checking for imperfections.

I had the crank balanced by a local machine shop, and also checked the oil pump as I’d heard horror stories! Once I was happy it was time to begin placing it all in the block. I wanted ARP racing bolts and studs on everything, including main cap bearings, con rods, flywheel and cylinder head, as I don’t want anything moving the way it shouldn’t go. I opted for a 1.9mm Cometic head gasket as they were made for ZVH builds, and by this time the head was back from the machine shop so I got on to assembly; I used 1mm-oversized stainless valves, double 200lb valve springs to prevent valve float, a Kent CVH37 competition cam as I wanted a smooth power curve, and hydraulic lifters and Harland Sharp roller rockers from the US.”

Breathing mods on the Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo

With the motor built up, Adam was very mindful of the engine breathing correctly, so he got in touch with Zewspeed and enquired about a side-entry inlet manifold to be custom-made; Zak was more than happy to assist and understood the brief perfectly.

“The exhaust manifold was the hardest part of all,” Adam continues. “I went through three types before actually deciding which one was best. I’d managed to source a well-made stainless Crazycage manifold on Facebook, still brand new, which would need modifications to take the V-band and external wastegate, and set about modifying that. I then made a complete 3” stainless exhaust from the turbo back, and in the downpipe was also a feed back for the wastegate – I wanted a TiAL 50mm blow-off valve that re-inserted back through the turbo to help throttle response.”

Heat management was very much on his mind too, heat-shielding various areas to prevent soak from the stainless manifold as well as going to the trouble of fitting an AEM water/meth injection system to aid with inlet temps and ignition. The fuelling was necessarily upgraded, with a new tank and 340lph AEM pump joined by AN fittings and PTFE braided lines throughout, and a Forge fuel regulator.

Modified Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo brake upgrades

With all of these power games playing out, it was becoming apparent that the old 4-pot brakes mightn’t be enough, so the next job on the list was to set about researching the optimal brake setup. The result of yet another lengthy fact-finding mission turned out to be a set of AP Racing front brakes from a Lotus Exige, a rear ST170 disc conversion, with an AP Racing pedal box and in-line servo, along with ST170 rear hubs and the stronger front hubs from a Mk5 Zetec-S; the CV joints, tie rod and track rod arms are all Mk5 too. Once again, it’s all about strength and longevity. This car has been built to be bulletproof.

“I also needed modified engine mounts, which I made in-house,” he says, “and I wanted a new gear linkage shifter so I got in touch with Vos Engineering who were designing and making these short-shifter towers at the time of my build, and it was set in my mind that I had to have one.”

With all of these form-and-function developments, the aesthetic direction of the car was becoming increasingly clear too, and one word above all would define the motivation: clubsport.

Clubsport inspiration for the modified Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo

“I wanted a few motorsport things in the mix, and also to make the car lighter with some carbon fibre – who doesn’t love carbon?” Adam continues. “Sourcing the carbon parts turned out to be really hard though, like finding a unicorn at times; in the end I tracked down Lotus carbon headlight scoops, a roof skin and front splitter from Raj at Autoflock, and the bootlid was an absolute fluke, I found that on Facebook. To complement the clubsport vibe I started thinking about ’80s motorsport and the BBS alloys; I’ve always wanted a set and nobody had really fitted genuine BBS RS to a Fiesta Turbo, so I thought: let’s try and get it done. I sourced some genuine, untouched BBS wheels in a 4×114 Honda fitment, so I needed adapters – they don’t come off the shelf in that PCD, so once again I was making something bespoke.

Also, to gain the right offset, I had to replace the outer lips with 0.5” along with a 5.5” inner barrel in order to bring them to ET38. They were finished with grey centres to match the carbon fibre, polished lips, MG-Line centre-lock nuts, and of course the custom carbon turbofans. Then I started looking at some of the paintwork, since that’s my profession – I needed to get some bits tidied up, and painting a newly louvre-pressed bonnet along with the headlamps, front bumper, rear bumper and nearside rear quarter freshened the car up a bit.”

Interior changes

The makeover was becoming more and more comprehensive as mission creep firmly set in, so it was perhaps inevitable that after assessing and reworking the drivetrain, chassis and exterior, Adam would take a little look at the cabin and start coming up with ideas. And so it came to pass – a set of Recaro Sportster CS were liberated from a Renaultsport Clio, stripped, de-airbagged, retrimmed in black leather and suede, and fitted on custom mounts that fuse Mk2 Focus RS and Fiesta Turbo runners. The doorcards were trimmed in nappa leather to match, a headlining made up in black suede, and the rollcage and cross bars finished in red.

Mapping the car

“By this time, we were ready for final engine mapping,” says Adam. “A couple of times I had been to and from Dan Page at Page Motorsport with the car. Dan has spent a long time with my Fiesta and let me get involved in the dyno room, setting it up to be perfect in how I want it to perform. He’s a true petrolhead and always goes out of his way to achieve perfection. And he has done exactly that, making sure throughout that the fuelling was right at every throttle point on the three boost settings; in the end we achieved 280bhp at 12psi, 305bhp at 24psi, and 355bhp at 31psi with the meth switched on.

That was the absolute achievement for me, building an engine to perform so faultlessly on the dyno was incredible. The power input to the wheels is perfect, the power curves are just great and smooth throughout the graph on the dyno runs – we ended up doing over sixty runs on the dyno just so we knew it was perfect.”

Conclusion

And that, folks, is why it was in Fast Ford again, and proudly on the cover. Adam’s commitment to this car is incredible, and his obsession with perfection is unparalleled. This RS Turbo is the venomous creature that just keeps on coming back, and Adam ensures that every single time it bites harder than before. It’s a relentless trophy winner at show-and-shines, but above all else this Fiesta was engineered to be strong and reliable. “It all started with wanting a bit more horsepower,” sure – but what this car is really about is that it’s actually a bit more of absolutely everything.

Don’t forget, we’re hosting two of the biggest Ford shows the UK has to offer! Be sure to check out Ford Fair at Silverstone on August 11th, and Ford Fest at Mallory Park on September 22nd. If you love Fords then these two shows are not to be missed!

Photos: Ade Brannan.

The post Modified Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo With 355bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

Physicists might disagree, but speed isn’t a black and white concept. That fingertip-tingling rush of adrenaline varies wildly depending on what you’re sat in, and the gap becomes even wider once you factor bikes into the equation. Ask anyone who’s grown up on two wheels, and they’ll tell you that the buzz of riding is hard to replicate in a car, but it also isn’t out of reach for the most determined owners. In Adam Smith’s case, that point of reference set him on a course for a project fleet pushing out just shy of 2,000bhp – and almost half of that comes from this car.

“For me, cars are all about the adrenaline and speed,” he tells us. “I was brought up on motocross, so I was into bikes first. The adrenaline rush is unbelievable, but I had bad accident and nearly broke my back, so I decided to step back and calm down a bit. That’s when I got a taste for cars – I didn’t pass my test until I was 19.”

From bikes to cars

A self-confessed Honda guy by background (perhaps a legacy of those motocross days), cars have become more than a hobby in the meantime. Adam now fits PPF for a living, which means he’s often working on supercars, and a need for boost has lured him away from VTEC. Given where he started out, forced-induction Volkswagen Group products hasn’t turned out to be a toe dip. His first, a 2008 Leon Cupra, ended up north of 500bhp before being embarrassed by a quattro-equipped Audi, and four-wheel drive has helped push the boundaries even further.

“I sold the Cupra for an 8P generation S3 – this would have been back in 2014-15,” he continues. “It was a bit tame by comparison. I went daft with the Cupra, but I didn’t want to take out all of the reliability with the Audi, so I left it at Stage Two Plus. It was good for about 367bhp, and I literally kicked its head in every day without any problems. It did a 12.3-second run at Santa Pod, which was quicker than some of the DSG cars – and it’s the only project I’ve missed after selling up.”

Switching to a Golf R Mk7

That mechanical sympathy didn’t last long. Lured by a newer engine and platform, not to mention a fast-growing selection of hardware to wring more performance out of both, Adam soon traded into a Mk7 Golf R. This quickly snowballed into a destructive exploration the drivetrain’s power-handling capability, which in turn was a useful conversation-starter with another Sheffield-based owner on the same expensive path. Tom Parker, of TC Performance (PVW 09/23) was discovering similar weak points with his Golf R, but the two projects took very different directions having exhausted the limits of the Volkswagen parts bin.

“The Golf went through three gearboxes in eight months, and Tom was smashing his to bits at the same time. When I sat down with Will at VRS, he told me I could either go for the DQ500 ‘box from the RS3, which would be bulletproof, or start again with a different platform. The conversion was about £7,000, so I figured I might as well just buy an RS3 instead. Tom went down the other route and fitted a five-pot in his Golf instead.”

Buying the Audi RS3 saloon

With plans to go all out on the build, Adam wasn’t content to settle for anything less than the perfect base car. It took weeks and several rejections to track down a suitable RS3 – an all-options ticked saloon, bought in the UK and one of only two (at the time) living in Ireland. The original owner had spared no expense, adding dynamic chassis control, genuine Audi wind deflectors and a set of four R8 20-inch front wheels for £5,000. Ceramic brakes were the only missing component, and they’d have been replaced at some point anyway.

However, raising the cylinder count wasn’t as much of an upgrade as he was expecting. “I thought I’d made a massive mistake at first,” he laughs. “All of the roads on the way back, going through Ireland and Scotland, were mega but it was a big change going from a 560bhp Golf R that was aggressive into a stock RS3. The plan was to track it, so I opened the can of worms and went Stage Two for a while. Then I got used to the power, and I wanted more…”

Upping the power on the tuned Audi RS3 saloon…

Modern engines put almost-unimaginable performance within reach, but there’s no simple (read: cheap) route to a thousand horsepower. The factory five-pot expired soon after it was paired with a large hybrid turbo, and you can’t buy much of its replacement over the counter at an Audi parts department. After a week of researching trustworthy engine builders, Adam selected Race Developments to put together a proven package. It’s fully forged internally, fitted with wet cylinder liners (which are plumbed into the coolant circuit) and ported for improved airflow – all of which helps when you have a taste for boost.

“People have got in their heads that you can get 1,000hp out of these cars,” he shrugs, tugging the bonnet release. “You can… but you’re on borrowed time unless you build it properly.”

There’s a real sense of that ethos once you get a look around the business end of the Audi. Packed in at the back of the bay is a 76mm turbocharger, fed by a five-inch diameter custom inlet and mounted with Nortech/Peron hardware – including the intercooler and pipework. That boost is channelled through a 56mm larger, flow-optimised CTS Turbo throttle body and RPC Motorsport runners with 1,300cc injectors. The result? A 1,067bhp assault on the senses after its dyno tuning session at Peron Automotive, and a realisation that it’s not only mechanical parts that have a limit.

…and then dropping the power to 900bhp

“I don’t shy away from a challenge, but at 1,067bhp it was pointless,” Adam tells us. “Tim at Race Developments told me to wind it back a bit so I could enjoy it more without worrying about breaking it. At 900bhp on ethanol it’s a lot tamer and more controllable – the turbo is so big that it feeds in nicely then comes in hard and rips all the way to the redline. It’s so different to everything else. You need to plan 200 metres ahead, and over-analyse everything, before you push it.”

Having switched out of the Golf due to transmission issues, Adam cut no corners selecting the hardware he’d task with putting the RS3’s ferocious power to the tarmac. A Wavetrac limited-slip differential and Syvecs Haldex controller – which enables him to adjust the level of four-wheel drive assistance on the fly – provide more grip than the standard spec, while the 034Motorsport catch can captures oil vapours forced out under load instead of releasing them into the bay.

Chassis upgrades on the tuned Audi RS3

The original owner’s exhaustive option-ticking didn’t amount to much as the powertrain spec evolved. Despite Adam’s determination to stick with Audi’s DCC setup, the factory shocks had developed a tendency to bottom out, even after being recalibrated. They’ve since made way for KW Clubsport coilovers with stiffer, lighter and fully adjustable tubular subframes from Verkline, and the car has since been corner-weighted with bespoke suspension geometry to maximise traction as it unleashes the full force of its powertrain.

That process also led to the R8 wheels outstaying their welcome, though this owes more to Sheffield’s cratered road network than time on track. Adam initially downsized to 19-inch HRE wheels, then worked with 2 Forge to develop the tailor-made 18s it wears today. The ZF1s measure 18×9 inches with a custom 43mm offset, adjusted to get the fitment perfect, and they’re wrapped in unstretched Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres. At more than twice the factory power output, there’s no room for a weak link in the chain.

Tuned Audi RS3 weight saving

Nor any excess weight, as Adam continues to explain. “A couple of years ago I was sat at home bored, and I got this daft idea that it would look sick if I took the panoramic roof glass out and replaced it with carbon fibre. Once I’ve set my mind on something, I’ve got to do it, so I called a few companies in the UK then discovered Dimitar at Mcomposit in Bulgaria. He loved the idea, bought a roof and made me a mould. I wanted it to look good, but it also saves about 10kg.”

Already impressed, they continued to spitball ideas for the saloon. Mcomposit sells drag-spec doors for the RS3, but they’re little more than a skin. Adam’s are custom made in OE style, which enabled a bit more weight shedding while extending that holographic weave across the bodywork while retaining the door cards and windows. In turn, they’re matched to an Mcomposit boot lid, louvred wings from Karbel, and an Automotive Performance splitter. And yes, if you’re wondering how Tom Parker’s RS3-swapped Golf ended up with carbon fibre doors, it’s rooted in the same conversation.

Interior modifications on the tuned Audi RS3

The weight-saving continues inside, where the Tillet carbon fibre seats tip the scales at just over 3kg apiece, with barely any extra added by the plush Cherry Upholstery leather-trimmed pads. Diamond-stitched to match the rear bench, they’ve gained a couple of additional layers of memory foam for road use. Carbon fibre accents on the centre console match the original elements on the dashboard, door trims and custom Berg Auto Design steering wheel, which also includes an LED boost and rpm gauge with a shift light.

Effectively, this all unlocks even more potential from the engine. The Audi weighs 1,342kg with a half tank of fuel, which is almost 200kg lighter than it was out of the factory despite the near-complete interior. Although daily driver duty has shifted to his “heart and soul” project – a 408bhp Caddy TDI – Adam is quick to point out that the RS3 is still very much a road car.

“Everyone looks at the seats and thinks they’ll be like sitting on a flat bench,” he tells us. “They’re fitted to me, so once I’m anchored in place I’m not moving, but once you’re in them they’re comfy as hell. I’ve done a lot of driving since I fitted them, and they’re absolutely wicked.”

What’s next for the tuned Audi RS3?

At this stage of the build, that enjoyability is essential. The tuned Audi RS3 got its first show outing at Ultimate Dubs, its understated aggression made even more impactful by the lack of a blow-by-blow social media build thread or a steady evolution at previous events. There’s more to come, too. Expect to see the svelte saloon, now fitted with a half roll cage and drag-spec Wilwood brakes, making a few appearances at Santa Pod during the coming months, and it might not be alone when it does.

“I’m not spending any more money on the RS3 – there’s always something you can do, but I’m not planning to race it, so there’s no need,” he says. “But my other project, which I’m hoping to finish soon, is a SEAT Arosa with a PD engine that should be about 500bhp with nitrous when it’s done. That thing scares the life out of me, the aim is to get it into the nines at Santa Pod and embarrass a few people when I do.”

In the meantime, Adam is still pursuing that motorsport-derived sensation of speed. There’s still space in his life for an Ariel Atom track toy, which is about as close as you can get to low-weight bike thrills on four wheels, and the tuned Audi RS3 is earmarked to passed on to his son once he turns 21. As handovers go, that ought to set a similarly high expectation of performance in the next generation – and with 900bhp as a reference point, who knows where that thread might lead.

Love cars like this? Then don’t miss our premier events this year. Check out our Trax event at Silverstone, as well as our German Car Festival show at Goodwood Motor Circuit. Don’t miss out!

Words: Alex Grant. Photos: Ade Brannan. 

The post Tuned Audi RS3 Saloon With 900bhp! appeared first on Fast Car.

“This car was meant to be a fast daily, not a show car.” Uh-huh, we should have seen this coming, really. Butsy does have a habit of getting carried away. His idea of ‘not a show car’ is rather different to most people’s.

For the uninitiated, Grant Butler (better known to most folks as Butsy) is something of a whirlwind in the Ford modding scene. He collects RS Fords like your grandma used to pick up Green Shield Stamps, and there’s no way any of his stuff can ever remain stock.

Regular readers of Fast Ford will have enjoyed his updates in the Fast Fleet section, and you can also find him waxing Celtically lyrical about his oval-badged projects on YouTube as Butsy Customised, along with his ever-bustling Insta feed. And if you haven’t seen our video of Butsy’s car collection then watch that now! What’s all the more remarkable is that this isn’t his day job – he’s an obsessive hobbyist who just can’t leave things alone.

Why build another custom Mk2 Focus RS?

Now, the genesis of this latest Ford project is amusingly odd. Because, as many of you will be well aware, Butsy already has two incredible customised Mk2 Focus RSs, one of which packs over 1,000bhp; both are built for ludicrous speed and impeccably agile performance while also being presented with a show-winning finish. So why did he need to build another one?

“Yeah, it’s best if you don’t ask my wife that question,” he laughs. “It does make sense, really; see, I was originally planning to wrap Shadow [his yellow Mk2 RS] in this shade of Caribbean Blue – but to be honest I love that car too much to change it. And around the same time as I was thinking about that, I was offered my good friend Daniel Neale’s old ‘Monster’ Mk2 as a swap for my Fiesta ST180 and Transit M-Sport van. The deal was too good to refuse, so they both went and this car went straight into KW Kustoms to be stripped back to a blank canvas and made my own.

Buying the car

“I’d actually known that Daniel was selling the car a while back, and it was taking him a bit of time to find the price it deserved,” he continues. “Then my mate who owns a raffle site bought it and raffled it off; it went to Manchester and ended up never really getting used… a year later my same friend Sandy bought the RS back and offered it first to me. The car was decent but just tired – it had kerbed wheels, a damaged vinyl wrap, and was generally in need of a serious clean and bodywork repairs to the detached wide-arch kit.”

So there were a few bits and bobs to do, none of which fazed Butsy – but the really attractive part, and the reason that he desperately wanted to own this car, was the engine. A forged five-pot fireball built by Matt Lewis Motorsport, a symphony of savagery, a typhoon of torque, serving up over 500bhp and yelping ungodly shrieks through its screamer pipe. Whatever would come next would all centre around this bulletproof powerhouse; he was essentially acquiring a remarkable motor and getting the rest of the car thrown in for free.

Planning the custom Mk2 Focus RS build

Upon taking delivery, it wasn’t too long before a concept began to form. The idea here would be to emulate the choicest ingredients and ideas from both Shadow and Blaze (the purple 1,000bhp+ one) and turn this third Focus into a sort of greatest hits of the other two. Each of the trio would have its own unique identity and purpose – just about – and thereby sidestep any potential marital discord by being objectively explainable. Or so the theory goes. The addition of air-ride was the really seismic difference, bringing something significant to the table that neither of the other Focuses had. “That only came about because Andrew, my cousin with the yellow Mk3 RS [featured in Fast Ford – September 2023], was taking the air-ride kit off his,” says Butsy. “I literally just took it straight off him and had it bolted into mine!”

Differences with this build

There was another crucial difference to the very nature of this project too, something that Butsy had never really got very in-depth with before. “The build was meant at first to be just a re-wrap and clean up, but after removing the old digital wrap the bodykit underneath was cracked and needed some serious refitting,” he continues.

“Instead, my obsession with detail got the better of me and I just ended up going to town again on it. The major difference on this car was that I was going to do all the bodywork by myself, which I’d never had to do before. It was a learning curve, I encountered a few head-scratchers – like trying to merge the extensions onto the bumpers and trying to make everything line up when the bumpers weren’t near the car to do so; some serious tweaking and smoke-and-mirrors has been done to just take your eye off the imperfections. No, it’s not perfect, but this car was meant to be used for a fast daily, not a show car… although it’s kinda gone the same way as the other two now!”

Reinventing the custom Mk2 Focus RS

It’s the personality and the creative approach that makes it what it is, of course. It would have been perfectly easy to buy the car and keep it as it was, and there wouldn’t have been anything wrong with that – but that’s just not how Butsy rolls. A lot of people in the scene know it as ‘Dan’s car’, and distinctive project builds will always be associated with the person who originally masterminded the whole concept – so all of this was a keen effort to make it unique and put his own stamp on it. “I had to go to the extremes to totally change it over,” Butsy reasons. “It’s no dig at Dan’s design or his creation, he built an absolutely cracking car. But I wanted the car for its engine, not its look.”

That’s what it’s all about really, trying out some new ideas and making something different and personal – and, frankly, getting a bit carried away with it all. Hey, you only live once, right? There may not have been a rational or overarchingly reasonable purpose for somebody with two heavily modified Mk2 Focus RSs (not to mention all sorts of other rapid Ford projects) to build a third one, but life’s too short to be relentlessly sensible. Balance is the key, isn’t it? Take time over the sensible stuff, but also fully commit to the silliness. You don’t always have to ask why. Sometimes it’s better to shrug, smile, and simply say: why not?

Photos: Ade Brannan.

If you love Fords and haven’t got your tickets to our premier Ford Fair and Ford Fest event then what are you waiting for? Book now to avoid disappointment, tickets are selling out fast! 

The post Custom Mk2 Focus RS appeared first on Fast Car.

The saloon has never been a staple of the M3 range. There was always a two-door, and there was always a convertible, but if you wanted four doors on your mid-size M machine, there was a point where the E36 was your only choice, with the saloon skipping the E30 and E46 generations.

It wasn’t until the E90 M3 came along that BMW decided to make it a permanent addition to the lineup, and there was much rejoicing. For many, the extra practicality offered by the saloon suddenly made the M3 a viable option for their lifestyle needs. It also gave them a fast four-door option that wasn’t the much larger M5. And while we personally prefer M3 Coupés up to the E92, the subsequent two generations just look that much better in four-door form to our eyes. And Nathan Jones clearly shares our view because when it comes to F80 M3s, this is far from his first rodeo.

Nathan’s car history

“I’ve always had a serious passion for BMWs from a young age. I work on all models of BMWs with my job as the owner and fabricator of Carbon Culture UK, and I still have that same passion, day in and day out, fabricating and modifying parts. It’s great to have an input towards so many different customer builds,” Nathan tells us as we chat, and he’s got a serious passion for modding. “Previously, I’ve modified other F80s and of course, my E91 335i hybrid turbo build that was last featured with Performance BMW,” he grins.

Nathan has always been a fan of more doors, with his first BMW being an F10 535d, and while he never moved into the M5 he wanted deep down, Nathan’s definitely settled into four-door M Power in M3 form, and he’s loving it. “After our first Individual F80, its replacement honestly needed to be something incredibly special, rare, and not a spec you see daily,” he says of this latest acquisition. “I flew to Belfast Bavarian BMW to pick up the M3 literally two days after it was listed for sale, as it was one owner, perfect spec, low miles and absolutely immaculate inside and out,” he enthuses, and it was worth going the extra mile (and the rest) for this stunning Individual Ferrari Red example.

But gorgeous as it was, it wasn’t going to be staying stock for long, and Nathan had a plan from the get-go. “The vision was definitely a tonne of Carbon Culture parts, stance and Edelweiss LT5 wheels for an OEM+ look,” he nods, and he’s put together one stunning-looking M3.

Chassis upgrades

Nathan’s first port of call was sorting the suspension and getting the F80 sitting that much lower to the ground, and his previous experience with the platform meant he knew exactly what he wanted to go for. “After trying different suspension setups on our previous F80, it was a no-brainer to go with the M Performance HAS kit, along with a fast-road geo setup from Tuned UK,” he explains.

The beauty of the HAS – height-adjustable spring – kit is that it allows you to retain full EDC functionality, as well as being able to adjust the car’s ride height, rather than having to stick with a fixed drop as you’d normally get from a set of lowering springs, so it’s a great choice here. And it’s been used to get this M3 sitting lovely and low, with the arches just covering the tops of the tyres, and, combined with the fast-road setup, this F80’s handling is now on another level.

Aftermarket wheels for the modified BMW F80 M3

To go with the drop on his modified BMW F80 M3, something sexy was needed to fill the arches, and Nathan knew what he wanted. “I still stand by the decision that Edelweiss LT°5 wheels are the perfect wheels for the F-series platform,” he says, and we can see why. These gloss black 20s look great on the F80, with deep concave and aggressive fitment, and through those widely-spaced spokes, you’ll see that the normally blue calipers have been painted in Ferrari Red to match the bodywork, and we love that attention to detail.

Interior modifications

Nathan’s next port of call on his M3 modifying journey was the interior, and, opening the door, it is a carbon lover’s paradise in here. “After being a part of countless interior kits for BMW builds, I knew exactly what needed to be done on ours – a little extra carbon, but not too much, along with some custom Alcantara with our logo etched in. Some carbon that BMW missed and some Alcantara to add to the performance feel,” he explains, and that combo has resulted in a cabin that looks and feels seriously special.

There’s an OEM M2 CS Alcantara steering wheel, and it’s been equipped with some carbon paddles with red + and – symbols and treated to carbon trim on the front and across the top, and even the M1 and M2 buttons are finished carbon. Naturally, there’s carbon trim across the whole dash, but then you’ve also got carbon vent surrounds, carbon door pulls and carbon sill trims, too.

But we’re only just getting started because, of course, there’s a carbon gear selector complete with a carbon surround, but then the trim around that is made from Alcantara and features the Carbon Collective logo embossed into it, which is such a nice touch. Then you’ve got the carbon iDrive trim piece, the carbon and Alcantara handbrake handle with an M tricolour Alcantara gaiter and a matching armrest, while the finishing touch comes from the carbon seatback trims. All that carbon combined with the red stitching across all the leather looks simply awesome, and it’s really made this interior rather special.

Modified BMW F80 M3 Exterior Upgrades

Naturally, the exterior is a riot of carbon, too, and this F80 M3 wears a mixture of M Performance and Carbon Collective styling additions. Viewed from the front, this M3 is insanely menacing, thanks to an M Performance carbon splitter, which has been equipped with an ECPR lower lip to make it even more aggressive. Then you’ve got the Carbon Culture bumper inserts and air ducts along with M Performance aprons, and then there’s the genuine OEM GTS bonnet, and we never tire of seeing these on F8x M cars, they just look so good.

Moving down the car’s flanks, you’ll find some carbon mirror caps, along with Carbon Culture side blades and arch guards, and then at the rear, there sits an OEM carbon spoiler and a Carbon Culture 1.5 diffuser that fills the whole width of the rear bumper and frames the black BMS exhaust tips. Finally, look closely, and you’ll spot that the car wears de-chromed roundels, and it’s a neat little touch that makes all the difference and shows you just how much attention to detail Nathan has put into this build.
And it goes without saying that the sight of all that carbon contrasting against that bold red bodywork is stunning, and this modified BMW F80 M3 looks absolutely epic.

Engine upgrades on the modified BMW F80 M3

Finally, we come to the engine, and Nathan most definitely has not forgotten about the S55, both in terms of looks and performance. Pop the bonnet, and you’re greeted by the sight of a Carbon Culture engine cover with Ferrari Red accents, along with a chargecooler cover and carbon airboxes equipped with MMR filters.

Look closely, and you’ll spot the discreet black Downstar bolts and bold red Goldenwrench caps across the engine bay, and we are absolute suckers for all that colour-coding. And as for the bits you can’t see, there are Turner Motorsport 200-cell downpipes, a VRSF mid-pipe, a Mosselman valve controller, and a bm3, all of which adds up to 510hp and 516lb ft of torque, along with a suitably savage soundtrack. “The exhaust setup is definitely my favourite mod, I’m sure every S55 owner can agree that the backfires and burbles on downshifts are extremely addictive,” grins Nathan.

Conclusion

This is an indecently good-looking modified BMW F80 M3, and it just grabs your attention from the moment you see it. Ferrari Red is a stunning shade that really shows off the car’s many complex curves, the perfect blank canvas for Nathan’s carbon art, and it’s a masterpiece, built exactly how he wanted it. “It took roughly nine months to do the majority of the modifications I wanted to do, but I’ve added bits and changed things on and off for the last two years, it’s never finished,” he laughs. “I wouldn’t do a thing differently, however, there are some things that need adding to finish off the car,” and he’s been very busy indeed because a modifying mind never rests.

“Since the shoot, we’ve added a whole new look to the engine bay with more Goldenwrench parts, Ferrari Red custom-painted Downstar bolts and an OEM carbon engine cover. Also yet to be fitted is the AK Motion data display, which will be a great addition to the interior,” enthuses Nathan. “Speaking of the interior, one final plan that would complete the car would definitely be the AMX Performance Recaro CS seats trimmed in black leather with Ferrari Red stitching to match the interior now! It’s definitely on the cards,” he adds with a smile. And this whole build is all about those extra touches, the attention to detail, and, of course, the carbon – they say a high-fibre diet is good for you, and that clearly goes for cars, too.

Photos: Ade Brannan

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Collaboration and cooperation. They’re the linchpins here, the essential ingredients in this recipe for success, and they’ve been coursing through the very bedrock of the Puma from the start. You may recall that when this perky little Fiesta-based coupe launched back in 1997 it was available with a variety of engines, and the one everyone really wanted was the 1.7.

Why? Because that particular variant of the Zetec-SE was a little bit special. Unlike the 1.4 and 1.6 in the range, the 1.7 started life as a rough-machined bare block in Ford’s Valencia plant before being shipped over to Yamaha’s HQ in Iwata where it was kitted out with Nikasil liners and a sprinkling of Japanese tuning magic, then returning to Europe – this time ending up in Cologne for final assembly.

Yamaha motor

There’s a reason why every Mk4/5 Fiesta owner through the 2000s wanted to drop a Yamaha-tweaked Ford Puma motor under their bonne. In the absence of a rapid factory Fiesta of that generation, the feisty 1.7 could create the hot hatch that Ford never did. And it wasn’t just about the 123bhp headline figure – there was something about the way these things rev that made them peculiarly addictive.

Of course, not all of these engines found themselves pillaged and rehomed. Some of them stayed just where the good Ford intended, between the inner wings of slinky and sylph-like Pumas. Tuning options abounded, not least in-house (and with the help of Tickford) for the brutal wide-bodied Racing Puma model. And speaking of racing… well, the evidence is before you right here that a narrow-body 1.7 Puma can be turned into a formidable and nigh-on unbeatable race car, even after all these years have passed.

Building the modified Ford Puma race car

Returning to the notions of collaboration and cooperation, that’s precisely what we find underpinning the genesis and evolution of this vivid red rocket. It’s a family affair, born as much of love and passion as a keenness to scoop plentiful silverware and stand proudly atop the podium.

All of this has been building up for some time for Kevan Hadfield. “Having started racing years ago in classic rear-wheel-drive Triumphs, moving to the front-wheel-drive Puma was unknown territory,” he admits. “But having two car-mad sons, Mark and Shaun, who do all the work on the car made things easier – especially as Mark had already been racing his own Puma, and now knows them inside-out.”

These circuit-centric hijinks are no frivolous endeavour for the Hadfields; indeed, this is very serious business for the family. Team Hadfield Motorsport has been competing in racing for nigh-on a quarter of a century, and as well as prepping and campaigning their own race cars, the outfit also offers services to the general populace including restoration, race and road car prep, corporate track days, branding (including logo and web design) and much more besides – with a particular specialism in the Puma, which makes the acquisition of this car all the more logical. Team Hadfield Motorsport bought this car around eight years ago as a Puma Cup-spec machine. That particular set of race regs allowed only minor deviations from factory specifications, with the lion’s share of the mods being the logical and necessary safety upgrades required for racing.

Upping the ante

“After a couple of seasons with the Puma, we decided to move to a different series that allowed us to modify the car,” Kevan explains. “As a family we have been racing cars for so many years that the urge to make the Puma faster was always going to be there. We made mild modifications to it at first, before it evolved to become the car you see today; a move to the Modified Fords racing series allowed us to really push the development of it due to their rules and class structure.

We are a family team, with my son Shaun doing the bodywork and modifications, and my other son Mark doing the mechanical side, building the engine and gearbox. It’s a full family affair at race weekends too, with Shaun’s daughter Imogen joining us to help out where she can. My wife Liz and Shaun’s wife Vic make most race weekends, and Mark also races with me in his Pumas and Fiesta. In 2023 Shaun took the step from mechanic to driver by buying his very own race car, so all three of us will be on track at the same time in 2024, which will be a very special moment for me.”

Performance upgrades on the modified Ford Puma

Naturally, while it’s all infused with familial camaraderie, there’s a competitive edge underpinning it all, as is the wont and remit of any seasoned racer… so while it will undoubtedly be special and thrilling for Kevan to have his boys on the grid beside him, he’s not going to be letting them win, is he? And with the hardcore manner in which this Puma has been prepped, he’ll be in a very strong position to leave them in his dust – after all, there are very few narrow-bodied and VCT-engined Pumas with quite the potency and agility of this one.

Under the bonnet, the hot 1.7 has been amped up to a raucous 180bhp thanks to Team Hadfield Motorsport’s own spec of Newman PH4 cam, along with a whole bunch of head work and a fully balanced bottom end. The Jenvey 42mm direct-to-head throttle bodies and custom exhaust system ensure that efficiency is maximised (and there are pleasing noises emanating from both ends), and the transmission is a custom Team Hadfield job too, working with a Quaife LSD. The restored shell has been substantially lightened and treated to some effective aero tweaks, while the chassis is ineffably balletic thanks to the conversion to GAZ Gold coilovers, Hi-Spec front brakes and an ST150 rear disc conversion, and all sorts of adjustability throughout to ensure suitability to any given track.

On track incidents

“We enjoyed great success in the 2022 season with the Modified Fords by claiming the overall series win, and Mark claiming second-in-class behind me and third overall in the series,” says Kevan. “We had great results and reliability, which was testament to my sons’ tireless work providing me with a great car to race. In that season the Puma had nineteen races and finished all but one, which leads us to the current spec of car.

Unfortunately in the last race at Brands Hatch I was caught up in an accident that heavily damaged the front end and rear quarter; I thought my weekend was over, but thanks to a massive effort by the team they managed to straighten the car overnight and allow me to finish the season on track and take the overall series win. Over the course of the following ten months, Shaun worked tirelessly in his spare time to rebuild the car better than ever and do a whole host of improvements ready for the 2024 season. I can’t thank him enough for his herculean efforts and the car is everything I wanted it to be and more! We are very much looking forward to this year’s racing, and I’m so excited to have both sons on track with me.”

Conclusion

Indeed, it all comes back to those crucial elements of collaboration and cooperation. It’s the inherent competitiveness that keeps it spicy, but what makes all of this work so effectively is the all-in-it-together camaraderie of a family keenly focused on shared goals and ambitions. It’s certainly going to be a lot of fun watching them out on track this year.

Photos Ade Brannan. 

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We love a Rallye. I was lucky enough to own one back in the day and Performance VW Editor Elliott’s long-awaited project is edging ever closer to completion. In fact, I’m of an age where I appreciate all those cars adorned with automotive shoulder pads.

There’s an E30 M3 print hanging on the office wall, the Porsche 959 model my Grandad bought me for Christmas in ’87 takes pride of place on the living room bookshelf and, of course, I bought my son the Hot Wheels Sport Quattro when they hit the shelves a couple of years ago. However, as time’s gone on, often from an ownership perspective and through purity of design over motorsport function, it’s the narrow-bodied stablemates that I find myself yearning for. A controversial statement but I’d take a 325i over an E30 M3, I have no desire to put an X-Pack on my Capri and when I had my Rallye, I’d have swapped it for a Mk2 Golf GTI G60 Syncro but the chance never arose.

Thankfully, I’m not alone in this viewpoint and 37-year-old Buckinghamshire-based finance director Harry Chodha is with me in the controversial narrow-minded Mk2 camp.

Harry’s car history

Harry’s introduction to the marque came at a very young age: “Some of my first memories were spent driving around with my parents in a Mk1 Golf Driver and a Mk2 Golf big bumper 16V and, of course, fixing them on our driveway when they inevitably broke down. From this came my passion for cars, and I was fortunate enough to have my parent’s Mk2 as my first car which I still own today. Then at the age of 21, I made my first car purchase which is my Mk1 Rivage and from this point, the collection just grew.”

Many of you will know Harry or his cars from the shows. The aforementioned Rivage was built into a full-on show car that accompanied him to different events for 14 years prior to him building the Mk2 on these pages. In addition to the long-standing red Golf GTI Mk2 16V and Mk1 Rivage, Harry has an impressive VAG fleet including a fully restored 1978 Series 1 Mk1 Golf GTI, a 1981 Series 2 Golf GTI that is used as a summer runaround, a 1982 Mk1 Golf GTI race car which is currently in build (more on that later), an Oak Green Mk2 Golf GTI (currently in the early stages of a modified build), two Mk5 Golf R32s that have been kept stock for daily duties and, flying the flag for Ingolstadt, a full fat Audi R8 featuring a factory carbon pack, titanium race exhaust and Rotiform rolling stock.

Despite his cars appearing in some of our show coverage over the years, Harry’s busy life has meant that the stars have never quite aligned for a full feature until now but, what a way to start.

Tuned VW Golf Mk2 project begins

“When I purchased the car, it was just a rolling shell with just the running gear, front bumper half hanging off and a roll cage. The car also had a Corrado dash fitted which was the first thing that was taken off the car. After finishing my Rivage build, I decided that I wanted to build my dream Mk2 Golf – never being a fan of the Rallye, my base for the project was always going to be a standard G60 until this 1991 GTI G60 Syncro came up for sale.

Knowing that I wanted to build a powerful yet drivable car, this proved to be the perfect base. I had known of the car for many years as the old owner and I are friends. Knowing the rarity of the car, it was always on my radar. I was given first refusal and a deal was struck within a few minutes. The car was delivered to me in the middle of 2019 and started the build during the lockdown in 2020. I had witnessed my friends build some cracking Mk2s and I was influenced by the iconic Westside builds which helped to shape my dream MK2 vision.”

Initial modifications

Harry wasted no time and the Mk2 was stripped to a bare shell to enable a ground-up build to fit the mould of his vision: “Firstly I made sure I had all the requisite parts and I gathered bits from my own collection and ordered some others in from all around the world. Language barriers and pandemic-related supply chain and production issues made for a logistically challenging start. I spent the majority of lockdown putting the car together and when restrictions relaxed, I was able to get some help from a couple of friends to get the engine in and the remaining bits of the project together.

I had been in touch with the team at Vara Technik to finish off the finer details at about 65% complete. Once the car was dropped at Vara Technik, I spent many days discussing with Sanj and Praks what my vision was. They really ‘got it’. Many hours were put in by the team to get things perfect from fabrication work to ideas that were once just a dream which the team put into reality.”

Engine build on the tuned VW Golf Mk2

The Vara Technik-built engine is a beast. It started life as a 1.8T AGU from a MK4 Golf which was stripped and rebuilt. The block was bored to 1.9 litres and fully forged. It boasts a mouthwatering spec including 82.5mm Wossner pistons, X beam drilled rods with ARP 2000 bolts, ACL big end and main bearings, ARP 2000 head studs and main studs, 550cc injectors, a large port head, a full Supertech valve train and B5 Cat cams, new hydraulic lifters, a Bartek high-flow oil pump, a Garrett GT3076r turbo with Owens Development core and a Tial 38mm external wastegate.

The intake, radiator, oil cooler and intercooler are all custom setups and pipework was made to support the Garrett Turbo. The mock-up pipework was dropped to Alex at The Car Kitchen who did a sterling job fabricating that stunning titanium pipework.

Transmission upgrades

The gearbox is a six-speed Quaife 02A 4wd item with synchromesh internals which transfers power via an overhauled Syncro transfer box. Style Dynamics came good with a complete stainless steel custom exhaust. The Emerald K6+ management with external AEM wideband is running a map by John Lamsley that produced an impressive 524.6hp and 622nM of torque on the dyno at 21PSI. Harry plans to carry out a Haldex conversion which will allow him to run 28-30PSI so there is yet more firepower to come.

Brakes and suspension upgrades on the tuned Mk2 Golf

Further upgrades to allow the Mk2 to safely use its newfound power include Tarox six-pot callipers, a full Powerflex rebush and KW’s tried and tested V3 coilovers. These also help to get those gorgeous Borbet Bs sitting pretty. These measure in at a girthy 15×9” with an ET of 15 and are wrapped in 205/40/16 Nankangs. Whilst the square set-up is aesthetically in keeping with the build, it’s also technically sensible, aiding the equilibrium of the four-wheel drive system with differential longevity in mind.

“Over the years my go-to choice of wheels on all of my Mk1 and Mk2s had always been the BBS RM or RS but I set out a few years back trying to find a Set of Borbet B wheels in the correct 4×100 fitment to use on a car one day as a nice change. I managed to source these wheels back in 2016 and they sat in boxes after a refurb in the loft for many years until this build was put together. With the vision of the front end, the dish on the Borbet B worked so well that it was the wheel choice to go for.”

Exterior modifications

That segues us neatly into discussing that front end and the exterior look in general. Despite preferring the narrower flanks of the Syncro, Harry was keen to utilise the Rallye’s purposeful front end. This works a treat combined with the smoothed front bumper, US spec rear lights and those arches. G60 front arches have, as per tradition, been installed up front but also adapted to fit out back, providing uniform coverage for the Borbet square set-up.

“Heart and Sol Paintworks were entrusted with painting my Rallye front-end custom setup, bumper smoothing and reproducing the factory texture on the arches. They also custom painted the rears of the Recaro A8s and the rocker cover in black with a heavy gold flake which look amazing and tie the project together. Just like Vara Technik, they really got the vision which helped me to execute it how it appeared in my mind.”

Vara Technik worked hard to fit all the custom radiator and pipework under that OEM+ Rallye front end and it took a lot of careful fab work and determination but the results speak for themselves. Attention to detail runs throughout the build and is evidenced by a selection of rare OEM and aftermarket parts. Genuine Happich pop-out rear windows and a Bonrath single wiper conversion are amongst our old-school favourites and we love the way the 24-carat gold plated bonnet catches, bonnet stay, bolts and door pins are complemented by the gold contrast stitching on the diamond quilted black leather trim job on the rare second- generation Recaro A8s on genuine Recaro rails.

Tuned Mk2 Golf interior

Full carbon door cards and interior A, B and C pillar covers flow with the matching scuttle panel in the ‘bay, whilst a DIGIFIZ instrument cluster is joined by a brace of DIGIFIZmini auxiliary gauges to keep an eye on those all-important Ts and Ps. A triple Chrome plated TR Motoring gear shifter, a Momo D32 steering wheel with Carbon Fibre Inserts, a Custom Cages half cage and a bespoke flat floor complete the considered cabin that combines high-performance functionality and show car wow factor.

What’s next?

The tuned VW Golf Mk2 came together over a three-year period which, given the pandemic, was no mean feat. It’s already been well received and with the imminent Haldex conversion and increase in power, promises to get even better. “The car has received an amazing amount of attention since being built. It’s already been on display at Autosport International, NEC Classic Motor Show and been the subject of a VW Heritage photoshoot. The majority of people just look at it as another Mk2 Golf until they come over and have a look in the engine bay or have a read of the spec. It’s funny when they learn that it’s a Syncro, I witness many showgoers crouching down and looking underneath just to make sure.”

With another Mk2 project and a four-wheel drive track spec Mk1 Golf GTI build in progress, we’re pretty sure this won’t be the last we’ll see of Harry on these hallowed pages. What was that? The Mk1 is going to be the first UK car to run the wide-bodied Voomeran kit? This doesn’t fit in with my narrow-minded theme but it seems a bit too exciting to omit. Until next time…

Words: Graham Leigh. Photos: Ade Brannan.

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Back in the day, Ford manufactured diesel-powered Sierras… but they were nothing like this! Dan McKelvie’s ’92 GLX may take on an innocent, unassuming look, but don’t be fooled as under the skin lurks a six-speed BMW M57 3.0D with air-ride, traction control and a plush Bavarian interior. Yep, this is a 330d swapped Ford Sierra!

We should firstly explain that Dan works as an Electrical Design Engineer for M-Sport in Cumbria, and it seems he’s been inspired to take on one or two ambitious projects in his spare time too. His previous build, a Bedford Rascal running a Kawasaki motorcycle engine and home-brew suspension, has become a well-known creation on the modified car scene, unsurprisingly creating quite a stir.

Spicing up his daily driver

Having enjoyed that lairy Rascal project, Dan came up with the idea of adding a little spice to his daily commute by combining a retro car of some description with a modern diesel powerplant. “I had an E91 BMW 330d Touring at the time and loved it,” he says, “but it just blended in far too much, I’d often see around fifty clones on one single long journey.” Initially there was talk of a 2.0TDi transplant into a Mk2 Jetta, which would have been a cool build for sure, but compared to that silky smooth BMW 3.0D he’d got used to, the four-pot would have been something of a compromise. “In many ways, slotting an M57 3.0D into an E30 would have been ideal,” Dan says, “but the price of E30s soon put me right off the idea!”

Without realising it at first, Dan already had the perfect donor retro shell in his possession – well, almost. “My dad bought a 1992 Sierra 1.8 GLX when it was still almost new,” he explains. “It was our family car while I was growing up and I used to travel to school in it every day.” Despite buying a replacement some fifteen years or so ago, Dan’s dad never sold the Sierra, opting to leave it in his garage as a storage device while gathering dust. “I did get the chance to drive it around our garden a few times before passing my test,” Dan smiles. “It did get moved, just not very far.”

Plans for the Ford Sierra start

It was while visiting his dad one weekend that Dan had the chance to reacquaint himself with the family Sierra, and soon noticed how sorry for itself it looked. “I had a good look around the car and was reminded how little space the CVH engine took up inside the bay,” he says. “It got me thinking, this was a perfectly good retro car with potential currently going to waste.” He promptly asked his dad how much he wanted for his old family car and was happy to hear he could take it for free: “He was pleased it would be put to good use, but asked if he could have a go in it once I’d done the conversion,” Dan grins. “Now I just needed to find a cheap, rusty BMW E46 or E90 donor with low mileage, full service history and a six-speed manual gearbox!”

Turn the clock back five or ten years, it seemed E46 BMWs were lurking on every street corner (usually full of drugs), but they’re seldom seen these days. Fortunately, Dan was able to bag himself a 2006 204bhp M-Sport convertible that fitted his criteria perfectly. “I paid a very good price and, in many ways, it was too nice to break up,” he says. “At least this meant that it boasted lots of desirable goodies to sell on to put towards my project.”

Preparing to build the modified Ford Sierra

As ever, preparation was key when it came to this build and even before bringing the Ford Sierra home, all the research had already been done. “All the measurements had been made and all the BMW parts I’d need had been boxed,” Dan explains. “The rest of the parts were sold off and the shell was scrapped.” Meanwhile, the M57 engine and six-speed box were stored on a pallet on wheels, ready to be rolled into the Sierra’s engine bay when the time came. “The wiring had also been prepped inside the donor shell and placed inside a box, ready to be installed when required,” he adds.

Although it had spent most of its time off the road in dry storage, the Sierra had still suffered with the usual rust to the floors, sills, chassis legs, wings and arches, repairs being carried out as the project progressed. “The CVH engine was smoking due to leaky valve stem oil seals, none of the electronics functioned properly and the brakes and suspension had seen better days,” Dan recalls. “On the upside, being a GLX, it made a great base as it came with electric windows, sunroof and mirrors, and the late-spec three-spoke steering wheel.”

Exterior modifications on the Ford Sierra

Opting for a stealth look which includes the conveniently standard late-spec tinted rear lights along with a Cosworth front bumper, grille and Rouse splitter, Dan’s GLX manages to look both mean and understated, which was all part of the plan. Meanwhile those 17” Peugeot steel wheels hide a wealth of chassis upgrades, such as BMW E38 7-Series Brembo calipers at the front matched with Cosworth calipers at the rear, while an E46 power-assisted quick-rack replaces the original Sierra rack.

Air ride for the modified Ford Sierra

“I decided I wanted a basic air-ride suspension system, and designed myself a controller and screen to handle the airbag pressures for each corner along with the compressor and driver’s display,” says Dan. The system itself comprises GAZ dampers and Compbrake adjustable top mounts with a bag-over-coil design at the front. “This involved replacing the steel spring for an air spring,” he continues. “As the GAZ coilovers used an imperial thread, I had to machine my own brackets for the air spring as nothing was available off the shelf.”

In comparison, the rear proved to be far more straightforward as the Sierra uses a separate spring and damper setup; “I removed the springs from the GAZ coilovers and used a pair of universal airbags here,” Dan adds. All remaining components including the arms, brackets, driveshafts and custom subframes were all powder-coated and the floor fully Dynamatted and insulated. All reusable suspension parts were also sent off to be powder-coated, ready to be fitted with fresh bushes upon their return.

Fitting the BMW 330d engine into the modified Ford Sierra

A dry build ensued with the BMW’s engine and transmission in place, and once Dan was happy, the underside and engine bay were fully stripped, ready to be treated, stone-chipped and painted – all of which he carried out himself. “I didn’t want any rusty petrol in my diesel pumps, so the fuel tank and lines are all new,” he says.

“The brake lines and custom hoses for all four corners and the ABS pump are also new, as are the brake discs, pads and all nuts, bolts and pipes, it’s basically a brand-new car underneath!” In comparison, various other components within the engine bay required for this ambitious transplant such as radiators, header tanks, OEM hose fittings, clips and pedals all came courtesy of Dan’s local scrapyard. “I just took along my toolbox and my tape measure, to ensure that everything I sourced would fit correctly in their new home.”

Wiring everything up

Wiring up a fresh engine can often be the most daunting part of a full-on rebuild, but being an engineer by trade, this task proved to be the easiest and most enjoyable part for Dan. He’s not kept things simple either! “There were a few luxuries I wanted from the donor BMW,” he explains, “including cruise control, the instrument cluster, air-conditioning, climate control, ABS and traction control.” To us it sounds like a stressful nightmare, and we won’t go into every detail, but for the cruise control, Dan required four separate wheel speeds which meant using Sapphire ABS hubs which benefitted from ABS rings with the ability to accept a wheel speed sensor.

“In the end, I made my own ABS rings so that the speedo and mileage was correct to match the BMW cluster,” he says. “For the ABS itself and the traction control, it was as easy as adding in the ABS pump and extra BMW sensors such as steering angle and so on.” The air-con just requires custom piping for now, but the remainder of the electrical system all functions correctly which means the OBD-II functions and live data all work as they should, making any fault-finding simple.

Modified Ford Sierra interior changes

The Bavarian theme continues on the inside, as Dan wasn’t prepared to pay the high price tag a 30-year-old Sierra Recaro interior now commands. “As I’d be covering lots of miles, the seats had to be comfortable and plush,” he reckons. “After some careful measuring, I opted for BMW 3-Series M-Sport front seats and rear leather seats from a 2021 model.” The front seats are heated too, as you’ve probably guessed!

Basic remap

The 204bhp six-cylinder M57 3.0 is a peach even in standard form, so Dan has so far resisted the urge to mess around with things here, other than the necessary addition of a custom stainless-steel exhaust. “It retains the original single turbo setup with a very basic remap,” he says. “The M57 is very tuneable, but I’ve not been tempted to increase the power yet as it drives so well as it is.” Matched to the M57’s BMW six-speed gearbox and diff, we’re told this Sierra feels just like a modern car behind the wheel; “the seats are comfy, the steering is light yet communicative, and overtaking is never a problem,” he assures us. “You soon forget you’re driving a Ford built in the early ’90s!”

Problems with the modified Ford Sierra build

Not every aspect of the build proved to be all plain sailing, as Dan had a few struggles aligning that BMW rear diff within the Sierra’s subframe. “I seemed to spend a lot of my time lying on my back with the car on monster axle stands on a winter’s evening,” he says. “It was a lengthy process combining the original unmodified BMW propshaft and diff with the Cosworth driveshafts, all of which were mounted in the Sierra subframe.” After all, the last thing he wanted was to drive five miles down the road to realise there was a minor misalignment with a resulting wobble in the driveline. “Measure twice, cut and weld once, then measure again with laser alignments and rulers,” Dan says. “This being a steel-cased diff, it was a heavy unit to be pulling in and out!”

Conclusion

Incredibly, from barn find to MOT complete with BMW running gear, this project only took less than twelve months to complete. Well, we say ‘complete’, but we’re told there’s still work to do such as a fresh respray, the fitment of Cosworth sideskirts, while a set of LED-converted rear lights might make an appearance too. “And if I ever get the feeling this car is driving a little sluggish, it’ll be time for a bigger turbo,” he smiles. For now, it seems Dan has the best of both worlds – silky-smooth six-cylinder diesel power and economy, all wrapped up in the unmistakable shell of a classic ’90s Ford Sierra. The purists may frown, but we just love it!

Words and photos: Jon Cass.

Love fast Fords? Want to see other engine-swapped Fords and the very best of Ford culture in the UK? We’re hosting two of our premier Ford events this summer, be sure to visit the pages below for more information on the events.

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The post Modified Ford Sierra Complete With BMW 330d Engine Swap appeared first on Fast Car.

There is something very cool about fast estates. They definitely have a big following among motoring fans worldwide, and it’s the combination of practicality and performance that is irresistible, the simple fact you’ve got a car that can comfortably transport a whole family, groceries, furniture, dogs (although possibly not all at the same time) far more rapidly than should be possible. There’s something inherently amusing and entertaining about that.

The thing is that while there are plenty of rapid estates about these days, it’s the ones that carry an RS, AMG or M badge on them that are really special because the difference between a fast estate and a proper performance wagon is what that badge means, that ultimate next level of focus and engineering. And while Audi and Mercedes have been offering their customers rapid wagons for countless years, it’s been a real drought for BMW fans.

While we’re glad that the M5 Touring is making a return and there’s an M3 Touring, at long last, you’re not exactly spoilt for choice, and you need pretty deep pockets to afford either. And even if that isn’t an obstacle, well, sometimes it’s nice to stand out from the crowd and have something a bit more special. And, as you can see from these photos, Eric Choi’s BMW E46 M3 Touring is very special indeed and does a very good job of standing out from the crowd.

Eric’s car history

Unsurprisingly, Eric is a longtime BMW fan because you don’t build a car like this if you’re just a casual fan of the marque. “BMW has always been a special brand for me,” he says with a smile. “I bought my first car in 2013, and it was an E90 330i. After that, I went through different models of BMW, like the E30 325i, E88 135i, and E46 M3. The handling and power delivery are the best from the same class, and the consistency of the design language is also a key factor that kept me in love with BMW,” he says with a smile.

In terms of this build, for Eric, inspiration came from the E46 M3 Touring Concept that BMW created, kept hidden away, and only revealed back in 2016 to celebrate 30 years of the M3. So, with a vision in mind, Eric set out to make that M3 Touring a reality. “After doing some deep research and checking out what others have done to this vehicle, I purchased an E46 325xi Touring specifically for this M3 conversion, along with an E46 M3 donor car,” Eric tells us. “I bought the M3 from a friend who used it as a track vehicle at least 15 years ago. He shipped the DME out for a custom tune, and the shop never returned the part. Since then, it had been sitting in his garage,” making it the ideal candidate for this project.

Initial steps building the BMW E46 M3 Touring

The first step was to get the exterior sorted, and you can appreciate just how much work was involved here by the number of times the word custom comes up in Eric’s spec list. So, we’ve got custom front arches, rear quarter panels and rear door flares to match the new arches, all from 2M Autowerks, and then you’ve got the custom M3-style side skirts and door mirrors.

Obviously, none of that even begins to tell you how much work was involved in giving the Touring those wide M3 hips because you can’t just whip off the standard rear arches, so there’s some serious surgery required to make it all come together. Those wide arches look so good on the Touring, and they are the key to this build. They’re what gives this E46 estate that iconic M3 stance, and they endow this Touring build with so much muscle and road presence.

The rear, meanwhile, features a quad exhaust setup, which requires an M3 boot floor transplant and is finished with a CSL-style carbon diffuser. But, as you can see, there’s a lot more to the exterior than just the M3 styling because once the car had been resprayed in Silver grey metallic, Eric treated his build to a custom safety car livery by Protective Film Solutions and topped it all off (literally) with a light bar to complete that safety car look. But the core look is very much OEM+, which was always Eric’s aim. “The goal of the project is to build the E46 M3 Wagon as original as possible and modify it as period-correct as it can be,” he explains.

BMW E46 M3 Touring interior

With the M3 styling sorted, it was time for Eric to turn his attention to the interior. “At first, I planned to redo the entire interior in red leather, but I quickly scrapped that idea and kept it with black leather because that is the most OEM and cleanest spec it can be,” he says. “The interior came alive after adding the Recaro Sportster CS seats and carbon fibre interior trim,” he grins, and we totally get what he means.

The Sportsters look fantastic and are such a great centre piece for the interior, accompanied by some custom F80 M3 CS seatbelts from Gaphix, and you can’t go wrong with carbon fibre. Pretty much everything you see is custom-made by CarbonTastic, including the dash trim, the steering wheel trim, and the sculpted steering wheel itself, and just looking at it makes you want to grab it and go driving. The finishing touches here are an F90 M5 gear knob mated to an OEM E46 M3 short-shift, along with a set of AC Schnitzer pedals.

Performance upgrades

With the Touring looking like an M3, it was now time to give it the M3 performance it deserved, and that meant giving the donor S54 a bit of love. “The original engine had a leaking head gasket causing corrosion inside the head and cylinders, and at that point, we had to rebuild the engine,” says Eric, so not the most auspicious of starts, but it allowed him to make things better. “The engine rebuild took six months.

We didn’t do anything crazy because I wanted to keep it as OEM as possible. The head and engine block have been resurfaced, bored, and assembled with an aftermarket block to accept 87.25mm JE pistons. And, of course, we took care of the common S54 issues together with the rebuild, with new BE rod bearings with ARP bolts, and rebuilt Vanos by DrVanos.

In the end, we dropped in the CSL intake and tuned it to give the engine that pure OEM induction noise,” he grins, and you’ll never get tired of hearing the bark from that carbon airbox. And, in Eric’s case, he’s also got a soaring six-cylinder soundtrack to enjoy from the rear end, courtesy of a custom dual OEM resonator mid-pipe and a valved section-three exhaust from Valvetronic finishing it off.

Chassis upgrades

And, of course, you can’t build an M car without giving it a seriously sorted chassis, and here Eric used his prior M3 experience to give his Touring the perfect setup. “Bilstein PSS10 coilovers were put on, and I have been using this setup for over three years on my other E46 M3. I trust and love this setup because of how capable it can be on track and street, perfect for someone going for 50/50 track and street usage,” he enthuses, so that was clearly the go-to suspension choice.

“The M3 Wagon has also had its front and rear brakes upgraded to the Porsche 996 911 four-piston calipers paired with OEM ZCP rotors,” which deliver superior stopping power compared to the standard brakes, and Eric has also added a set of Ground Control camber plates, and a Karbonius carbon front strut brace to just give the chassis that extra edge.

Choosing the wheels for the BMW E46 M3 Touring

Finally, we have to talk about the wheels, and Eric’s choice has a distinctly OEM flavour. “Keeping the vehicle modifications period-correct and OEM-ish was the goal. The original concept wagon has Style 67 wheels, which have a very similar design to the E46 M3 GTR wheels. But, obviously, with the custom M3 wide-body, the OEM style 67 wheels are not wide enough.

Forged Club came up with a solution of building a set of custom two-piece forged wheels inspired by the E46 M3 GTR. I am stoked by the result, and we added custom engraving on the wheel to make it even more special,” Eric says with a smile. These 19s look fantastic, delivering that OEM+ look, and filling the fat arches perfectly, while the engraved ‘M3 Wagon’ text is the perfect finishing touch.

This is a great build, and we love that Eric has brought to life the E46 M3 Concept that inspired him in the first place. “The conversion took one-and-a-half years to complete with everything being ‘original’, and it took another year to add modifications including wheels, wrap design, exhaust, etc.,” Eric explains, and it was worth it.

Conclusion

Building and owning an E46 M3 Touring is a very special experience because you don’t exactly see a lot of these about, and that’s something that Eric really appreciates. “My favourite modification on the car is the custom wide-body because it is the key factor in changing a regular wagon to an M3 wagon,” smiles Eric. “It looks OEM and keeps people asking if I imported the vehicle from Europe because they have never seen an M3 Wagon,” he adds with a chuckle. And, having built himself his perfect M3 Touring, there’s only one thing left to do… “I’ve got no plans for more mods on the wagon, the only thing now is to enjoy and drive it,” grins Eric, and with an M3 Touring in your life, those two things go hand in hand.

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Photos: @i.am.erv

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I don’t know why, but I’ve always been a little embarrassed when people ask me what car I started my VW days with. It was, as you probably guessed, a Mk2 Scirocco. For the Anoraks among you, it was a 1988 1.8-litre Scala model finished in Sapphire Metallic with Dove Grey seats… and I loved it.

Okay, if I’m honest, I originally bought the car because I couldn’t get insured on a Mk1 Golf GTI (due to six points on my license) and I couldn’t afford to purchase a newer Corrado (due to the fine I received with said six points). It didn’t take me long to become hooked on Mk2 Sciroccos, though. I’d already started reading this very magazine and loved the dare-to-be-different cars it featured, especially the handful of Mk2 Sciroccos.

For some reason, we’ve probably featured less than a dozen Mk2s since Performance VW was launched way back in 1996. I’m probably going to get lynched for saying this, but the majority of people (not all) that choose to enhance the classic coupe seem to have questionable taste. Thankfully, the car we’ve come to talk about today, couldn’t be more on point. Is it the best looking modified Mk2 Scirocco to grace PVW? Well, let’s take a closer look…

Dennis’s car history

Thirty-eight year-old Dutchman, Dennis Geluck arrived at his Scirocco in the total opposite way to me. “I bought my first VW, a Mk1 Golf, at just 15-years-old, and that was in pretty bad shape,” he confessed.

Dennis followed that up with a much cleaner red Mk2 GTI 8v, and has actually owned a string of red Golfs, before buying a black Mk5 GTI and then a blue Mk5 R32. The Scirocco came about some 17 years ago and this is actually the second makeover it’s had: “I actually got married to my wife, Cindy, in this car, but was never totally happy with the original transformation.”

And its fair for Dennis to be a critic, as he’s been part of the modified water-cooled VW movement since way before he could legally drive one: “At the age of 12 I asked my mother if she would buy me a VW magazine, and she proceeded to subscribe to Performance VW and the German title, VW Speed, for me.” So, technically, Dennis has his mum to blame for his addiction to messing with Wolfsburg’s finest. This is clearly where his passion for tinkering came from, and after a short period of tuning his old scooter at the age of 15, he switched over to the cars full time.

Mk2 Scirocco love

“Since I first saw a second gen’ Scirocco, I knew I wanted to own one. Everybody in my town drove Kaddett GSIs or Golf GTIs, but I fancied something different. One day, I was looking online, as you do, when I came across an original 1988 red Scirocco GTXII.” Needless to say, it didn’t take Dennis long to do a deal and for said car to be parked up in his narrow, single garage. “When I first bought it I wanted to modify it straight away, but I never intended to go quite this far with it.”

The thing with Mk2 Sciroccos, is that they were a stunning shape as stock, but the factory ride height never really complimented it. In fact, with the stock suspension, the cars did look a little bit awkward. Thankfully, Dennis was only too aware of this: “The first thing I did was put on some coilovers and aftermarket wheels. Even back then, 17 years ago, my inspiration for the build was to get it featured in my two favourite VW magazines!”

Restoring the car before the modifications begin

It’s safe to say that once Dennis started delving a little deeper into his new car, it was in far worse condition than he’d first realised, so much of the first transformation was restoring the car and getting rid of any rust that might get worse over time.

For this, the car’s latest and most comprehensive incarnation, Dennis claims he worked for around 7 or 8 years on it, with two close friends, Patrick Pecase and Stefan van Deal. “I’d say we did around 80% of the work ourselves, mainly working with the car on a jack in a small garage,” he smiled.

To start with came the big strip down, which saw the car stripped to a bare shell. “We totally stripped it to bare metal, then cleaned the engine bay with lots of welding work to remove all the holes. The bay probably took the longest time to complete. Well, that and sourcing all the custom parts.” That’s the thing with the Scirocco, because it was never as popular as the Golf models, there were less aftermarket parts available off the shelf.

Fitting the 1.8T engine

Once the bay was sorted, it was time to temporarily install the 1.8T 20v turbo engine from an Audi A3. The AGU motor features a custom cold air intake with CNC’d holder for the MAF sensor, plus a hand-made 2.5” downpipe linked to a matching 2.5” system with Fox backbox.

After that, Dennis and co. ensured the engine was running perfect in the car, before it was all stripped out again and sent off to Makro Cars over in Hamm, Germany for paint. Obviously, it’s a far better idea to do it this way, rather than lots of messing about once the engine bay has been painted.

While the car was off being painted, Dennis sent off a load of the engine parts to be chromed or coated in carbon fibre, along with a number of interior trim parts.

Chassis modifications on the Mk2 Scirroco

Next, attention moved to the chassis, where the air bags were fitted to each corner, the wheels went back back on and the lads could work out where and how much of the chassis leg would need notching to enable Dennis’s desired level of lows.

“We used the bags from MPS suspension which are 4cm shorter than standard up front, it has poly bushes fitted all round, plus we fitted adjustable camber plates in the front and drop plates on the rear axle with 5 degree camber,” Dennis told us. The BBS RS were originally from a Porsche 911 and their vital stats are now 8×16 and 8.5×16 with 195/40 Dunlop Sport SP9000 all round. G60 brakes on each corner with Staflex brake lines and 0 4 dash fittings wrap up the chassis mods.

Interior changes on the modified Mk2 Scirocco

Inside, the floor was totally covered in sound deadener before the carpets went back in. Dennis then built a false floor in the boot to house the two compressors and large air tank for the air suspension.

With the Recaro CSs being quite an easy fix up front, next it was on to the rear seat, where a Mk6 GTI bench was narrowed by 12cm and modified to mount on the Scirocco’s original fixings.

The Scirocco’s interior was always a bit futurist from the factory, but Dennis has further enhanced the cabin with a few choice parts that complement the Recaro buckets, Mk6 GTI bench and tartan fabric. Through the Spucknapf steering wheel, you’ll probably have spotted the Digifitz dash display (can’t remember seeing one of those in a Mk2 Scirocco before), although it was no doubt the TR Motoring short shifter you’ll have spotted first. There are numerous carbon details as you work your way around the interior, including door pulls and handles, window winders, handbrake details, seat runner covers and door sill as well as various trim caps. The cleaned air ride setup in the boot features dual Viair 444 compressors and a whopping tank all controlled by Air Lift 3p management.

Exterior modifications and paint

It’s hard to believe that the Paprika Red colour the car was painted is the same shade it left the factory in. It’s amazing how different the Scirocco looks in general, especially when you consider how little has changed with the outside of the car. “There aren’t many body modifications done to the car,  except for the custom Passat two-bar grille I fitted.” It’s funny how much of a difference this makes alone, as not only does the grille have less slats, so looks more modern, it’s also wider, so loses the car’s original fog lights.

Scirocco enthusiasts will have noticed the black bodykit that the GTX model came from the factory with has been colour coded red, although Dennis has chosen to retain the black bumpers, which tie in with the smoked indicators. The single wiper was taken from an ‘old Lancia’, and uses a Renault 5 motor which is hardly visible under the hood, even with the rain tray removed

Once the car came back from paint, the fun part was putting the big jigsaw puzzle back together. “The hardest part was mostly making all custom parts and figuring out how they would all work.” When we asked Dennis what his favourite part of the car was, he said the stance, but also the interior… and the engine. I think it’s safe to say, he loves the lot… and rightly so!

What’s next for the modified Mk2 Scirocco

“If I could go back and change something about the car then it would be the glass sunroof. It was already in when I bought the car 17 years ago, but it just looks out of place.” We get the feeling, knowing how Dennis operates, that this may well get sorted in the future. That being said, he also likes the idea of building a true performance VW next up: “I will always keep the Scirocco, but I like the idea of building another Mk2 Golf, but one with big power and four-wheel drive!” That will certainly be one to look out for, going by the quality of his Scirocco.

Dennis has taken the Scirocco to a few shows since it was completed early last year, but while he likes the attention the car gets, he doesn’t like the spotlight being directly on him: “I love that the car seems to inspire other people with their builds and turn heads, but I prefer to park the car up and go to look at what cars other people have built.” He goes on to defend his hobby: “To the people that don’t understand why we do this, we put our passion, emotions and soul in this hobby, just like some people will go to a museum to look at art. For me, a car show is the museum and the cars are our art.” We’ve never thought of it that way, but he’s got a valid point there.

Conclusion

“Our hobby is great in that you’re never too old to modify a car, not like some sports. If you’re a petrolhead, there is no age that stops you from modifying.” We reckon if Dennis ever fancies a career change then he’d make a great automotive motivational speaker. Here end of today’s lesson…

Subscribe to Performance VW. Photos: Lennart Dijkstra.

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The term ‘restomod’ is very much the buzzword of a generation. If you’re not totally clear on its meaning, there’s a bright orange manifestation of it spread out here before you: desirable retro looks combined with modern performance, modern materials, modern convenience.

You’ll have undoubtedly spotted a growing fondness for high-end cars that have been reimagined this way, it’s happening all over the world. The fusion of the old and the new has never before been blended with such sumptuous attention to detail. You see, these aren’t just engine swaps. It is, within reason, arguably possible to fit any engine into any car and make it work, and the cult of the swap is no longer a cult. Everyone’s at it – Honda K20s into Minis, Lexus V8s into BMWs, all sorts.

But it’s not just a question of an engine swap, it’s more of a lifestyle swap. Singer 911s and Eagle E-Types and their ilk, they’re not selling for eye-watering prices because they’ve just had new powerplants grafted in – they represent a brand-new, 21st-century version of a classic car. Old-school styling with contemporary power, fuel economy, brakes, acceleration, suspension, seats, electrics, comfort and reliability.

James’ car history

It’s a compelling formula, for sure, and it made perfect sense for James Edge to explore this intriguing avenue. He’s the mastermind behind this X-Pack Mk2, and he’s a true veteran of the modding game. You name it, he’s tuned it, and throughout all these adventures it was always the Mk2 Escort that he saw as his Holy Grail model… and when he actually bought and drove one, the performance was a bit of a disappointment to say the least.

“I have always modified cars, starting even before I passed my test during my apprenticeship at a local body shop,” James recalls. “My first car was a Mk2 XR2 that I modified highly and flip-painted, and it all just grew from there. I had an Evo, a few 200SX turbos, a Skyline, an M5… I have probably owned around 150 modified cars in total over the years. But my passion has always been the older Escorts.”

It all harks back to his childhood. While the Mk2 was somewhat before his time, James used to marvel at the rally Escorts he saw on TV, their skiddy sideways exploits mimicked by the boy racers he saw showboating in the local car parks. He observed, he yearned, he watched the values skyrocket… and then finally, after many long years of anticipation, the chance presented itself to build a Mk2 of his very own.

Buying the Ford Escort Mk2

“I had heard through a friend of a friend about this car being found in a garage, and around two years later that friend turned up at my garage in the Escort – having been restored, but done poorly,” says James. “It had a stripped interior and an old Pinto, and had just generally been thrown together. I knew my friend was building a house and was needing money, so I bought it!”

Well, there’s nothing like a blank canvas is there? The knowledge that it was all a bit shonky was actually quite liberating, as it meant that he had free rein to do exactly what he liked with the build without any concerns about preserving originality, or that nebulous concept of ‘doing right by the car’. This was carte blanche for James to turn it into the Mk2 of his dreams.

Pinto woes and gearbox troubles

“After I drove the car for around five miles with the Pinto engine in it, I was very disappointed,” he continues. “Oh, and I blew the gearbox up! So I drove it back to my garage and decided to start again. I stripped the car completely and sold the engine, then spent two weeks welding the gussets and all the holes in the inner wings to get the engine bay pretty.”

Initial engine swap

With a pristine bay and aspirations of horsepower, he then set his mind to thinking about what manner of motor he should put in there. And the unit you see today wasn’t actually the first attempt; no, the initial build-up involved plumbing in a 2.0-litre Vauxhall XE with twin 48 carbs, mated to a Mazda RX-8 gearbox – a setup he describes as “OK, but not really powerful enough for me”. You see, James was coming at this from quite an offbeat perspective, as he also owned an 800bhp BMW M5 at the time – and that’s a lot of grunt to compete with.

“I wanted the power of the M5, but the rawness of the Mk2,” he reasons. “This is how I came across Hallscorts, who specialise in big-power Honda engine swaps in old Escorts. I gave my key criteria to Adrian Hall and the rest is history!”

Swapping a Honda S2000 F20C engine into the modified Ford Escort Mk2t

The engine of choice is the F20C, and that’s a particularly interesting move. Usually when you hear of VTEC swaps, people are talking about the K20, which is the 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit found in the likes of the EP3 and FN2 Civic Type R and the DC5 Integra. But the F20C is an entirely different 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit; never marketed as a Type R, but actually boasting even more sporting prowess, as this was the engine fitted to the S2000 roadster.

Designed to be longitudinally-mounted for rear-wheel-drive applications, the F20C features all sorts of race-derived technology: twin cams with roller followers and variable timing and lift on both intake and exhaust, forged pistons with molybdenum disulfide-coated skirts, fibre-reinforced metal cylinder liners… indeed, this motor once held the record for ‘highest specific power output for a mass-produced, naturally aspirated engine’, serving up 240bhp at 8,300rpm, before marching on to a 9,200rpm redline. So it’s essentially a race engine that’s been sanitised for everyday road use – and if you’ve ever read an S2000 review and seen some nonsense about them being underpowered, that’ll be because the tester didn’t have the guts to hang it out to the redline.

Turbocharging the F20C engine

The F20C has become a popular engine with kit car builders and track day enthusiasts, for all of the above reasons along with one crucial fact: being very strong, it can take a lot of boost. And that’s exactly what James and Adrian had in mind. You’ll have spotted the snail under the bonnet; having fully rebuilt the engine, it’s been treated to a Pulsar G30-770 dual ceramic ball-bearing turbo with external wastegate on a custom Hallscorts manifold, with massively uprated fuelling and cooling, and a MaxxECU to make sense of it all. The results are splendidly devastating.

Introducing new technology

Given the over-arching concept of restomodding the modified Ford Escort Mk2, it wasn’t enough simply to fit a savage engine and leave it at that, and James’s approach has been to fuse the old and the new in boisterous style. The X-Pack arches were a must – while it’s become very fashionable in recent years for the aftermarket to develop wide-arch kits for pretty much any car you care to name, the evidence is right here that Ford themselves had already won this game back in the 1970s.

The X-Pack girth still looks glorious today, particularly slathered in that period-perfect shade of Signal Orange. But underneath this retro style, the Escort is brimming with modern materials; the more you look at the car, the more carbon parts you’ll spot. The entire dash is a custom piece expertly crafted from carbon fibre, and the cabin also sports a carbon firewall, carbon rear shelf, carbon doorcards, carbon boot floor… it’s a veritable riot of the sixth element, and you can find the magic weave scattered across the outside too, making up the bumpers, WRC mirrors and rakish bonnet scoop.

Chassis upgrades on the modified Ford Escort Mk2

The Bride seats are a knowing wink to the origins of the engine, and if you get down on your knees and peer at that flawless underside, you’ll find the full-on restomod treatment throughout the chassis too. Substantial AP 4-pot calipers with fully floating discs sit up front, joined by a Sierra Cosworth rear disc conversion and a Wilwood hydro handle for kicks; suspension comprises GAZ Gold coilovers working with Hallscorts custom rear leaf springs, adjustable front lower TCAs also from Hallscorts, and fully adjustable top mounts.

The transmission is a world away from the Mk2’s factory spec, boasting the robust Honda S2000 6-speed manual gearbox, sending power through a custom propshaft back to a meaty Atlas axle with an LSD, while a hydraulic clutch conversion with paddle clutch keeps it usable. No stone has been left unturned in the pursuit of staggering performance, backed up by impeccable reliability, all wrapped up in a show-winning 1970s-flavour finish.

“I’ve taken it to a few car meets, and I want to show it this year as well,” says James. “The reactions from people young and old are great, they absolutely love the modern twist I have put on the car. And yes, I do drive it hard, as that’s what it was built for; it’s not just a show queen, I have a few track days coming up. It was made to enjoy, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Conclusion

What James is really doing here is helping the Escort to fulfil its own destiny. Back when it rolled off the production line in 1976, it was kitted out with the most cutting-edge technology available for mass-production purposes at the time. But is it a better legacy to keep it in factory spec with its 1600 Pinto and opine about the way things were, or to update it with the most cutting-edge technology available today and have a bit of fun with it? Judging by the smile on James’s face, that question isn’t even worth asking.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

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The post Modified Ford Escort Mk2 With Turbocharged F20C Engine Swap appeared first on Fast Car.

This might well be the most unconventional E36 we’ve featured in a while. And that’s not because it’s a liveried-up drift car, because that almost feels like the default setting for most modified E36s these days. No, rather it’s to do with Scott Robinson’s choice of propulsion for his E36, because this 3 Series is serving up a bit of Asian fusion, with some Japanese muscle nestling in its engine bay, and it makes for a seriously spicy sideways machine.

Scott’s car history

Scott is no stranger to serious performance machinery, working as he does for XCS Designs. “It stands for Extreme Custom Sportscars, building 427 Cobra kit cars, track cars and drift cars,” he says, so it’s not surprising that he appears to have developed a bit of a taste for V8s. But what about his taste for BMWs? “I have had E36s for around 12 years now, but I have always been interested in them since my older brother bought home a 328i Sport,” Scott tells us. “My first BMW was an E36 saloon, 318i base spec. It just happened to be a local car and within budget. So I thought, why not give it a shot and see what they’re like to live with? From then, BMWs have stuck with me,” he grins.

So he’s no stranger to BMWs, and he’s no stranger to modding them, either. “The longest I owned a BMW was an E36 Touring – that was completely modified over the eight years I had it. It was still a daily driver right up until it was scrapped. It started life as a 328 with beige leather, and I started with just a few mods – coilovers, wheels etc., just to make it look good for shows and car meets. Then I got into drifting, and it became my full competition drift car with an M3 swap, full cage, bucket seats etc.

Buying the BMW E36 Saloon

“This E36 Saloon was bought as the Touring had seen better days, and it was time for an upgrade to something a little less rusty,” explains Scott. “The car was a friend’s who decided to strip it and break it for parts. It was a completely stripped shell, non-rolling, with just overfenders on. My plan was just to swap all the parts from the Touring over and do the 1UZ V8 swap, but that got out of hand real quick,” he laughs, and he’s not kidding because this E36 is not messing around.

1UZ V8 swap for the BMW E36 drift car

It would feel rude to start anywhere other than under the bonnet when looking at Scott’s build, because of course we’re going to be excited about a turbocharged V8, regardless of whether it comes from Bavaria or not. “The engine is basically a stock 1UZ out of a Toyota Soarer, upgraded with MLS head gaskets, ARP head studs, re-gapped rings and ARP Rod bolts,” Scott tells us. “It took a few months to refresh as was awaiting parts from the States, but the engine had already been in and turbo-converted for around a year or so. I just wanted to up the boost and make it reliable at that power level,” he reasons, and he’s certainly got that. What you’re looking at is a 4.0-litre V8 that’s been bolstered by the addition of a Holset HE400 turbo, which has taken power to a very healthy 470hp.

Alongside the turbo, Scott has added a selection of upgrades to ensure the V8 makes all that power without breaking a sweat, which includes Bosch 550cc injectors fed by a Walbro 450lph pump, a front-mount intercooler, an uprated cooling system, and there’s a custom 3” exhaust system that exits from the front bumper. The transmission, meanwhile, consists of a six-speed gearbox conversion using an E36 M3 Evo Getrag unit with an adapter to connect it up to the engine, a lightened M3 flywheel and a Stage 4 Competition Clutch, with a welded medium-case diff sending power to the wheels.

E36 drift car chassis setup

With power to spare, that aspect of the E36 was sorted, but if you’re going drifting, you need a proper chassis setup, and Scott has taken things very seriously where suspension is concerned. “I chose to go for custom BC coilovers with the Ultra Low setup in the rear as I just wasn’t happy with the fitment on the last setup,” Scott explains. “The fronts have fully adjustable M3 top mounts to dial in my preferred setup for drifting.

Everything on the chassis has been reinforced that can be, again, to make sure that with the power it’s got nothing breaks, as the car was only a little 316 before,” he adds, and that just makes sense. Of course, those BC coilovers are just the tip of the handling iceberg and beneath the bodywork, you will find adjustable upper and lower arms, Icefab toe correction brackets, MACS Engineering tubular lower arms, reinforced front and rear subframes and a tubed front end. An E46 purple tag steering rack makes for quicker direction changes, while the brakes comprise an uprated M3 front setup, E46 320d rears, and braided hoses all-round.

Exterior modifications for the BMW E36 drift car

Now that we’ve dealt with the stuff you can’t see, let’s get on to what you can see. Obviously, what gets your attention first is that XCS livery over the bright red bodywork, a combo that ensures you can’t miss Scott’s car in action, but there are plenty of additional details to take in. First of all, that red is not a BMW colour, but is, in fact, a full respray that the E36 has been treated to in Porsche Guards Red, and it looks fantastic.

As for the rest of the styling, Scott breaks it down for us: “I wanted to do something different to the E36 that wasn’t really seen, so I’ve bonded an E46 lower rear bumper to an E36 top half. I also added E46 side skirts and a big splitter on a Sport bumper up front. I wanted the GTR-style vents on this build for the bonnet, as the Touring had a Nismo-style vent. Also, the big custom drag wing for style,” he smiles, and we also love the addition of the 340i badge on the rear.

Look closely, and you’ll notice that this E36 is wearing overfenders, and that increase in body width dictated Scott’s choice of wheels. “These Rota Torques have been the final choice for a while as you can get some good specs to fill the overfenders, also allowing 9.5” rears to have a good-sized tyre on for grip,” he explains, and the twin five-spoke 17s really work well on the E36s and suit the look of the whole build perfectly.

Interior modifications on the BMW E36 drift car

Finally, we come to the interior, and while Scott has added the usual track car equipment, it’s a little less barren than you might expect. “I fancied something a bit more comfortable than a fully stripped-out car,” he reasons. “This still has a full interior, with Corbeau bucket seats and a half-cage for the harnesses to attach to,” and those Corbeau Clubsport XLs have been paired with Takata harnesses. Ahead of Scott sits a Nardi steering wheel on a quick-release boss, and the stock gauges have been replaced with a tablet dash. Scott’s also got a short-shifter and a hydro handbrake in here, while the aforementioned cage takes up the rear of the cabin, and it’s been finished in a rather lovely rainbow flake.

We know a lot of you reading this will be a little sensitive to the idea of a non-BMW engine in a BMW, but we’d like to think that when it’s a hardcore drift machine, the ‘rules’ go out the window. And besides, we defy anyone not to get excited by the prospect of a 470hp turbocharged V8, and it’s the boost that Scott loves best: “My favourite mod has to be the big turbo conversion,” he grins, and that’s all you need to know.

Conclusion

Getting his E36 to this stage has taken Scott three years so far, but there’s definitely more to come, and while being around LS V8s at work has made him consider another engine swap, that’s something of a money-no-object mod, so the Toyota engine is here to stay – for now, at least. “I’m hoping to get a full cage fitted and make this up to full competition spec so I can do some more drift demos in it,” Scott tells us. With some serious Japanese muscle wrapped up in a classic Bavarian body finished in a hue straight out of Stuttgart, this fast and furious fusion of east and west is like dipping your bratwurst in wasabi, and the end result is an awesome drift missile that’s a real crowd pleaser.

Love modified cars? Want to see the very best of car culture? Then why not check out our premier event:

• Trax
• German Car Festival 

The post BMW E36 Drift Car With Turbocharged 1UZ V8 appeared first on Fast Car.

Now, don’t get me wrong, when I started my modifying journey some 30 years ago (yep, I’m really that old), there was no ‘bank of mum and dad’ tuning or buy-now-pay-later options. You messed with what you could afford and what you could afford wasn’t usually a fat lot.

So, I understand why some of the old-skool people get frustrated these days with the ‘younger’ generation for their chequebook builds and credit card tuning. Still, that doesn’t give them the excuse to tarnish every new-wave build with the same ‘air and wheels’ brush. Take Dutchman, Erik vd Meer’s stunning modified Audi TT-RS 8S for example.

Firstly, there’s not an air bag or compressor in sight so the ‘air’ part is out of the equation. Secondly, at 34-years-old, the technical mechanic from Groningen in the North of Holland isn’t exactly what you’d class as a youngster or newbie either!

Erik’s car history

“I’ve always been into cars and having a Mk5 Golf as my first mode of transport sort of set me on a VW/Audi path,” Erik told us. It’s no wonder he got the VW bug, mind, as this wasn’t just any old Mk5 Golf but rather a GTI Edition 240 model! As quick and fun as the car was, it didn’t take Erik long to tire of the performance and begin dreaming up his first batch of mods. Long story short, he ended up swapping in a Mk6 Golf R motor, fitting a set of Ultralow coilovers, plus ceramic brakes: “I also developed an adapter system to allow me to fit centre-locking Porsche wheels on the car, too,” he said proudly.

I think that’s the thing with new-wave cars, firstly they’re far better built and spec’d from the factory. So, it’s not all about having a spec list as long as your arm, often it’s far more about the quality and custom aspect of the handful of mods that have been fitted. Quality over quantity and then some…

After his Mk5 build Erik hopped across to the Audi camp and bought a Nardo Grey RS3: “Admittedly, I only did coilovers and wheels on this car, but that’s largely because I soon started looking at Audi TT-RSs,” he told us. “I actually bought this car back in 2021 and imported it myself from Germany. It was totally stock and in mint condition.” The car itself is a 2019 TT-RS and came with just 15kms on the clock when Erik took delivery. Sounds like the perfect base for a project, if you ask us!

Five-cylinder thrills

So, why was Erik so obsessed with this particular car: “Well, it was the last five-cylinder from Audi to roll out from the factory in this model, plus I have a thing about red cars,” he continued; “My Nardo Grey RS3 was nice, but I’ve always loved red after my first car.”

Erik ended up having to look to Germany for cars when he began his search back in 2021, as there’s far more choice than in Holland. “I contacted a bunch of dealers in Germany and even had a coupe of trips out there to view cars. There were actually two shades of red I could have gone for, but I chose Tango over the Catalunya options as it was much more vibrant.”

Modified TT-RS plans

It might sound like a silly question, but we decided to ask it anyway. Did he plan to modify the car from the outset? “Yes, I did, but I thought I was going to keep it quite simple to start with – like I did with the RS3.” Then Erik got the carbon fibre bug, and the rest is history. We’ve seen it so many times before. There’s just something addictive about the carbon weave that people find hard to resist. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, though.

First things first, Erik had loved the carbon ceramic brakes on this old Golf so much that he decided he wanted to go down the ceramic route again: “I found a set of brakes from an Audi RSQ8 on eBay that looked perfect, so I bought those and then set about sorting adapters to fit them. My dad helped me with this part,” he confessed. The vital stats for these new stoppers were nothing short of madness, either. How does 420mm discs up front with whopping 10-pot callipers and 370mm out back with four-pots grab yer? Pretty tightly, we’d expect.

Choosing the wheels for the modified Audi TT-RS

While the factory wheels were off the car, Erik decided now would be a good time to upgrade these, too. So, what did he opt for? You guessed it, centre-locking OZ Ultraleggera items from a Porsche GT3 RS: “I needed four 9×20” GT3 front wheels, which would give plenty of clearance for the new brakes, while also fitting the rear wheel arches.” When it came to the front arches, Erik couldn’t resist the urge to fit a set of Mücke wide wings to accommodate the larger wheels and still allow him to roll low. The wings are actually 2.5cm wider each side and are made from carbon fibre, although Erik decided to painted them body colour to match the rest of the car.

Suspension modifications

It would have been silly not to address the suspension while the car was sitting up on jack stands and as Erik had decided this car was going to be sticking around for a while, he thought it made sense to go all out with the dampers. “I went with a set of Gepfeffert’s ‘deep’ KW V3 with the HLS hydraulic lift system integrated.” These offer 3cm of lift at the push of a button and are the ultimate solution for those wanting to ‘roll deep’ but not destroy their cars on speed humps.

Once the foundations (chassis mods) were in place it was time for Erik to add a few of his own enhancements to the bodywork and interior. Outside, he fitted a bunch of factory Performance Pack upgrades including front splitters, side skirts, a rear wing and diffuser. These were all painted in high gloss black (to tie in with the wheels and door mirrors) by Eric Westerhof and fitted by Erik and his dad. “I actually did most of the work on the car myself, with the help of my dad,” Erik admitted. He reckons developing and manufacturing the brake adapters was probably the hardest job. “Making them is one thing, but it’s getting the perfect fit that really takes time.”

Interior modifications on the Audi TT-RS

You might be interested to know that our original photos of this car were taken last December, but Erik had to revisit our studio in April in order for Lennart to take updated photos of the interior. You see, our Dutch friend went a bit overboard here when the carbon bug bit: “I think that the latest carbon additions to the interior is my favourite bit.” And when we say overboard, we mean it. Parts coated in genuine carbon by Dietrich Concept include the dash display surround, the four round vent rings, steering column cover, steering wheel trims, centre console trims, gear knob, dash badge and centre switch panel lower trim. Basically, if you could remove the trim part, then it got a coating of carbon or a splash of gloss black.

I guess we couldn’t talk about the interior without mentioning the seats. “I drove 1100kms to Austria to collect them. They’re full carbon and came in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP-570 Superleggera.” Tipping the scale at just 3.7kg per seat, they’re a serious weight saving and they look simply wild. The chunky rear carbon strut brace was from Automotive Passion.

So what’s the car like to drive then? “Well, even with a stock engine it’s really fast and sounds amazing, but it’s the stopping power that really shocks you.” Erik says nobody believes the car is static, either, which is totally understandable when you consider how low it sits and rides.

What’s next for the modified TT-RS?

As for the future, well, Erik is rounding up a bunch of parts to take the engine to Stage 3 during the winter months – he’s just finalising the spec. He said the dream is to own a Porsche GT3 RS one day, but we reckon once the engine has been tuned he won’t be far off of GT3 RS performance in the TT. And we know which one we’d rather own…

Love German cars? Want to see modified builds like this in person? Be sure to check out our premier German Car Festival event taking place this October 5th at Goodwood Motor Circuit.

Photos: Lennart Dijkstra. 

The post Modified Audi TT-RS appeared first on Fast Car.

How would your family react if you spent Christmas day rebuilding your car’s engine next to the kitchen table? You may well find yourself on the business end of a particularly sharp sprig of holly, but evidently it’s just about possible to get away with it – because that’s precisely what Geraint James and his dad did. The fact that they’re still here to tell the tale suggests that the pursuit of automotive awesomeness can excuse you from all manner of festive sins.

“My dad has always been Ford mad, so it would have been rude for me not to get one,” Geraint grins. “Where do I begin with cars? Well, basically I’ve always grown up with helping my dad work on cars, from a young age to even now. I began with messing around with the typical Corsas before ultimately needing a cheap car to go to work, so I started properly with a Mk7 Fiesta 1.6 TDCi about ten years ago.”

Buying the Ford Fiesta ST Mk7

The inherent passion for turning up the coolness wick ensured that this cheap-and-cheerful runabout received a bit of ‘the treatment’ from this fledgling enthusiast; it may have been a budget daily hack, but it ended up on air-ride and kept obsessively clean. Meanwhile, Geraint’s brother had bought himself an ST180 with similar intent, wanting something practical to get to work in every day, and the fact that Fiesta STs are so much fun meant that, more often than not, he was ragging it up the farm lanes like a full-bore rally driver, bouncing it through fields and all sorts. When he found himself needing a truck, Geraint then bought the hard-driven ST and embarked upon a whole new set of Ford hot hatch adventures.

Transferring parts to the bagged Mk7 Fiesta ST

“When I bought it, the car was completely standard,” says Geraint. “Within the first week, I had it on air-ride – I swapped over the setup from my TDCi. And from thereon in, the build was basically an experiment… I’ve never gone this far with a project car before, absolutely everything involved was a learning curve. I like to keep myself busy and I’m always thinking about what else I can do. I just went with the flow regarding decisions: try something, see how it goes, and if I don’t like it, change it until it’s right.”

All of this has been done as a home-build between Geraint and his father, and there have been some really impressive skills developing here. Take all the carbon fibre, for example. This is a material that speaks volumes about the seriousness of a car, its low weight and high tensile strength earning a solid reputation in the pantheon of motorsport and thus trickling down to road cars as a marker of forthrightness; of course, it’s not something that just anyone can make, it’s a fiddly process that requires a Neeson-like special set of skills. But Geraint doesn’t see obstacles in the same way most people do. “I made all the interior carbon myself,” he says.

“The whole theme across the car was a bit of an accident really – I’d found this custom carbon bootlid and then I just went a bit carbon-crazy making everything match it. On the whole, the fact is that I just didn’t want it to be a typical Fiesta, I wanted something different and unique to myself. The seats took five months from order to arrive, and even the carbon diffuser took six months, so I’ve had to have patience on a lot of things.”

Turning up the power

It doesn’t sound as if patience is a particular issue, however. Perhaps life moves a little slower in the windy wilderness around Cardigan, but the painstaking efforts put into perfecting this ST have certainly paid dividends.

With his dad helping out with the paintwork, combined with a thoughtful approach to selecting the right exterior styling without over-embellishing, you can see why this ridiculously clean Fiesta is a hoover for show-and-shine trophies. And with the two fellas working their magic on that yuletide engine rebuild, it’s certainly got the guts to hold its own among its fast-road peers too; treated to bountiful upgrades including Airtec induction kit, an Outlaw intercooler and a Cobra system (complete with old-school outward-rolled 4” tip, like an RS Turbo on Southend seafront in the nineties), its Peron ECU tune has upped the ante to a robust 250bhp.

Show-and-go, then, is very much the ethos. If you’re going to cut it on the showground, you’ve got to have a magpie eye for desirable shiny things, and the rolling stock is a case in point. These staggered OZ Futura splits are one of only three sets in the UK made in a Ford fitment, finished in a one-off silver with polished Radinox lips. The stretch on the sidewalls mightn’t please all palates, but you can’t deny the theatrical artistry of airing out so that the arches sit precisely between tyre and lip – that’s taken a whole lot of measuring and adjusting to perfect.

Bagged Mk7 Fiesta ST Conclusion

So the car’s come a long, long way from being a thrashed farm track beater. Indeed, these days it’s pampered like a show poodle. “I admit, it hardly comes out,” Geraint laughs. “I’ll take it out for fun on a nice weekend, although we don’t get a lot of those around here; otherwise, it largely just goes to shows – I’ll road-trip it there, enjoy the show, then drive back and tuck it away in the garage again. But every time it’s out I get looks, and people come and talk about it as well which is really nice, it always gets complimented.” Which is all attributable to the secret sauce stirred into the recipe from the very beginning. No, it’s not normal to be rebuilding an engine in the kitchen on Christmas day – but the evidence is right here before us that the results are finger-lickin’ good.

Love fast Fords? Want to see cars like this up close and personal, both on display and blasting around track? Or want to be involved yourself with your own fast Ford? Then we’ve got some shows right up your street. Check out our premier events below and don’t miss out on the action!

• Ford Fair
• FordFest
• Trax

Photos: Well Chuffed Media.

The post Bagged Mk7 Fiesta ST appeared first on Fast Car.

These days, we have become somewhat accustomed to BMW making some questionable design choices. Take the new BMW M3 for example… But back in the day, when Bavarian machinery was much easier on the eye, on the rare occasions that BMW did make something a little out of the ordinary, everyone sat up and took notice. And one of the best examples of this is the E36/8 Z3 M Coupé.

BMW Z3 M Coupé ‘Breadvan’ origins

In the UK, it was affectionately nicknamed the ‘breadvan’ Americans took to calling it the clown shoe, but whether it’s baked goods or funny people with oversized footwear that come to mind, the simple fact is that the Z3 Coupé is definitely not a conventional BMW in any way, shape or form. When it launched, the weirdest-looking BMW on sale at the time was the E36 Compact, and it wasn’t even that odd compared to its successor.

But grafting a hatchback rear end onto the Z3 Roadster created something rather ungainly. It feels unbalanced with that back end – very long at the front and short in the rear, with that weird rising window line, and it is undeniably a strange-looking car. But it’s also a car that is undeniably a modern icon. The downright weird styling is precisely what makes it stand out, and that, along with its low production numbers and rarity have made it a collector’s piece, which is why you can pick up an M Roadster for £14,000, but you’ll need to spend double that to get your hands on the bakers’ favourite. And for Ayman Bugis, it was all about parking the unconventional M icon in his garage.

Ayman’s car history

Ayman is a big BMW fan, and he’s in the fortunate position of being able to indulge his passion for cars, working as a doctor in medical genetics and assistant professor of genetics at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. “I was born and grew up in Jeddah. When I was
at school, I was always a big fan of BMW magazines, always inspired by those heavily modified BMW cars in the UK. I loved them, and they inspired me, and since the stance game was and still is growing over there, I wanted one day to build my own BMW to a high standard exactly like what we see published in BMW magazines,” Ayman enthuses.

“After I finished my bachelor’s degree, I got a well-paid position at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, and I thought to myself: let’s get a present from myself to myself,” Ayman grins, “so I went to a BMW showroom and I bought myself a brand-new E92 320i. I love the shape of the E92. I’d seen a few on Instagram that had been stanced on big wheels, so I said to myself yes, this nice shape, within my budget, had quite wide arches, so this is what exactly I wanted,” he says with a smile. E92 acquired, Ayman proceeded to get stuck into some mods, dropping it on coilovers, adding 19” Work splits, a full M Sport kit, M3 bonnet, CSL boot lid and a few other touches, and that was good going for his first-ever modified car.

Love affair with BMW

Having always wanted a BMW and having made that happen with his 320i, the E92 proved to be a gateway car for Ayman and opened the door to full-on BM addiction, which has led to the quintet he currently owns, but there’s something of a theme here. “As I mentioned previously, I always wanted simple and clean, classic, unique shape, rare and powerful BMWs. So, I purchased my E31 840Ci six years ago, and since then, I wanted another rare and unique-looking BMW to be a pair with the 840. So, I decided to go ahead with Z3 M Coupé,” he smiles.

“It is an ultra-rare car. According to the database, 700-ish RHD Z3 M Coupés were built, with half of these still registered. It is the shape, power, design and the rear with the huge M arches that make this car stand out from other models. For me, it is one of the best designs BMW ever made. It is so eye-catching. Every single trip I do, I get a lot of attention, thumbs-up, and a lot of the time people – young and old, male and female – stop me and start talking about the M Coupé,” Ayman grins, and it’s a car that can never slip under the radar.

Buying the BMW Z3 M Coupe

Of course, finding the right BMW Z3 M Coupé is not an easy task, with so few to choose from, so you have to be committed to the cause. “Honestly, there were not many RHD Z3 Ms for sale on the market at that time, and even now, it’s becoming harder and harder to find one,” says Ayman. “I was checking online websites every day till I found this clean example near London. As always, it had to be an original condition, clean, low-mileage classic BMW,” and he obtained exactly that.

While the Z3 M Coupé could be had in a variety of different colours – no fewer than 14, in fact – it’s arguably best served by bold, bright hues like Imola red, Dakar and Phoenix yellows, and the Estoril blue of Ayman’s example. Estoril is such an iconic BMW colour and so fitting for such an iconic M car. That light metallic blue works beautifully on the Z3 Coupé’s body, highlighting all the details, and accentuating those curves and swollen arches, and it really brings out the best in this unconventional design. If you’re shopping for a Z3 M Coupé, promise us you’ll pick one in a bright, bold colour – it’s what the car deserves. And if you own one, why not join us at the German Car Festival this October and join other rare German machinery on show.

OEM+ modifications that make a difference

Looking at Ayman’s modified BMW Z3 M, it’s clear that, apart from putting it on air ride and fitting wheels, the rest of the car has been left almost completely stock. The Z3 isn’t a car that was ever especially well-served in terms of aftermarket modifications, nor is it a car that ever really needed much in the way of additions, beyond perhaps wheels and suspension. The retro styling has aged very well and looks good today, and in M form, it has presence and aggression in spades, while the smooth lines don’t lend themselves well to the addition of splitters, spoilers and the like. This is a car that is arguably at its best with just the slightest of individual touches to give it just a hint of individuality, as you can see here, and that was always Ayman’s plan.

“Once I sealed the deal, I ordered the Air Lift suspension and bagged it within a few weeks. It’s a custom Air Lift Performance suspension setup, and I chose it because I really like the look of a car when it’s slammed on the floor. It looks super-clean and simple,” he reasons, and we can’t disagree. Of course, when you’re lowering a car – be that on air or coilovers – that’s only part of the equation, and to balance that drop, you need the right wheels to make everything right, and Ayman’s choice is sheer perfection.

Choosing the right wheels for the modified BMW Z3 M Coupé

“I always wanted original, unique, rare wheels. For me, the wheels are the most important thing in the stance game and car modification. Heavy budget should put on them,” he says, with a serious look, and you know he’s not messing around here. “I am a rare wheel collector. I have three sets of Racing Dynamics RS2 splits, Alpina Softline splits, Azev A splits, AC Schnitzer Type 3 and Type 1 splits,” he says, reeling off a list that reads like an ultimate fantasy wheel wishlist. And with such impeccable taste, it’s no surprise that his modified BMW Z3 M Coupé is wearing something seriously sexy beneath its arches.

“I purchased a set of original BBS LM 089 17s from Russia and lips and barrels from SRR Hardware,” he says, and those were necessary to turn them into deep-dish, arch-filling 18s that sit oh-so-perfectly on this Z3. Seriously, these BBSs look so good and tuck gracefully beneath the sculpted bodywork when Ayman airs out, with the blue centre caps tying in with the Estoril paint and the gold hardware adding just the perfect contrasting touch.

“The wheels are my favourite thing because wheels make the car. I don’t like doing much modification on the body – always remember: less is more,” emphasises Ayman, and it’s a philosophy he lives by. Everything else is almost completely as it was when the car left the factory – from the bodywork to the 321hp S50 beneath that dramatic clamshell bonnet, though Ayman has added a couple of very subtle touches.

Other modifications on the BMW Z3 M

The first of these is the amber lights that he’s fitted all-round, along with a front number plate delete for a smoother look. Within the vibrant two-tone interior, you will find the only other modification on the car, that being an A-pillar-mounted oil pressure gauge, but that’s more of a safety feature than anything else.

While some BMWs gain so much from some serious mods, less is more works so well here because the Z3 M Coupé is already so much to begin with – try to add any more, and it all starts to go wrong. Ayman’s gorgeous Estoril machine is the perfect embodiment of a little goes a long way, and it’s such a simple and clean example that has just gained that little something extra from what he’s done. The Z3 M Coupé might not be for everyone, but if ever there was an example that might just sway you, we reckon this modified BMW Z3 M might be it.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

If you love German cars like this, then we’ve got the show for you. On October 5th we’re taking over Goodwood Motor Circuit for German Car Festival. You’ll get to see rare cars like this Z3 M, as well as some of the wildest German car builds in the UK. Be sure to visit the German Car Festival website for more info on how to secure your ticket. 

The post Modified BMW Z3 M Coupé appeared first on Fast Car.

The history of performance cars is packed with rivalry, but few are as long-running or closely fought as Volkswagen and Ford’s hot hatch grudge match. GTIs, G60s, VR6s and R models have locked horns with the likes of RS, ST and XR since the early 1980s, and Tim Dunn is unusually familiar with both sides of that divide. Having spent his entire adult life dabbling in the best that each brand can offer, Tim Dunn’s 500hp Mk2 is a meeting of worlds.

“My dream car in school was an Escort Cosworth, so when I had my first GTI I was always drawn to the RS Turbos… with the dump valves going off, and things like that,” he tells us. “At the time, the Mk4 Golf was out of the question because it was brand new and they didn’t have anything turbocharged before that, which is I went down the Ford route. Then I got back into Volkswagens and people were putting 20-valve turbo engines into Mk2s. That seemed like the ultimate Golf, and something I could probably do myself.”

Looking back, Tim had the makings of a life-long Ford fanatic. His uncle kick-started an interest in mechanics while he was in primary school, which developed into a career choice as his older brother enlisted his help working on Fiestas and XR3is as a teenager. By the time Tim started his apprenticeship at 17, he’d already bought – and written off – a Peugeot 309 GTI replica and the barely-roadworthy Mk2 Fiesta van that replaced it wasn’t really living up to the Cosworth ambitions.

From Ford to VW to Ford…

However, the path to this car was steadily unfolding even then. Tim’s apprenticeship paired him with another mechanic, Ernie, who not only taught him how to fix cars and bodywork but also put an influential project his way. A customer had abandoned a Mars Red three-door Mk2 at the garage after the cambelt had snapped, but the damage was minimal. With a new set of valves, the non-running 1.3-litre Golf evolved into a big bumper GTI replica, dropped over a set of 100+ wheels and with a Peco Big Bore exhaust, then eventually made way for an Alpine White 8V GTI.

“The GTI was really punchy, but I swapped it for a Series 2 RS Turbo, which I modded to within an inch of its life – at the time it was up to 237hp. I sold that for a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth and built another RS Turbo, which was featured, before deciding it was time for my Escort Cosworth. I sold the other two and got a loan to buy it, then that had to go when I bought a house,” he recalls.

…and back to VW

Ernie’s influence didn’t stop with the Mk2. After a few years working together, the duo left to set up Auto RS, and Tim still runs the same business today. Named to bring in other Cosworth owners and rank highly in alphabetically organised phone books, it’s become a busy workshop with a workload as broad as its owner’s car history, which didn’t take long to recover after life got in the way. Having ticked the Cosworth box and become a homeowner, Tim ended his hot hatch dry spell with a GTI 16V only to quickly lose interest and swap into modern alternatives while his concours Series 1 Escort RS Turbo took shape in the garage. Even this didn’t lure him away from Volkswagen – by the time the finished Ford got its outing as his wedding car, there was another Mk2 waiting to take its place.

“That Mk2 ended up being the longest I ever owned a car. It was a real sleeper, with a good track spec and K04 hybrid running 370hp, and scary when it was giving everything it had, but I stumbled across some videos online with VR6Ts running 4Motion and doing crazy launches. The VR6 has a distinctive sound, and it’s amazing when it’s turbo’d, so I wanted some of that,” he laughs.

“I had done a sleeper car already, so I had visions of what I wanted – wide arches, deep dish wheels, a roll cage and some modern twists. I decided that, if I could find the parts, then I’d do the build. This was probably going to be my last big project, so I wanted it to be the best I could do.”

Custom building this modified VW Golf Mk2

Nothing you see here is easy to track down. Tim spent autumn 2019 scouring classified ads for the Syncro conversion, which includes a larger transmission tunnel and raised boot floor for the differential and prop shaft, and a suitable bodyshell. He got lucky on both counts, finding a three-door Driver shell ten minutes from his workshop, then headed to the outskirts of Paris a few days later to pick up the four-wheel drive parts. It’s a perk of living in Kent, and close to the Channel, that this was easier than getting the same gear in the UK.

Well, almost. “It all fitted in the back of a van, but leaning across for the toll booths was a bit of a pain, and the seller couldn’t speak a word of English. We had to type everything into Google Translate and play it back to one another,” he laughs.

“It was worth it though. I’d found the same parts in Newcastle for £2000, but this cost me £1100 plus the ferry fare, so it was about half the price. Everything was there – tunnel, boot floor, rear diff, gearbox, carpets etc, so the work was ready to begin.”

Stripping everything

Being picky with the shell took some of the hassle out of an already intensive rebuild. Weekend by weekend, Tim stripped everything, unpicking the transmission tunnel from the one-piece factory floor pressing then grafting the new panels into place. Almost nothing underneath was originally designed to work together; the front subframe is from a Mk3, while the rear is Mk2-based but modified for a Mk4-platform Haldex differential and paired Mk3 Syncro arms to widen the track. Although the driveshafts are off-the-shelf, the prop had to be custom made with a shortened Audi TT section to fit the O2M gearbox. Every spare part was sold, and the money was pumped back into the Golf’s increasingly lengthy spec sheet.

VR6 engine

Naturally, he’d researched the engine spec in detail. The block is balanced and bore lined for the new bearing caps and ARP studs, then fitted with a shallower Mk5 R32 sump and multi-layer head gasket. With plans for a full paint job, everything was trial fitted and trailered to Zero Exhausts for a full custom system and to check for clearance issues. This was a smart move, because even a bespoke exhaust wouldn’t quite fit into the transmission tunnel without further modifications.

“The Americans seem to run a head spacer and don’t do anything to the bottom end, and they’re running 500-600hp no problem at all,” Tim explains, unveiling the tightly packed engine bay. “However, I’d rather go forged and know that it’s okay. The only things they mention are ARP main studs and, if you start to push them to 650-700hp and higher, you want a girdle plate in there. I had a limit of about 500-600hp – the Golf probably won’t cope with much more than that anyway.”

Gearbox modifications

However, not everything was within his control. The modified VW Golf Mk2 uses a strengthened 02M gearbox with a Quaife ATB differential up front, supported by a Haldex controller which enables him to adjust how quickly the rear wheels are engaged. Although he managed to time importing the latter and the MBL arch kit just before Brexit import duties came into force, Covid put paid to any plans for a fast turnaround. The upshot was extra time to figure out solutions to complex problems, like the Race Technology dash, which gets around the O2M’s lack of mechanical speed output. Clever stuff.

Exterior modifications on the Mk2 VW Golf

Body modifications were taking shape in the background, with that carefully planned stance as a starting point. Instead of taking chances with fitment, Tim tasked Image Wheels with building a set of staggered 17-inch three-piece wheels to fill out an extra four inches of bodywork at each corner and to clear the Tarox big brake kit at the front. Picking the right colour contrast with those gold centres was no easy job. Not that you’d guess, but you’re looking at Plan C.

“Originally the car was going to be either BMW Twilight Purple or Long Beach Blue, but I painted up two wings and they weren’t right for this build. My mate kept saying about San Marino Blue, which I wasn’t sure about, but I painted under the bonnet and it grew on me. I think it suits the hard lines of the Mk2 – in some lights is like Bright Blue Metallic but, being a Xirallic paint. it really alters in light and dark settings.”

Tuning the modified VW Golf Mk2

It took almost 18 months to know for sure. Lockdowns continued to delay progress, and Tim built a PD130-swapped Mk2 Driver to keep his wandering mind occupied, finishing it just as the main attraction returned from the bodyshop. Reassembly wasn’t entirely straightforward, requiring a scratch-built wiring loom to pair the new hardware with its Ecumaster EMU Black management and get the car ready for mapping.

If a 500hp Mk2 had been unusual back when he had his first GTI, then the finishing touches getting it back on the road would have been unimaginable. The management uses an R32 base map, carefully honed to the Mk2’s spec by a specialist called Deondré. Deondré hasn’t seen the car in the metal – he’s based in Grenada, and everything was done remotely.

“I normally turn a car around in 18 months, maybe two years, but Covid delayed it, the bodyshop had it for a long time and we had our third baby in between as well. Everything slowed this one down, but that gave me time to concentrate on the bits that I would normally have skipped over. Thinking about it and saving up more money, I’ve ultimately specced it better.”

Minute details

You get a sense of that in the details. Despite the aggressive presence and decidedly un-subtle performance, Tim worked hard to retain the Mk2 styling that lured him in at the start. Every component added to or deleted from the bodywork serves to enhance the original lines, and even the interior borrows heavily from the GTI heritage. Volkswagen stopped short of stripping and caging a factory road-going Mk2, but the Corbeau buckets and door cards in matching red pinstripe tartan are unmistakeable.

Better yet, it’s worked almost perfectly out of the box. Upgrading from a Corrado VR6 radiator – the only one that would fit in the available space between the inlet manifold and intercooler – to a taller, wider Pro Alloy one has cured warm-weather overheating. Although Tim admits taller diesel final drives would improve driveability, the end result is a perfect blend of classic hot hatch styling, subtly modernised and injected with supercar performance to match.

“We are now up to 22 PSI of boost and timing is still slightly conservative, but I think it must be getting close to 500bhp now,” he smiles. “The VR6 gets rid of some of the turbo lag you’d get on a four-cylinder, so it’s really responsive and boosts very quickly – you wouldn’t know it was a larger turbo the way it comes in. The Escort Cosworth is still one of my favourite cars, but they’re £60,000 to £70,000 now and mine was 360hp – the Golf would wipe the floor with it.”

Conclusion

Hardly surprising, then, that this modified VW Golf Mk2 is sticking around even longer than its predecessor. Decades of rivalry – at the factory and enthusiast level – have raised the stakes on both sides of the Volkswagen-Ford hot hatch grudge match. But if the middle ground between them shapes up like this, then we’re all for being open-minded.

Words: Alex Grant. Photos: Jason Dodd.

Want to see cars like this in person? Be sure to check out our premier car events!

• Trax
• German Car Festival

The post Modified VW Mk2 Golf With 500bhp & 4Motion appeared first on Fast Car.

As part of a new series, we’re taking a look back at some of the coolest cars we’ve featured from our premier Trax event. This Mexico was filmed at our 2022 event. If you want to see cars like this, be sure to check the event out and secure your ticket now! 

There are two types of Hot Wheels fans. Some like to keep the cars in their original packaging, pristine and collector-grade, untouched by human hand. Others prefer to rip them out and zoom them around at high speed, bouncing off the skirting board and rushing about like there’s no tomorrow.

Which kind of person is Andy Devine? Well, both actually. The modified Ford Escort Mexico you see here is flawless, fresh, clean as a whistle and straight as an arrow. But it was also built to run 10s on the strip, and the firepower of the engine and focused nature of the chassis signal a car built for hardcore high-speed mayhem. “It’s a little bit different, and it’s a bit of fun – and that’s the thing when you’re building a car,” Andy reasons.

Getting carried away with the build

“I didn’t make this to impress anyone. I built this for me.” Which is just as well, as certain corners of the old Ford community have, shall we say, expressed concern upon learning that the base for this project was a genuine Escort Mexico. But those pitchforks can be safely holstered as this has always been about personal value, not market value; “I’ve owned the car for twenty-eight years, and I’m never going to sell it,” he says. “So what’s the value? I’m not someone who’s going to store it in a shed and watch it appreciate, I built it to be used and to have fun. That’s the value of the car to me.”

Andy originally set out to build a 10-second car; after blowing the engine, things developed quickly…

What’s particularly endearing and engaging about this project is that, in essence, Andy’s just got carried away. He never meant to go this far, things simply accelerated as he went along, until he found himself in the position of having no choice but to build one of the UK’s most highly-specced and desirable Mk2s. Which is a unique place to find oneself, it has to be said.

More power

Having originally bought the Escort Mexico for £600 back in the nineties, Andy’s initial plan was simply to pep it up and run it as-was; with a 2.1 motor on twin 50s, it did the job that a Mk2 was meant to do back then, although dreams of power inevitably began to seep in and he started to transform it into a sleeper, tucking in a Cosworth YB motor and a set of 7”-wide rims about seven years ago. With this high-octane makeover achieved, he took it to Santa Pod, got about five runs in… and promptly blew it up.

Back to bare shell…

YB engine upgrades for the modified Ford Escort Mexico

“I brought it home to figure out what to do,” he recalls. “Should I go for a bigger turbo? That’d involve cutting out the inner wing… OK, and it’ll need 6-linking as it was tramping at the back… and then it sort of snowballed a little bit from there.

“So now, the YB is a fully-built unit by Julian Godfrey Racing,” he continues. “The only parts left over from the original YB that went bang at Santa Pod are the head, the crank, and the exhaust camshaft; the rest has all been replaced and upgraded.” And it was always the intention for this new era of upgrades to be just as much about the ‘show’ as the ‘go’.

While the original plan had been to create a sleeper, Andy was rapidly changing his mind; after all, if he were to build a fairly stock-looking big-power Mexico, he could take it to a show and simply lose it in the crowd of Mk2s; “there’s a strict rulebook for some people dictating what’s acceptable or unacceptable in modifying these,” he says. “RS alloys, lowering blocks, stock interior, maybe a half-cage and you have it pretty much covered, just don’t move too far from that or you’ll be in trouble. And there’s nothing wrong with that look, it’s just not really me.”

Aesthetically pleasing

An idea for the aesthetic direction was beginning to crystallise in his mind, keenly aided by @mikefpe’s inspiring Instagram feed of old Group 2 and Group 5 racers, and Andy was increasingly keen to draw in some of that classic race-car influence. So he found someone who could supply a set of Zakspeed arches, ordered a special set of lightweight doors from Magnum, and basically went crazy with the carbon – that’s a pukka carbon fibre bonnet you’re seeing, and the bootlid, and even the roof: that’s not simply a skin bonded on top, the whole roof has been cut out with an air-saw and replaced with a lightweight carbon panel.

“The idea was always to have the car look slightly unreal, like a digital render or a Hot Wheels model,” he says, “even down to the fact that the emblems on the bootlid are now stickers, not badges. As you can see, there’s a lot crammed into a tiny space – I didn’t want something that was fast but looked an absolute mess, I really wanted a very fast track car that’s also a show car. All the complexity had to be hidden away.”

The result of this line of thinking is a full-on restomod, incorporating modern tech into the 1978 shell to create something extraordinary. That sublimely built Cosworth engine (which currently runs 550bhp on pump fuel, 600bhp+ on race gas) sports a full twin charge-cooler setup from a BMW M5, as Andy reasons that if a company has spent millions developing this tech, it makes sense to exploit the fruits of their labours; the Escort is also running a modern CANbus system, and there’s a whole load of bespoke 3D-printed parts.

3D printing

“The 3D-printing opened up something new for me,” he says. “That was a sort of lockdown skill, learning how to use the software. When I started off I could hardly draw a circle on it, but I just practised and learned; I made my rear lights with resin infusion and filament printing, and then I learned how to carbon-skin stuff myself. People look at the car and say ‘What have you actually made?’ and I have to say ‘Well, all of it’.

The steering wheel release is 3D-printed, and the wheel itself is a Sparco and I’ve made it a little bit fun – so now it has launch control, anti-lag, a forklift truck button for lifting the air cups at the front… you can turn on and off the headlights, you can flash, you can indicate, and then you’ve got the paddle-shift. The whole idea was to put all of the controls for the car into one place rather than having buttons down on the dashboard – the electronics are integrated into the CANbus with a quick-release.

There’s variable-rate steering, it’s all at your fingertips. And I designed all of this. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out how to make it work – but it’s great fun! People ask me how much I’ll make them one of these multi-function wheels for, and I have to say ‘I’m not making another one, they’re a nightmare!’ It was enough doing it once.”

Devil is in the detail

It’s this commitment to learning and developing new skills, as well as the relentless pursuit of perfection, that really characterises this modified Ford Escort Mexico build. Andy’s obsession with details can be found everywhere: the bonnet, for instance – he hates bonnet pins and aerocatches, so has instead painstakingly installed BMW E90 catches into the inner wings and custom-printed parts for the bonnet side to hold the pins. And the single wiper conversion – it’s a Fiat Uno motor that’s been disassembled and rebuilt to set the wiper centrally; if you look at a standard Mk2, the central wiper hole is offset, so this meant cutting up a new grille cover and stitching it back together to put the wiper right in the middle. Very few people would notice this, but Andy would. And that matters.

“The software was all written by me for the screen, the buttons and the paddle-shift, which goes through to an air-shifter that means you can flat-shift,” he continues. “That original idea came from the drag-racing. When I blew it up at Santa Pod I was racing a friend in his Mk4 Supra, as you do, and he’s just got his car back on the road from doing the same thing seven years ago.

Conclusion

He’s spent an absolute fortune on that as well, and the idea behind the flat-shifting was that I ultimately wanted to build a 10-second car. And that sounds very Fast & Furious, and I do know that I could have probably built a 10-second car for an awful lot less money, but… this was what I wanted to do. Half the fun of a project is the building of it; it’s actually quite terrifying to drive it because I’ve been making it for so long!”

But terror is good. It’s inspiring. And a car like this ought to be jarring. This modified Ford Escort Mexico, otherwise known as The Mexorcist, takes an established formula and gives it an entirely new twist; some may say Andy’s killed an original Mexico, but the reality is that he’s given the whole modifying scene something to think about.

The post Modified Ford Escort Mexico With 550bhp | The Mexorcist appeared first on Fast Car.

The scene is set — the 2023 Summernats Car Festival, Canberra, Australia. At every turn, outrageous, mega-horsepower, mechanical beasts with fire and brimstone souls assault your senses. Ground-shaking choppy V8 idles are complemented by tyres so big they could be on a steamroller. Open exhaust systems send the ashes out, while huge air scoops grab any and all available air to stuff inside, and standing too close can see your baseball cap disappear in the blink of an eye. This Aussie car event delivers the best, the wildest and the most mind-blowing vehicles.

Amidst the craziness, a red car suddenly breaks cover, and the crowd’s reaction is instantaneous. The car is an eye-popping Candy Apple Red 1968 Mk2 Cortina, and the owner Derek Mackay is on the receiving end of some well-deserved mob admiration.

“It was so well received,” says Derek. “It’s no V8, but the blower and the factory look was well liked. I got compliments all weekend, so it’s safe to say the Cortina was accepted.” Indeed, accepted it was, with the supercharged Mk2 Cortina drawing admiration whenever it was cruising. Watching the mobile phones come up to grab a shot of the Cortina was epic; so was the occasional throttle stomp, sending the blower screaming as the rear Simmons rims scrambled to get traction.

Supercharging the Mk2 Cortina

It’s not often you see a classic Ford with a blower out the bonnet, and even rarer to see one with the blower coming out to one side. If it was in the middle, well, it would be a V6 or V8 underneath – however, if it’s on the side, that means it has been strapped to the flank of a six- or four-cylinder. In this machine, Derek has kept us diehard Ford enthusiasts happy by bolting it to a stout 2.1-litre Pinto.

Buying the motor

“I bought this motor as a bit of an unknown for just $400,” he smiles. “I was told it was a good runner, so at that price I took a gamble.” While the buy-in price was low, the reality is that all unknown engines are a lucky dip at the best of times, and in this case, Derek hit a huge home run. After removing the cam cover, he got an insight into his mystery purchase. “There was a set of Camtech valve rockers staring back at me, and as I dug deeper, I found out that it had a big-valve head, rebuilt bottom end and a capacity of 2.1,” explains Derek. It seems the mystery motor was not only well built, but also offered a sound platform to develop the driveline further.

After spotting the large-lobe camshaft, Derek set about making sure it had plenty of air to shift at high RPM. A rare Spearco four-barrel Holley-style intake manifold was sent out for modifying, a custom sump was bolted up, and an electric water pump and MSD ignition system was wired in place. The exhaust manifold was a custom-made item, and the remaining system is best described as being a mix of fast road, free-flowing and, well, loud!

Back to the intake side of things, Derek was well into his big plan to stand out for all the right reasons. “Who doesn’t love a blower?” he laughs. “I just had to do it. My dad helped me with the advice in modifying the manifold to take the GM 3/71 blower, and after playing around with some Weber setups, the Holley 390 four-barrel carb has been modified to work correctly.”

Transmission and chassis upgrades

This supercharger is a statement piece that is both visually and audibly amazing. As the belt drive whines away on that rorty Pinto, the Cortina’s rev range has now become a mechanical musical symphony that would bring many of us old-school Ford brethren to our knees. There is a heavy-duty clutch to assist with gear changes, and a late-model Pinto four-speed gearbox as well. The Cortina’s English axle now has a locked centre, and sits three inches closer to the body courtesy of reset leaf springs. Up front the Mk2 suspension and brake hardware has all been rebuilt, but now also includes a Datsun dual-circuit master cylinder.

Cleaning up the body

Complementing the mechanical madness the Mk2 now offers is that stunning, factory-style bodywork. “My dad was the one who bought it originally – sadly he passed away not that long ago – and in 2012 he gave it to me, so it has a lot of sentimental value,” explains Derek. “When I got it, I had the body sandblasted and found there was a lot of filler underneath.

Luckily there wasn’t much rust, so cleaning it up and getting it straight was achievable.” Derek knew he needed to call in the troops to get the finish he was after, and turned to good mate Matt from MJH Paint and Panel to lay on the flawless Ford Candy Apple Red pearl. The mint finish can also be accredited to another good mate, Kerry from Americar who, along with staff member Jordo, ensured the panels were arrow-straight before paint. Sadly Jordo has since passed away, leaving an incredible legacy of work in the Mk2. The twin gold stripes are there to pay homage to the Australian Mk2 Cortina GT stripe kits, and the trim, chrome and stainless is immaculate. Under each wing, Derek kept the colour coordination in check with a monster set of 17” Simmons three-piece alloy rims, tastefully matched in colour to those side stripes.

Interior modifications on the supercharged Mk2 Cortina

Inside the supercharged Mk2 Cortina, Derek’s strategic build approach is also very apparent. Rather than some ill-fitting, late-model bucket seats, he has stayed true to the Mk2’s heritage with a Sport Stock approach. The seats have all been retrimmed to echo the factory look, new black carpets have been installed, and some covert gauges needed to monitor the monster up front have been installed. The GT-style wheel is classy, but like the rest of the interior is purposeful and understated.

“I really wanted to take my own path with the Cortina, and when I first got the car from my dad, I was really inspired by its original state,” he says. “All of the changes I have made are able to be removed so it can be reset to stock in the future if it needs to be. It’s not hard to get the blower off, and a different bonnet and rims and bingo, you would think it’s a clean stocker.”

Verdict

It’s not often we get to see a classic Ford with a crazy, bonnet-bursting blower, let alone on a mint Mk2 Cortina rolling on a set of 17” rims. This level of sensory overload is fast becoming a thing of the past, with the advent of turbos and EFI technology and the push to keep our rare chrome bumper cars as close to factory as possible. Derek’s creation is a timely reminder that walking your own path in 2024 can be a rewarding experience, and daring to be different never looked and sounded so good… especially when the revs rise!

Do you love Fords? We’ve got two premier Ford car shows just for you. Be sure to check out Ford Fair at Silverstone and FordFest at Mallory Park!

Words: Jason O’Halloran. Photos: Sean Davey.

The post Supercharged Mk2 Cortina: Blown Away appeared first on Fast Car.

Watch the latest video now…

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Part 1; Part 2; Part 3;  Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9; Part 10

Race Support Caddy Project (Part 1)

When Jules mentioned we were building our next project with Teng Tools, naturally I was excited at the prospect.

Race Support Caddy Project (Part 4)

Wheeler dealers

This month, we finally decided which wheels will be gracing Project Race Support Caddy. Initially, we favoured the new Rotiform STL, which is an 18, 19 or 20” wheel that looks like an over-sized steel. It’s actually an alloy that mimics the OEM pepper pot-style steels found on a lot of VW commercial vehicles.

Back to the drawing board

Frustratingly, after speaking to Jay and Scott at Wheel Pros Europe (who import Rotiform into the UK) we soon realised this wheel wouldn’t fit the Caddy without major work as it’s not available in a 5×112. The other PCDs on offer don’t come in an adaptor-friendly ET. Back to the drawing board…

It didn’t take us long to find another suitable wheel from the Rotiform catalogue in its BUC-M model. Initially, we liked the clean lines of the regular BUC (above), but we decided it would be cool to run Rotiform’s futuristic AeroDiscs which aren’t compatible on the BUC. They do, however, fit on the BUC-M (below).

As it transpires, the ‘M’ model would actually be more fitting with our Race Support theme anyway. These have a deeper outer lip that also has ‘Rotiform Motorsport’ embossed into it. We only realised after making our minds up that these were actually the same wheels used on Fast Ford’s Rep to Racecar…

We ordered the wheels in black and also went for four black AeroDiscs, so we could pick and choose how we used them. At times we may want to run all four on the van, or occasional just have them fitted up front (like a lot of the old Group C cars did back in the 80s and 90s). It’s good to have a choice…

We’re also planning to have some sort of custom decals applied to the AeroDisc when the van is wrapped. Watch this space…

Race Support Caddy Project (Part 5)

This month we start to nail down the spec of the air ride for our Project Race Support Caddy. Choosing a solution wasn’t as straight forward as we had imagined. Still, exciting times…

Air suspension

Last time we went into a little bit more detail about the Rennsport T1 theme we had planned for our project. We also talked about how we intended to change the van’s colour from red to white. This time, we needed to work out how we were going to get our van, which was currently up in the clouds, considerably closer to terra firma. There was only one solution, in our minds…

Firstly, Jules spoke directly with Air Lift Brand Manager, Mike Alexander in the States about the specific air ride parts we’d need. We’ve used Air Lift products on a number of past projects and it’s always been exceptional, both in terms of performance and value.

No problems, just solutions

The one slight problem we have is,  Air Lift doesn’t produce a complete bolt-on set-up for the rear. The rear leaf-spring suspension on the back of the Caddy is something of a minefield, if we’re honest. Well, it used to be. After looking at converting the factory suspension ourselves, we decided one of the bolt- on axle-swap solutions made far more sense. This would certainly be quicker and a lot less work for our Midge, who already had his work cut out with the custom air install in the back.

We’ve been drawn to Only Charged Dubs’s all-new four-link axle set-up (as seen above) produced specifically for the Caddy 2k. Not only is it a direct, bolt-on swap, but the axle is said to totally transform the ride of the Caddy. We’re contemplating using OCD’s BAGs rear bags, too, to keep the rear set-up totally uniform.

Midge is certainly excited at the prospect of using the OCD kit, but then the air install in the back of the van – attempting to utilise the compressors and air tank to also run a selection of Teng air tools from – is going to keep him busy as it is. We’ll be looking more at tools and tool boxes next time…

Back to the Air Lift products, we discovered we’d need to measure our front struts before ordering our dampers as Caddy 2Ks came with 50mm and 55mm legs. At least this gave Midge the excuse to break out his calipers of death (don’t ask) to measure them. Ours are 55mm. Apparently the calipers don’t lie…

As for management, we’ll be opting for Air Lift’s 3P system, which is the simpler pressure based set-up, which would be perfect for us.

As it’s going to be on display for all to see, one of Air Lift’s FLO air tanks (as used in our Project Don’t Tell Mom), along with a pair of compressors should finish things off a treat. Below you’ll see the set up we used previously…

Race Support Caddy Project (Part 6)

With the air suspension ordered, it was now our chance to sort the bodywork on the Race Support Caddy Project, prior to its wrap. We would also need some tyres, too, so we  called in ours friends at Toyo for some advice.

Body moving

When we dropped our van at Kode for Kwok to work his magic, we assumed he would just be repairing the sill and sorting out a couple of dents. Little did we know there was more to prepping vehicles to be wrapped…

We soon discovered, though, that there’s far more prep involved in getting an old vehicle ready for a wrap. Especially if it’s seen a bit of action like our Caddy. Obviously, wrapping new or later cars means far less preparation is needed.

Not only do any paint imperfections need to be sorted at the bodyshop beforehand. We soon discovered any textured parts we wanted wrapping would need a clear coat in order for the wrap to stick properly.

While we originally thought about colour-coding all the textured trim, we later decided to only cover the bumpers and grille, leaving the other trim parts textured to help with contrast. As you can see, Kwok made quick work of the bumpers and sill, so we’re now all ready for the wrap. We’re getting there, slowly.

Rubber fetish

While Kwok was sorting the bodywork, I got on the phone to our friend Barry Vango at Toyo Tires UK to talk, you guessed it, tyres. Now, when people usually change their rolling stock, the focus is often on the wheels and the all-important rubber gets overlooked. Thankfully, that wouldn’t be happening in this instance…

While wheels may ‘Maketh The Car’, it’s actually the tyres that play a far more important role in keeping said car on the road and those inside safe. Decent rubber can obviously look good, too, but it’s usually the performance and what value for money the tyre offers that people are concerned about.

When it comes to performance, we’re usually concerned about the levels of grip offered in wet and dry conditions, plus how noisy (or quiet) the tyres are. Obviously, the levels of wear are also a major factor when choosing a suitable tyre. Personally, we’ve all have a great experience with Toyo in the past, hence reaching out to them now.

When we mentioned to Barry that we were after a 225/35 ZR19 which ticked all of these boxes, he came straight back to us with Toyo’s Proxes Sport 2 seen here. It’s not just a good looking tyre, but promises to be a great all rounder as well. We can’t wait to test it out soon. Read more about it soon, once we get the chassis upgrades in place…

Race Support Caddy Project (Part 7)

Once we’d decided a colour change was in order for our Race Support Caddy Project, there was only one solution that fitted with our ‘realistic’ budget. Yes, you guessed it – a full vinyl wrap.

Wrap superstar

When considering a wrap, there are three main factors to get right from the start. The first is not to skimp on the actual vinyl itself. Cheaper is definitely not better in this department, so be sure to select a high-end product to begin with. Thankfully, Jules already had this part covered having built up a strong working relationship in the past with vinyl producer, Arlon.

Secondly, it’s vital to find an experienced company to take care of the application process itself. After speaking with Ben Snowdon at Arlon, we were pointed in the direction of Prestige Automotive, based locally to us in Sittingbourne. Not only have Prestige been wrapping vehicles for over a decade, they also deal with all manner of vinyl applications. So, basically, it knows everything there is to know about applying vinyl to vehicles. Result!

Lastly, it’s important to ensure the vehicle you’re having wrapped is not only clean and rust free, but also free from any dents or bodywork imperfections. I guess two out of three wasn’t bad, right? Joking aside, we were aware our Caddy wasn’t the straightest or cleanest vehicle around, but then what did our publisher expect for £5000? That’s why we’d sent it off to Kode’s bodyshop beforehand to be prepped for wrapping.

Red rum, red rum…

When it came to choosing a colour for our wrap we went with Gloss Red from Arlon’s Premium Colour Change (PCC) range. Thankfully, the colour is pretty much identical to the red shade that Teng Tools use. Also, PCC product features Arlon’s FLITE Technology, which enables fast and yet precise application. It also has excellent repositioning properties, clean removability (for further down the road) and even features a self-healing surface.

Prestige MD, Jamie Broughton was also quick to point out that another of PCC’s USPs is that it comes with a protective film in place. This ensures the vinyl arrives in perfect condition and can be removed just before application. It’s safe to say Arlon’s PCC ticked all of the boxes…

Easy life…

We were pleasantly surprised to hear that Jamie would be leading the application of our Caddy’s wrap. Jamie was proud to admit he’s been applying vinyl to vehicles since he was 17. Before any vinyl even leaves its packaging, Jamie told us that his team start the whole process by removing any parts of trim or light clusters that would otherwise get in the way. It’s far easier this way, rather than cutting around objects during application, and also leaves a better finish.

Once all parts have been removed, it’s then time to begin what is effectively a deep clean using fall-out remover, followed by a session with the clay bar. Not only will any imperfections show under the vinyl, so will any bits of grit or grime. The fall- out remover doesn’t just get rid of stuff you can see, but it also erases the stuff you can’t which might prevent the vinyl from sticking.

The post Race Support Caddy Project appeared first on Fast Car.

Ross is no stranger to building fast Ford project cars. After all, he’s lost count of how many he actually owns at this point. See, Ross is the owner of Laird Performance, a company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the latest hot Ford products. Needless to say, the 3-cylinder engine found in the Mk8 ST wasn’t going to deter Ross. No, instead he’s poured countless hours into developing a Mk8 ST tuning platform to create what can be considered the fastest Mk8 Fiesta ST in the world.

Developing 310hp and completing the ¼ mile in 13.4 seconds, Ross reckons it’s around 0.2 seconds quicker than the next quickest Mk8 ST time. Not bad considering this is a track car and the run was without drag tyres nor a drag setup.

Laird Performance at Ford Fair 2024

We’re proud to have Laird Performance on board as Ford Fair’s 2024 headline sponsor. The team at Laird will be bringing all of their cars down to the event and Ross is hoping to have the Mk4 Focus ST track car running in optimum condition ahead of the event. You can catch Ross and the team at the event where you can have a nosey around this pocket rocket, while also seeing the cars take to the track.

Modified Fiesta ST Mk8 engine modifications

To develop 310hp from that small 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine, Ross has had to think outside of the box. No one had developed a turbo option that was going to substantially increase power. So they set about opening up the turbo housing, machining it and fitting larger custom blades. The result is a custom hybrid turbo that has boosted output from 220hp to 310.

Supporting the hybrid turbo is a full SD performance intake, as well as a Laird-developed Outlaw intercooler to keep the temperatures in control. A new Outlaw turbo-back exhaust not only improves performance, but also sounds wicked! Oh, and last but not least, there’s also a meth injection kit, too.

Chassis modifications

In the chassis department, Ross has elected for camber plates, BC Racing coilovers, Sparco wheels and an SD performance big brake kit (including a 218mm rear big brake kit). The most obvious thing to note on the exterior is that wing. It’s gigantic. Built by MGC it dominates the ST’s presence. Backing up the aggression is a Maxton rear diffuser.

What’s next for the modified Ford Fiesta ST Mk8?

Ross plans on continuing the Mk8 ST tuning development, with his eyes set on a new turbo. Laird Performance is working alongside a turbo manufacturer to build something bigger. The next problem, however, is fuelling. Ross is hoping that a bigger turbo could squeeze some more performance before having to look at upgrading the fuel system.

Can’t make Ford Fair?

Don’t panic. There’s also Ford Fest! This year sees the end-of-season Ford festival return on September 22. Now at its new home of Mallory Park Circuit in Leicestershire, Ford Fest brings together modern and classic Blue Ovals of all ages. Plus, being at a picturesque race circuit, offers both a family friendly and relaxed showground alongside the fast-paced track action too. It offers something for every Ford fan.
Book your Ford Fest tickets today!

The post This Modified Fiesta ST Is the World’s Fastest Mk8 appeared first on Fast Car.

No matter your thoughts on the Toyota GR Supra, there’s no denying it’s a fantastic sports car. Yes it’s foundations are almost entirely BMW, but there’s something about the package that surrounds it that helps it stand out. And while the Mk5 had a lot to live up to thanks to its iconic older brother, this Liberty Walk GR Supra goes about its business in the way, turn up the power and go crazy with the looks.

Bought directly from Liberty Walk Europe, this GR Supra wasn’t initially on Imran’s wish list. That being said, from the moment he saw it he knew he had to buy it. He confesses that there was some curiosity with the MkV GR Supra, but in reality the curiosity spurred from the lust for a Mk4.

And, well, he’s not the only one that got drawn in by its outlandish looks, you may recognise this car as one of the few Liberty Walk cars that featured in The Gentlemen, a big budget Netflix series based on a weed empire…

Oh, and a certain British F1 driver has also signed the car, after using it as promo for his Quadrant merchandise. Yep, that’s Lando Norris!

Liberty Walk GR Supra modifications

Ignoring the obvious Liberty Walk bodykit, the next thing that captures your eye are those pink wheels. They’re 3-piece Rotiforms and are quite the statement. Behind those you’ll find a huge 8-pot Forge big brake kit and completing the chassis makeover is a custom air ride install. It’s an Airex system, but has been assembled to resemble a straight-six engine, mightily cool!

In terms of performance, a Litchfield remap alongside a Remus exhaust, including downpipes and a Forge intake. As a result, the B58 now produces 500bhp, enough to trouble any entry-level supercar!

Imran’s love of Liberty Walk

Believe it or not, Imran hasn’t just got this GR Supra in his stable. No. He’s also got himself a Liberty Walk R35 GT-R. As you’d expect, it’s equally as outrageous and has a road presence like none other.

Be sure to check out more cars like this at our premier car event, Trax.

The post Liberty Walk GR Supra As Seen On Netflix! appeared first on Fast Car.

Since leaving school, 40-year-old Charlie Pearce has worked at his family business, a garage in Bath. This has given him a huge breadth of experience in the motor trade and his daily grind is never the same, carrying out anything from an MOT test to a full engine rebuild. Before he could drive, Charlie was already getting his hands dirty. His automotive journey started when he was just 15 with a Mk1 Astra GTE. Characteristically, rust took its toll on the poor little Vauxhall and it was replaced with a Nova SR which was the first car Charlie drove on the road. A brief foray into Fords was enjoyed in the shape of an Escort GTI before returning to the griffin with an Astra Coupe Turbo.

Fascinated by VWs

Charlie explains how he eventually saw the light: “I started to go down the VAG route next with a Seat Leon Cupra, closely followed by an immaculate VW Golf Edition 30 which I really regret selling. With a young family and two dogs, it just wasn’t big enough. My current daily car is a BMW 3 Series Touring which does the job!” Although it took Charlie a while to convert to the church of Volkswagen in ownership terms, he explained that he had an early love affair with the brand: “From a very young age, I can remember going on holiday to Lyme Regis with my Gran and there was always an immaculate sky blue split screen VW Beetle there. I loved it and this is when I became super interested in VWs. I liked Beetles, campers and MK1, 2 and 3 Golfs and the scene in general.”

Charlie recalls attending a track day at Castle Combe back in 2012. A couple of early golfs at the circuit had caught his eye and he took to the classifieds to explore the possibilities. Whilst the Mk1 Golf was high up the wish list, he was sidetracked by the strangely appealing hard working commercial brother that is the Mk1 Caddy and then made the decision to go with the truck. “I love the look and shape of the MK1 & 2 Golfs but whilst searching for one, I kept getting drawn to the look of the Caddy, they are just that little bit different but still with the iconic MK1 Golf look.”

Buying the VW Caddy Mk1

The modified VW Caddy Mk1 you see before you was discovered in an eBay advert in nearby Taunton. A typical old farm truck, it had been left languishing in the elements and muck. The bed had rotted through, as had the rear sills but with solid and un-dented rear arch tubs, and an otherwise sound body, the one owner, 92,000 miles 1.6D example was loaded onto the trailer after the princely sum of £550 had been handed over.

Upon buying the VW Caddy in 2012, Charlie and his stepfather wasted no time and they soon had a new rear bed and inner sills welded into place. The car was then sent off to be painted (with the exception of the engine bay) in the retrotastic shade of VW Lofoten Green. BBS reps and coilovers completed the makeover and Charlie hit the shows for the next few years and enjoyed it.

Working at a garage with a strong local reputation is a good thing in many ways and Charlie was able to call upon his and his stepfather’s skillset, knowledge and facilities. The trouble with having high standards is that you’re often your own worst critic and the odd niggle that the project could be improved upon got increasingly louder until he took it off the road in 2018. Here, the truck was stripped and the second rebuild was to be the full show standard project that Charlie had been hatching the plan for.

Mk3 Golf GTI engine swap for the modified VW Caddy Mk1

Charlie enjoyed the reliability of the trusty 1.6 diesel but it was never going to give him the hot hatch-level kicks he had become accustomed to with the plethora of modified metal that he’d previously owned. He decided to remove the hard-working little oil burner and weld up and smooth the bay whilst it was empty. A terminally rusty but mechanically sound Mk3 Golf GTI 16v was purchased for its ABF heart.

The engine was stripped and then sent to DY Engine Services for machine work which included lightening and balancing the crankshaft, lightening the flywheel, reboring the block to accommodate oversized Wossner pistons, and porting and polishing the head. A pair of Weber 45 carbs sing through a four-branch manifold and custom stainless exhaust. This little lot makes for a rev-happy 170bhp. “My favourite modification of the entire build has to be the twin Weber carbs. An ABF engine with a pair of these just goes hand in hand. The sound they make whilst driving makes me smile.”

Chassis tidy up

Charlie welded and smoothed the ‘bay before test fitting the freshly rebuilt ABF and mocking up pipework. Once happy, the car was then stripped again and sent to TA Simcox for paint including the underside. Once back from the body shop, all suspension components were powder-coated matt black. BC coilovers were fitted up front which has eradicated the skippy ride of the previous cheaper units. Out back the axle has been flipped and two-inch lowing blocks fitted along with Koni adjustable shocks.

The ABF was installed and those gorgeous wheels bolted up. “As much as I like the look of a set of BBS, I wanted something a bit different so I opted for a set of Audi A6 winter wheels. Their simple design looks so good on a MK1. I bought this set from a guy I follow on Instagram which were straight with no kerbing. I sent them off to Rimscarnated, Chippenham to have the PCD redrilled to 4×100 and for ceramic polishing.”

Exterior styling modifications

Charlie was keen to keep the styling simple. A small chrome front bumper, new front grille with chrome trim, and non-GTI front lower chin spoiler complete the timeless face. The debumpered rear shows off the flawless paint whilst the black waistline trim breaks up those slab sides nicely. The OEM+ vibe continues inside the cabin with the original seats retrimmed with classic grey check centres and leather outers. New carpets replace the tatty originals and a Golf centre console with VDO gauges allows a watchful eye to be kept on the vitals.

Modified VW Caddy Mk1 Transmission upgrades

A considered transmission package consists of an 02A gearbox using an 02J gear selector tower, Mk4 golf gear shifter cables and shifter assembly, hydraulic clutch conversion and a T4 TDI .658 fifth gear. A bias brake pedal box and Vauxhall 256mm vented front brake disc upgrade ensure that the lightweight commercial stops as well as it goes.

Conclusion

With the VW Caddy being stripped for its second rebuild back in 2018 and now gracing Performance VW for a well-deserved feature after years of hard graft, is perfectionist Charlie finally happy? “I knew this time it had to be right. With the fully rebuilt ABF running twin Webers, a fully smoothed ‘bay, fresh paint, new suspension and wheels, I have to say that I’m finally happy with the Caddy.” Amen to that.

Love German cars? Be sure to check out our premier German Car Festival event! 

Words: Graham Leigh. Photos: Chuff Media.

The post Modified VW Caddy Mk1 With Mk3 Golf GTI Engine Swap appeared first on Fast Car.

Gaming has a lot to answer for. The vast majority of readers most likely made their high-speed driving debut in pixel form many years before actually getting a real driving licence; it’s a generational thing, but you might have been playing Gran Turismo, Forza, MarioKart or Outrun, those little animated cars worming their way inexorably into your affections. For Dave Lewis, it was a youth spent playing Need for Speed on the PS2 that ultimately led to the creation of the stanced Escort RS Turbo you see before you… although dreams like this don’t get realised through hyperactive thumbs alone, and there’s another age-old influence here that a lot of you will surely recognise: the ‘my dad had one of those’ effect.

Where it all started for Dave

“Yeah, Need for Speed was where it all started, but I also owe a whole lot to going outside and holding the torch for my dad, playing around with whatever hot hatch he had at the time,” Dave recalls. “He had all sorts when I was younger – RS Turbos, XR2s and XR2is, Orions, the list goes on and on, and I’d say that definitely played a big part in what cars I was into from early on.”

It was with a certain sense of inevitability that his first car would be a Ford, and so it came to pass: a cream Mk4 Escort, which soon found itself treated to coilovers and BBS split-rims. One day, when the Escort broke, Dave bought a Mk3 Fiesta as a daily while he fixed it, and the inevitable mission creep saw the Fiesta getting the full RS-rep treatment; it was rapidly becoming evident that he was addicted to finding cool old Fords and making them cooler, and the Fiesta was replaced (when it was retired from service, artfully battered after a couple of years of being run around an inch from the ground) by a Mk5 Escort LX. Yep, that immediately got the treatment too, Dave fitting a square setup of 9”-wide Schmidt rims as well as a bunch of RS aesthetics and a full RS2000 interior.

After a dalliance with a stanced Golf, Dave then bought his old cream Mk4 Escort back again, which was now running an ST170 on bike carbs. With its fresh paint, smooth bay, hydraulic suspension and rare aero accessories it won its fair share of trophies… and then a white RS Turbo peeped in from stage left, like an eager schoolkid desperate to scamper on stage and deliver their line.

Why an Escort RS Turbo?

“Why an RS Turbo? Well, without stepping into Cossie territory, the RS Turbo was always the dream car,” Dave smiles. “It reminds me of being younger, and no matter who you talk to, the RST is the ultimate icon from the eighties – so when I had the chance to get one of my own, I had to take it. I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to afford one again with the way the prices are going.

“All of the work on the cream Mk4 had been carried out by Taron Reeves [@rstaz28], who’s now a good friend of mine, and he also sold me the Mk5,” Dave continues. “He had this white S2 come in, and we’d always spoken about me selling up to get an S2… he said he would do a deal with me for my two Escorts at the time, the Mk4 and the Mk5, for a price that I was happy with and a bit of a cash for the RS. Having tried to sell my cars separately but got messed about so much, his deal was something I just couldn’t say no to. Chances are, without him I wouldn’t have ever owned an S2 RST at all.”

Perfect base car for the build

The RS Turbo came to Dave in remarkable condition, with no rust to worry about in any of the common areas; indeed, aside from some very minor bubbling under the gutters it was solid as a rock and ready to play. Which is just as well, as playing is what Dave does best. “It was a very good example, certainly one of the best about that I could’ve bought to start with,” he says. “If I’d bought a rot box I would’ve been gutted! The car came completely standard apart from some GAZ Gold coilovers, and I put a set of Escort Cosworth alloys on it.”

Early modifications on the stanced Escort RS Turbo

He really can’t help himself, and these early mods were just a precursor to the radical ideas that were swirling around in Dave’s head. The overarching ethos has been to keep it simple and choose the mods with care rather than throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at it. The interior is a case in point: he loved the standard vibe so decided not to mess with it, aside from adding a Nardi wheel and some beefier audio. Ditto the exterior, which is largely as Ford intended save for a few choice additions: the rare MC Rallying roof spoiler and clear lenses give it an old-school flavour, and Dave went on an exhaustive and painstaking search to find some German green-tint pop-out rear windows, which were eventually tracked down in Birmingham.

The front bumper was tastefully cleaned up with the towing eye groove eliminated and the number plate recess smoothed off, and the arches were cut and flattened by the father-and-son team of Ben and Gareth Bishop at MCB Refinish in Tonbridge. Why? Because stancey things were afoot…

Air ride for the stanced Escort RS Turbo

“I bought an air-ride setup for it, and had that fitted by my friends Mitch Bombroff and Zac Shipp at Offset Customs,” says Dave, and this was the real turning point for the project. The strictly polarising point, directly dividing onlookers between ‘awesome’ and ‘ruined’. And wouldn’t it be boring if we all liked the same things?

“So now the car was bagged,” he continues, “but as with all Mk4s the driver’s side driveshaft fouls on the chassis, so I took it to Josh at Gresswells for a chassis notch and he did it perfectly, it almost looks factory… as factory as a chassis notch can be! I then got a stainless Mongoose exhaust and a Pipercross air filter, and eventually my wheels turned up.”

Aftermarket wheels for the stanced Escort RS Turbo

Oh yes, the wheels. You’d probably been wondering about those. There’s some true ingenuity and offbeat creativity at play here; it looks for all the world like Dave’s had the centres from a set of original RS Turbo alloys cut out and converted to split-rims, but actually there’s a little more to it than that.

“They’re full custom one-offs,” he explains, “with the faces machined from billets and designed to look exactly like RS Turbo wheels. I did initially plan on getting the original wheels cut and converted into splits, but then I would have ended up with 17” wheels and I wanted sixteens – so I contacted a company called Rimscarnated, who designed and made the faces to suit 16” BBS parts. With the faces created I sent them to Dan at Wheel Unique who helped me get all the lips, barrels and hardware and then refinished and built them all up.

The results exceeded my expectations massively! Originally they were 9×16” all round, but it turned out I’d measured wrong and the fronts didn’t fit; Dan saved me and got them re-lipped and sorted with a matter of days to spare before I was needed to be at the Players Classic, the first show on the new wheels. The turnaround for him fixing the fronts happened so fast, without Dan the car wouldn’t have made it to Players.”

The stress and drama turned out to be well worth it, as Dave found himself coming away from the show with a Top 10 award – which, given the level of quality you always find at Players, was a truly impressive achievement. Plus it was his birthday weekend, so it couldn’t really have gone any better.

Using the car daily

Oh, but don’t go thinking this stanced Escort RS Turbo is purely been built as a show pony. All those days spent playing Need for Speed, all those nights handing his dad the spanners, they meant something. Dave doesn’t just like polishing his cars, he builds them to be driven. “Throughout the summer I used the car daily,” he assures us.

“The reception from other people is mostly very good too; you do get the odd selection of purists or people who once had a friend whose dad had one and believe they should be kept standard, and they love telling me that I’ve ruined it and so on. But for the most part it’s all love and good things.” And that’s just the way it should be. Yeah, there’s always going to be haters, but the mantra has always been constant: your ride, your rules. Dave’s gamified his dream car, and no amount of ‘you’ve ruined that’ can ever take that away from him.

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Photos: Ade Brannan.

The post Stanced Escort RS Turbo S2 appeared first on Fast Car.

When it comes to the BMW E46 M3, we are of the same general opinion as pretty much everyone else – that it’s awesome. The ultimate form of the E46 has created an incredible legacy for itself and is such a highly revered car, even after so many years. And we never tire of seeing them. Whether it’s an immaculate example with just a few individual touches or something a little more full-on, we’d struggle to find an E46 M3 we don’t like, and we like Jack Cavanagh’s very much indeed because it’s been a project car built to be the best E46 M3 it can be.

Detailing enthusiasts, well, let’s face it, car enthusiasts in general, will recognise Jack’s Instagram and TikTok accounts as he’s the Brand Director for car care company Stjärnagloss, as well as the face of it. Jack describes his job as “selling car detailing products and dancing on TikTok,” and if you log on there or onto Insta, you’ll see him demonstrating the products with his cheeky, irresistible charms. It’s little wonder the brand has garnered such a devoted following on the UK modded scene, with Stjärnagloss sponsoring loads of sexy builds up and down the country. And that’s no surprise, considering Jack’s love of cars and modifying them, and BMWs are where his heart belongs.

Cav’s E46 obsession

“I first fell in love with an E46 when one pulled into our school playground. It was brand spanking new, and everyone crowded around it”, Cav recalls with a grin. “It was at a time when the new Need for Speed game had just launched, and everyone thought it was a GTR (I have no idea why, it wasn’t even silver or grey).” That was all it took to get him hooked on Bavarian metal, though his first ownership experience was less than stellar…

“Me and a friend bought an E30 318is for £250 from a guy. He had it sat on his driveway for around four years. We saw it as an earner,” explains Jack. “We took it home, cleaned it, got it running and thought we were going to be rich. Then we took it for an MOT and realised it had more holes than a cheese grater. Sat on it for around a year, then scrapped it for… £250,” he laughs, but the experience didn’t put him off, which is why we’re here now.

Why BMW?

“Fast forward to actually being able to afford to buy an E46 M3, I looked at an Audi RS4, but it just didn’t do anything for me except sound good; AMGs are basically muscle cars, which I’ve never found appealing, and BMs just handle. Even from the factory, they are ‘down on power’ but make up for it so well In the corners,” Jack reasons.

“The E46 M3 I think has aged incredibly well. It is often regarded as the ultimate M by journalists, whom I really admire, and the price was reasonable. It has since gone up and come back down again, though, so who knows where it will end up on the value scale,” he shrugs. “I think 350hp in a sub-1400kg car is the sweet spot. I absolutely love the S54, and I think it looks mega,” Jack adds with a grin, and he’s definitely preaching to the choir.

Buying the BMW E46 M3 and build plans

“I found the car down in Cornwall, I think (bottom left of the country). It had some nice bolt-on bits but, unfortunately, it had been mangled together on driveways and wasn’t up to standard,” Jack tells us, but that wasn’t about to stop him, and, besides, it wasn’t going to stay like this for long. “We definitely had a plan when buying it, which was to make it the ultimate version of itself. The CSL was always the hero E46, but I think it could have been better. It needed better brakes, a manual box, and to be lighter,” says Jack with a twinkle in his eye.

“We wanted to make the E46 M3 GTS, the one that BMW never made: a lighter, more raw model. Much like what the E92 GTS represented – more track-focused and less refined/road going,” he says with building enthusiasm, and you’re looking at the result of that vision.

Improving the handling of the modified BMW E46 M3

Jack’s E46 M3 already had the manual gearbox that his perfect version of the CSL would have come with, so better brakes, less weight, plus the extra noise, performance and superb handling that the CSL offers, but taken to the next level were the goals for this build. In standard form, the E46 M3’s handling is very good indeed, but to elevate it beyond even that of the CSL, the chassis needed some work, especially as the suspension that came on the car was shot.

“I went for Bilstein Clubsport coilovers. After reading countless reviews, these were the best fit for the car’s ‘vision’,” explains Jack, “a predominantly track suspension that could also be used on the road. An extremely well-respected suspension brand with mountains of track car history. Lastly, a truly amazing company to work with that really cares about performance.

Then I poly-bushed everything, and a thicker anti-roll bar was already in but fitted incorrectly. Russ from Swift Performance nearly cried when I took the car to him for the first time,” laughs Jack, “but he’s since made it near-perfect,” he says with a satisfied smile. And on top of that, Jack has also added a purple tag steering rack, which is a little quicker than the stock M3 one, for even sharper response.

Upgraded brakes and wheels for the modified BMW E46 M3

With suspension sorted and properly set up, the brakes also needed attention, and here, he’s opted for an F80 M3 Competition setup front and rear. That means beefy four-pot calipers with 380mm discs up front and two-piston calipers and 370mm discs at the rear, and this combo delivers serious stopping power and is a serious upgrade over the standard car’s brakes.

Jack’s M3 also needed some lightweight aftermarket wheels to go over those brakes, and his choice was the flow-formed Apex ARC-8. He’s running a 10×18” square setup, with the wheels mounted on a stud kit, along with spacers to clear the calipers.

The ARC-8 is a great-looking wheel, especially on any sort of track build, and they work so well here in matt bronze. The final touch was a set of seriously sticky rubber, and Jack’s choice of tyre really delivers: “The Nankang AR-1s are the real party piece of the wheels. They just don’t lose grip, and I stand by that statement,” he says with a laugh.

Exterior styling modifications

At this point, the E46 M3’s chassis and brakes had now been suitably upgraded, and it was time to take a look at the car’s exterior. “The exterior styling bolted down to weight saving,” explains Jack. “I went for carbon and fibreglass everywhere possible. I don’t love wings on E46s as I think it kills the silhouette, but the CSL-style ducktail spoiler is beautiful, especially in carbon weave. The GTS-style carbon bonnet is aggressive and helps with cooling, so this felt like a no-brainer,” he adds, and these two additions not only look fantastic but also save a chunk of weight in one fell swoop.

The carbon and fibreglass bonnet looks awesome with its carbon vents, while the CSL boot lid is iconic, and leaving it unpainted adds an extra element of aggression to proceedings, plus it ties in with the carbon roof that’s also been fitted to this build, further reducing weight. Up front sit carbon grilles, carbon bumper intakes, plus a carbon splitter; look closely, and you’ll see that the front wings are lightweight vented fibreglass items from PSDesigns. The finishing touches are the carbon CSL-style diffuser and the custom BMW Stjärnagloss roundels. The result of all that is an E46 M3 that looks fantastic and more aggressive than stock without being over the top, and has lost plenty of weight in the process.

Shedding weight inside the modified BMW E46 M3

Moving inside, the weight loss program has continued, and while the cabin isn’t too hardcore, it’s very much in keeping with the whole philosophy of the build. “I kept it simple and clean on the inside, I loved the suede and leather carbon buckets, colour-matched the cage to the wheels and dressed the trim in carbon skin (full carbon doesn’t exist on the internet, unfortunately),” Jack tells us. “I would love to remove the carpets and put carbon kick plates in, but worry how much louder it would be in the cockpit if we did. The sound deadening has already been removed,” he says, and that’s shaved a chunk of weight from the interior.

“I retrimmed the seats with Dave The Trimmer. That added some luxury back in as the seats were lightweight but dead to look at. I also took the opportunity to add the brand in there,” Jack grins, and the Corbeau carbon buckets look stunning, as a result. They’re equipped with Sabelt harnesses, and at the rear, the seats have been removed to make space for that cage. Other touches here include Alcantara gaiters with M tricolour stitching, an Alcantara-rimmed CSL steering wheel, plus a PSDesigns shifter. It all works together so well, giving the cabin that focused feel, and it looks great, too.

Modified BMW E46 M3 engine tuning

Finally, we come to the engine, and with the CSL acting as inspiration for this build, there was only ever going to be one must-have mod for the S54. “A Karbonius CSL carbon airbox. This was purely for the noise and the aesthetics. If anyone is hoping to get power from this, save your money,” Jack laughs. “We also sorted the cooling out – the radiator wasn’t efficient, and the fan was on a switch inside the car, so I put a CSF rad in and added a thermostat back in. The original exhaust was shot and rattled terribly, so Mad DP jabbed a beautiful cat-back from scratch. It sounds so much better now,” enthuses Jack.

“I took the car to TRS to iron out some wrinkles in the base map after the airbox was put on. The car achieved 361hp but with a great power curve – it’s very smooth and enough power, in my opinion,” he adds. “The Vanos and rod bearings had been done, but we re-did the shells before the Nurburgring trip. Misha Charoudin drove the car so we wanted to be careful,” he adds. Watch Misha’s video on his YouTube channel, and you’ll see just how much he enjoyed Jack’s E46 M3, so much so that he took it out for a second lap, which speaks volumes about how good this build is.

Cav’s favourite modification

When he started this project, Jack set out to build himself a car that surpassed the CSL, and he accomplished that goal. It weighs the same as a CSL but has a roll cage, has the same power, but with better brakes and a manual gearbox, and it’s an awesome machine that’s been designed to perform on track, and it truly does. And with a build of this calibre, choosing a favourite mod among so many is no easy task.

“I’m torn between the airbox, as it just sounds sooo good, the Bilsteins, and the carbon roof and boot. All play very different roles, but each one was a bit of a pinch-me moment,” says Jack with a smile. “From a young age, I always thought it was such an honour and a privilege to be able to modify already great cars. These three mods felt and still do feel really substantial and ultimately really aren’t needed. It’s really just perfecting something that’s already great,” he says. “The roof was weird as the original had to be cut out. The Clubsports are an engineering work of art to look at and make the car so much more noble, and the airbox is just a symphony in D minor,” he grins, and that trio definitely makes this car something special.

What’s next for Cav, Stjarnagloss and this modified BMW E46 M3?

There are, naturally, a few more mods to come, namely cams and a carpet delete, but Jack already has his hands full with his next project car, his G82 M4 CS. “We have just started making it more track-focused. Think of it as the M4 GTS-destroyer,” he grins, and of course that’s the direction he’s taking the new project in. And having proven he knows exactly what he’s doing with his E46 M3, we reckon it’s safe to say that with the M4, lightening is definitely going to strike twice…

Love German cars? We’ve got two premier car shows for you:

• TRAX
• German Car Festival

Photos: Ade Brannan.

The post Stjarnagloss’s Modified E46 M3 Is The GTS BMW Didn’t Make appeared first on Fast Car.

Some of you may well recognise Steve Fraser from his S30BMX YouTube channel and social media presence. His ever-growing army of followers is well deserved as he somehow manages to put out regular good quality material for his own channel and that of his sponsors as an automotive content creator whilst still working full-time as a British Gas engineer. Don’t do socials but still recognise him from somewhere? His old Mk6 Golf GTI was featured in sister-title Performance VW twice. You guessed it, it changed so much that a further article was felt fitting to showcase its development back in January 2015.

At the time, the South East London-born then twenty-two-year-old was living in Kent but has now made the move north of the border and resides just outside of Glasgow with his Scottish wife Becca. “Bec is not quite as obsessed with the scene as I am but she enjoys the shows and appreciates a nice car as the photos of her Porsche Macan will testify. It’s a 2018 2.0-litre TFSI model. It’s got an APR Stage 1 file, a Forge intercooler, Rotiform BTLs and Air Lift Performance 3H suspension. We’re both delighted with how it turned out.”

Steve’s car history

Steve started his automotive journey fairly typically at the age of 17 with a Polo 9N3 1.2. He fitted this with a subwoofer and used it as transportation for travelling around various skate parks as a budding young semi-professional BMXer. As with a lot of extreme sports guys, the ‘boys and their toys’ progression into the world of cars felt like a pretty natural one. It wasn’t long before Steve was attending shows such as GTI International where the influence of the drag strip and the modified metal on display was being hungrily absorbed by his young mind.

A Golf Mk5 1.4 TSI was a decent upgrade over the Polo and this was followed by the aforementioned Mk6 Golf GTI that PVW had the pleasure of featuring twice. This beauty was a comprehensive show car build with a spec list that included a fully custom trimmed interior (with matching Alcantara engine, battery and fuse box covers!), rear seat delete with Car Audio Security air and ICE install, 19” Rotiform MHG wheels and a Revo tuned 300bhp engine. Stage 3 tuned Audis were next on the wish list in the form of an S3 8V Saloon and latterly a Mk3 TTRS.

Choosing the Audi R8 V10

“Going right back to the early days of Instagram, I remember seeing a second-generation Audi R8 in black that had been bagged by a guy called Wayne Simpson. It was a real moment for me, it looked so good. I looked at it and knew that I needed to make it happen.” Fast forward to November 2019 and hardworking Steve had indeed made it happen. He bought it sight unseen from lauded high-end dealers Premier Sports Solutions who sent him a lot of images and videos. The car was as described and having owned a particularly spicy TTRS just beforehand, it needed to impress. Safe to say the Suzuka Grey 2016 5.2-litre V10 Gen 2 R8 with its celestial 8,700rpm rev-limit, seven-speed twin-clutch ‘S tronic’ gearbox and rear-biased all-wheel drive delivered the goods with aplomb.

Adding air ride suspension

Steve lives by the mantra that “Everything looks better on air.” It didn’t take long for the R8 to go this route. “This was the development car for Car Audio Security and Airlift UK. There wasn’t an off-the-shelf solution for the second generation R8 prior to this one being perfected on this car. It’s turned out fantastically and it’s pretty cool that this is the first one. There is now an off-the-shelf solution for the platform and the Lamborghini Huracan that it is twinned with. Whilst I like to do most things myself, I was more than happy to leave the kit development, installation, 3H management fitment and accompanying ‘frunc’ build in Car Audio Security’s capable hands.”

Bagged Audi R8 exterior modifications

Perfect stance isn’t achieved with air ride alone and thankfully Rotiform came good with the KPS wheels. The single piece beauts measure up at 20×9.5” at the front and a girthy 20×11” at the rear. The killer rolling stock package is shod in 235/30/20 and 285/30/20 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres. “I’m pretty good at visualising a project and following the tradition of many of my builds, I knew it had to be dripping in carbon fibre. The bonnet is by CARBONID and the interior trim panels are actually hydro-dipped. The rest of it is from Automotive Passion including their side skirts, V-style spoiler, vent covers, and side blades. I didn’t used to be a fan of the facelift front bumper but when I saw Automotive Passion’s accompanying aggressive front lip I just had to have that combo on the car.”

Bagged Audi R8 V10 interior modifications

Steve had already had his seat centres finished in charcoal Alcantara by Optimus Trimmers. He was inspired by images of a German R8 online sporting a full Alcantara interior. The seats were sent back to Optimus who trimmed the bolsters to match with red contrast stitching and Steve applied Alcantara to the dash and centre console. This ties in smartly with the factory Alcantara headliner and pillars. The Carbon Steering UK steering wheel with LED rev counter is the icing on the stylish cockpit cake. The OEM Bang & Olufsen hi-fi is almost as much of a treat for the ears as that screaming V10 amplified yet further through the titanium Quicksilver exhaust. An APR Stage 1 remap gives the R8 640bhp meaning that this supercar has both mouth and trousers.

Colour changing

Nearby KW Kustoms carry out all of the ever-changing vinyl wraps. Oracal Chalk Grey vinyl was initially applied. This was then changed up for the Black Cherry Ice Teckwrap, which is a very close match to the sought-after Audi Merlin Purple. Then, it switched back to its factory Suzuka Grey with Automotive Passion wider LMS-style side blades and Vossen LC3-01 forged monoblock alloy wheels (20×9” up front and 21×12.5” out back).

Now, after unveiling it in March, it’s sporting Inozetek’s new 2024 colour recently released at SEMA 2023.  “Their vinyl range is renowned for its paint-like finish and we’re super excited to be using their striking Pearl Marigold Orange. Miami-based Vossen has supplied the first set of their new ERA-6 three-piece splits which measure up at 20×9” up front and 21×12.5” at the back and feature polished lips and brushed satin centres with a clear finish.”

What’s next?

2024 looks set to be an exciting one for Steve and his channel. “Bec’s Macan will be getting a new set of wheels and I’m going to be documenting my journey into the world of drifting with Dragon Energy. My brother used to campaign an S13 180SX 12 or 13 years ago but he’s been busy with his training and subsequent career as a British Airways pilot. I’ve rescued it off his driveway and I’ve got some good teachers here up here in Scotland with Crail and Driftland not too far away.

We’re excited to get amongst it and the introduction of a motorsport angle will provide a nice bit of diversity for the content. They’ll probably be yet another colour change for the R8 later on in the year but I don’t know what yet. I don’t do the whole planning six months in advance thing but when an idea pops into my head, I want it done yesterday.” We told you he has unfinished business and long may it continue.

Love German cars? Be sure to check out our premier performance events: 

• TRAX
• German Car Festival

The post Bagged Audi R8 V10 appeared first on Fast Car.

How often, when traveling from point A to an unfamiliar point B, do you make it successfully without one wrong turn? It’s not likely the majority of you will raise your hand and assume the identity of Rand McNally. There aren’t many instances where I interview people and their story doesn’t include some sort of detour, distraction or derailment, but here we are with this purpose-built widebody Audi RS3.

Nick Flom: The Owner

“The RS3 is my third ‘build’, but my first full-on build in the sense that there is no aspect of the car left untouched,” says owner Nick Flom very matter-of-factly. Flom, a 30-year-old cyber security consulting engineer from northern Virginia, has been investing time and money into an automotive habit for the luckier part of thirteen years. “My first car, when I was a senior in high school, was a 2008 Ford Focus SE that I did similar things to,” Nick reminisces.

“That car was also gutted, had a bolt-in half cage, [its] battery was relocated to the rear, straight piped exhaust, wheels, coil-overs and a bunch of other suspension modifications to make it handle like it was on rails.” Nick had his first taste of track time with the trusty Ford Focus, albeit parking lot antics via auto-crossing. Still, it was enough experience that clearly stuck with him through the second movement of his motoring concerto.

Automotive Journey

After finding the law too focused on his juvenile adventures with the Ford, it was released into the wild and replaced with a somewhat tamer Benz SLK230 Kompressor. While it wasn’t as “racey” as Nick puts it, it did benefit from coil-overs, upgraded supercharger pulley and various other performance modifications, the service bills were becoming too much. With a convertible top that wouldn’t open and an engine that overheated, the Merc was moved on in 2017.

Nick’s urges for a fun vehicle laid dormant for two years until in 2019 when he rejoined the fold and began to search for a weekend ride. With a specific budget in mind, the two finalists vying to ding his credit score were either a BMW M2 Competition or the Audi RS3. Obviously we all know what he chose, but it seems there was more to his decision than dollars and cents.

Discovering the Audi RS3

“I found my RS3 online at a dealership in Arizona, [which had been] traded in by the initial owner,” beams Nick. “I contacted the dealership and spoke with a salesperson who told me there were some aftermarket parts on the car and wanted to show me, so I FaceTimed with him. The salesmen showed me the intercooler and that the one on the car had ‘APR’ on it. I instantly knew what the dealership had and promptly bought the car.”

Besides the upgraded front-mount intercooler, the RS3 had already enlisted an army of APR parts, including a catless downpipe, high-flow secondary cats, turbo inlet pipe, and part of the carbon intake system. “Within a week of owning the car,” says Nick, “I took it to my local European shop, New German Performance, and found out that the car was already ‘stage 2’ on [APR’s] 91-octane tune. I had NGP swap the tune on the car to APR’s E85 file and it’s been that way since.”

Transition to Full Race Car

But how did it make the journey from a Mythos black RS3 enjoying the bolt-on performance life to the carbon fibre widebody track attack weekend warrior? Surely this wasn’t intentional.

“So initially I bought the car with the intention of doing an OEM+ build,” says Nick sheepishly. “Lower it a little, wheels and tyres, just small things. A friend of mine invited me to my first track event in years, a track-cross event, in the winter of 2019-2020. I remember him saying when he invited me, something to the effect of hey man, that’s a sports car, an RS. How about you bring that out to this track event and see how it does?”

Like Frank the Tank setting aside the Wild Cherry Pepsi to funnel a beer, he was hooked. “Being on an actual track and not just in a parking lot was awesome. It was that day that I decided I was going to go all out and build a race car. Even then, I didn’t think the car was going to be at the level that it is at now, let alone will be in the future.” It’s as if he’s setting this feature up for a sequel already.

Embracing “Simplify and Add Lightness”

“I’ve always been a fan of the Lotus mantra of ‘Simplify and add lightness,’” muses Nick. “Being on APR’s stage 2 E85 tuning from just about the beginning of my ownership, I knew in order for me to make more power and go faster, it would require a lot of money to build the engine, transmission, and fuelling system to go faster, so rather than that, I decided to start putting the car on a diet.”

The word ‘diet’ is a dreaded word for many people, bringing back memories of failed attempts at shaving off a few pounds. But in the case of this inanimate object that is the Audi RS3, not only was it receptive to reducing its portly 3,600 curb weight, but it was also incapable of raiding the snack cabinet at 11 p.m. after its conscience had gone to bed.

“In the motorsports world carbon fibre is king,” says Nick. “The material is lightweight and strong, so replacing anything metal or plastic with the same part in carbon fibre was my goal. It started with the hood and quickly spread throughout the exterior and interior.” A gutted back seat area was offset by the addition of a welded-in custom chromoly 4-point rear roll bar, courtesy of Piper Motorsport. While mass reduction is a good goal to have, safety is even more important.

Evolution of the Exterior Of The Audi RS3

Besides the heavy presence of carbon fibre, the most striking thing about the RS3 is the MComposit LMS TCR wide body kit. However, in a rare instance of Nick doing something over, this was not the initial way it looked.

“I’ve always been a fan of car racing, specifically DTM, IMSA and the big box flares of 80’s group B rally,” Nick tells us. “Shortly after making the decision to go full race car, I started looking into how I could change the look of the car to be more aggressive. I quickly found many photos of the Audi RS3 TCR LMS cars, but thought the parts were unattainable due to them being race cars. The style and look of the Audi RS3 TCR cars was and is my end game regarding the exterior looks of the car.

During my research of the TCR cars, I discovered this company, MComposit, out of Bulgaria, that makes TCR replica body panels out of carbon fibre. I reached out and got pricing for a full kit, but quickly discovered that a kit was way out of my price range.”

The Red Bull Livery For The Audi RS3

Discouraged but not deflated, Nick chose more affordable aggression via Clinched’s universal fender flares in early 2020 and by June of that year, they were measured, cut, painted, and installed by a pal who worked at a local body shop. The flares acted as awnings for the mesh Forgeline LS3 for the better part of two years before things changed. In fact, once the flares were installed, Nick went ahead and rebuilt the LS3s to a wider spec to take advantage of the added width. But of course, those aren’t the wheels you see today.

“The Red Bull livery was kind of a ‘happy accident’ where one thing just led to another,” Nick recalls. “The local car club I’m in, called Nu Conceptz, was doing vinyl liveries for people in the club when I joined. Since I joined while they were doing them for other members, I was at the bottom of the list to get one done.” And for anyone who’s been at the bottom of any list, there is always the chance that when it comes time for your turn, the shop’s going to be closed.

Concurrent to all this, a club buddy had been working on the distinctive livery in Forza. An interesting prognosticator was he designed it using a TCR RS3 in the game. So what’s the deal, is Nick a Christian Horner fan? “My friend did a Red Bull inspired theme because at the time I would always show up to events with a Red Bull.”

Track Transformation and Upgrades

In order to be more effective on track you need more than just raw power. Going fast requires stopping faster and Nick elected to employ an Essex Parts Radi-CAL competition big brake kit, consisting of 372mm two-piece rotors with AP Racing Pro 5000R calipers. That’s one way to paste your eyeballs to the windshield. Holding your racing line is another way to shave seconds from your lap time. For this, Nick channeled the professionals at 034 Motorsports. “Their parts are second to none,” says Nick with conviction. “I have almost their entire suspension catalog on my car, and since starting my journey, we put a partnership in place for me to represent them.”

Suspension and Handling On The Widebody Audi RS3

One piece of the suspension puzzle worthy of its own paragraph is the bespoke Fortune Auto coil-overs. “Wanting to take my car to the next level, suspension wise, I was looking for a good set of track oriented coil-overs. A friend of mine introduced me to Terry and his guys at Fortune Auto, out of Powhatan, Virginia. After one conversation with Terry, he was on board to use my car as the development chassis for them to come out with an offering for the 8V A3/S3/RS3 line of cars. The car has been on Fortune Auto coilovers this whole past year, and I have nothing but great things to say about their products and service.”

Acquisition of the MComposit Kit

Remember that kit that was originally out of the realm of realisation? Well, it’s a rather remarkable tale in itself.

“So the story on that kit just a stroke of luck,” Nick tells us enthusiastically. “In June of 2022, a local friend of mine who also has an RS3 saw a guy had posted this kit for sale in a group on Facebook that I was not a part of. My friend screen-shotted the post and sent it to me. I immediately joined the group and messaged the seller, telling him I would buy the kit for his asking price. It turns out the seller was selling all of his possessions and moving back to the country he was from. The seller had bought the kit brand new from MComposit, but had never gotten around to installing it, so the kit was still new, in the packaging from MComposit.”

Installation of the Widebody MComposit Kit

Nick’s northern drive to New Jersey saved him two-thirds the cost of what the kit retails for, an incredible savings for any coupon clipper. Once in his possession, the next task was finding a quality and reputable body shop to transform his RS3 into the TCR racer he wanted from the start.

That monumental challenge was laid at the feet of Vincente and his crew at Extraordinaries Customs & Collision out of Sterling, Virginia. Anyone who has ever had a car at a body shop knows that completion dates are sometimes, uh, fluid. However, in a continuation of Nick’s good fortune with the widebody Audi RS3, he dropped the car off at the end of June with the expectation of having it done in September, just in time for Dubs at the Gap. And would you know, it made it, taking home “Best Audi” as well.

The kit was installed over the livery, with the flowing carbon fibre fenders complementing the graphics nicely. Look closely and you’ll see accommodations for the front and rear parking sensors, as well as the adaptive cruise control sensor. “One of the big things that I was adamant on with the wide body kit, was that all of the factory installed sensors would continue to work,” says Nick. The bodyshop took the time to measure and cut holes for all the required sensors. We’re sure the adaptive cruise will prevent him from getting too close to other competitors as he’s ripping round Summit Point.

Widebody Audi RS3 Wheel Changes

Prior to being admitted to the bodyshop, Nick had changed the wheels to 18” Titan 7 T-R10s wearing 285-section tires, which are absolutely swallowed under the car. Plans are in the works to go back to different Forgeline wheels with a wider footprint and a lower offset. The one-eyed look is courtesy of an Eventuri carbon headlight delete race duct.

With its healthy helping of additional carbon fibre, Nick says a lot of the questions he gets are in regards to the car’s current weight. “The widebody Audi RS3 was corner balanced shortly after Dubs at the Gap and weighed in at 3,340 lbs. without me and about ¾ tank of gas.” Nick has all intentions of getting it sub-3,000 with additional carbon parts and we see that as yet another achievable goal.

Final Thoughts On The Widebody Audi RS3

In a show car sense, it would be at this point that Nick sits back and enjoys the fruits of his labour. However, as an evolving race car, it’s been in service this whole time, increasing his comfort level on track from continuous track events. Actually, that Flom Motorsports banner waving on the front doors was created solely as an aggregator for his widebody Audi RS3 content on all the social media channels. Nick’s doing it right, separating his private life from that of the notoriety gained from having an outrageous car. It also gives credence to the project when seeking out sponsors.

Since the readership can’t rotate through driving duties, we asked Nick what aspect of the car really made him smile. “I think my favourite part of the car is the view from the driver’s seat. While the exterior is definitely wild, sitting in the driver’s seat, with all of your senses taking in the car, knowing what the car is capable of, it’s a lot. You see the roll bar in the rear view mirror, you see the carbon clad rear hips in the side mirrors, the gauge cluster feeding you engine and performance vitals.

It hums of catless E85 exhaust fumes. You hear the loud, 5-cylinder exhaust dumping on the ground and reverberating underneath the car. You feel the suede steering wheel and gear selector, you feel the six point harnesses holding you tight to the bucket seat which is in turn holding you snug with its bolstering. And you feel the whole car vibrating from the numerous solid suspension and engine/transmission mounts in the car. When I’m driving this widebody Audi RS3, specifically on the track, every aspect of my being is consumed by ‘race car.’”

Conclusion

So while Nick’s dreams of being on the grid at Le Mans may never come to fruition, this isn’t just someone wearing RollJunkie apparel but never stepping foot on the mats. “I’m not looking to set any records, I just want to go have fun and maybe win some events. At this point I just want to build a bad ass race car, how I see fit.” We think he crossed the finish line first in that competition.

Love German cars? Be sure to check out our premier performance events:

• TRAX
• German Car Festival

Words: Bryan McCarthy. Photos: Alex Lafferty, Brian Murray, Capriati Media & Cracked Lens Media.

The post Widebody Audi RS3 Inspired By TCR appeared first on Fast Car.

That Sierra RS500 changed the tone. You know the one, it sold for close to £600k at Race Retro recently, and it got a few collectors all excited in the process. No, one Cosworth making telephone numbers at auction doesn’t mean that all Cossies are worth half-a-million-plus, but the mood slightly shifted that day, and the manner in which values of classic, retro and modern-classic Fords have been rising was thrust into a wider spotlight. All of a sudden you’ve got seasoned Ferrari collectors wondering about the investment potential of Escort RS Turbos. So it’s only natural that the more collectible elements of the Blue Oval back catalogue should be jealously guarded, kept factory-standard, hidden from view and cocooned in heated air-tight garages rather than actually being used, isn’t it?

Drive your collectible cars!

Well, no. Sod that. If you’re not enjoying your car for what it is and are thinking solely about its value, you’re not a proper car enthusiast; keeping it nice for the next owner might net you a bigger resale profit, but they’re the one who’s really benefitting from your sacrifice even if they do have to pay more for the privilege. Bottom line: cars are machines, and machines are meant to be used.

They don’t know how old or valuable they are, they’re just made to do a job. And in the case of fast Fords, that job is to transport the driver from Point A to Point B (preferably via a lengthy jaunt down the winding route to Point C) in as entertaining and rapid a way as possible. So for lifelong Ford enthusiast Iain Holt, there was never any chance that this modified Ford Focus RS Mk1 was going to be mothballed in a garage and occasionally wheeled out to be trailered to a concours lawn. Wringing the necks of RS Fords is intertwined within his very DNA, and Iain knows exactly how this game is played.

Iain’s car obsession

“Like many enthusiasts, my interest in cars came from my dad, Jim,” Iain explains. “He competed in motorsport, and in the ’90s bought a clean, standard S2 Escort RS Turbo that got used for sprints, hillclimbs and track days as well as attending shows and events with the Central and East of Scotland RS Owners Club. This was my first experience of an RS-badged car, and I was hooked! Sadly he passed away when I was 16, but the love for all things fast Ford and motorsport had been instilled. And over the years I’ve had three S2 RS Turbos, a big-turbo Escort Cosworth (the dream car when I was a teen, and the one I really regret selling), a Mk3 Focus RS, and a Mk8 Fiesta ST, all of which have been modified to some degree.”

Buying the Ford Focus RS Mk1

The acquisition of this Mk1 Focus came about after Iain had taken a bit of time out from playing with Fords, having a quick dabble with RenaultSports. He’d spotted that the market for the early Focus RS (FRS) was starting to climb, and figured that the time was right to pick up a nice one before they all got soaked up by cynical collectors. “The Mk1 was also highly rated for its handling, so I knew it would make a great show and track car,” he reasons, as if further justification were necessary. And so the hunt was on.

Iain initially found what he thought was the one up in Scotland, even going so far as to put down a deposit – but the seller backed out of the deal and gave his money back. Having come so tantalisingly close to realising the dream, this hardened RS devotee was now champing at the bit to find the right car and get cracking, and before long Iain pinpointed this one down in Dagenham. He booked a flight from Glasgow, shook hands on the deal and found himself with a very interesting car indeed: a pleasingly tidy Mk1 FRS with a smattering of tasty upgrades. It was running 260bhp thanks to an uprated exhaust, manifold, larger charge-cooler radiator, and remap; set up with direct boost, it was very laggy before coming on song, but all the right pieces were in place. This was the perfect base for what Iain had in mind.

The plan for modifying the Ford Focus RS Mk1

“The aim of the build was always to have a clean car that could hold its own on track,” he says. “After a couple of years showing the car, the decision was made to get it ready for track use, and the first thing to go on was the big brake upgrade to get it stopping properly, as I knew more power was coming next. This was done the week before Ford Live at Knockhill in 2018 by myself and two mates, and even just having the big APs fitted got the car plenty of attention from bystanders.”

Shortly after this, the RS was taken to Sabre Tuning – renowned for being the masters of the Mk1 Focus RS – to receive their full Stage 4 Sabre 420R conversion. This comprised the 420R hybrid turbo, larger MAF conversion, bigger injectors, uprated fuel pump, 3D boost controller and live mapping, and at the same time Paul at Sabre also fitted a new organic clutch and a Pro Alloy intercooler with custom shortened pipework. The result of all this was a mighty 398bhp at the flywheel, and vastly improved drivability.

Be sure to check out our Ford Focus RS Mk1 tuning guide for advice on modifications for your FRS. 

Mechanical setbacks

“After collecting the car, a play with a Nissan GT-R on the way home confirmed that it was money well spent,” Iain laughs. “The RS really was transformed, and it ran faultlessly. Well, until five laps into a track session at Ford Live in 2019, when the water pump decided to call it a day. Then at Ford Fair in August the same year a hose clamp let go, blowing a boost hose off just three laps into the Mk1 FRS-only track session.

For the RSOC National Day in 2019 I was booked on track and the temperatures on the day were set to go above 30-degrees; the decision was made to fit an oil cooler behind the front bumper, mounted on the crash bar – a modification that meant losing the bonnet catch and having to install Aerocatches, all within the week leading up to the event. And further down the line, I actually thought I had melted a piston in 2021, en route to a show and teaching a Mk7 ST and Mk2 FRS to respect their elders…”

Getting the modified Ford Focus RS Mk1 back up and running

These mechanical battle scars are all evidence of a life well-lived; after all, you can’t be sure that you’re exploiting the limit of the car’s potential unless you occasionally cross over that line. However, that round of automotive hijinks in 2021 did feel like a bit of a setback, with Iain leaving the Focus untouched in the garage for the best part of a year before biting the bullet, clenching slightly and sending the car back to Paul at Sabre to investigate the engine knock. “Thirty minutes after receiving the car, he sent me a video of it running perfectly,” he grins. “Two bolts had come loose on the water pump pulley, which was causing it to send a knocking through the block. So a suspected rebuild turned out to be just the tightening of two bolts… it’s not often a fast Ford lets you off that lightly!”

New wheels for the Focus RS

A bullet dodged, for sure – and with enthusiasm renewed, Iain hit the ground running with a fresh keenness to make the Focus into everything he thought it should be. “Since buying the car, I had seen a picture online of a Mk1 Focus RS on 18” Compomotive TH2 wheels, which really suited it,” he continues. “But Compomotive had stopped making them in 18” for over ten years, and they rarely came up for sale on the used market.

Many an email and message was sent to Barry at Compomotive for more than a year, trying to convince him to remake the 18” TH2; at first he was resistant, as he didn’t think he would sell the volume required to make it worthwhile. But I got more and more owners to express their interest, and finally the news came that they would be remade! These are, in my opinion, one of the best wheels for the Mk1 FRS.”

Interior modifications

You can see how ‘show’ and ‘go’ have gone hand-in-hand throughout this process, and the final stylistic flourish was to have a set of more supportive Sparco buckets expertly retrimmed in the style of the original-equipment interior. This was carried out by Auto-Trim Systems in Leicester, after Iain had witnessed the impressive job they did on fellow Mk1 FRS owner Neil’s car, retrimming a Mk2 FRS interior to fit the older model. Much like the rest of Iain’s car, his tasteful cabin upgrade achieves the twin aims of making it better to drive on road and track, and making it more impressive on the showground. Of course the car gets used hard, but the pride Iain takes in it is evident in every gleaming and pristine inch.

“After moving south in 2016, I joined the Northants RSOC Group and would attend events with them or with the Mk1 Focus RS Owners Club,” he explains. “My favourite circuit to drive, and where the car is most often seen lapping, is Donington Park. The Focus RS always gets a good reaction, especially as you are now seeing fewer and fewer of them getting used as they are meant to be.” And that’s very much the point for Iain. Don’t worry about the trends, forget the values, ignore the hysterical market analysts – this was a machine conceived and built to be fast and fun, and so it remains. In fact, it’s been getting faster and more fun all the time, and long may that continue.

Love Fast Fords? Check out our premier Ford events below:

• Ford Fest
• Ford Fair

Photos: Ade Brannan.

The post Modified Ford Focus RS Mk1 appeared first on Fast Car.

There are few cars as iconic as the Toyota Supra Mk4. Cemented in car culture with almost god-like status, every car enthusiast dreams of one day owning one. The sad reality is, with demand for Japanese classics growing every day, prices are exponentially growing alongside it. As a result, most now are priced out of owning one. Which is sad in a way.

That wasn’t an issue for Ross, who bought this Toyota Supra Mk4 11 years ago from Japan. Imported by JM Imports, it was a genuine twin-turbo, 6-speed manual example, which nowadays is the dream combo.

Initial modifications on the Toyota Supra Mk4

With so much untapped potential available, Ross wasted no time getting started with modifications. Initial tuning saw 400hp thanks to some clever trickery that allows the sequential turbos to spool alongside each other, rather than sequentially. At the time, that felt enough for Ross.

While the timeless styling of the Toyota Supra Mk4 will always be respected, there’s something quite special about a kitted Supra. Naturally, Ross felt the same so went about spicing things up. First came the Ridox bodykit, which includes a front bumper and splitter, canards, sideskirts and extension plates as well as the diffuser. Of course, it’s all carbon fibre, too, which works so well against the black paintwork. Speaking of which, the side skirts are much larger than you think, Ross has in fact had the carbon fibre blended in with the black paint, so the top half is finished in black, while the bottom is polished carbon.

Now comes the big wing. We love a spoiler here, provided they’re fitted to the right cars… this one gets a huge approval. It’s an APR wing, but Ross wasn’t happy with the way it sat on the car. Instead, he designed and had custom-made brackets to prop it up to adjust the angle.

Modified Toyota Supra Mk4 engine mods

With all the looks, it wasn’t too long before Ross got the dreaded “how much power is she running mate?” question at an event. While 400bhp is a lot of power, it doesn’t cut it in the Supra world, or so everyone who doesn’t own one will say. Ross well and truly caught the bug and headed down the big single turbo route. It’s a BorgWarner S366 turbo, which gets going from around 2,000rpm but hits optimum boost from 4,000rpm onwards. Controlling the 1.35 bar of boost is done via a Syvecs S6 ECU.

Believe it or not, apart from injectors, cams and Syvecs, the engine is completely stock. As a result, power is capped at around 720hp as to not destroy itself.

Interior

Despite being bashed for the quality of the interior, Japanese manufacturers sure know how to design one. The Mk4 Supra might just have the best cockpit of any car, with the whole dashboard surrounding itself around you in the drivers seat. Everything you need is within arms reach. It feels right. Needless to say, it’s Ross’s favourite place to be. There isn’t too much going on in here, the most notable change being the addition of a screen in the dashboard. This controls the anti-lag, launch control and other parts of the car’s diagnostics.

Chassis and wheels

To get the look just right, Ross has dropped the Mk4 Supra on BC Racing ER coilovers, which are accompanied by air cups at the front. This does a brilliant of job of not only sharpening up the handling, but also adding practicality in allowing Ross to lift the nose up for speed bumps etc.

With great power comes great responsibility. So when you have 720hp on tap, you better have the brakes to handle that performance. Thankfully, there are some lovely K-sports behind those Work wheels to keep the job in hand. Speaking of those wheels, they’re 18-inch all round, 10 inches wide at the front and 11 inches wide at the rear.

Plans for the future

Like any project car, a build is never truly finished. For Ross and his modified Toyota Supra Mk4, that’s exactly the case. “I’d like more power in the future”, Ross says. To do that, he plans on building the engine with stronger, forged parts to allow for just over 800bhp. “Around 800/850 would be a nice number”.

Elsewhere, tidying it up is the order of the day. Ross wants to repaint the whole car, as well as underseal it properly, replacing every nut and bolt he comes across. We can’t wait to catch up with Ross in the future at our Japfest event in 2025 to see what’s changed.

The post Modified Toyota Supra Mk4 With 720hp appeared first on Fast Car.

Jägermeister is one of those brands that evokes mental images of devastation merely by the sound of its name. For many, this will always manifest itself as a series of half-remembered and best-forgotten evening exploits, swirling the fragrant Saxony digestif into a maelstrom of chaos. For others, it recalls the boisterous jaffa-hued livery of countless retro race cars – Porsche 956s and 911s, BMW E9s, M1s, E21s and E30s, Zakspeed Capris… that shouty orange paint conjures visions of brutal racers hellbent on obliterating the competition in a miasma of atomising hydrocarbons.

An eminently appropriate livery, then, for a car as inherently brutal as the one we have here. We won’t do the reality TV thing and leave you waiting on tenterhooks for the twist, we’ll just tell you upfront – this wide-arch BMW E28 race car is running the S38 motor from an E34 M5. And that’s a spicy and potent combo.

George’s car history

The man in the bucket seat is George Haynes, and the acquisition of this feisty bruiser represents the culmination of a lifelong passion. “I’ve been into BMWs for as long as I can remember – my granddad owned the BMW dealership in Thame during the 1970s, Haynes Motors,” he explains. “My first was a 1985 E30 323i four-door (with an LSD!) at the age of 22 – which was only achievable as I bought it cheap with accident damage.”

Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster ride of intriguing projects, some Bavarian and some not; there was an E30 M3 fitted with the V8 from a 540i, which featured in Performance BMW in 2010, along with a whole host of Golf GTIs and, of all things, a 1975 Porsche 911 RSR recreation with period Vaillant livery. The current stable is really quite impressive, too, with the big orange E28 track beast sharing garage space with an E30 325i, an E90 320d M Sport, an E46 M3 race car complete with an E39 M5 engine, and a 2016 M4 Schirmer GT race car. Fair to say that track Beemers are, figuratively and literally, very much within George’s wheelhouse.

Naturally, this isn’t your average everyday stable, but George isn’t really your average guy. His day-to-day working endeavours feature “most things car-related, from body shop owner to racing driver, race coach, and building race cars on the side,” which sounds like quite a satisfying way to fill one’s time. It also means that when intriguing-looking competition machines appear on the market, he has the ideal conditions to welcome them into.

The BMW E28 race car’s history

“The BMW E28 came up for sale at Lowe Classics in Wales,” he recalls. “The condition was mint, and it was almost how you see it now. It had already had a full rebuild from shell up, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the car I raced against in 2006. The original owner, Chris Randall (who has recently passed away), had built and raced it successfully during my time racing in the BMW Kumho Championship. The spec was outstanding, although there were one or two things that would need addressing – the interior, for example, was spot-on apart from the fact that the previous owner, Huw Turner, had opted for a fixed seat to accommodate his near seven-foot height. When I first sat in it I couldn’t see over the dashboard!”

Huw’s connection with the car is an interesting one, as it was he and his brother, who had bought the car in a state of some dishevelment from the aforementioned Chris Randall some time ago. The Turner brothers were in the process of fusing an E28 518i with the engine from an E34 Alpina to create a track car. They’d contacted Chris – then at Zaprace, the classic BMW race parts specialist – about some body panels for the E28, and he’d suggested that he might have something in his lock-up that would be of interest to them.

Reviving the BMW E28 race car

“It was his E28 race car, sitting in a barn in bits,” says Huw. “It had been partly rebuilt following a major crash that had written off the shell. The next thing I know, I’m on the way to Driffield, north of the Humber, in a Transit with a flatbed trailer to collect the majority of a former race car! It has lots of history and even features on the front of the BARC Championship race day programme for August 16th 2003 at Silverstone.

When we collected the car, the brakes, coilovers, wheels and gearbox were missing, but we had a great shell, which I gather was originally supplied new from BMW and had never been on the road. The shell had been stripped, acid-dipped and electro-plated following a roll-cage being fitted and the rear arches tubbed. The engine was included, as were some doors and other bits and pieces.”

And so the plan to revivify and rework one E28 had spiralled into the collection of a pair of them along with an E34… Some decisive action was required at this point to move the project forward and stop Huw and his brother from inadvertently buying every available BMW in the country. You know how these things can snowball. So the forlorn but peppy old race car was duly dispatched to Stuart Hayman of Coast 2 Coast Motorsport.

The restoration begins

“Stuart had built our old Hillclimb Mini, and thus he was the ideal person to restore and rebuild the E28,” says Huw. “There were a few hurdles along the way; the competition suspension proved tricky to source, for example – ultimately, we had a new set made up for us by GAZ. And another major challenge came when my good friend Richard bought in and took my brother’s share of the car… The seat position George mentions was actually down to the fact that Richard is 6’8” tall, while my brother and I are much more vertically challenged at 5’8”, so there were a few adjustments to be made.

When Richard was test-fitted in the car, we discovered that the roll-cage was too close to his helmet, and this resulted in major parts of the cage being removed, redesigned and reinstalled to ensure that it complied with the regulations and was safe. Richard had to have a custom seat made to accommodate his height too – Corbeau was very helpful, suggesting a seat based on models that it sells in Scandinavian countries where people are generally taller.”

BMW E28 race car interior

Now, as interiors go, they don’t come a lot more forthright than this car’s pared-back effort. The absence of carpets, door cards or, of course, most of the seats means that the dash is the first thing to draw the eye, and it’s an item that’s taken rather a lot of work to perfect. The custom switch panel was designed specifically to ape that of Huw’s other race car to save the effort of having to teach his muscle memory a new layout.

The dash is a flocked affair that’s been reshaped to custom specs, with the instrument binnacle now housing a clever DigiDash 2 readout. You’ll also spot an Accusump reservoir in there. “Chris Randall explained when I bought the car that the Accusump was used by Alpina in the ’70s,” Huw elaborates. “They were used as an alternative to a dry sump. The system employs a bottle of pressurised oil, which plumbs into the main oil gallery, so when you get oil surge there is another supply available. Chris tells me that Alpina used it on the CSL Batmobile racers.”

BMW E28 race car S38 E34 M5 engine

This sort of purposeful setup is all in keeping with the aggressive nature of what’s going on under the bonnet. While the S38 may be in a relatively stock state of tune, it’s still serving up a mighty 360hp-odd in a relative featherweight shell, and that’s more than enough to justify the chunky 750iL brakes that you’ll find at each corner.

With this intriguing back-story and, of course, a spec sheet that nigh-on slaps you about the face with its impressiveness, it’s easy to see why a seasoned racer like George would jump at the chance to snap such a thing up and immediately press it into service. But before it could hit the track, there was one thing (beyond installing a seat that fits) which had to be addressed: the livery. The car is bright orange, and the next upgrade was immediately clear. “It was crying out for the Jägermeister livery,” George laughs.

“When I raced against it in 2006 it was orange with tiger stripes. I was glad to see it continued the orange theme after its latest restoration by the previous owner, but I feel all race cars should have an identity and the Jägermeister livery was the obvious choice. My friends and colleagues at Zenn Events designed and manufactured the graphics, which look ace.”

Sights set on racing

There are a few other jobs to carry out, as is the nature of any race car – top of the list is to fit a power steering system and further upgrade the suspension and the brakes. And the long game? Well, it’s a race car, so it must race. “I’m aiming to compete at the Silverstone Classic and other historic race meetings,” says George, laser-focused in his approach. “It has to race in historic championships, as that’s what it was built for.” And that’s just as it should be. Fill that shot glass with pure adrenaline, drop it into a tumbler of race fuel, and show those whippersnappers how the old school does it.

Love German cars? Be sure to check out our premier German Car Festival event at Goodwood Motor Circuit.

Photos: Chris Presley.

The post BMW E28 Race Car Build Complete With M5 Engine appeared first on Fast Car.

Sometimes, there isn’t much more you can add to a project car feature, other than to present it for what it is. Jon Guntley’s 2017 modified Dodge Viper SRT almost epitomizes this. I mean when was the last time you saw a Viper laid out on the deck in the middle of the desert? Unless you follow @srtjonboy on Instagram that is.

When we choose cars to feature, and it is a very much deliberate process, we often try to showcase cars which can inspire, regardless of what your taste in cars might be. As an example, this writer & photographer would very much consider themselves a German car enthusiast, yet I often look to other scenes for ideas and inspiration for my own cars.

Let’s be honest, most of us probably aren’t going to end up with a Dodge Viper in our lives at any point, particularly in this part of the world. We would probably just be lucky to see one, but there is something here which all of us can takeaway; that is learning to understand what we have, how to approach it and when to know what enough is.

Snake bite

To gain some insight into the Viper, I spoke with Jon recently to get a better understanding of his thought process around the car.

“After moving to Dubai in 2010 I quickly realized you could easily afford to run big engines that are usually thirsty on fuel as it’s so cheap in the Middle East. I’ve always had a place for American cars and had become a fan of the Hemi V8 after first purchasing a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Following that came my 2012 Dodge Charger SRT, then a Ram 1500 5.7L and then another Dodge Charger SRT, this time a 2016 model.”

“So being a good customer of the local dealership I came to know they had the last two remaining 2017 Dodge Vipers in the showroom. With the announcement of them ceasing production again of the Viper it was too much of an opportunity to miss out on. I sold the 2016 Charger after only 9-months of owning it and pursued making the Viper a childhood dream come true. “

Minor modifications make a big difference

While the spec-list for this car is staggeringly short, it doesn’t make it any less significant. It can be neatly summarized as aftermarket wheels, coilovers and a wrap. That’s a recipe we often hear used to ridicule “lesser” builds, but like everything, execution can make or break a build. You certainly don’t look at this car and think “that needs more.”

The engine is stock, but when a naturally aspirated 8.4-liter V10 makes 645hp and 600 lbs-ft from factory, it doesn’t really need an increase in power. Given the Viper’s famed nature to bite from even low speeds, this was probably a wise decision unless Jon plans on digging the car out of a sand dune regularly.

Perhaps the only thing louder than the V10, is the motorsport inspired livery by Khyzyl Saleem (@the_kyza), which appropriately takes inspiration from the famous ‘80s Porsche 962 Boss Le Mans race-car. Previously, the car was a pretty sinister all-black but Jon wanted to change it up a little for MADE earlier this year.

For those that don’t know, MADE is a highlight on the car show calendar for those in the United Arab Emirates, and was featured in Fast Car. It’s absolutely worth the effort to dig out that issue if you missed it the first time around.

Modified Dodge Viper: The Static life

What will likely raise an eyebrow or two – or at least turn a few of us green with envy – is that the Viper is static dropped on BC Racing coilovers. There’s no hidden air-cup system to lift that nose off the ground, and this is the car at its driving height.

When your driving height is lower than some people’s aired out height, it’s naturally going to get a lot of attention. Watching the car cruise down the highways of Dubai is surreal, and even out at the desert shoot location, you’re always waiting for it to air-up to move between shots. It doesn’t, however.

What you should take away from this feature is how Jon evaluated what he had and figured out where to add his own flourishes to make it stand out. He left things that didn’t need to be changed alone, choosing a route of relative simplicity to further enhance all the good bits the Viper leaves the factory with.

Would the exact same choices have been as effective on another car? Maybe, and maybe not. But having seen Jon’s other cars, including a bagged Nissan Silvia S14, he’s certainly capable of adapting and choosing a different path for each car, as opposed to using a one size fits all approach again and again.

That in itself is probably the best takeaway from this; it doesn’t matter what you start with as long as you really understand where it’s going and when you need to stop. Still, I think it will be worth looking towards to see how Jon evolves the modified Dodge Viper once more.

Words & Photos: Paddy McGrath

The post Modified Dodge Viper SRT appeared first on Fast Car.

We hate to start another feature by sounding like a stuck record, but here is once again a car that we feel is seriously under-represented on the modified BMW scene. The E21 does get love – you just need to look at the attention a really tidy example receives at any show – but it’s just not a car that is as well-catered for modifications as its E30 counterpart.

If you see a modified BMW E21, then you know its owner is really committed to their car. They’ve deliberately chosen an older model, even knowing the likely extra problems they’ll have to deal with when looking after it, and the extra lengths they’ll have to go to when modifying it. And none of that put them off. We like that, we respect the grind and the passion, and it’s worth it when you create something that looks like this E21.

Owning any classic car is something you have to commit to, and Benny Mansi understands that. His modified BMW E21 has been a part of his life for the past 12 years, and after that sort of period, a car becomes like a family member, really. It’s something you care for and are deeply passionate about, and for Benny, the E21 is a car he’s always had his eye on.

Benny’s car history

“I grew up in London from 1982 and left in 2001; when I was a kid, there were classic BMWs everywhere, but there was an orange E21 I saw every day on my way to school, and I loved it,” Benny tells us as we chat. “The way the bonnet overhangs the wings and creates the line down the whole car is one part I’ve always loved,” he enthuses, but it would be a while before he got his hands on one.

“I didn’t start driving until I was 24, as, back in the day, I rode my BMX everywhere. Then, I moved to Bristol and was on my BMX there most days,” he explains. “I never really needed to drive and couldn’t afford to run a car anyway until I moved back to London. I bought a classic Mini and started to modify it almost the day I got it,” he says, and you can certainly see where his love of modding manifested. “The late Darryl Cripps put a Suzuki Swift Mk2 GTI engine and ’box in it for me. It was an incredible car,” he enthuses.

Mini life was good, and Benny was happy, but life moves on, things change, and change can be good. “Fast-forward to when I was 29 and my wife’s and my first child was due. With the proceeds of the Mini sale, we bought a Passat estate, and I bought the E21,” he grins, and a new chapter in Benny’s motoring life began.

Buying the BMW E21

“I found it in Wellington,” he tells us. “A young lad with a young family was reluctant to let it go, but it was a terrible daily. It was as low as possible on Gaz coilovers, had a major oil leak and had a 2.3 M20 in it, but instead of injection, it had a massive DGAS carb on it that drank fuel. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it and knew I was in for the long haul,” he grins, but things didn’t get off to the best of starts. “I smashed the sump on the way home from buying it, so it was off the road for a couple of weeks,” he winces, but the course of modded car ownership never did run smooth.

Initial modifications

“I properly cleaned the car inside and out, shoved some BBS reps on it and drove it like that for ages,” says Benny, but the E21 had so much more to give. “As time went on, I realised the car had so much potential, so got saving. I took the car to a place in Exeter to have the bodywork done as Reece Parr, who has just recently started out on his own, was the painter there, and I knew it was in good hands,” Benny explains.

“By the time it was stripped and all the bits of surface rust and dents etc. had been sorted, virtually every panel needed painting, so I decided on a colour change. I wanted a new colour but wanted it to still look like it came from the factory, so Porsche Sport Classic Grey fitted the bill perfectly,” he smiles, and we couldn’t agree more. We’re not big fans of the recent trend for solid grey paint jobs, but Benny’s choice is inspired and works so well on the E21. The pale grey has almost a blue tint to it in certain light, and it does a wonderful job of accentuating all of the E21’s lines, while also having that period look about it, and it suits the car perfectly.

Adding the air ride suspension on the modified BMW E21

“I chucked some Revolution RFX aftermarket wheels on it for a while but had air-ride in the back of my mind,” says Benny, and fate decided to step in and lend a helping hand with the project. “Munich Icons posted up a second-hand air-ride setup at a really decent price, and after begging my wife, I snapped it up,” he grins. “It’s a very basic manual AccuAir SwitchSpeed setup but hasn’t missed a beat since I had it fitted. I wired it all up and did a very basic boot build, then Nick Smith at Kingsdown Garage fitted the struts,” Benny explains. There are plenty of people who still get hung up about BMWs, especially classics, sitting on air, but we defy anyone to look at this modified BMW E21, tyres tucked up into its arches, belly a hair’s breadth from the ground and confidently claim it doesn’t look good.

Naturally, air-ride demands a very correct choice of wheels to serve up the perfect combo of absolutely killer looks, and it’s safe to say that Benny has absolutely nailed it. “The Rotiforms on it now came from a local lad who had bought them for his Corrado, but they didn’t fit, so I nabbed them off him as the widths and ETs were near perfect. The faces were chrome, so I had them refurbed by Dan at Wheel Unique, and they still look fresh three years on,” he says with a smile. You’re looking at 16” TMBs, which measure 8.5” across up front and 9”-wide at the rear, and the fitment is just perfect. The combo of grey centres, gold hardware and polished lips is no less perfect, and these wheels work so well on the E21.

BMW E21 engine modifications

With aesthetics coming along nicely, Benny now turned his attention to what was going on under the bonnet because up until now, he’d still been having to make do with that carb’d M20, and the E21 deserved something better. “It spent a while off the road getting the Astbury Motorworks treatment, getting an M20B25 conversion done by Dave Astbury in Devon. It drove like a new car afterwards, and while it isn’t the quickest, it’s not missed a beat in the four years since it was fitted,” enthuses Benny, and this has given the E21 the engine it deserved. It’s a step up from the B23 that it had before, with a nice boost in performance, but it’s still a classic BM engine that suits the car perfectly and enhances the whole driving experience perfectly.

Interior modifications

Sadly, time and life moving on are not always good, and Benny experienced a heartbreaking loss. “A massive shock and devastating time was when my dad passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly,” he says. “I inherited a bit of money, so I took it to TFI Motor Trimmers in Exeter, where they totally transformed the car from what was a really lovely classic into the stunner it is now. I still can’t believe how good it looks, and the extra expense of having the dash done was well worth it,” he says, and the interior is absolutely awesome.

We’re really not big fans of drab, dark, black and grey cabins, so show us an interior with some colour, some flair and uniqueness, and we come alive, and Benny’s E21 interior is really hitting the spot for us. He’s opted for a rich caramel shade, and that warm leather is everywhere you look – on the door cards, the centre console, and the whole dash is wrapped in it. It offers the perfect striking contrast to the subtle, understated exterior, and we love the wooden Momo steering wheel and wooden gear knob that tie in perfectly with the leather colour and work so well with the whole retro vibe.

Conclusion

12 years is a long time to commit to a car, but after so long, it’s almost impossible to think of selling it, and a project becomes an extension of your very self, a projection of you, what you love, what you’re all about, in car form. It’s not always been smooth sailing for Benny and his modified BMW E21, but he loves this car, it means so much to him, and you can tell that by how much he’s put into it. This E21 has been transformed during its time with Benny, and it’s simply magnificent now, a perfect example of a classic modified 3 Series, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

In fact, Benny hasn’t done a single thing to it for the past three years, which lets you know that he’s really hit the sweet spot with it. Well, we say that, but there’s always one thing that we, as modified enthusiasts, have on our mind… “I’ve just listed my wheels for sale as I fancy a change, so if anyone is interested, hit me up on IG,” he grins, and the spectre of wheel addiction looms large in all our lives. But aside from some fresh wheels to switch up the styling and a visit to Reece to get the engine bay painted, what you’re looking at is the finished article. An E21 is not a casual purchase; it’s a car you commit to and have to put in the work with, but it’s so worth it, and Benny’s stunning build is all the proof you need.

Photos: Wookshot Media.

The post Modified BMW E21 3 Series On Air Ride appeared first on Fast Car.

Grant Butler is a true Ford enthusiast. He has curated a collection of stunning modified Fords that will leave any car enthusiast in awe. From classic models to high-performance beasts, his collection showcases the best that Ford has to offer. We’ve even featured a few on FastCar.co.uk in the past. But now we’re back, and this time we’ve been invited to lift the lid on his entire fast Ford collection! Let’s take a closer look at some of the standout cars in the lineup…

Iconic Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Grant’s collection includes not one, but two Ford Escort RS Cosworths. One heavily  modified, and one in factory original spec means Grant has the best of both worlds. These iconic fast Fords are highly sought after among Ford enthusiasts, and Grant has taken the performance of his tuned Escort Cossie to the next level. With a ground-up restoration and custom modifications, it not only look incredible but also pack a punch under the bonnet. The interior has been completely transformed with a full retrim using premium leather and custom designs – including a leather-clad dash. The power output has been boosted to an impressive 400+ horsepower, making it a force to be reckoned with on the road and one of Grant’s personal favourites of his entire Ford collection!

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth – Where It All Began

To truly appreciate Grant’s passion for modified Fords, we need to take a trip back in time to the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. These cars hold a special place in Grant’s heart, as they sparked his love for modified cars from a young age. With their powerful engines and sleek designs, the Sierra Cosworths are the epitome of ’90s cool. Grant’s collection includes a three-door Sierra RS Cosworth and a later 4×4 Sapphire Cosworth, both of which have been tastefully modified to enhance their performance and aesthetics. Oh, and he’s on the hunt for a rear-wheel-drive Sapphire Cosworth to complete the trilogy, naturally!

The Most Powerful Ford Focus RS in the UK

Amidst the collection of classic Fords, there is one modern machine that stands out – Grant’s Ford Focus RS. We’ve featured this car on the site before, so be sure to click the link to read full story on this truly remarkable fast Ford.

Nicknamed Blaze, this car holds a special place in Grant’s heart as his pride and joy. With over 1,000 horsepower under the hood, this Focus RS is a true beast. And it’s fully road legal! Grant has not held back when it comes to customization, with a full custom paint job, unique body mods, and a meticulously crafted interior – something of a signature upgrade for Grant. This car has become an iconic symbol of Grant’s dedication to pushing the limits of performance, and is perhaps the car is best known for in the Ford community.

Unique Ford Mondeo

While much of Grant’s collection consists of performance-oriented Fords, he also likes to have a daily driver that stands out from the crowd. Based on the top-spec Titanium X model with added Sports pack Grant’s Mondeo is an ideal daily driver for any Ford fan. But Grant’s Mk4 Mondeo has received a unique makeover, featuring a striking wrap and custom wheels that set it apart from the rest. While this car may not have the same power as some of the other fast Fords in his collection, it demonstrates Grant’s creativity and ability to turn an ordinary car into something extraordinary.

RS Turbo Rep: A Sleeper with a Twist

Grant’s Escort RS Turbo replica has a soft spot in his heart, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to leave it alone. Far from it. Grant has big plans for this car! While it’s not a genuine Series 1 RS Turbo, Grant’s mint green replica is based on a tidy XR3i and already boasts genuine Series 1 RS Turbo parts, from the bonnet and bodykit, through interior and down to the CVH Turbo engine. But that’s not staying. This one is a long-term project for Grant, and he plans to take this sleeper to another level by installing a full Mk2 Focus ST 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine and six-speed gearbox to his featherweight Mk3 Escort!. By combining the reliable and powerful Focus ST engine with the timeless charm of the Escort body, this project promises to be irresistible! We can’t wait to see it completed!

Focus RS – Mean Green Track Machine

Grant has yet another modified Ford Focus RS in his impressive Ford collection. It’s yet another magazine front cover star. And yet again, this car has undergone a significant transformation to become a unique and eye-catching machine. Grant intended Blaze, the 1000bhp monster, to be a show car. Therefore, he built Shadow – named for its once stealthy shade and because it lived in Blaze’s shadow – so that he could have something to use on track too.

The car underwent changes such as new bumpers, body modifications, custom interior, suspension and brake upgrades, a full wrap in matt grey and more. The result was a truly one-of-a-kind machine that stands out from the crowd. But things never stay the same for long in Grant’s hands. An unfortunate accident while unloading it from a trailer one day forced Grant to rethink his plans. Rather than restoring the car to its original look, he opted for something entirely different and the bright green re-wrap was the result.

Driving his Ford Collection!

What sets Grant’s collection apart is not just the impressive array of modified Fords, but also his commitment to actually driving these cars. He believes that people should enjoy their cars and not just preserve them for show.. Grant takes every opportunity to get behind the wheel of his cars and experience the thrill of watching the boost gauge climb and the rev counter bounce of the limiter. His passion for driving is at the core of his Ford collection and is a passion that resonates with car enthusiasts everywhere, including us!

See these Cars at Ford Fair and Ford Fest 2024

You can see Grant and some of his stunning fast Fords at two epic shows in 2024; Ford Fair and Ford Fest. Click the links to find out more about each event and don’t forget to book your tickets today! See you there!

The post The Best Ford Collection in the UK? appeared first on Fast Car.

A sub-700 kilogram Golf Mk1? Hot take: the welded in multi-point cage isn’t making this look easy, and the panels don’t look like wafer-thin fibreglass. Good luck with that. Usually very early bodyshells lend themselves to the featherweight game – or savagely gutted ones – or someone talking the talk! But not this project car, as it turns out.

Frank’s history with cars

Netherlands-based Frank Wolkers was serious from the very start. In September 2008 an unsuspecting – and complete – Inari Silver small light 1980, believed rust-free 1272cc three-door runner went on the weigh bridge at 770kg, and then straight into disassembly. Call the cage + 50 kg. The challenge then was to net throw out 120+ kgs out to hit the target. Could be interesting. Let’s do the ‘math’…

Influenced by a friend with a lowered Mk1 and himself later owning two Mk1 Golfs and a nice Mk1 Jetta coupe (sold to finance this project), Frank caught the motorsport bug at an early stage – “mid 90’s BTCC was the pinnacle” – and knew exactly where his latest project was going: “The idea was to restore the car and rebuild it to a street-legal track-car and make it as light as possible. This weight calorie counter project took 11 years to complete, but was it worth the weight (stop it! – Ed)?

What was the inspiration for the modified VW Golf Mk1 build?

An engineer by training, Frank’s game plan was part Berg Cup inspired (small block engine) and part understated ‘90s BTCC (body): Why a small block? “I was inspired by the Mk1 Golfs and Polos from the Bergrennen in Germany. Very light and nimble, with screaming normally aspirated 1400cc or 1600cc engines. I would love to see that work on a real circuit, especially with the underdog concept behind it. You don’t need big power if you are very light. A 1400 cc Golf pushing BMWs and Porsches – that’s what I wanted!” – but over time this would become 1600cc…

On top of this looks were important, but not outlandish ones: “I really wanted to have the car fairly original looking from the outside, because of the underdog idea, and also because of that BTCC style: low and wide wheels but in an original narrow body style. So no Berg-cup arches and spoiler for me but bumpers, GTI arches, modified as much as I could to be able to go as wide as possible within the standard arches.”

Beginning the build

Onto the rotisserie the car went and then the fun began: “After disassembling and removing all the underseal it was clear it was not as rust-free as I thought.” Frank couldn’t weld at the time, but wanted to do as much of the work on this project himself. “I went on a one-day car-welding course and bought myself a MIG welder. The best investment I made in my life.”

Word to the wise: this is what ‘Built not Bought’ looks like. “I practiced some more and just started cutting out rust and welding in new metal starting from the front and ending in the back.” A year on with the sheet metal bodywork repairs done, the bodyshell seam welding could begin. A plastic 45-litre Summit Racing fuel cell was sunk as low as possible into the rear seat floor on the opposite side to the driver for centre of gravity and weight distribution, then it was off to VW legend Marco Veldhuis at Marco’s Motorsport for the aforementioned multi-point roll cage installation. CDS tube was used rather than thin-wall T45 and was the one compromised necessity at the time due to sheer cost. To clean the shell up it was then sent for blasting and e-coating in readiness for the dry build to start.

Focusing on weight

As replacement parts arrived, everything was weighed. Gutting the interior to be replaced by race seats and lightweight door cards is a given and, along with the spare wheel, loses a net 45kg rapidly. Emptying the doors and taking off the inner skin loses 15kg, as does replacement fibreglass bonnet, hatch and front wings. Another 12kg was lost swapping side and rear glass for polycarbonate. Removing interior sound deadening is a necessary evil and ejected a further 7.5kgs. Standard prepping stuff.

Surplus interior brackets and rear side panel innards removed another 4kg and 4.5kg went west with the spare wheel well, covered instead with a carbon skin. Metal tow hooks were cut off, and replaced with fabric ones. Scuttle removed. Brake servo and heater in the bin. Underseal removed in the days long before face masks took on a whole new meaning. No stone unturned.

But with each step, the work out gets more and more difficult. Time to think smarter! ”I don’t really like the bumper-less look,” noted Frank. The solution? Rperformance fibreglass bumpers fixed with aluminium brackets.

The wheels are another smart move, being around half the weight of any alternative you’d care to think of, from a Campaign Pirelli to Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2: “I knew I needed stopping power but also didn’t want to go too big, as big brakes are heavier, and need bigger wheels which again are even heavier.” The 256mm brakes just fit inside the 3.5 kg-a-piece 13×7” Force Racing SLD aftermarket wheels, who are a Mini Racing specialist. Having considered other wheels on the build journey, Frank’s research was exhaustive: “I haven’t found a lighter wheel yet!” This takes another 10 kgs off the running total. Blue hue VW Motorsport logo’d centre caps show the attention to detail.

Modified VW Golf Mk1 engine tuning

Next up, the oily bits: “The engine is really the party piece of this car. I started this project with a 1.4 8v but realised a 16v would suit better and also be capable of making more power. In the end I built a hybrid of a 1.6 16v Polo GTI 6N2 bottom end with a better-flowing DOHC 1.4 16v AFH head.” The internals were all done by Feld Motorsport in Germany who have a lot of experience with these engines. “I went with Kawasaki ZX12R 46mm tapered ITB’s with 47mm trumpets – to save money at first – but they ended up costing more in the end! They do work good now though. The Daihatsu alternator saves a lot of weight too.” Another 2.5kg gone!

Hurricane racing engines who have a lot of experience with DTA Management mapped the motor and are based close to Frank. “The limiting factor of the engine is the still standard crank as it limits the rpm to 8500rpm, but I just couldn’t afford a bespoke crank. It doesn’t matter: 200+ horsepower in a Golf is just so much fun.” 206 to be exact.

With a small-block 085 5-speeder, there’s even more weight saving against conventional Mk1 track builds to be had. Having bench pressed these in my earlier days, these lightweight boxes come in around 5kg under a normal Golf GTI rod change, let alone a cable change. Careful research saw Frank choose a CEH code to get the optimal 3.8 + un-boltable crown wheel (some were fixed) from the Polo parts bin. A shorter fifth gear was fitted to get rid of the factory highway cruiser cog.

Transmission mods

Bolting it all into the car, Frank was forced to redesign the gearbox to inner wing mount since these 5-speeders were never fitted in Mk1s. In the end Frank redesigned the front and rear mounts too. Guess what? “To make them stiffer but also lighter without sacrificing strength”! Another 2.3kg gone in conjunction with titanium bolts. The eagle eyed will recognise these artful mounts from grazing the socials (link in Dub Details).

Modified VW Golf Mk1 Chassis

“Chassis-wise I looked for high-end parts there were available at the time. The Intrax shocks plus SCCH tubular control arms with lengthened drop pins really help the front end. For the rear I made the rear beam triangulation myself, using a hollow Autotech anti roll-bar to offset some of the triangulation weight gain.” The attention detail stands out: rubber boots over the spherical joints to keep the dirt out. Less obvious are the rear dampers, made out of mostly aluminium…

Modified VW Golf Mk1 interior mods

For the interior, Frank’s aims were minimalist and a clean finish: “I kept the dash clocks as I just love it and I wanted to keep that Golf period feel inside the car. Hence also the 52mm gauges. A digital dash would have been lighter but you also lose a lot of the old-skool soul. They are modified to 260km/h and 9,000rpm though.” A lightweight Lithium battery sits behind driver’s seat, saving an incredible 10 kgs in exchange for 100 Euros as well as putting weight in the right place, low and inside the wheelbase. That’s the last double-digit weight saving to be had. From here on in, it’s pure graft.

It’s road legal!

Once built, and confirmed legal for the road in 2019 by the RDW Netherlands vehicle authority, the process of shaking down could begin. Cue a steady stream of small improvements. With a lot of induction noticed from the Kawasaki trumpets and track day noise meters in mind, a Reverie carbon airbox complete with integral cone filter in the trunking immediately superseded the foam filter. Composite soaks up vital decibels and Frank thinks: “it even sounds better”.

Soon the Mk1 was off to its debut at a late Summer Zandvoort track day. Cue the addition of carbon strips in the bonnet leading edge to stop it bowing upwards, plus an upgraded oil cooler, as well as adjusting the brake set up. Assen circuit was followed by further upgrades including a Gripper plate limited slip diff, plus 3D-printed brake ducts for the front spoiler.

Exterior changes

An indiscretion at Zandvoort in Nov 2020 saw a trip to the bodyshop for some minor rear corner repairs and coincided with changes up front: “for the first two years I drove with a GTI front spoiler as well but changed to a Kamei spoiler to help the aerodynamics a bit – which it really does! – whilst keeping the original-era style.” More Winter upgrades included a Polo G40 ‘Pogo’ deeper aluminium radiator, offset to create airbox trunking space for a neat 3D-printed grille air intake.

Brake upgrades for the modified VW Golf Mk1

Next up, lightweight Momentum Motorparts two-piece 256mm brake discs – another 1.3kg saved per side! “The combination including the brake balance system works very well, although brake cooling is really needed as it’s hard to dissipate the heat in this tight setup. The 185mm wide tires are a limiting factor for the car now but also make the car very fun and playful to drive.”

On top of this a Polo rear hub bearing set up was added: “not only a better construction but also 0.5kg lighter per side!”, as well as carbon foot plates replacing aluminium – another 1kg banked!

In 2023, “I changed from Mk1 knuckles to Mk2 knuckles as I broke a drive-flange and CV-joint on track at 150km/h which was exciting…” With lengthened drop pins installed again and the benefit of larger bearings plus the requisite bump steer adjustments, the Mk1 is ready to go again: “I haven’t driven it much last 1.5-2 years because I bought a house which needed quite some work, but it has a garage in which I can work on the Golf! 2024 however will see more track-action again.”

Built for the track

In a car scene dominated by wide body, big bhp builds that shout loudly, Frank’s crisp Arctic White Mk1 is utterly restrained. Even the factory flag mirrors were used for a while but they folded at speed and were replaced with Spa racing versions. But the depth of understated quality, engineering thought and standard of finish stands out a mile here.

This modified VW Golf Mk1 does its shouting on track – a sight which never gets old – built to plan and the preserve of a committed mind: “The engine doesn’t do much below 4500-5000 rpm, and because of the small displacement it lacks torque in lower revs. After that it’s all fun, with that Berg-Cup/BTCC scream in your ears. The car is really able to embarrass BMWs, Lotus’, Porsches and so on, on track which is just so cool with that original goal in mind. Everything on the car I did myself except the cage, paint, and engine internals. I really took every part and looked if it could be lighter without spending crazy money.”

Achieving the goal

So with the upshot of all the incremental savings– and indeed – where are we on the ‘math’? Well, 770kgs start-point + 50kg roll cage, less 70kg of parts binned never to return = 750kg. Less 85kgs for lighter replacement parts, seats etc. Plus adding weight where necessary such as the larger AFH head, the 5-speed box, rear axle triangulation etc.

“The goal of 700kg was achieved with 697kg with all fluids except fuel!” – although Frank does concede that the passenger seat and harness has to come out!

Old school readers from the forum days may remember Frank’s Volkforum build thread (‘Project lightweight – Golf 1 trackday auto’). And if you want to check every instalment, there’s 141 pages of it.

Of course, projects just like diets, never end: “My choice was to finish the car, enjoy it and still be able to upgrade the car later on. The roof and doors are still steel. I would like carbon someday – but only in high quality!” That’s growing old gracefully.

For more VW content, subscribe to Performance VW magazine. Words: Chris Eyre. Photos: Lennart Dijkstra.

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When you visit a farm, there are certain things you expect to see – tractors, quad bikes, muck spreaders, all totally commonplace. But on a quiet little farm just a little north of Belfast, something rather special is afoot with this project car.

We’re meeting up with Michael Scullin at Belfast port on a dreary winter’s day, and he kindly drives us to his farm to see this highly interesting build. It’s safe to say Michael is one of the friendliest chaps we’ve ever met in the car scene, and we’re soon chatting about his build in great depth and talking about the local car culture.

Choosing the Ford Sierra Sapphire

Naturally our first question is: why a Sapphire? “Well,” says Michael, “my neighbour is to blame really. He has an RS500 – you know, the ‘poor man’s supercar’… I clearly remember him doing donuts outside here at the farm and three-foot flames spitting out of the exhaust. I think that had something to do with it.” We think so too, because this has resulted in a minor collection, consisting of his pride-and-joy – the car you see here – along with a wonderful and very low P100, and a drift car to-be currently undergoing major floorpan surgery in the barn. Safe to say that there’s a theme developing.

Michael’s Car History

Michael clearly loves his cars, and definitely feels passionately about each one in very different ways. This red Sierra is his absolute favourite and has its own dedicated barn, parked exactly where it was built when it started out as a fairly basic model.

“I’ve had about half-a-dozen Fords,” he says, “my first being a 1.1 Fiesta field car. While in university it was not worth having a nice car, being a bit rough where I was, and so I bought a very old and very cheap Focus C-Max for £300… that lasted three weeks because I decided to race someone and did the sump in! So knock-knock-knock, that was the end of that. I always had a thing for Granadas and did end up buying one, but unfortunately it was a bit far gone and to be honest I didn’t have the experience at the time to put it right – and with it having a few rare parts on it, I decided to sell it.”

Engine Swap For The Modified Ford Sierra Sapphire

That brings us to the present day and, quite honestly, a very intriguing build – in large part because of the choice of engine. Having started out as a fairly basic model with a two-litre DOHC, the car wasn’t putting out nearly enough power for what Michael wanted… and with the JDM tax affecting the more ‘obvious’ choices of engine, the hunt began.

Needless to say, seeing a Saab engine under the bonnet today took a little processing time mentally, and the massive turbo parked beside it was another eye-opener. “This is actually its second Saab engine,” admits Michael, “as the first one blew up! I thought all these engines were the same, but it turns out that Saab made a non-turbo version which came with different cams and pistons affecting compression, so when it came to putting boost through it, it did not like that. So I had to source a new turbo block and start again.”

Performance Optimization and Adjustments

Fortunately the engine choice Michael made was objectively superb, with a tidy bay and tasteful modifications which allow easy access for repairs and servicing. A local specialist and tuner, Ali’s Garage, did some of the more technical work and this has allowed a very healthy 400bhp+ to be attained. “I don’t like quoting how much power this car really has,” says Michael.

“It still has a few little issues, like the injector spray pattern that needs addressing, and along with that a fresh remap to help with the slightly excessive pops and bangs; on top of that I’m still going fairly gently on it, ironing out the issues as this is its full first year on the road.”

Future Plans For The Modified Ford Sierra Sapphire 

We’re sure you’ll agree the final outcome is an absolute triumph. The way the modified Ford Sierra Sapphire sits is just right and, let us tell you, the sound and power this thing puts out is not to be sniffed at.

We asked Michael if this is the way it’s staying and the response was a swift ‘no’; “You see,’’ he explains, ‘’it does look good but it’s a bit of a pig to drive. You have to be careful of every bump, hole or even cat’s eyes! So there are some chassis adjustments to make in the name of drivability – but on the plus side, it does get a lot of attention at the shows, I think simply because it’s a bit different.

I do really like the way it looks and for the most part it will stay the same aesthetically, but a slightly more track-focused setup will be coming this year which means different wheels, a different tune setup and exhaust system to eliminate some of the fun but obnoxious bangs, and of course some tweaking to the alignment. That being said, considering how stanced the car is, it drives fine and having that adjustability with the hydraulic suspension helps too.”

Conclusion

Michael was reluctant to put a figure on how much the build has cost so far. “It’s hard to calculate, simply because there was so much trial-and-error and some of the parts I didn’t use or I ended up with spares of which will eventually go into the other builds,” he reasons. “So although it’s a good amount, it’s ultimately spread across two or three cars depending on where the builds go.” Needless to say there is plenty in store for this fine car, and we can’t wait to see how it’ll evolve. Hats off to him for learning on the job and being an absolute legend.

So that was Michael’s farm. One full of petrol-powered animals. And on that farm there was a Sierra with a Saab turbo engine, E-I-E-… wait, what?”

Words & Photos: Chris Fletcher.

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Over in the States it’s fair to say that G-Series Infinitis have a bit of a reputation, and perhaps not a good one. Over there, they’re largely seen as a relatively cheap way to get into a Nissan VQ-engined car, and as such they don’t always attract the best owners. However, here in the UK, these cars were never officially imported to the island we call home, so there’s a great deal of exotic mystique and street cred attached to them. With that in mind, imagine how excited we were to come across not only a modified G37 in the UK, but a G37 with a Liberty Walk widebody kit. Now that’s real unicorn territory!

We sent Jules to go and check it out in person with its custodian, Phil. Watch the full feature below!

Why choose a G37?

As mentioned above, Infiniti G-Series cars aren’t exactly an obvious choice for a project in the UK, so why did Phil, Chris, and the guys at Tarmac Sportz go down this route?

“Basically we had a customer come in with one of these stock and we all fell in love with it. That sewed the seed in Chris’s mind and then I came into work one day and he’s got one! It was red and we did a couple of things to it to Tarmac Sport-ize it; a couple of stickers, did a couple of black bits on it, various bits and pieces. But I could just see Chris’s head going, and then he says he’s got to do something really big with it.”

That ‘something really big’ turned out to be a Liberty Walk widebody styling kit. Any LBWK kit will get you some kudos, but this is on another level. This is the first – and so far, only – Liberty Walk-kitted G37 in Europe!

Suspension mods

In keeping with the G37’s roots as a ‘370Z for cruising’, the guys at Tarmac Sportz decided that they needed to drop it down low to the ground, but still keep it usable for long-distance adventures.

“We developed some air cups for it, so even though it looks like it’s on bags and dropped, it’s actually static on BC coilovers and the ride is really really good.” Phil explained.

Lamborghini paint

” The color was Chris’ choice because he had a thing with Lamborghinis for a while, so the rims are gold like the classic Miura, but then he actual body color is Uranus Blue. We all think it’s gorgeous and I don’t think we’ve we’ve actually seen a Lamborghini in this color as it’s actually a rare color even for them!

“Lamborghini dealers gave us the paint codes and stuff like that obviously, then Matt from G Motorbody put it together and put it on the car which is… it’s just stunning.”

As you might have guessed, Matt was also tasked with actually fitting the kit, and it’s fair to say he’s done a top-notch job of the finish.

So far we’ve only scratched the surface of what this car is all about, so to get the full story, make sure to watch our video feature at the top of this page!

The post Liberty Walk Infiniti G37 | 1 Of 4 In The World! appeared first on Fast Car.

Back in the day, when every BMW was NA, turbos were mysterious. Aside from the Turbo concept car, the 2002 Turbo and the turbocharged E23 745i, BMW’s road-going offerings remained unboosted. Even the early diesel offerings were naturally aspirated, and they really weren’t great…This meant that modders would spend £1000s on project cars to squeeze out an extra handful of NA horsepower or just add an aftermarket or homebrew turbo or supercharger kit to reap the benefits of forced induction.

It was only when BMW launched the E92 335i that Bavarian enthusiasts finally got to experience petrol turbo power firsthand – the performance, the toque, and then the incredible tuning potential. And while every modern petrol BMW is now turbocharged and a remap is all you need to enjoy a serious boost in performance, the appeal of forced induction has not diminished one bit. Seeing anything running serious turbo power is always impressive, and when it’s a car that wasn’t using forced induction in the first place and reminds us of those old homebrew boost days, then even better.

Which brings us neatly to Lee Mowat’s extremely boosted BMW E36 Saloon, and it’s just a bit special.

Lee’s BMW obsession

“I’ve been into BMWs since I was around 13 years old,” Lee begins as we chat, “watching my dad rebuild his crash-damaged E39, and from there, I just fell in love with the older BMW shapes and how well-built they were for their age,” he enthuses, and the appeal of the older BMW models is undeniable. “My first BMW was a blue E39 523i Saloon,” Lee continues, “which I bought because I liked my dad’s one so much, I just had to have one for myself,” he smiles. “It wasn’t the fastest BMW out there, but it made up for it just with the comfort alone.”

Lee also treated his E39 to a drop over some Style 66s, with other cars he’s owned enjoying an air and wheels combo, and while his E36 also has air and wheels, it’s fair to say this is his biggest project to date. “My E36 Saloon was originally bought to replace an E36 Touring that I had, which was unfortunately very rotten due to being sat in a field for a few years before my ownership,” he explains.

Sourcing the BMW E36

“The car was actually local to me. I found it on Facebook, but the pictures weren’t the best, so I thought stuff it, I will have a look anyway, and it turned out to be a very tidy example for its age,” says Lee. “The car was originally a completely stock 316i SE, and the original plan was to simply transfer everything I could from my old Touring, including the 2.5 engine and drivetrain,” he explains, but things have gone a lot further since those initial plans…

M50 engine swap for the modified BMW E36

“I first tidied and semi-smoothed the engine bay, moved the fuse box to behind the dash, tidied and hid the engine loom,” explains Lee, and then came the engine swap that would define this build. “The engine is an M50B25TU making 594hp and 526lb ft of torque, with a Link G4X standalone ECU. The original engine was built by a friend of mine in two weeks, and over two years, it has slowly been changed into what is now,” Lee tells us. “It has a K64 performance decompression plate with ARP head studs to be able to achieve decent power numbers. It’s got an M52 oil pump with an added oil pump chain tensioner because the M52 pumps are stronger, and the tensioner is to stop any slack in the chain, which is known to cause problems,” explains Lee.

“It’s got a top-mount turbo manifold with a Pulsar G30-770 turbo – I went for a G30 to achieve a bit less lag compared to the bigger turbos,” not that he’s exactly short on power, mind. “I’ve got a Turbosmart 45 wastegate with screamer pipe, FMIC Pro Performance intake manifold, full 3” turbo-back exhaust to a Scorpion back box, Siemens 630cc injectors, a bigger fuel pump, an S50 oil filter housing with a HEL external thermostat and oil cooler. It’s also got solid engine mounts, a Nissan S14 radiator as it’s great value for money and works perfectly, and a black intercooler, so it can’t be seen behind the bumper,” Lee says. That adds an air of stealthiness to a build that might not be a complete sleeper but certainly doesn’t let you know that there’s almost 600 turbocharged horsepower waiting to be unleashed.

Modified BMW E36 transmission

“The transmission is an E46 320d six-speed gearbox, and I’m running this because it’s a strong six-speed ’box that is a reasonable price,” explains Lee. “There’s a Driftworks Superfly flywheel, CG Motorsport 320d Stage 3 six-paddle clutch plate, an M3 clutch pressure plate, a custom gearbox mount to enable the six-speed to fit, a custom front propshaft that currently goes to a 2.93 welded diff, though that’s temporary, and finally solid medium-case driveshafts.”

The amount of work that has gone into the engine and drivetrain is seriously impressive, and this is an incredibly comprehensive build. The engine bay also looks spectacular, with that massive turbo just barely managing to squeeze in, and the work Lee did to tidy up the engine bay before the M50 swap means it looks that much cleaner and tidier, perfect for when you want to take the bonnet off and show it off.

Suspension modifications

As we mentioned before, Lee’s modding MO has always been wheels and air-ride, and this E36 follows that tradition, with a few extras beneath the surface. “The car is on a full Air Lift Performance setup with 3P management – I decided to bag the car because I didn’t want to run it static on the lovely English roads,” laughs Lee. “I’ve also got poly lollipop bushes, a poly bushed rear subframe, and Hardrace camber arms, which I had to run to allow the wheels to fit stock body,” he explains.

The brakes, meanwhile, are M3 3.0 items up front and 2.5 rears, with EBC pads and braided lines all-round, with a full ABS delete. “The ABS delete was done to allow for a better brake pedal feel, and the original ABS pump was on its way out; believe it or not, the brakes feel and work a lot nicer without ABS,” says Lee.

Choosing the right wheels for the modified BMW E36

With air on board, Lee needed the perfect set of aftermarket wheels, and he’s got exactly that with these stunning BBSs. “The wheels are custom three-piece RC041 splits, which are 9.5”-wide front and rear. I really like the RC041 styling, so I luckily managed to pick up a set that had been converted to three-piece,” grins Lee, and we’re not surprised he’s so happy. These wheels are simply gorgeous and suit the E36 so well. The 17s tuck perfectly under the E36’s arches, the white centres contrast perfectly against the red bodywork, and then the red centre caps coordinate with it, while the gold BBS lettering matches the gold hardware. It’s a match made in heaven.

OEM+ exterior modifications

While the wheels make a big impact in terms of aesthetics, Lee has added a few key elements that give this E36 a lot more presence, and it looks fantastic. “The exterior was an easy one for me if I’m honest; I love stanced stock-body E36s, so a nice simple Sport kit with some little extra details such as the fat lip splitter and some subtle side skirt extensions was perfect,” smiles Lee. “The fog light ducts are a small detail but were much needed to channel more air into the engine bay and to the turbo. Also, some AC Schnitzer parts are nice to have – the AC spoiler took me a while to find, the same goes for the mirrors, but it added the little bit extra the car was missing,” he enthuses, and we agree.

Honestly, this modified BMW E36 looks so good – everything about it just works so well, and all the additional elements that Lee has added make such a big difference. That carbon front splitter fills out the front bumper and touches the ground when Lee airs out, making the car look so much more dramatic, and the rest of it is just so clean and just so right. And, if you look carefully, you’ll realise just how big that turbo is because the bonnet has a little hump to accommodate it.

Interior modifications

Finally, we come to the interior, and, for now, at least, Lee has kept things nice and simple in here. “To be honest, I’m still not fully decided on what route I’m going with the interior, but for the time being, I decided to fit black leather Sport front seats and black leather rears to match. I’ve also fitted matching front door cards, armrest, shifter and handbrake covers, as well as black suede headlining and parcel shelf.

I’ve got a genuine Nardi wood steering wheel with an NRG boss kit, a carbon centre console, glovebox panel, steering column surround and handbrake handle,” and these additions make the cabin feel more special. In addition to that, Lee has added genuine BMW cup holders, a chassis-mounted short-shift, and in front of that sits a trio of AEM gauges for boost, oil pressure and AFR. While Lee hasn’t as yet done that much on the inside, what he has done is just enough to make the cabin feel that bit more special.

The E36 is rapidly becoming a fan favourite of the modern classic modded BMW scene. It’s starting to get a whole lot of love, and Lee’s awesome example is all the proof you need. It’s got that older custom turbo build vibe, that homebrew feel that you’d get with boosted E36s back when the car was new, executed in a modern way with an eager eagle eye for the period details that make all the difference.

What’s next for the modified BMW E36?

It’s taken Lee four years to get his E36 to this stage, and impressive as it is, he’s not done just yet. “I want to get a built LSD so I can bin the welded diff, getting the interior how I want it once I have decided is also on my list, and maybe more power,” he laughs, but we don’t think he’s joking. And it’s the power that makes this build so awesome. “I would have to say my favourite modification has to be the M50 turbo setup because it makes the car very exciting to drive and also keeps me on my toes as it can be a handful,” chuckles Lee with a grin. Delivering big-boosted turbo thrills, this is one of the finest third-gen Threes we’ve seen on the scene in a long time, and it truly showcases the E36 at its very best.

Photos: Wookshot Media.

The post Modified BMW E36 With 594hp appeared first on Fast Car.

In fear of sounding like a bunch of old men, one of the many things we find ourselves reminiscing about in the office on an almost daily basis is those legendary ‘skunkworks’ project cars we were treated to in decades gone by.

It seems hard to fathom in this modern age of ULEZ-compliant fridge-freezers-on-wheels that, just a few years back, companies still had the balls to not only come up with these truly epic concept vehicles in their own time, but to actually get them to a stage where they had number plates slapped onto them and were available to purchase from your local dealership.

It may have been a while since we saw anything directly from a manufacturer that got our pulses racing to quite the same extent (the last example we can think of is probably the cheeky little Audi A1 TFSI Quattro, with those cool turbofan-style wheels), but thankfully, people like Netherlands-based Güray Yildiz here have been taking matters into their own hands…

Güray’s car history

“I always promised myself a Mk7.5 Golf R, and I always promised myself I would treat it to an RS3 engine swap, too,” Güray smiles, hinting at what’s now lying underneath this rather unassuming but incredibly attractive Vintage Racing Green five-door’s largely factory curves.

Self-proclaimed German car nut Güray has been through a range of modified motors in his time, not least a Mk2 G60, an Audi TT 225 and an E46 BMW M3 – all of which received tasteful upgrades to bring the very best out of them.

He’s recently combined his passion with his career, forming tuning parts distribution company AKA Performance back in 2020 – now a thriving business that was complemented by the launch of MTR Performance last summer, which gives Güray and his co-workers the chance to fettle with some of the finest sports cars in the Netherlands from their state-of-the-art workshop and dyno facility.

Engine swapping the modified Mk7 Golf R

Having snapped up a brand-new Mk7.5 Golf R a few years before the birth of AKA Performance, it was around this time that Güray thought he’d finally live out a promise he’d given to himself well before he’d even picked the car up: to carry out a full drivetrain swap from an Audi RS3.

“I’d planned the five-cylinder swap before I ordered the car,” he nonchalantly explains. “The plan was always to make the car unique, but with the start of my automotive companies, I knew it was the right time to finally live out this dream.”

Although it’s undoubtedly an effortlessly capable platform from the word go, the Golf R’s natural progression, if the boys and girls at Wolfsburg had been given free reign, would most likely have involved the ferocious EA855 five-banger from the RS3 and TTRS. And Güray was keen to explore this unbeaten path to see where it led him…

Modified Mk7 Golf R  goes OEM+

“The plan from the start was to keep the rest of the car restrained… think of it as a ‘Golf RS-R,” Güray continues the tale, justifying his strict OEM+ vibe and helping to explain how you might not expect such a savage drivetrain to now lie under this car’s relatively modest aesthetic.

You see, not only did Güray and the MTR Performance team manage to carry out the engine/gearbox and axle/driveshaft/Haldex conversion from a facelifted RS3 (boasting the fabled 400bhp DAZA EVO lump), but it’s safe to say they got a little carried away with the tuning of this motor, too…

“It’s fully forged, but I won’t go into too much details about this at this stage,” he cryptically tells us. “What I can tell you is that it’s running 852PS and 905NM on pump fuel, and 952PS and 1024NM on E85!”

Over. Nine. Hundred. Horsepower. In a Golf R. How?! Once the built engine and ‘box were in the car with the help of SAR-Turbotechnik in Germany, Güray and the MTR Performance gang began installing a choice selection of hardware upgrades, including a considerable Garrett G35-1050 turbocharger and some substantial fuelling/breathing upgrades (many of which were MTR’s own custom designs).

Chasing times

Known for their bespoke mapping services and clinical dyno cell, MTR Performance then got to work on some ECU and TCU maps for the car’s all-new powerplant, unsurprisingly of a switchable nature depending on what variety of fuel you intend to use that day.

“It wasn’t just built with promoting our companies in mind,” Güray says. “It was also designed to do well on the drag strip…”

A modest statement, when you consider the Golf’s already gone on to nail a sub-10-second quarter-mile time on pump fuel (with the team chasing the fabled eight-second figure this season), as well as dial in a 100-200km/h time of 3.61 seconds on one of its very first outings.

“It recorded a 0-62mph time of 2.7 seconds on pump fuel, too,” Güray adds. “When I took it out for my first real blast on a German Autobahn, I clocked some priceless looks from the likes of 991 Porsche Turbo S, BMW F90 M5 and Mercedes E63 AMG drivers!”

Balancing performance and usability

Big power is one thing, but combining it with the finesse of a factory road car is another feat in itself. You might expect this hatch to ride on Santa Pod-spec doughnut tyres and have half its panels removed to help achieve these absurd performance figures, for example, but you couldn’t be further from the truth.

At first glance, the unique Vintage Racing Green Inozetek body wrap and white gold OZ Racing rims certainly give off a striking appearance, whilst always remaining the right side of tasteful and reserved. The Porsche-style ‘RS’ badges dotted around are the only true nod to something out of the ordinary happening under this car’s skin – a fantastic and well-thought-out touch.

Delve deeper and other subtle clues include the mammoth RacingLine stoppers and ECS Tuning rear diffuser, complete with RS3-style exhaust outlets – just enough of a hint for those in the know to look twice, but for this machine to fly under the radar everywhere else.

Modified VW Golf R Mk7 interior

Inside, it’s a similar story, with Güray being strict about keeping things as VW intended wherever possible. The striking carbon fibre Recaro fixed-backs really are a statement piece, and when combined with the largely stock interior, give off that classy clubsport feel that we go weak at the knees for. Even the steering wheel is a Golf R unit, albeit with an Alcantara re-trim.

Suspension modifications

It won’t surprise you at this stage to hear that killer stance wasn’t the aim of the game for this build. Instead, a subtle drop on some custom KW V3s not only help to cater for the non-factory drivetrain but also keep the car functionally capable on both road and track.

Conclusion

This isn’t the first RS3-swapped modified Mk7 Golf R we’ve set eyes upon. It is, however, without a doubt one of the finest executions of this fantastic conversion, combining manufacturer-levels of finesse with performance figures that threaten to rip your face clean off if you stab the throttle pedal too eagerly.

And you know what? In a world full of emission regulations and crash protection ratings, thank goodness people like Güray are still around to remind us of better times…

Subscribe to Performance VW. Words: Sam Preston (flatoutmedia.org)  Pics: Lennart Dijkstra. 

The post Modified Mk7 Golf R With 950bhp RS3 Engine appeared first on Fast Car.

Cosworth enthusiasts are walking on air these days. Well, the ones who actually own Cosworths, anyway. The original blue collar supercar, the road-racer for the everyman, the OG, the GOAT… the whole point of this car was to provide ridiculous performance at a not-ridiculous price point; sure, its real purpose on paper was to homologate the Sierra for Group A competition, and of course that’s a role it fulfilled with alacrity, but there’s something owners recall with just as much misty-eyed fondness as all that motorsport prowess, and that’s the fact that ordinary people could wander into a Ford showroom, slap down a wad of twenties and drive home in something unbelievably fast with ultra tuning ability.

For a time, it was one of the most stolen cars in the UK, and they became increasingly difficult to insure because they made outstanding getaway cars. The police couldn’t keep up. Urban legends abounded about drivers setting lap times around the M25 in the wee small hours.

And yet, in the 2020s, the notion of affordability has gone right out of the window. Thanks to all of these enduring myths and legends, and the Sierra RS Cosworth’s indelible and ineradicable halo, these cars are selling for very silly money indeed. The type of telephone numbers that make owners mothball the cars in heated and dehumidified garages, keeping them away from prying eyes and caustic elements, safe in the knowledge that one day that’ll be their retirement fund amply taken care of.

Driving the Sierra RS Cosworth how it was meant to be driven

Some owners, however, remain true to the cause of what these glorious machines were built for: grabbing by the scruff of the neck and giving a thorough drubbing on every available occasion. People like Jamie Price, who love nothing more than to get their big-power Cossies sideways and cause a bit of a fracas. And what Jamie’s doing here is continuing the hedonistic enthusiasms of David Parr, this particular car’s only previous owner, who was especially keen on the idea of giving the Sierra a really hard time. Because that, fundamentally, is what they’re all about.

Jamie’s car obsession

Now, regular readers of Fast Ford may well recognise Jamie a few months back, when the team ran a feature on his daily driver – a Ranger which he’s converted to Raptor spec and fitted with a 3UZ V8 motor from a Lexus, of all things. This is a man with high-octane fuel very much coursing through his veins. He’s always had Cosworths, along with a bunch of big-power Japanese cars in the mix including the 900bhp Mk4 Toyota Supra he’s got right now – and he’s in the process of swapping a Honda K24 into an Escort Cosworth, which should ruffle a few feathers.

Modified Sierra RS Cosworth history

The Diamond White hooligan that’s skidding about for Ade’s hungry lens today has been in Jamie’s possession for a couple of years or so now. “I previously had a black 3-door Cossie for a while, but I really wanted a white one,” he explains. “So I put some wanted adverts up on the Cosworth Facebook pages, and a guy called David Parr messaged me – and when I found out that he had owned this car from brand new, well, I just had to have it.”

A one-owner example is a rare enough find in itself, but there was an additional dimension here to consider. You see, David wasn’t the typical Cosworth owner (if, indeed, there was such a thing). Having started out using it as his daily driver in 1987 – because, impressively, this was his company car – he decided to keep it for himself when the time came to trade up to a newer model, and from 1992 he started using it in sprints and hillclimbs. David had form here, as he’d previously built up a lot of experience in motorsport; he’d started things off with a 105E Anglia in the 1960s before moving up to a Diva GT 10F (a super-obscure machine with a fibreglass body and spaceframe chassis) in 1970; Divas generally ran small-displacement Ford crossflows, although David fitted his with the twin-cam from a Lotus Cortina.

That was followed by a bunch of Escorts, one of which had a 260bhp Cosworth BDG motor and won him a lot of silverware; that engine later got swapped into a Davrian, which again helped him to win championships.

Road legal

So the Sierra acted as a natural progression for David, and while he was adamant about keeping it in road-legal trim, he was also keenly aware of how to sharpen up the edges and extract all the performance it had to offer. Taking the car to Andy Fisher at Woodyard Garage in Redditch, the venerable YB motor was torn down and built back up with a 200 block, uprated internals, T38 turbo and hot cams; the result was a brutal 380bhp, which was subsequently dialled down to a ‘sensible’ 345bhp (it’s all relative) to make it less lairy and more manageable on the road – because this was never a trailer queen, David was proud to drive it to and from every event.

Rallying success

In the early days, he enjoyed an incredible amount of success, regularly claiming scalps from the likes of Porsche 911s and Morgan Plus 8s. But the rally boys inevitably shook things up in time, and as more and more all-wheel-drive cars such as the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza started shuffling the Sierra down the order, so David decided that it was time to return to his roots and get himself another 105E Anglia – a feisty 1700 screamer which, naturally, was also fettled by Andy Fisher. And it’s with these shifting seasons of life that, after so many years of enthusiastic use in single-ownership, Jamie found himself able to buy David’s iconic and legendary Cosworth.

“The car has won over 150 trophies in sprints and hillclimbs with David at the wheel,” says Jamie. “He is in his 80s now and he’s a lovely guy – he can really drive, he’s still competing in the 105E, and he scared the life out of me when we test-drove the Sierra!”

Finishing touches for the modified Sierra RS Cosworth

There was a gentle touch that needed to be taken here. The modified Sierra RS Cosworth has such heritage and such history that it deserves to be preserved – and, of course, it deserves to be driven hard and often, because that’s what David always did. But at the same time, as the car’s new curator and the one to guide it through the next chapter of its existence, it was important to Jamie that he put his own stamp on it and really make it his own.

“It looked fairly stock when I got it, aside from a few decals,” he says. “I put the RS500 bodykit on, and changed the seats to a set of Recaros I had lying around from a past project. And the engine’s had a bit of refresh too: Andy Fisher built it a long time ago, 23 years ago now, and it’s still going strong. I’ve recently had Mark Shead of MADevelopments install an Emtron ECU and a new loom, along with a coil pack conversion, modern injectors and so on. It drives so nicely now, it’s at 2.3-bar boost and really good fun to drive. I also installed an RS500 intercooler and a new radiator. According to MAD it’s making around 400-420bhp.”

Conclusion

All of this adds up to something thoroughly impressive, and its faultless spick-and-span appearance is the perfect trick to fool the casual passer-by into thinking that it’s some manner of static showpiece, rather than the hard-driven brawler it really is. Jamie’s fitted a set of BBS centre-locks to heighten the maximum-attack aesthetic, and that really is the way he drives it. Balls-to-the-wall, just as it ought to be. “The car is in amazing condition for its age, really,” he muses. “David did a great job of looking after it, it’s never been welded and the only paint it’s ever had was me doing the RS500 bits. A true survivor car, and the MOT history is astounding, it’s never failed or even had an advisory.”

A rare groove indeed, and that unblotted copybook makes it all the more impressive that the Cossie is still getting driven the way its designers and engineers always intended, all these decades later. But that’s Cossies for you, isn’t it? It’s not just a machine, it’s a feeling. “I love this car,” Jamie beams. “I’m turning 50 this year, and this car reminds me of being in my early 20s when I had a 3-door. Good times.”

Yes, it’s those two words that perfectly sum up this endlessly impressive car. Good times. That’s what it was made for, and that’s what it has always, always provided. Long may the good times roll.

Photos: Ade Brannan.

The post Modified Ford Sierra RS Cosworth appeared first on Fast Car.

If you spend as much time online as I do, you’ll likely have heard the horror stories about Ferrari taking legal action against customers that modify their cars, the most famous example being the very public case against DeadMau5 and his ‘Purrari’. In fact, Ferrari are so uptight about their brand image, that they even have strict rules about what you can and can’t customize on their cars in video games. As such, I imagine if Old Man Enzo and his descendants ever laid their eyes on this pair of modified prancing horses, they’d combust from rage right on the spot. However, if you know anything about us here at Fast Car, that’s exactly the sort of approach to car modification that we’re into. So, allow us to give you a whistlestop tour around this epic Liberty Walk Ferrari duo.

Liberty Walk Ferrari 348

First up, we’re heading back to the eighties with Liberty Walk Europe’s Ferrari 348 demo car.

“I think this was probably our seventh or eighth build, something like that.” explained James from Liberty Walk Europe. LBWK Europe has built its fair share of demo cars over the years, so this 348 is considered a bit of a golden oldie these days. Now, you might be thinking that there’s not much more to this build than the bodykit, but actually this car has plenty of stories to tell. So, let’s dive in and see what it’s packing.

Custom-designed wheels

“We’ve worked with 3SDM on probably half of our projects,” James revealed. “They’re great when we want a unique [wheel] design and, for us, we wanted to try and keep it as close to the original as we could. Essentially we wanted a modern take on the original 348 wheel rim design, so we approached 3SDM, they mocked this up, and we instantly loved the concept.

“[The wheels are] one of the best parts of the build, they’re absolutely beautiful. 3SDM offers great quality and they’re a UK company as well, so that’s a double win.”

I have to agree. Wheel choice can make or break a car, and these rims are certainly enhanced over the stock variants, yet they still feel period-appropriate to the 348.

Look behind them and you’ll find a set of upgraded Brembo brakes at both the front and rear, featuring four-piston calipers.

Air suspension

You’ll probably have noticed by now how low the car sits to the ground, and that’s thanks to the fact it’s sitting on bags.

“It’s got full Airrex suspension and rides great. Even when lifted for driving it still rides low, that’s one thing you immediately notice when you sit in it. It feels like you’re sitting on the floor, it’s absolutely crazy.”

Engine modifications

The 3.4-liter V8 simply had to stay in the car, but Liberty Walk Europe wasn’t against the idea of enhancing it. As a result, the car’s engine now boasts a set of custom-fabricated throttle bodies, fully custom exhaust manifolds, and a whole lot more internal work. However, if you want to learn more about the intricacies behind this car, please go ahead and watch the full video feature at the top of this page. In the meantime, let’s move things on to the new-school (if you can call a near-20-year-old car ‘new’)…

Liberty Walk Ferrari F430

Straight away, although this F430 is rocking a Liberty Walk wide arch kit as well, the vibe it gives off is very different. The new aggressive lines mixed with its monochrome and turquoise color palette brings this car right up to date in terms of styling. In fact, when you see it in person in the right lighting, it almost looks futuristic.

Stance

“It was never intended to go like this.” The car’s owner Charlie explained. Well, we’ve heard that one before, but for somebody who attends car shows as regularly as Charlie does, this F430 was never going to remain stock for long.

However, for Charlie, this car was a bit of a journey of discovery.

“I used to be naive and assumed that everything to do with air suspension was from Air Lift, but Prazis do a very bespoke, very special performance car strut which works incredibly on this. It handles incredibly with the Air Lift 3H management system and we can air it out from a phone [app], which is great fun for when you’re at the shows, but it’s also great for really fine-tuning where you want the car to sit and how you want it to look.”

“With such a wide kit we had to find a wheel that would fit, so I opted for some completely custom-made Rotiforms. They’re 11.5J fronts and 9.5J at the rear. The offset is ET -70. I didn’t know much about offsets before – I was the guy who would buy wheels and they’d either be too far out or too far in and you’d have to buy God knows how many shims and spacers to get them away from the caliper, but it’s fair to say I’ve done my research. I don’t think there’s anything nicer than driving a car where you can look in your rearview mirrors and just see that wheel spinning – you know you’re wide then!”

Engine and exhaust

Nobody needs to extract more power from a Ferrari V8, so instead Charlie has focused on its aesthetic qualities. The turquoise accent color than can be found elsewhere on the car is present on the engine cover, and there’s some additional carbon fiber thrown into the mix too.

The real party piece, however, is the insane spiral exhaust, which you can see in the picture below.

“Deutsch Tech did an amazing job of it but they’re itching to do a titanium version instead because that seems to be what the big boys do these days. But as you can appreciate, I think each titanium 90° bend worked out to be something like seven times the price of a stainless steel one. There was 32 90° bends used for this so, um, I’ll let you do the maths on that… ”

Interior

As Charlie puts it, the interior was why he bought this particular F430 in the first place. And with good reason.

“This [pure white interior] was actually done by Ferrari as a specific customer request. It came like this, even with the quilted headlining, from the factory.”

To see the F430’s stunning cabin space, plus a whole lot more, make sure to watch our in-depth video feature above!

The post Liberty Walk Ferrari Duo Go Head To Head appeared first on Fast Car.

Held in the same regard as the likes of Rocket Bunny and Liberty Walk, RWB – and Nakai-san, the creative mind behind it – has become one of the most prestigious styling brands in the car modification aftermarket. However, whereas RWB’s aforementioned rivals are happy to stick fat arches and big wings onto pretty much anything, Nakai-san’s work is synonymous with one car marque in particular. Porsche.

To a purist, irreversibly tearing up the stock body of an old 911 is sacrilege, but ‘purist’ doesn’t exactly describe our tastes very well here at Fast Car. As it happens, Sam – the owner of this RWB – is a like-minded fellow, as he goes on to explain.

Build inspiration

“It’s a 1991 model Porsche 911 (964) which I bought in its stock form back in early 2018. I was on YouTube one day and, as you do, some related videos came up and there was one featuring an RWB Porsche. Immediately I was like, “what’s this?!”, so I watched it and was literally hooked from then on. I think I must have watched every single RWB video on the internet, and by that point I began to feel that these RWBs were making my stock car look rubbish…”

So, there was only one thing for it. Sam needed to join the club, so to speak. But how do you go about getting an RWB kit in the first place? Well, for a car to be considered a true RWB, the body kit needs to be fitted by the man himself. However, transporting a car all the way to Japan and back wasn’t going to be an easy task. So, instead, Nakai-san came to Sam. Yep, one of the Japanese domestic aftermarket’s modern day icons would spend a few days in… Sheffield.

Hosting Nakai-san

“He ships the kit beforehand,” Sam explained. “You paint it, get everything ready, then he comes to the airport. You pick him up, bring him to the car, then one and a half days later – boom.

“He literally just turns up with one suitcase, an air saw, and a little sander. If you’ve got an air compressor at the shop, he’s good to go!”

Now for the painful bit:

“To fit the over fenders he has to cut away at the original arches and he literally does that on the fly, by eye.”

It takes a brave man to start cutting into a Porsche without taking measurements first, but perhaps an even braver man to let him do it to their car!

Other modifications

So, we’ve established that this is indeed a legit Porsche 964 RWB conversion, but what else has this car got going on underneath the skin? Well, as for the wheels, Sam’s car is rocking a set of Brixton forged wheels – specifically the matte black firecracker variant of the CM60 model, meaning it gets black centers with a copper edge.

“On the rear they’re 13J, and then on the front they’re 10.5J… big, big wheels.” Sam says. And he’s not wrong.

Behind those wide rims, you’ll find Porsche’s stock braking system. But, the suspension is far from standard. Currently, the car’s sitting on bags, but Sam plans to swap those out for a set of coilovers in the near future.

Oh, and you might have noticed that massive rear wing on the back too.

“Nakai actually offers a few different wing options for a 964,” Sam explains. “You can have the ducktail style which is a lot smaller and makes the car look a bit more hench, or you can have the big GT2 Wing [which is the one you see on Rokweiler]. You can also have a double stacked wing I think, or triple stacked wing which is even bigger and even more ridiculous.”

Rokweiler

Now, those of you familiar with Nakai-san’s work will know that he likes to name every car he modifies, the most famous of which being the ‘Stella Artois’. However, that wasn’t quite how things played out when naming Rokweiler.

“I’d had the kit for four years sat in my warehouse which gave me plenty of time to think of what I wanted to call the car, so I was like, “Nakai, hold on, I’m doing the name.” So yeah, my favorite band, plus rottweiler black and gold – it just suits it really well.”

If you want to learn more about this Porsche 964 RWB in closer detail (including a few extra mods we’ve not mentioned here!), check out our video feature at the top of this page.

The post Porsche 964 RWB | Rokweiler appeared first on Fast Car.

Lighting up is no good for your health. But the motorsport liveries created by tobacco companies? They’re lit and emblazoned on the brains of fans everywhere. Purple and white means shovel-nosed Le Mans Jaguars; blue and yellow says Colin McRae in a sideways Subaru; black and gold is Lotus single seaters. Red with white? We could only be talking Marlboro and a look that accompanied Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to world championship glory.

That’s inspiration enough for a stand out show car, but don’t race to conclusions: Rob Hardy didn’t build his tuned Renault 5 GTT to channel mainstream motorsport. Oh no. Instead ,he’s taken inspiration from a scale model. The evocation in question harks back to a real machine that ran on the 1982 Rallye du Var. That might not mean much to some, but the driver’s name will. It was Alain Prost behind the wheel, in his first, last and only stage rallying appearance. And he was driving a Renault 5 Turbo 2.

Why a motorsport livery?

“I just fell in love with that car,” Rob confesses. “And I thought that style would look cool on a Renault of my own. If you’re going to modify something, it might as well have your mark on it.”

This isn’t the Marlboro livery as you’ve seen it before. Painted by Wayne Barnett at GT Turbo Spares, its main coat of Renault Glacier White is counterpointed not by an authentic, full bodied red but with a tangy orange. The explanation is simple: it’s Rob’s favourite colour, so it had to feature. Prominently. Flashes of orange dominate the retrimmed cabin too – and it all started with a pair of two-tone sports seats from FK Automotive.

The rear bench has been retrimmed to match, gaining a custom leather look from furniture expert McKay Upholstery, while the leather doorcards were chosen for their orange stitching. Edge speakers, hooked up to a JVC Chameleon stereo, also got the nod thanks to their tangerine highlights. Contrast comes courtesy of a custom black rooflining and carpets, both measured and fitted by Rob himself.

Tuned Renault 5 GTT: Apricot Assault

Pop the bonnet latch and the apricot assault continues, thanks to a custom painted cylinder head and a brace of orange silicone hoses. An aftermarket strut brace, finished in the same Glacier White as the exterior and tagged with a Marlboro transfer, provides a striking contrast. Speaking of stickers, the body benefits from a collection of sponsors’ decals which closely mimic those on Prost’s car. Sourced from specialist suppliers I Say Ding Dong, they’ve been placed with exacting reference to schematics of the original rally machine.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before he could prime the paint guns, Rob had to source and restore the Renault that forms the basis of his build. A lifelong 5 fan, it was the third time he’d hunted for a GT Turbo. The first proved Flinstones floor rusty and the second had a junk engine, so it would be the first time he’d be able to keep the object of his affections. “I was working in Oman when I found this one on eBay,” he remembers, “it was in a scrapyard, it was going to be a track car project and I got it for the princely sum of £350. It was my 30th present to myself!” It sure beats a watch or a night on the town.

Sourcing parts for the tuned Renault 5 GTT

Back in Britain, the birthday boy tore straight into his new purchase. On discovering the oil and water lines were plumbed into the wrong systems, Rob treated the Renault to a full restoration. The two GT Turbo bodykits promptly hit the market, providing valuable funds, while Rob hunted down replacement parts straight from the 90s era. He hit gold, securing a front and rear bumper from a period Prima Racing kit. “I wanted to find something different,” he says, “and these make it look like a much meaner car.”

Careful searching would eventually uncover the wide wheelarches, grille inserts, side skirts and stubby wing to match, but looks weren’t the only topic on Rob’s mind. Using a range of self-taught fabrication skills, he stripped the Renault back, built a custom rotisserie to rotate the bare shell and set to work on rotten areas. Patching and parts replacement soon got the sills, rear wheel arches and floor looking like they should, allowing focus to switch to suspension and subframe rebuilds which utilise sport-focused Powerflex purple polybushes.

Never one to shirk a challenge, Rob now embarked on his first ever engine rebuild. Major upgrades include a Scorpion 2.5-inch exhaust system, a Garrett T25 turbocharger from AET Turbos and the front-mount intercooler from a Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth – chosen for its ability to just fit under the front beam. But the renovation process focused more on dependability than outright power. “It went step by step and nothing was too horrendous,” he says. “And my wife lovingly helped me with lapping the valves, which was one of the hardest tasks.” Rob has used new but original specification parts to replace the cylinder head, cylinder liners and pistons, creating an engine which produces around 170bhp.

Problems along the way

A bodyshop visit came next – and there was bad news in store. “We discovered the bumpers were shot,” says Rob. “So I needed to find new ones overnight.” A 12 and a half hour race to York and back followed, Rob stumbling on a miraculous pair of Prima bumpers so fresh they were still in their original gel coat. With the kit fitted, and accessorised by a pair of DTM Cup mirrors, the tuned Renault 5 GTT could finally take on its pugnacious shape.

The right rims weren’t the work of an instant either. To fill out the wide Prima arches, any replacement alloy wheels have to wear a tiny offset and measure one inch wider at the rear than the front. It’s an uncommon combination and one that’s fulfilled by a set of Image EV split rim wheels. “It was a bit of a mission,” laughs Rob. “But I eventually managed to find this used set in London.” The vital measurements are ideal: 15 inch diameter all round; 7.5 inches wide with a slim ET10 bump at the front; a neutral ET0 and 8.5 inches of width at the rear.

Nerve-wracking

Vital statistics secure, Rob could turn his attentions to style. Inspired once again by the Prost rally car, he’s elected to refinish the face of each wheel in gloss black and keep the outer band in high sheen, hand-polished chrome. Peer a little closer, mind, and you’ll spy some individuality on the inside rim. The little seen surface has been powdercoated in the same citrus shade as the exterior stripes.

Nerve-wracking. That’s how Rob describes his first miles in his wide-arched wonder. “I knew that I’d replaced or reconstructed every single bolt,” he laughs. “And that feeling lasted for the first 500 miles.” Don’t worry, he’s still made the most of his 1397cc rager. After nothing more than a couple of round the block excursions, car and owner embarked on the eight-hour round trip to Santa Pod Raceway for Retro Show.

Wait a hot minute: the Marlboro machine isn’t burned out yet. Rob aims to focus on both ends of the car in the coming months, fitting a custom boot install and subwoofer behind the seats and a Piper 285 high lift camshaft in the engine bay. With a little finesse, the result should be earth-shaking bass and a rolling road proven 200bhp. Add those changes to the Renault’s abundant style and you’ve got a retro riot.

“It’s never being sold,” says Rob, as if we ever needed to ask. “My daughter’s got her eye on it too. Even though she’s only 11.” Three decades after it first hit the scene, the Renault 5 GTT is still smouldering.

This article was first featured in 2019. Words: Emma Woodcock. Photos: Jules Truss

The post Tuned Renault 5 GT: From The Archive appeared first on Fast Car.

If you ask Dave Henderson to talk you through his next project, you might be surprised to learn how it all came about. At his workshop in Falkirk is an RS3 saloon shell project car, still mid-build but only a few months away from attacking the upper echelons of the Europe’s professional drag racing scene. It’s an ongoing evolution of everything he’s learned from this car, and that’s a long list. The evolution of what’s now Europe’s fastest Audi RS3 – a 1,300hp, 8.5-second, 165mph quarter-mile missile – began with Run What Ya Brung sessions just five years ago, and it’s fuelled by an irrepressible ambition to explore the limits of what’s possible.

History of drag racing

“I’ve always gone drag racing, but it was more of a fun thing – family days out at Santa Pod, and having a laugh with friends,” he tells us. “However, I don’t do 50%, I’m in there. I’ve pushed forward and really got into racing with this car, and it’s got faster and faster. We’ve just ticked the 8.5-second box, so I’ve achieved my goals this year. Next year we’re building a new car, and the goal is sevens.”

Some of the roots run deeper than the car itself. Dave has been a mechanic his entire working life, starting as an apprentice at his local Ford dealership over 30 years ago, and eventually branching out with his own business in 2016. DH Automotive has expanded quickly in the meantime, outgrowing its single-ramp garage in around six months, and a twin-ramp unit two years later. Equipped to handle everything from a basic service to a full engine build and dyno tuning, it’s as useful an environment as you could want for a project like this.

The rest was hard-wired into his personality. “Performance tuning is something I’ve enjoyed for my whole life,” he continues. “My first road-legal vehicle was a Mini, when I was 17. It started off as a basic 850cc, and ended up as a 1,340cc race-tuned engine and me driving it like a lunatic. So that’s where it all started, but later in life it’s always been Volkswagens and Audis.”

Pushing the boundaries

Modern, turbocharged engines have enabled him to up the ante. Back in 2017, Dave had wrung 600hp out of his daily driven 8V-generation S3 saloon and reached the limits of the parts available for it at the time. Having previously owned an 8P-generation RS3, the lure of a five-pot – and the noise and tuning potential that came with it – was too good to ignore. A combination of past experiences with the most potent engine in the A3 line-up, and the most aerodynamic body for it too.

Initial tuning on the modified Audi RS3

The right base car came up for sale south of the border, still in factory tune and wearing the same Ara Blue as the S3 it replaced, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Working with MRC, the saloon quickly progressed through Stage One and Stage Two tuning kits as repeat trips to Santa Pod fuelled a need to push the engine further. With a year it had become Europe’s first nine-second RS3 and was under increasingly close scrutiny efforts focused on shaving fractions of a second from its quarter-mile times. Stock internals turned out to be tough enough foundations to push what was, at the time, his daily drive to 710hp and 820Nm with the help of a TTE700 turbo. Hardly shabby, but Dave wanted more.

“It got to the stage about three years where everything got a bit more serious. I used to go down to Santa Pod with a full interior in the car, strip it out at the track, change the wheels and drain the tank to run race fuel, then I’d put it back together to drive home. Then for the last few seasons we’ve started running the car competitively in the VWDRC and won the Heads Up class two years running,” he says.

Engine swap for the modified Audi RS3

There is no easy route to the top of that class. Unwilling to pull the still-solid factory engine apart, Dave put it into storage having assembled something better suited to the task ahead. It’s based on the same DAZA inline-five, but that’s where the similarities stop. The block has been overbored slightly and superfinished – a fine polishing that reduces friction – then fitted with water-cooled cylinder liners, uprated pistons and rods and a balanced crank ready for the extra power. Up top, the head was fully rebuilt by Race Developments and is paired with the largest turbo in the RPC Motorsport catalogue.

“The new five-cylinder engines are a lot easier to tune,” he explains. “The 8P RS3 had a cast block with five injectors, but the new ones have ten injectors and an ally block – which is relatively soft, so you do have to be careful with them. We’ve pretty much maxed the turbo I have but we’re still evolving, and a lot of that is down to fuelling. It’s still using the stock direct injectors, but turned right down, and we’ve upgraded to 2,600cc port injection to give the car the fuel it needs.”

Upping the ante

Naturally, this has required some specialist support. After an injector issue at the start of 2022 left Dave with a melted piston, the most recent game-changer is upgrading to Syvecs management as part of the rebuild. It’s been a foundation for pushing the envelope even further. Having been dynoed at 1,120bhp during the spring, a season of trackside fine-tuning with help from Stijn Jacobs of 4 Strokes Performance has wrung even power from the saloon’s monster five-pot. There’s no dyno graph to prove it, but the resulting quarter-mile times tell you everything you need to know.

“It gets a lot harder when you’re pushing for hundredths of a second, but Stijn is a wizard with what he does so we’ve got faster and faster. We flew him over for GTI Festival at Santa Pod and we did a late-night run at 8.6 seconds while racing in competition, so we won the event. Which was nice,” smiles Dave.

“People have said, with the times it’s doing, it’s probably got a couple of hundred horsepower more than it had on the dyno – so that’s more than 1,300hp. However, all of the tuning has been done at the track, so it’s hard to be sure.”

Transmission upgrades

There’s an impressive amount of factory hardware tasked with translating that tyre-wrinkling, flame-hurling lunacy into straight-line speed. The driveshafts and propshaft are stock – and apparently tough enough to withstand 1300hp, slick tyres and treated asphalt – while the RS3 came factory fitted with Volkswagen’s strongest DQ500 dual-clutch transmission, which has also survived several seasons of racing without complaints. Dave added Wavetrac limited-slip differentials front and rear with uprated clutches and aftermarket management, but Audi’s engineers clearly knew what they were doing with the rest.

“These cars are predominantly front-wheel drive until they sense a bit of slip, then the rear engages. We use a Syvecs Haldex controller at the rear, which brings the clutches together during a more aggressive push forward, and the differential means we’re not spinning one of the wheels like we were before. It’s really optimised the way the car launches,” he explains.

“It hasn’t missed a beat in two years of racing, and I think it’s testament to using quality products. Every time it comes back from a meeting, we change all the fluids in the engine and transmission. If you go out and run a marathon then you’ve got to replenish your fluids and a car is no different after it’s been beaten to within an inch of its life.”

Chassis modifications for the Audi RS3

Previous experience highlighted where the MQB platform had shortfalls, and the spec is equally optimised here. The aluminium front and rear subframes are stock, but no longer have anti-roll bars, and Dave worked with Bilstein to develop a bespoke suspension setup for the strip. Through a process of trial and error, testing multiple different spring rates and re-valving the shocks, the finished setup dials out excessive squatting off the line without making the car unusable on the road. Yes, it’s still street legal.

Of course, building a road-legal dragster throws a few unusual challenges into the mix. The wheels were computer-designed for the car, fitted with 10-inch barrels and 26-inch M&H slicks, but the biggest clearance issues aren’t on show. Audi equipped the RS3 with 370mm front discs and 310mm at the back, but they were too large. Dave switched to 13-inch vented discs with six-piston Wilwood calipers up front, while the rear setup was lifted from a diesel Golf.

Exterior and interior mods

Despite the excessive horsepower on tap, none of that performance was wasted on creature comforts. Swapping steel doors and glass windows for Mcomposit carbon fibre and polycarbonate shaves 63kg from the Audi’s kerb weight, while the bootlid sheds another 9kg. Most of the RS 3’s luxurious interior has also been stripped out, including half of the dashboard and everything below the shoulder line except for the airbags. Aside from the carbon fibre Tillett bucket seat and harnesses, there isn’t much left.

Modified Audi RS3 performance figures

The result of that aggressive strip-down is a car that weighs just 1,331kg with 5kg of fuel on board. For perspective, that’s similar to a 2.0 TDI A3 saloon, but with nine times more power. It’s also enough to close the 2023 season with an 8.6-second, 165mph personal best at Santa Pod’s Flame and Thunder weekend– or 8.751 seconds measured on the Dragy app. This was a turning point, as Dave explains.

“This year we’ve got to the stage where, because we’re almost in the mid-eights, I can’t run in the Pro class because I need a cage and a parachute. We’re in excess of 160mph and I’ve seen a few crashes recently so I’d like that bit of safety, but if I put a cage in this one then it’s solely a drag car. Instead, I’ve bought an RS3 shell from a breaker and Robinsons Race Cars has fitted a full 7.5-second FIA cage. We’ll replace all the panels with carbon fibre to make it as light as possible and see where we go with it. Onwards and upwards, as they say…

Naturally, stepping away from road-legality is an opportunity to push even harder on the mechanical side. The engine that’s taken this car to its pace-setting quarter-mile times will live on in the new shell, rebuilt with a thinner head gasket, larger RPC Motorsport turbocharger, nitrous shot and an exhaust that ends with an outlet in the front bumper.

What’s next for the modified Audi RS3?

And this one? By the time you read this there’s every chance you won’t recognise it at all. Set to be reunited with its original engine, the modified Audi RS3 will get a second life as a fast-road machine – standard visually but built to Stage Two spec up front. It’s as much of a sleeper as Audi’s performance saloon could ever be and, ironically, not a bad foundation for Run What Ya Brung days. Maybe it hasn’t seen Santa Pod for the last time.

“I’m still just having fun,” shrugs Dave. “Drag racing plays a big part in the business, but it’s also a huge part of my social life – all of the boys from work come, and so does the family. It’s just that now I’m pushing the boundaries. That 16-year-old petrolhead is still in there, realising I can still go faster, so let’s do it. We’re entering the realms of the unknown next year but, as I always say, every day is a school day.”

An intensive school day at that. In a little over five years, what started as a step up in the performance stakes has propelled Audi’s smallest RS model into the upper echelons of Europe’s drag racing scene. Soon to have a Pro-spec car at his disposal, getting into the sevens is a next step rather than the final target. Given the ambition he’s shown so far, we’ve got a feeling there’s plenty of potential left to explore.

Be sure to check out Performance VW magazine for more features like this. Words: Alex Grant. Photos: Nick Williams. 

The post 1300hp Modified Audi RS3 Is An 8 Second Quarter-Mile Monster appeared first on Fast Car.

The classic jelly-mold profile of the Ford Sierra is instantly familiar to European eyes. The design that shocked in period by turning its curvaceous backside on the car industry’s broadly established keenness for right-angles and designing things with set-squares, the sylph-like hatchback rapidly became a ubiquitous everyday sight. A car that really moved forward European attitudes toward automotive design.

What is the Ford Merkur XR4Ti?

In North America, it was a slightly different story. Yes, you could buy a Sierra, but no, they didn’t suddenly appear on every suburban driveway. It wasn’t even called ‘Sierra’; the Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln-Mercury division came up with the idea of launching a sub-brand, Merkur, to sell the model in federalised form to a Stateside audience.

In the end, Merkur only existed for five years and sold just two models – the XR4ti and the Scorpio. It’s the former that’s of particular interest here, as it was an Americanised version of the Sierra XR4i available in Europe, complete with biplane spoiler and split side windows. However, instead of rocking the 2.8i Cologne V6 from the Capri, the XR4Ti got a turbocharged (hence the ‘T’) Lima four-pot.

In Europe, the Merkur XR4Ti was officially sold only in Switzerland. None officially came to the UK. Except for two very special cars, that is. They were the cars that BTCC legend Andy Rouse turned into very successful touring cars in 1985 and 1986. He won the BTCC Drivers Championship in 1985 behind the wheel of an XR4Ti – a feat he couldn’t repeat in the Sierra RS500 Cosworth.

With 42,464 examples sold between 1985-89, it’s fair to say that this wasn’t exactly a runaway success – but that’s not to say that this niche interloper didn’t find its fans on the other side of the Atlantic. And in one snowy corner of Canada, an idea has been bubbling up for a few decades now…

Introducing the Ford RS4Ti Merkur

Striding in from stage right at this point is the affable figure of Jesse Henke, owner of JH Restorations in Ontario. This striking and startlingly reinvented Merkur, proudly crafted under the banner ‘Remade in Canada’, is his baby, and it’s quite unlike any other Sierra you’ve seen before.

2.3-liter EcoBoost engine

Turning the key, the rev needle sweeps left as the adjacent boost needle flicks right, an exploratory dashboard boogie backed up by some genuinely unexpected noises from the engine bay. Sure, JH Restorations’ Merkur is a 2.3-liter, just as an XR4Ti would traditionally have been, but the boosted Lima is long gone.

The continuity of displacement is deliberate, but what lurks beneath that extravagantly sculpted bonnet today is a full-fat EcoBeast: a forged crate motor that’s been further uprated and enhanced by JH’s artisans, along with Ford Performance and Livernois Motorsports, to create a snorting and effervescent 475bhp powerhouse. The ethos of this build was to take the iconic Sierra shape and do something truly different with it – not just another RS500 clone, but a retro-futuristic vision of what a widebody Sierra could be, harnessing the RS500 essence and taking it to strange new places. This isn’t an XR4Ti. Not any more. This is an RS4Ti.

JH Restorations

Unconfirmed rumors over the years have suggested that Ford’s ‘XR’ moniker stood for ‘eXperimental Racing’ – and while that may or may not be true, it’s a notion that Jesse and his team have taken and eagerly run with. It’s an idea that they’re eminently equipped to tackle: “JH Restorations in Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada, is a full-service restoration shop that handles every aspect of our builds,” Jesse explains. “We’ve been building and modifying high-end vehicles since our inception in 2005. We mainly focused on North American hot hods and muscle cars at first, with a change coming in recent years to mix up our projects with imports and modern muscle.”

Why modify a Ford Merkur XRTi?

So why a Ford Sierra (sorry, Merkur XR4Ti) this time? “It was chosen more out of sentimentality than an actual need to build a car,” Jesse continues. “This Merkur was owned by a close friend of the shop, going way back to high school days. My friend Tim and I used to spend a lot of time bench racing and comparing the Merkur to classic muscle cars – it was a Merkur vs. Beaumont battle, Beaumont being a Canadian-built muscle car, similar to a Chevelle in the US. We wrenched on both cars through high school, all the way through our studies in engineering and into our careers, spanning some ten years of fun.”

Fiberglass body kit for the Ford RS4Ti Merkur

To pay tribute to the cars that were so crucial to the formative years of this automotive passion, it was decided to adopt the Merkur, tear it down and build it back up into the performance machine it always deserved to be. The initial idea around the JH shop was to craft a straight clone of the Brit-spec RS500, with an off-the-shelf fiberglass bodykit, chassis upgrades and a few go-faster bits bolted to the Lima. But as you can see, that plan didn’t even get off the drawing board, as this is a team committed to doing things properly, and creating things in ways that nobody has ever thought to do before.

The concept of a modernized RS4Ti began to crystallize and, once the pieces of the puzzle started to slot themselves into place, there was no turning back.

CAD modelling

“Helpfully, the bodyshell was solid, so it would serve as a good starting point for the project,” Jesse recalls. “With little to no body rust or damage, the car was stripped down to its bare bits and pieces. From this point, we had the vehicle scanned and 3D-imaged, allowing us to work with a local designer, ACL, to produce CAD modelling to bring the design to life. The aesthetic worked out to be a mix of me, my team, and skilled graphic designer Matt Labute of Brightworks Auto Art.

We worked back and forth for many months, trying to perfect the look of the RS4Ti, knowing we wanted to keep the ’80s look and feel of the car yet clean it up and mix in modern hot-rodding cues. We worked hard to take the look of the UK cars that were raced back in the day, whether it was the RS500 or the slightly different Cosworth models, and add them back into the RS4Ti. This was all to reach an end goal of a clean-looking, ‘what if?’ version of those classics.”

Bespoke parts and problems with the build

What’s worth bearing in mind here is that the team were building a rod for their own back. It’s the nature of creating uniqueness that, since no-one’s done it before, the path to success is beset by setbacks and complexity. Specifically, when you’re building and modifying a car that wasn’t especially popular in your home market, finding parts can be a right pain in the backside. Repro parts are few and far between, especially in North America, and new-old-stock bits are the proverbial hens’ teeth.

Thankfully, a glimmer of salvation was found in the form of Jeff Herson at Merkur Midwest, who’s essentially the linchpin of XR4Ti parts procurement. “His knowledge of the cars and his networking over the years led to a great deal of hard-to-find parts being located or repaired,” Jesse confirms. “The seemingly flowing design of parts and their fitment into the car was a mix of my ideas and the knowledge and skill of my younger brother, and co-owner of the shop, Jordan. I would come up with an idea, and Jordan – sometimes reluctantly – would set to work making it fit.

Every part and piece of the vehicle was fine-tuned, modified, updated, and retro-fitted to make it all look and function like it belongs. Details like the bespoke emblems, to the updated gauge cluster that takes in information from the modern EcoBeast powerplant, right down to making steering knuckles to adapt Ford-specific parts to GM hubs and make Wilwood Corvette brakes work on Mustang struts. Everything serves its purpose and functions as it should.”

Crowd pleaser

Naturally, this isn’t just about function, and form was equally crucial. Just ask the attendees of the 2023 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, who saw the RS4Ti shimmer from the revered Toyo Treadpass catwalk into the Battle of the Builders and, ultimately, winning the Top Sport Compact category as well as the People’s Choice award. A few short weeks after that it wowed the crowds at the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis. Quite simply, it’s exquisitely crafted and impossible to ignore.

“The creeping doubt with this car came when we realized we had undertaken a task no-one had ever attempted with an XR4Ti,” says Jesse. “It is quite literally a one-of-one build. There was no reference to how this Merkur would turn out or how it should be done. Was it going to be a flop, or would the build take on a life of its own once unleashed on the industry and public? As the RS4Ti approached its debut at SEMA in 2023 the nerves were high, but the chance to show off the build was at a point of no return. With the car on its way to Vegas, and the crew on a plane to Sin City, it was all or nothing.

Admiration from the car community at SEMA 2023

“When the trailer door opened in the parking lot behind SEMA’s central hall, there was stifled awe among the onlookers as the RS4Ti was rolled out,” he continues, beaming with justified pride. “Not because this was a rare supercar, or some antiquated classic or long-lost highly-pedigreed car, but more like: ‘Wow! It’s great – but what is it?’. Fellow builders, most of whom we really look up to, stopped by to shake hands, admire the car and give congrats on a build well done. And everyone seemed to enjoy the fun and design that the car carries in its full-on ’80s glam rock design – think Def Leppard meets rowdy ’80s sport-compact!

The rest of that week was a blur, with top honours and awards won, placing top-4 in the show. The build appealed to many, some who wanted to know what it was, some keen to learn the story, and lots of Merkur fans who wanted to see what had been done… and to a shocked bunch back at JH, who finally got to understand whether what they had built would be accepted.”

It’s safe to say that it’s been more than merely accepted, but embraced, revered, and instantly and infinitely desired. What Jesse and the team at JH Restorations have created here really is a Sierra like no other: fast, wide, mean, agile, unique. The average North American car fan may not have known a lot about the Merkur XR4Ti model before, but it’s damn sure on their radar now.

Love modified Fords? Be sure to visit our headline Ford events; Ford Fair Silverstone and FordFest at Mallory Park.

Photos Kenny Kroeker. 

The post Custom Ford RS4Ti With 475bhp EcoBoost Engine appeared first on Fast Car.

None of this fits,” laughs Lewis Denslow, gazing admiringly at the vivid yellow Mk3 Ford Focus race car that’s eaten up so much of his time over the last five years. “Absolutely everything under the skin has had to be modified, shortened or lengthened to work.”

It’s certainly been a labour of love. And while the idea of a pre-facelift Mk3 Focus 1.6 Titanium with an RS bodykit might not sound like feature material, this car has come a very, very long way from its humble shopper-spec roots.

Indeed, Lewis hasn’t just got a little bit carried away with this – he’s found himself consumed by the intricacies of what evolved into a ridiculously in-depth project, sourcing and customising all of the hardware from genuine Mk2 Focus Touring Cars and stuffing it all into this unsuspecting shell. What he’s achieved here really is mind-boggling.

Obsession with Fords

All of this acts as the culmination of a lifetime of obsessing over Fords – and like so many feature car owners, his dad’s automotive proclivities were a clear influence. “My first car was a Mk1 Focus 1.6 that I quickly put on Focus RS wheels,” he recalls. “I was working at Power Engineering at the time and that only grew my passion; when a family friend contacted me regarding some work he needed doing to a 3-door Cosworth, it turned out the engine was a little unhealthy and I ended up buying it. I fully rebuilt the engine and had that for a weekend car – 18 years old in a 320bhp Cossie!

Previous builds

This was just before the prices started skyrocketing. Anyway, that ended up at 420bhp and it’s still in the shed now I’m 34. But when I turned 19, insurance told me to try again with the Sierra when I was 30… so I needed a new boost buzz, and the start of my track obsession came when my best friend Kester Cook decided to sell me his supercharged ST170.”

That car was actually featured in Fast Ford many years back, a 270bhp pocket rocket that proved to be the perfect car with which to get into track days. Unfortunately Lewis put some poor quality fuel in it one day and cracked three pistons, although that setback actually served to spur him on and he rebuilt it with forged internals and all sorts of other goodies, breaking through 300bhp and catching his dad’s eye in the process. “We ended up getting a tarmac rally-prepped Mk2 Escort for him,” Lewis grins. “It had a little crossflow, but after one track day we decided it was way too slow, so we put a 220bhp red-top race engine in it. It sounded awesome on throttle bodies, and we used to go out on track days together.”

Moving to race cars

By this time, his buddy Kester had got into racing with a German Fiesta cup car, and he kept pestering Lewis to go racing with him. Suffice it to say that Lewis didn’t require all that much persuading, so he tagged along to a few meets in 2015 and started trawling eBay for a suitable project; salvation came in the form of an affordable Mk6 Fiesta cup car up in Scotland, which he sold his daily-driver Sapphire Cosworth to afford.

He travelled up there with his dad to pick it up, ran a couple of track days, and then Kester bought Lewis a race licence kit for his birthday, so he went off to get himself qualified. Impressively, Lewis won the first race he competed in, sharing the drive with Kester in the Trackday Trophy, the lads driving home all sticky after being drenched in Champagne. The sort of cherished memories that you hold dear for a lifetime.

Buying the touring car race engine

All this time, Lewis was getting more and more in-depth. When Kester mooted the idea of selling his race engine, Lewis bit his hand off to get it; by this time he was finding himself engine-swapping and lightening the car, right up to the very limit of what the race series regs allowed, modifying the subframe to lower the roll centre and all sorts… in his first year of racing he came second in the championship, which speaks volumes about both his driving prowess and his mechanical skills. Which sort of explains all the mad stuff that happened next.

Why use a base Mk3 Ford Focus as a race car?

“Well, I fell in love with the Mk3 when it first came out – I bought a Mountune 275 ST and it was brilliant. Then one day while we were talking about needing more power and torque to get in the higher classes, I told Kester I wanted to build a Mk3… I started off calling scrapyards as I just wanted a shell to begin with, and then one day Kester tags me in a post on FB: Tony from Touring Car Spares was selling a standard complete 2011 Mk3 1.6.

It wasn’t running, smashed but repaired with just some ECU damage – I didn’t care about that as all of that would be going in the bin! So I met with Tony and, as you might gather from the company name, his shed was a treasure trove of goodies, and over the following year or two after buying the car he basically sold me 80% of a Touring Car in flat-pack form!

This was all for a Mk2 Focus Touring Car so it wasn’t ever going to fit anyway, even Tony protested – but again, I didn’t care because my dad’s handy with a welder. My god, what an idiot I was! Nothing was simple, nothing was easy, and when I say the only things on the car that are standard are the front wings and the mirrors, I’m not exaggerating! We even bought a manual mill from eBay as it would save money making bits ourselves. It’s been a nightmare to be honest, but now we’re on the home stretch and people are nothing but nice about it.”

Stripping the car

It’s certainly been an involved process, as you’ll no doubt imagine. It all began with stripping and acid-dipping the shell, which then went off to ARC Autosport to have the rollcage fabricated, subframes fitted and everything stitch-welded. The ’cage has been built as close to actual Touring Car specs as it’s possible to get, with extensive use of detail photos from Tony’s archives. The front and rear subframes attach directly to the rollcage, and ARC’s fabrication skills really are exemplary. And once the shell came back to Lewis, it was time to fit the engine.

WTCC Mountune race engine

Now, there’s a lot that’s special about this build, but the drivetrain really is something else. “It’s a 2012 ex-WTCC Mountune EcoBoost Global Race Engine,” he explains, “as found in the 2009-2012 era S2000 Arena Touring Cars, which then ended up in the Chinese Touring Car Championship for a bit too. They ran 320bhp with a 33mm turbo restrictor back in the day, with a compression ratio of roughly 12:1. They’re labelled up as EcoBoost, but it’s actually a 1.8 Duratec with a forged crank, rods and pistons, which has been stroked to a 1.6 with a custom direct injection head. We’ve fitted a TOCA turbo from Owen Developments, which in its basic form is a modified GT28; we turned up the boost to 1.45-bar without a restrictor, and on FR102 race fuel it hit 370hp at the hubs, so roughly 400hp at the flywheel.”

Transmission upgrades for the Ford Focus Mk3 race car

This mighty powerhouse is mated to a pukka Touring Car transmission (it once resided in an Oreca Lada) – an Xtrac 1046 6-speed sequential gearbox. And everything under the skin is genuine race-spec stuff too, the Mk2 Focus Touring Car running gear cunningly shoehorned into the Mk3 shell. The rear subframe is tubular titanium, with T45 tubular wishbones to aluminium hubs; the front subframe is also tubular, with modified Mk2 Focus RS RevoKnuckles, all Rose-jointed and more adjustable than the Hubble Space Telescope. There are no bushes anywhere in the car, everything is solid-mounted to give Lewis the most positive feel from the track to his backside. The only rubber on the car, he says, is the tyres.

“To fit the engine and ’box, we made the mounts and welded them in the chassis legs,” he continues. “We reverse-engineered the rear hub to have the opposite side made, and then it went back to ARC to have the exhaust and coolers made, and breathers and coolant tanks. Back home again, we fitted up the rest of the engine, piping, fuel system and so on, then welded in the front anti-roll bar bearing carriers and made the anti-roll bar arms and shortened them, shortening the wishbones all round. We created a CAD drawing to reproduce the rear ally hub, machined securing brackets for adjustable geo bars, made new adjustable bars, and designed and machined the new driveshaft bearing carrier as at the time we didn’t have an original one.”

Making it fit

As if it wasn’t a gnarly enough challenge reworking the Mk2 machinery into the Mk3 dimensions, let’s not forget all of the extra hassle that’s required in keeping highly-strung racing componentry happy. Having talked over the specifics of the engine with Mountune, Lewis learned that it could only be started above 60-degrees, so it was necessary to build a diesel pre-heater to warm the coolant before start-up. And that’s just one of the many causes for head-scratching and colourful language.

What challenges were there with the Mk3 Ford Focus RS track car?

“What did we have to overcome? Er, basically everything,” Lewis laughs. “Nothing fitted at all, not just because we were putting everything in a different shell to what it was made for, but also because it was made for a wide-track Touring Car and we were sticking with the standard silhouette of the original Mk3 shell. The exhaust didn’t fit through the rear subframe so we fitted a Mk3 RS fuel tank, so the exhaust can travel through the centre where the propshaft would usually be. And there were all the big important items that were missing – rear hub, bump steer arm for the front hub, adjustment arms for the geo, front anti-roll bar arms, driveshaft bearing carrier, and a number of ally and steel brackets for securing suspension components. It’s definitely kept us busy.”

It’s been five years of graft, necessitating endless problem-solving, customising and prototyping, but the finish line is in sight. Following some final testing, you’ll be able to see Lewis and his baby Touring Car racing in the Modified Ford Series through 2024. None of this has been easy, but that’s what makes it all the more satisfying. No-one else has ever done this. And with all of that development work and anticipation, you can be sure that Lewis will be driving it like his hair’s on fire.

Words: Daniel Bevis. Photos: Ade Brannan.

The post This Race Ready Mk3 Ford Focus Is a Baby Touring Car appeared first on Fast Car.

Most supercharged E9x M3s run a centrifugal kit, but this track E92 build is packing a positive-displacement punch that gives it monstrous torque, epic whine and over 640hp to play with, and it’s an absolute beast. 

Once upon a time, much in the same way that, during what we assume must have been a heavy night on the bier and brats, BMW’s M engineers decided that stuffing a five-liter V10 into the engine bay of the E60 M5 was a good idea, the decision was made to give the fourth-gen M3 some V8 muscle.  

M3 V8 history

This wasn’t the first time that BMW had mixed V8s and M3s, because before the E9x M3 came the E46 M3 GTR, of which quite literally a couple of road-going examples were built, and if you have the funds and can find one, you can buy one. However, as far as attainable and readily available V8 M3s go, the first mainstream mass-production model was the E92 M3. The decision to bless it with the S65 V8 was a very good one indeed because that combo created an incredible car. The only real criticism people had was the relative lack of torque, which meant you always had to work the engine to get the most out of it. 

While any of the many centrifugal supercharger kits available for the S65 V8 do improve drivability, the way they build boost and deliver power means they still don’t fully compensate for the lack of low-end grunt. For that, you need something different – you need a positive-displacement supercharger, which makes full boost instantly, and delivers massive amounts of torque at low revs. And that’s exactly what you’ll find under the bonnet of this mighty E92 M3… 

Meet Tom…

Its owner is Tom Baker, and he’s been a BMW fan for most of his life. “My dad always had 5 and 7 Series models growing up, so I knew they were good build quality and then later found out the smaller variants handle very well,” Tom explains. “After getting the Japanese car bug out of my system with various variants, I moved to the E92 M3,” he says, and it sits alongside an E70 X5 xDrive40d and a G26 i4 eDrive40e. This trio spans a wide range of models, forms of propulsion and driving experiences, though we wager the M3 is the most exciting one. 

So, just what led Tom to buying himself an E92 M3? “I’ve always liked them since 2007 when I first saw one on the road. It has the RWD, the chassis, the V8 motor and the refined quality and road presence,” enthuses Tom. “I bought mine in 2015. It was in very good nick, one of the only cars I’ve bought in such untouched condition. It had 19,000 miles on the clock and was three years old; I bought it from a high-end car dealer in Peterborough. It’s done only around 3000 miles per year since I’ve owned it, and it’s garaged most of the time now, although it was used as a daily in the beginning,” he adds with a smile. 

Harrop twin-screw supercharger kit

Tom went into M3 ownership fully intending to keep it stock, but, with a history of modified Japanese machinery behind him, it was inevitable that he would eventually succumb to the call of some mods. “I first took the car to Stage 2 NA within six months of owning the vehicle. This was then followed by a Harrop supercharger kit around one-and-a-half-to-two-years later, fitted by myself; the kit was very luckily sourced second hand,” says Tom and considering how expensive the kit is new, and how rare it is second hand, he was very fortunate with that find.  

“The Harrop supercharger setup uses a TVS twin-screw ’charger, not a centrifugal one – this type of setup increases power everywhere and really woke up the engine where I wanted it (in the mid-range). I found the car was frustrating at times with the lower torque, and changing down three gears to overtake was becoming tiring – I’ve come from Hondas and really didn’t want to keep this character ongoing,” explains Tom. “The kit was running in stock guise for four years and made around 580hp,” and that’s a healthy figure, but Tom had more in mind. 

Engine management

“I nearly implemented an Interchiller but decided with track work this wasn’t the right solution for intake air temperature control. I then decided to just upgrade the chargecooler pump to a Pierburg unit that out-flowed the original Bosch significantly, extended the chargecooler pipework under the car and fitted a large 20-litre reservoir in the rear seat delete area. This increases the time it takes to heat up water, much like a full kettle vs a cup-worth of water, and this will buy time on track where I want to maintain the power for as long as possible without timing retard,” he explains.  

“I then upgraded to a Syvecs S7-Plus ECU, which has many features. Some of the ones I’ve utilized include electronic bypass control, which enables you to control boost levels much like a wastegate on a turbo. I also currently have three maps: one is open, making the car effectively NA. Two is part-boost, and three is full boost. I also have control to switch on the secondary fuel pump when needed (boost-dependent), as well as DCT clamping pressure control increase to reduce the chances of damaging the clutches from the increased torque.

I also added larger injectors and a larger lower pulley that spins the ’charger faster to achieve over 9 psi of boost. The kit now generates just under 650hp with massive amounts of usable power and torque across the rev range that is unchallenged by any other kits on the market,” Tom says with a smile, and it’s made this M3 into an absolute monster. 

Chassis & suspension

As you can see from the photos, Tom’s M3 has been built to tackle the track, and that means that the chassis has undergone some serious upgrades to ensure it can handle anything any circuit can throw at it, as well as ensuring Tom can enjoy using all that power. “The car was originally running an EDC and Comp Pack spring setup, and I changed these out for Bilstein B16 Damptronic coilovers that worked with the EDC. Although they were great on the road, they weren’t much good on track, so after having these for a few years, I switched over to Intrax 1K2s, and although I’ve not used them on track yet, I can feel they’re a lot more stable at speed.

“Alignment and corner weighting were carried out by Cooksport. I changed over the rear subframe bushes to solid previously, and all the rear bushes have been converted to uniball connections for reduced slop with acceptable compliance,” Tom explains, and that’s a seriously comprehensive selection of chassis enhancements. The E92 M3 isn’t exactly lacking in the handling department as standard, but Tom’s selection of upgrades has given it a razor-sharp chassis that responds to his inputs instantly. 

Wheels, brakes & tires

Serious track work requires serious wheels, and Tom has a dedicated set, which his M3 is wearing in the photos. “Currently, I still have my Comp wheels for road bias/wet work and for everything else the ARC-8 from Apex Wheels. It’s a very popular wheel on this car, and I think it looks very nice; they’re light, strong and clear the brakes, and for tires, I have MRF ZTRs, which are good for grip and wear very well.” The ARC-8 is one of the M3 community’s go-to wheels for the E9x model, and as Tom says, these are lightweight, flow-formed wheels that have been designed for use on track, as well as looking good.

And when he mentions brake clearance, he needs it. He’s running massive AP Racing BTCC stoppers up front that deliver effortless braking performance without breaking a sweat, with Pinnacle brake cooling ducts giving a helping hand, while a set of F80 M3 brakes have been fitted at the rear. 

Interior & exterior

As far as aesthetics are concerned, Tom has added a few carbon pieces that have given the already muscular M3 body some added aggression in the shape of a GT4 V2 front splitter, a GT4 wing and a diffuser, along with black Harrop and M3 badges for the finishing touch, and the carbon elements combine perfectly to give this M3 some serious presence.  

Things are a little more full-on on the inside, though, with Tom giving his E92 the sort of cabin you’d expect from a hardcore track car. “The seats are the Corbeau Clubsport XLs, which I bought with the intention of upgrading to Recaros later, but, to be honest, they have been great and very comfy. The harnesses are Schroth, I got the steering wheel retrimmed by Royal Steering Wheels, and I changed the paddles. The rear cage is from Pinnacle, and the rear seat delete I made myself and mounted the chargecooler tank,” he explains. The Alcantara wheel looks fantastic, while the extended carbon paddles are easier to reach when pushing hard on track. Then you’ve got those super-supportive Corbeau buckets and the white cage that finishes the cabin off perfectly. 

The verdict

Tom’s spent seven years building his M3, on and off and considering he started out with the intention of keeping it stock, that makes the supercharged monster he’s ended up with all the more impressive. The star of the show is that supercharger kit, and it’s Tom’s favorite part of the build: “My favorite modification has to be the ’charger,” he grins. “The noise, the grunt – it really made me fall in love with the car again,” he enthuses. With the car now finished, it’s time for Tom to put all that supercharged power to use on road and track and drive this M3 exactly like it was built to be driven. 

If this has build has sparked some creative ideas of your own, check out our run-down of the best V8 BMWs that could form the basis of your next project…

Words: Elizabeth de Latour,  Photos: Ade Brannan 

The post Supercharged E92 M3 With GT4 Aero appeared first on Fast Car.

Back in the early days of old school hip hop there was a man by the name of Melly Mel who was and still is a legend and a pioneer in the music genre. Fast forward many years to today and we have a different man, but one of the same stature as a pioneer and a legend on the VW scene, with the same name as the hip hop pillar. He goes by the nickname of Melly Mel! Enter Mr. Melis Julevic, a 39-year-old Building Engineer from Hamilton, New Jersey, with a passion for VWs that we can all appreciate! I’ve got to say that I am feeling a bit of period correctness with the golden age of hip hop mentioned with Mel’s 1992 Mk2 Golf GTI you see here! Let’s dig in to the modifications.

VW love affair

Mel’s love affair with VWs started when his older brother had a Mk2 Jetta GLi back in 1996. He, like most Mk2 folks, have a soft spot for the boxy sharp lines of these cars and admittedly, he’s stated that one of the reasons he’d chosen the Mk2 Golf as his project was, “I’ve always loved the boxy square hatch, it was my dream car!”

This wasn’t Mel’s first soiree into Mk2’s though. The way he got this beautiful example was from a trade he’d made with a friend who was also a VW head with a Montana Green GTI and this car. Mel had built another GTI that ran a 2.0 turbo, and this motor was the sparkle in his friend’s eye. An even trade deal was made and as they say, the rest was history.

The 1992 Mk2 Golf GTI project

The car was a 1 owner 1992 GTI 16v, which is something all of us probably are searching for! Although Mel states that he loved the car as it sat stock, being that he had no worries for it being out and about but, as he and the car aged like fine wine, he “wanted to build something different with a bit of twist and uniqueness”. This black blank canvas was the launchpad for the phenomenal machine you see on these pages.

Initial modifications

In 2006, the first modifications Mel made were what’s on the on the very first pages of the tuner playbook. Bring it closer to the planet with suspension modifications and make it sound better with a custom exhaust. The car then had a snail fitted to the 16v motor that put down amazing horsepower numbers of somewhere between 500 and 600 hp at the wheels. As most of us would sell a body part for these numbers, Mel found that this “wasn’t practical for something I wanted to enjoy on the weekends.”, and that’s understandable.

That much horsepower can be punishing. That’s where he threw the playbook out of the window and began the “Melly Mel” touch on the car. He then did what he calls a “simple swap” where under the hood sits a glorious 3.2 litre VR6. He had the pleasure of getting 100% hands on with the install of the original one (this is a second motor: 2004 3.2l BJS engine). Some don’t have the ability or the time to do so, but Mel can proudly say that it was his work.

The motor sported modifications such as, larger duration camshafts, higher flow valves with titanium springs, Becker headers and a custom 3 inch stainless exhaust. The need for a second motor came up and what currently is in the car was an installation by MMI Concepts Inc, in Bangor Pennsylvania, but has all the trimmings of the first, along with the smooth/clean engine bay. This along with a custom wiring harness from the genius we all know and love, Matt of Eurokraft in Landisville New Jersey, completes version two of the swap.

VR6-swapped Mk2 Golf GTI paint

This car has such a brilliant presence that when it pulls up you can do nothing but stop and try to see all that has been done. Firstly, due to Mel’s meticulousness, and it has been painted twice and proclaims, “Nothing is better than a shiny fresh black car!” This is a fact because the paint is so spectacularly done that it looks wet. Like you could dip your hand in it and come back coated in black paint.

Mel wishes that he would have kept the original paint as he says that it was in really good condition, but we don’t see an issue at all! As the car rolls toward you, you see the Rallye grille and lights, European red striped Golf early small bumpers complete with smoked marker lights, and Kamei hood vent cover. There are not many that are brave enough to try to pull off a Rallye Golf grille and light set up with small bumpers. This is a prime example of one who did it and did it right. Mel shines here with OEM+ feel by opting to keep the grille VW roundel, whereas others went badgeless.

Kamei bodykit

With the combination of the bumpers and the full Kamei body kit and fenders, the total package award is achieved. Sitting inside the fenders are an astounding set of 8.5×16” inch Autostrada Modena wheels wrapped in 195/40 Yokohama tyres. Inside the Modenas are Audi 5000 dual piston calipers as the front-end anchors, with Mk2 rear calipers slowing the back end.

As stated before, the car is closer to the planet using Koni adjustable coilovers, Powerflex bushings, AutoTech sway bars on the front and rear, and an OG Eibach flatbar holding the shock towers firm. Let’s keep looking…. Moving up the side of the car you will find more details, like Hella smoked fender markers. The entry way is adorned with Porsche 944 Turbo S2 “script” door handles. Mel even gets to vent in fresh air when it’s raining with the Kamei in-channel rain guards.

Interior modifications on the VR6-swapped Mk2 Golf GTI

Open up the doors to perfect Recaro Trophy front seats which have since been retrimmed in new leather. The door cards are genuine Rallye Golf trim pieces. The dash is OEM and perfect! These days a perfect Mk2 dashboard is a pot of gold! The Momo steering wheel sits ready for piloting, but looking through the top opening, a fully working Digifiz cluster lets Mel know exactly what’s going on along with the DuoStyling gauges in the dash button blanks. He stays entertained with the OEM Gamma cassette radio head unit paired with JBL speakers!

Then, just below the radio, is that… yes, it is. They’re digital climate controls. Wow! Keep panning right and you see the Votex center console with VDO gauges to keep him more informed and an aluminum/leather GTI golf ball shift knob. The Porsche theme is capped with the 944 Turbo S2 glove box lock. The interior is all kept in check with a red powder-coated Auto Power Roll cage. Gotta keep it safe! The Digifiz and Digital climate controls are Mel’s favorite parts of it all!

Moving further back on the VR6-swapped Mk2 Golf GTI we realize that this is the car is the gift that keeps on giving! Before rounding the back of the car you find Happich pop-out quarter windows! At the back we find the painted illuminated upper hatch spoiler on the “boxy square hatch” with FIFFT all red taillights! The Kamei X1 badge completes the look! When we asked Mel if he’d do it all again, he says “definitely, but more of an OEM+ theme.”

Verdict

Mel is very proud of his VR6-swapped Mk2 Golf GTI and so he should be. This car is fantastic and a showstopper in all aspects! He says that it, “gives him the ability to share common interests in the Mk2 community, share/make memories, as well as making new friends/family along the road”. He says that the best comment he’s received on the car is, “Your build has inspired me to finish my car!”. This is where he stands out from the crowd with being humble and a down-to-earth person who is always willing to lend a hand to folks in the VW Mk2 community. Applause to you Melly Mel.

Want more cool VW features? Be sure to check out Performance VW magazine. And if you want to see cars like this in the flesh, get yourself to German Car Festival or TRAX.

Words: Ted Dorset. Photos: Tony Watson & Ryan McKeon. 

The post VR6-Swapped Mk2 Golf GTI With Kamei X1 Kit appeared first on Fast Car.

HKS is one of those brands which will forever be tied to the Japanese modifying & tuning culture that’s enthralled us for decades. Always at the forefront of the scene, HKS has produced some of the most potent performance parts for the Far East’s top sports cars. But it’s not just engine mods that they’re known for; they do the full works – suspension, and even aero as well. So, if you allow them to get their hands on a modern halo car like the Toyota GR Supra, you end up with one hell of a recipe.

This is where Albert Trinidad comes into the mix. Clearly a man of good taste, he had no doubts about what he wanted to achieve after securing the keys to his very own A90.

HKS Widebody GR Supra

“The reason why I bought the GR Supra was because I fell in love with it. It’s such a beautiful car,” he said. “As soon as I purchased the car from the dealership, the very first thing I bought for it was the HKS wide body kit.”

So, while the GR Supra is a pretty car even in its stock form, Albert was evidently keen to trade that natural elegance for a more muscular type of beauty.

“My mentor Stephen Aguayo also has a HKS widebody Supra, so that’s where I got the inspiration from. In my honest opinion I think it’s the most aggressive and best-looking kit for this platform.”

He’s not wrong. I mean, it’s no wonder that you see this kit worn on everything from street builds like Albert’s, to time attack weapons, and even competitive drift cars all around the world.

Given the demand and the relative scarcity, it took five months for the HKS widebody kit to be delivered, but that didn’t stop Albert from cracking on with the build in the meantime. While waiting for parts to make it to his doorstep, he set about changing the Supra’s color to BMW’s renowned Imola Red, and later sprayed the HKS kit to match. With a choice like that, Albert clearly has no issue with acknowledging this Japanese sports car’s Bavarian roots.

In addition to the new red hue, the car now also features a Seibon TS-style dry carbon fiber hood, and the result is striking.

Wheels and suspension

This Supra’s beauty is more than just skin-deep though; take a peek under the hood or underneath those wide arches and you’ll find a whole range of aftermarket parts to make this build a true all-rounder.

“I’ve added Air Lift performance air suspension so I don’t have any trouble with speed bumps and driveways,” Albert explained, “and I’ve fitted some three-piece WORK L13P rims with Toyo R888R tires.”

Engine bay and powertrain mods

Elsewhere, the engine bay has gained a considerable amount of carbon furnishings. There’s a carbon fiber cooling plate and engine cover supplied by Rexpeed, while the carbon ECU cover is an NVSpeciality product. Naturally, there’s a Cusco strut bar and HKS oil cap thrown in for good measure.

Those dress-up parts draw attention to a powertrain which has undergone quite a transformation itself, thanks to some upgrades sourced from Blacklist Motorsports.

A HKS cold air intake and Injen intercooler charge pipe ensure that the GR Supra’s 3.0-liter B58 straight-six can breathe more easily, while at the other end, a Titan Motorsports downpipe leads into a HKS Hi-Power dual exhaust system. Albert then turned to the folks at EcuTek to help make sure the car’s electronic brain was getting the best out of those new parts. According to him, that Stage 1 tune now ensures that the Supra makes 480whp.

“As for the top speed, I have no idea, but I did hit 160mph and then let it go after that.” Albert said. “Despite being a BMW [engine], I didn’t know how much oil this car would eat either!”

Interior mods

As I’m sure you’ll agree, no project car is complete without some interior mods to enhance the ownership experience. In this case, Albert has opted for some Bride VIOS III bucket seats with Takata racing harnesses attached to a Cusco mounting bar. The OEM steering wheel has also been switched out in favor of an Aeroluxe carbon fiber unit.

What comes next?

Given the quality of the work that’s gone into this car, it should come as no surprise that Albert and his A90 have vacuumed up a pretty large collection of show awards. Highlights include Best Toyota at Wekfest, as well as Best Widebody at the same show. The car has also won top honors at Spocom and a whole host of regional events in California. All in all, it’s wrapped up 12 different accolades within the scene so far… and Albert isn’t done yet.

“I want more aerodynamics, and a bigger turbo to make it faster,” he revealed. Well, we’re certainly on board with that!

If you want to follow his progress, be sure to check out Albert’s Instagram page: @supralbert

The post HKS Widebody GR Supra With 480whp appeared first on Fast Car.

How controversial do you want your BMW E30? If modifications were like the Nando’s chicken heat scale, we reckon air-ride would be somewhere near the bottom – Mild, we’d say. Most people are on board with it, and you’re not going to upset too many members of the BMW community.

A wide-body conversion will take things up a notch to Medium – it’s getting a little spicy, and some people might get angry beads of sweat on their foreheads when they spy a car like that at a show, but, done well, it can definitely work.

The next step up from there would be Hot, and we can safely say an LS V8 swap would achieve that sort of level of general displeasure among die-hard fans. Because how dare someone run a thunderous, all-alloy V8 in place of something far more expensive and subdued from BMW’s own engine back catalogue… And then, if you want to hit the ultimate spice level of controversial E30 build, all you need is to mix all those ingredients together and watch the ensuing chaos unfold. Which is exactly what Aussie Tyrone Yu did with his E30.

The thing is, regardless of how old-fashioned and set in your ways you might be when it comes to BMWs, we simply can’t understand how anyone could look at this spectacular LS-powered BMW E30 build and not be impressed.

BMW ownership

While Tyrone’s interest in the blue and white roundel isn’t a lifelong one, he’s thrown himself into ownership with all the passion imaginable, because you don’t build a car like this if you’re not absolutely committed to your goal.

“I took interest in BMW probably when I started learning how to drive, and owning and modding the E82 120i I had as my first car really got me into Euros and BMWs even more,” Tyrone tells us with a smile. “The E82 was a nice compact sporty car that was P-plate legal at the time, and it did not need a lot of mods to look even better,” he says, and Tyrone quickly added a cat-back exhaust, a Flow Designs front lip and a carbon fibre boot lip spoiler, and with that, he got his first taste of modding, and he liked it. The 1 Series was followed by an F30 320i, and now the mods began to develop, with more carbon, Volk TE37 SLs, and some exhaust upgrades. And from there, believe it or not, he moved on to car number three, this E30.

Why modify the BMW E30?

“The E30 eventually grew on me as I saw it around more: it is such a classic and iconic car, and I’ve just always appreciated boxy old cars,” Tyrone enthuses. “I found the car on Facebook marketplace. The previous owner had a collection of E30s and had to let one go. The car was kept outside but was very well maintained, with retrimmed seats and a manual gearbox, and it was a running car with minimal rust spots.

The paint was not so good, but I was not fussed as the car ticked all the boxes for what I needed it for,” he explains. And that’s because Tyrone knew exactly what he wanted to do with it: “I was already committed to do the wide-body kit and an engine swap so it was a matter of finding a car suitable for the project,” he grins, and this E30 was the perfect platform on which to realise his wide-body V8 dream.

Live to Offend wide-body kit

When talking about this E30, it’s impossible to start anywhere other than the Live to Offend wide-body, even though it was actually one of the last mods that Tyrone did to the car. It simply dominates everything, and the sheer drama of it cannot be overstated nor truly appreciated in mere pictures.

“The funny thing is, I first saw Khyzyl Saleem’s render of the E30 and wished his designs would be real kits. Around a year later, they came up with a prototype E30 with the kit, and I remember watching the video they shot and having the sudden urge to build an E30 with that kit,” enthuses Tyrone. “I messaged Live to Offend to enquire and almost ordered the kit before I bought the car, but decided to do more research and find the right car as they had only made the kits for Series 2 E30s.

I approached Concept Garage around early 2021, and they were able to fit in the engine bay shaving and respray but had to shut again due to lockdown. Work on the kit didn’t start until around March 2022, and we had a deadline for the unveil at World Time Attack Stylized show and shine in April,” he says, and there’s nothing quite like a tight deadline to get the adrenaline flowing.

Devil is in the detail with this LS-powered BMW E30

What you’re looking at is a Stage 2 LTO wide-body, and every aspect of it is so outlandish and outrageous that it’s hard to take it all in, but there’s lots more going on here beyond just the body kit because Tyrone is not a man who does things by halves. Up front, you’ve got the striking Dapper Lighting 575 headlights, clear bumper indicators, as well as Custom Concept Garage carbon bonnet vents that add even more drama to proceedings, and the whole lot has been finished in Mazda Soul Red Crystal paint. This is an absolutely gorgeous shade of red that shifts from an almost orange hue to something in the region of raspberry depending on the light. It pops in the sun and adds so much visual flair to the whole build.

Seeing as this project was always destined to become a wide-body build, it’s no surprise that the LTO kit is what Tyrone loves most about his E30. “My favourite mod has to be the wide-body. It’s a blend of sci-fi while maintaining its retro look. The contouring on the kit flows well and just enhances the overall shape,” he enthuses, and thus endowed, this LS-powered BMW E30 really looks like nothing else out there.

Choosing the aftermarket wheels

Arguably one of the biggest challenges presented by opting for a wide-body conversion is not fitting the kit, but rather finding wheels that fit. Those massive arches demand massive widths and appropriate offsets to fill them to a satisfactory degree, and, as you can see, Tyrone’s choice is absolutely up to the task. “I originally found a very nice set of BBS RSs, but it would not have fit with the BBK, so I had to opt for custom-spec faces. I really wanted to keep the retro look with wheels that were similar to the OEM basket weaves, and eventually found Heritage Wheels, who were very supportive and offered a partial sponsorship,” he says, and these are absolutely stunning.

These custom three-piece 17s measure 9.5” wide up front and a massive 11” across at the rear, but what really blows our mind are the offsets. The fronts are ET-35 while the rears are ET-60, both of which are insanely aggressive, and that tells you all you need to know about how challenging it is to fill arches this wide. The wheels are simply awesome, with those massive polished flat lips and the tight, fully polished cross-spoke centres. They suit the E30 so well and fill those massive arches to perfection, and they are an inspired choice.

Chassis modifications

With that wide-body and those wheels, static suspension simply wouldn’t have delivered the level of drama Tyrone was looking for with this show-stopping build. It was always going to be air-ride, and he’s running a Prazis setup, but there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface than just that. Tyrone is also running Prazis camber plates, as well as new front control arms with SuperPro bushes and new tie rods. “To support the engine swap and a different diff, the subframes were required to be modified, as well as the propshaft to adapt to the T56 gearbox,” he explains.

“The purple tag steering rack was a common modification in the E30 scene as the OEM one had a terrible turning radius; the car felt more like a go-kart after installing the new rack,” Tyrone enthuses. “The Wilwood BBK was a personal preference as we could have put some RX-7 brakes (though they’re hidden by the wheels now),” and while you might not be able to see the brakes, you know they look good, as well as delivering serious stopping power.

Interior mods

With so much going on on the outside, the interior is rather more subdued, but as Tyrone admits, getting the exterior styling sorted was priority number one. “All our focus was to get the kit on and painted, but Concept Garage were able to fit in some extra bits such as retrimming the steering wheel in Nappa leather, M stitching, new shift and handbrake boots in M stitching, new headliner, red stitching on the carpets and dash mat, and custom red seat belts.

Eventually, it would be really nice to put in a set of OEM Recaro sport seats and retrim the rear seats and door cards to match,” says Tyrone. Even so, there’s a lot more to the interior than meets the eye, but, it’s just rather more subdued and less obvious than what’s going on on the outside. The steering wheel looks great, as does that aggressive shifter, and that brand-new headlining looks so fresh, while the custom seatbelts add a touch of flair to proceedings.

LS engine swap for the BMW E30

Finally, we come to the engine, and there’s a beast of a motor lurking beneath that vented bonnet. Tyrone’s E30 is running a 4.7 LS1 V8, and while that alone would be enough to deliver serious performance in the lightweight E30, as if you couldn’t already tell Tyrone is not the sort of person to leave anything standard. Within the all-American V8 sit forged pistons, H-beam con rods, upgraded valve springs, a high-volume oil pump, LS7 head gaskets, new bearings, a supercharged-style cam, new lifters, a new cam chain and adjustable timing set.

There’s also a modified LS1 sump, a FAST LSXR 102mm intake manifold, a 102mm throttle body, an Aeroflow Performance LS2 two-piece retro finned valve cover set and Aeroflow LS2 ignition coils. On top of all that, you’ve got the custom exhaust manifolds and custom 2.5” exhaust system, and the V8 sends power to the rear wheels via a custom-mounted R200 diff with a 3.692 ratio.

Rebuilt LS1

“The majority of these components were fitted by Brintech for their test vehicle. I was eventually going to rebuild the first engine later down the track but this popped up at a good time, so I went with it,” explains Tyrone. “The intake manifold, throttle body, valve covers, coils and coil leads were parts that were going on the first engine but were saved for the rebuilt one. The whole process of engine out, refreshing the old LS1 and purchasing and installing the rebuilt LS1 took around eight to nine months, as this was during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Shops were closed, and shipping took forever, but it gave my friend and I time to learn and do things right as this was our first project of this calibre,” he says. It was worth the effort as he’s now got 320whp to play with – that’s around 375hp at the crank – which has made this E30 into a blisteringly fast machine that has the go to back up all of that show.

Conclusion

What’s mind-boggling about Tyrone’s build is that considering how much work has gone into it, the wide-body and the engine swap, it all took less than a year and a half to complete. “From engine out to unveiling the car took around one year and four months or so,” says Tyrone, which seems like an incredibly brief period in which to complete so much work, and to finish everything to such an incredibly high standard. And even though LS-powered BMW E30 is so awesome across the board, Tyrone is not done yet: “As of now, the car needs a retune soon, the tail lights are being modded, and I may look into seats or an ECU before the tune,” he muses, so we’ve yet to see this car in its final form.

As for this LS-powered BMW E30 as it is now, it’s capable of making die-hard BMW fans froth at the mouth, modded fans go weak at the knees, and putting a huge grin on Tyrone’s face whenever he drives it, so we reckon it’s doing everything right.

Photos: Aaron Lam.

The post LS-Powered BMW E30 With LTO Wide-Body Kit appeared first on Fast Car.

Launched as a boundary-pushing halo model back in 2002, it’s almost impossible to imagine later generations of the Golf bloodline without the contribution of the Mk4 R32. This was the complete package; a blend of six-cylinder noise and performance, four-wheel drive grip and the sort of understated muscular presence hot Golfs had lacked since the Mk2 Rallye. If the Mk1 GTI stake a claim to laying the foundations of the water-cooled scene, then the dawn of the R era reset expectations all over again.

Today, the Golf R has become a mainstream part of the line-up, and the original R32’s boundary-pushing has helped it to mature from a modern classic to a classic in the collectable sense of the word. But while the ageless styling all-weather performance still stacks up, there’s still room for improvement if you’re prepared to make a few brave decisions along the way. With more RS than R under the skin of this one, Jay Turner clearly isn’t someone who worries about the purists.

Why a VW Golf Mk4 R32?

“I have always loved the Mk4 R32; they sound amazing, and they look spot on, but they are so slow and underpowered,” he tells us. “R32 turbos are good fun – I’ve built one of those too – but this car started with the idea that I could be the first to fit a genuine TT-RS or RS3 engine instead. The Audi five-pots make a great noise, and I couldn’t get that Quattro soundtrack out of my head.”

This sort of constantly snowballing inspiration is nothing new for Jay. His taste for one-off Volkswagens was seeded by his brother’s Mk1 Golf projects, which materialized as a Rallye-fronted Mk2 tucking Borbet wheels under G60 arches. This started a string of impeccably executed builds, including the S3-powered orange-on-black Berg Cup inspired Mk1 that made our cover car in June 2017. It’s a familiar story in these pages, but you might be surprised to hear that the Mk4 was sort of a side project.

Buying the Mk4 Golf R32 shell

“The R32 shell popped up in July 2020,” he continues. “I was already a long way through a Mk1 with my good friend Olly Bartlett, and we had got as far as building the subframe for an RS3 five-cylinder and the tunnel for the four-wheel drive system. He was getting through the work, but it was taking time and I wanted something I could get up and running quicky, so I asked if he fancied building another one…”

If you’re thinking stripping the name-defining elements of an appreciating classic car sounds drastic, we’d suggest pausing your hand wringing for a moment. Only 38 Tornado Red Mk4 R32s made their way to UK owners, but this one was far from a museum piece, arriving at Jay’s house as a 160,000-mile non-runner, part-stripped and perfect for the Group B soundtrack he had in mind. Or, at least, it would be once he’d put the foundations right.

Expecting the worse

“I’ve learned never to underestimate old cars, and this one was no different,” he laughs. “It wasn’t until it had arrived, and I got started on the work, that I realized how bad it was. The shell looked like it had been parked in the sea for fuck’s sake, and a lot of the parts – like the brake lines – had been cut out and were missing. Pretty much everything on the car is brand new now.”

That really isn’t an exaggeration of the nut-and-bolt work involved. The body needed panel-by-panel restoration, including replacement front wings and sills on both sides before it could be rolled into the bodyshop to have that rare Tornado Red paintjob renewed. Crouch and squint underneath and you might just about spot a full set of replaced, restored and powdercoated suspension hardware too. It’s been an expensive reminder of the R32’s transition from a modern classic to, well, a bona fide classic car. Jay clearly doesn’t do things by halves.

Sourcing the five-cylinder engine

The Mk1 didn’t donate anything to its stablemate. With a set formula in mind for the Mk4, Jay had tracked down another five-cylinder engine before the donor bodyshell arrived and Olly trial-fitted most of it before the restoration began. Although forced induction four-pots have pushed later R-badged Golfs comfortably beyond the Mk5 R32’s 250hp, its descendants have yet to benefit from Audi’s inline five. It’s a divisive swap but, with 340hp in standard tune and less weight sat on the front axle, it’s got more than enough performance to be worthy of the R badge.

“The only similar car I could think of when I started this was Dutter Racing’s R32, but it has an N/A 2.5-litre five-pot with a turbo bolted onto it, and that’s a different conversion,” says Jay, lifting the bonnet on the Golf’s new powertrain. “Although the bodywork didn’t need to be altered, as such, it isn’t an easy swap and it needed a lot of custom parts. Luckily Olly is at the top of his game for conversions like this.”

Custom parts to make the RS3 engine fit

The result belies weeks of trial, error and fabrication; a five-cylinder so at home behind the Mk4’s ovoid headlights that, if wasn’t for the Audi badges, could be mistaken for standard kit. Meshing two generations of Volkswagen Group hardware required a full custom wiring loom and an “armadillo-like” exhaust downpipe, carefully packed into the tight gap between the block and the bulkhead. An EMU Black Series ECU takes care of managing the interactions between old and new, including a conversion from direct to port injection using an RPC short-runner inlet, which also deletes the restrictive intake flaps. Naturally, every worn or weathered part was replaced as the build came together.

The engine itself was only one of the mechanical headaches. Any uplift in power would have been wasted without retaining the R32’s all-wheel drive system, and Jay could be picky with the parts he used. The Golf uses a six-speed manual gearbox from a 1.8T Mk1 TT Quattro with the R32’s original prop and driveshafts, and it’s mated to the new engine with the help of a custom flywheel, Sachs clutch and a mix of Vibra Technics mounts. Although the R32 was Volkswagen’s first car with DSG, that wasn’t part of the spec list here.

“I have DSG in my Caddy van and my old Mk7.5 Golf R had it too,” explains Jay. “In a modern car it’s great, but I’ve never wanted it in something older, because I think it takes the fun away. This was always going to be a manual.”

Chassis modifications for the VW Golf Mk4 R32

Having opened the floodgates on an influx of new technology, it was important to bring the chassis up to spec too. That muscular R32 stance is enhanced by fully adjustable BC Racing coilovers and staggered spacers with a Mk5-spec 5×112 hub conversion, while a complete set of Powerflex polyurethane bushes reintroduces some welcome precision into the car’s 20-year-old suspension parts. Six-piston Porsche calipers grip 370mm RS-3 discs at the front, while the factory rear calipers have been spaced for S4-spec hardware, while the smaller JAATT Engineering brake fluid reservoir freed up more space for the wider engine.

That level of root and branch overhaul wasn’t always necessary. The R32 was strong enough visually to inspire countless enthusiast-built lookalikes, and Jay saw no real need to ramp up the aggression much further. The rework is a subtle, OEM+ affair, switching the slotted original bumper for an R-Line item with its center section adapted for a twin-exit Milltek exhaust system. Up front, the Tornado Red bodywork is contrasted against a slim Triple R Composites splitter, headlights with black internals, and a full set of new plastic trim. Well, if it ain’t broke…

Aftermarket wheels for the modified VW Golf Mk4 R32

The finishing touch for the modified VW Golf R32 was a suitably tough set of wheels, and Jay says there was only one choice. “I always come back to BBS when I’m choosing aftermarket wheels, I just can’t have a Volkswagen without them,” he laughs. “These GT006s were the icing on the cake – a guy called Kev over in Ireland had them sat away, freshly refurbished in gold, and they were 19-inch so perfect spec for a Mk4. All I had to do was add some custom center-locks to finish them off. It was a lot of work to get them under the arches, but who doesn’t love a red Mk4 on gold wheels?”

Interior upgrades

Unsurprisingly, the interior faced similar scrutiny as the project gathered pace. Volkswagen lavished the R32 with accents of silver and aluminium and unique König bucket seats, but two decades and mileage equivalent of six laps of the planet had taken its toll on the interior and Jay had spotted gaps in the standard spec. Most of the silver accents, including the clocks, made the final cut but the red-stitched handbrake, pinstriped seatbelts and dark headlining were all lifted from a 25th Anniversary edition Mk4 GTI. Paired with 12 o’clock marker on the custom-made flat bottom steering wheel, it’s a visual link to the Tornado Red bodywork.

However, Jay wasn’t pulling everything out of the OE parts bin: “I’ve always been a sucker for Recaro A8 seats – I had another pair for the Mk1 but Olly was struggling to make them fit either side of the tunnel. These were imported from Germany, trimmed in black Porsche Nappa leather with alcantara centres, and the guy sent me some extra material with logos for the rear bench, so everything would match,” he continues.

“As I knew I’d be changing the rear bench, I swapped to one from a Recaro interior so it would have three headrests instead of the two you get in an R32. Lawrence at LG Trimming always does a good job, so I knew it would match perfectly. I love the original interior, so I wanted a subtle update.”

Modified VW Golf Mk4 R32 engine performance

Of course, any hint of that visual subtlety dissolves as soon as Jay puts the powertrain to use. With somewhere close to 500hp under the bonnet and all of the right parts to make use of it, the world’s first Mk4 R25T feels every bit the sympathetic reinterpretation of the complete package Volkswagen designed back in 2002. This one might not please the purists, but it’s an addictive formula on the road. And – as this is a car that’s built to be driven – that on-road appeal is where the hard work really counts.

“I could push it further, but this car was never about the power – it was always about the challenges of getting that engine in there, and building something unique,” he says. “As it is, it handles absolutely perfectly; it’s like an R32, but with that awesome five-pot noise and twice the power on tap.”

Conclusion

Not a bad distraction from the main event, then. Having scratched that itch of curiosity with the Mk4, Jay is back on the slow-burn Mk1 project and – though he isn’t giving much away yet – a TT RS powertrain in a lightweight tubular chassis ought to run rings around the R25T. And that’s saying something.

“It’s like the calm before the storm,” he smiles. “I’ve learned that cars cost a lot of money if you build them the way I build them, but that’s the only way I know. My love of cars came from my family, and I’m passing that down to my kids – this car, and the Mk1 are both being built for them.”

Whatever the R32’s bloodline has evolved into by that point, it’s hard to imagine Jay’s reinterpretation of one of the most influential Golfs will feel any less relevant when they can get behind the wheel. Combining five-cylinder noise and performance, four-wheel drive grip and striking just the right balance of subtle menace, it’s a timeless update of a bona fide modern classic. After 20 years, who says you can’t reset the boundaries all over again?

Words: Alex Grant Pics: Ade Brannan.

The post Modified VW Golf R32 Mk4 With 500hp RS3 Engine appeared first on Fast Car.

There are many, many approaches to building a project car. More often than not, it ends up being a long, drawn-out process of refinement, engineering and re-engineering, testing, fiddling, swearing, all in the dogged pursuit of getting the damn thing right. These builds evolve over time and seldom end up resembling the initial vision that their donor cars conjure up, but there’s still generally an overarching aesthetic and mechanical goal that pushes the project on.

Sometimes, however, the genesis of the concept is as simple as looking at the car one night and thinking: I wonder what would happen if I try this? And that’s precisely how Daniel Farmer came up with the idea of dropping a Honda engine under the bonnet of his Mk7 Fiesta. He never planned for it all to turn out this way, although it’s very entertaining that this is how it’s panned out.

A History Of Car Modifying

It was kind of inevitable that something like this would happen at some point though, as modifying cars in a can’t-stop-fiddling-with-it style has always been in the Farmer family DNA, and this plucky Fiesta has been with Daniel through thick and thin for a number of years now.

“I’ve owned a few modified cars, it definitely runs in the family and has been passed down from my mum and dad,” he says. “From my first Fiesta which was a Mk6 1.4, moving onto a Mk5 Zetec S and, then to this Mk7 ST – modifying them all, and taking the Mk7 the furthest.”

This car was purchased five years ago from the Ford dealership where Daniel works; it was two years old at the time, an ST-3 in Molten Orange. “It’s been through the wars with me,” he laughs, “from hammering it on the road, to track days, to driving it round the Nürburgring. This Mk7 started as an MP215 kit from Ford which was rapidly modified to Stage 3 through OC Motorsport, who has helped me many times over the years, repping his BB04 turbo and at the time having it wrapped in Miami Blue – which I would like to proudly say was one of the most known Mk7 Fiestas in the Ford scene.”

Original 1.6-litre Engine Blow

Good swiftly turned to not-so-good when Daniel blew the engine up, and he was even contemplating abandoning the whole idea and selling the car… but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. They’d been through too much together to call time over something as trivial as a blown motor. So he did the most therapeutic thing he could think of, fully stripping the car, leaving it in the workshop for a few months to think about what it had done, buying himself an F80 BMW M3 and driving around really fast for a bit. Which seemed to do the trick.

The hot jets of performance lust were shooting off in unexpected directions, Daniel surprisingly finding himself buying an EM1 Honda Civic that had a K20 engine swapped into it; it was misfiring and in need of love, so he decided to fix it up and, hell, wang a turbo on it for good measure. And then came that fateful night of realisation.

K20-swapping the Mk7 Fiesta ST

“I stupidly made the mistake of putting the Civic and the Fiesta nose-to-nose, and had the brilliant idea of seeing if the Honda engine would fit in the Ford,” Daniel recalls with a grin. “Both the engines were out of the cars the same night and test-fitted in, and it did look like it would be relatively easy to fit. From there it all spiralled really; less than a year later the Civic setup was fully running and driving in the Fiesta.”

You see, it all keeps coming back to that Ford affinity. He may dabble with other brands, and sometimes to quite an in-depth extent, but Daniel just can’t quit this K20-powered Mk7 Fiesta ST. And there’s a very attractive quality that keeps pulling him back: the ability to wring its neck and drive it to the fullest on road and track. The M3 might be an astonishing performance machine, but the crux of it is that you expect it to be really fast, and so does everybody else; the power delivery is so effortless that you don’t feel wholly rewarded for your input, and there’s so much power on tap that you spend more time on the brakes than the throttle. The Fiesta, on the other hand… you can keep that pedal pinned and enjoy maximum reward from maximum input.

DIY Approach

“The majority of the work on this Fiesta was carried out by me and my brother, built in our garage at home over countless late nights and early mornings,” Daniel continues. “The car has had a lot of work done all over, starting with the engine (of course) which thankfully hasn’t required any chassis mods or modification to the structure of the engine bay.

The K20 was stripped back and cleaned down, all ancillaries were put back on and test-fitted into the car to check for clearances and so on, which we were all in the green even with a sidewinder and screamer made for an EP3. We had to get custom engine mounts measured and made for the car, as well as driveshafts, and these turned out to be the biggest hurdle in the whole process unfortunately, due to a company letting us down massively with broken promises. We had to do pretty much everything from scratch, as there’s only one other car that’s had this done before and there was nothing on the market to make our lives easier. It took plenty of testing and trying to make certain things work!”

K20-powered Mk7 Fiesta ST Performance

It was damn sure worth the effort though, as that Precision-boosted K20 is now boasting a frankly ludicrous 444bhp, plenty to give those Michelin Pilot Sport 5s something to think about – and when Daniel swaps on the R888Rs and heads for the track, the Mk7 has his back, with its monster 8-pot K-Sport brakes and BC coilovers helping to make the most of that epic performance. And naturally, as you’ve no doubt spotted by now, this isn’t just about the ‘go’ – there’s a decent slug of ‘show’ here too. Because while he’s keen to point out that the car is currently half-finished, it doesn’t half look pretty on the ’Gram, and that stellar exterior vibe is just as eye-popping in real life as it looks on your little screen.

Daniel’s fitted Airtec Motorsport’s impressive wide-body kit along with a carbon wing, plus splitter and diffuser from MGC Racing, and the effect is dramatic – not least for the fabulous addition of the Bumblebee Yellow metallic vinyl wrap. And as we love a centre-exit exhaust, it’s particularly pleasing to find a downturned pie-cut tail poking out the middle of that imposing set of verticals at the rear end.

“Yeah, it is still a work in progress,” Daniel muses. “There’s a long way to go till it’s done, but it does turn heads wherever it goes.” And that sort of attention is only set to increase. After all, what he’s achieved with this phoenix-like K20-powered Mk7 Fiesta ST is little short of remarkable, and it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens next.

Words: Daniel Bevis. Photos: Jason Dodd.

Looking to see cars like this in the flesh? Be sure to check out our Ford Fair event at Silverstone. 

The post K20-Powered Mk7 Fiesta ST With 444bhp appeared first on Fast Car.

Image is a fickle thing in the car game. Reputations can be built and destroyed with a single product, re-shaping customer bases and changing expectations overnight. Who could have predicted, 20 years ago, that Porsche would end up being better known for SUVs than sports cars, or that Hyundai would set the bar for hot hatches, or stranger still, that Volkswagen’s most economical model would be a sought-after foundation for some of Europe’s fastest drag cars. No, really.

The Lupo 3L wasn’t designed with quarter-mile sprints in mind, but it certainly had the right ingredients. Developed during the early-2000s – the era of money-no-object Volkswagen engineering that also spawned the Phaeton and Golf R32 – it was a structural-level rework of the doe-eyed city car, laser-focused on weight, aerodynamics and efficiency. Wolfsburg set a target of 94mpg (3l/100km, hence the name), but it set a globe-touring Guinness World Record at almost 120mpg. Today, Romania’s DOP Motorsport is chasing some very different records with the same base model.

Why choose a VW Lupo as the base for a drag car?

“We wanted a lightweight car, because that is essential for drag racing,” the company’s founder, Silviu Ghita tells us, chuckling at the irony of packing two engines and 1,900hp of ethanol-swigging, flame-spitting anarchy into the once diesel-sipping hatchback. “The 3L is the only Lupo with aluminum for the doors, bonnet, boot lid and wings, so the body is very light. That’s a good start – all you need then is more power…”

Brute force is something DOP Motorsport is very familiar with. Set up as a hobby in 2010, its workshop just outside Bucharest has become a go-to for boundary-pushing engine tuning with some impressive records under its belt – Romania’s three fastest Volkswagens were all built here. This one, the quickest of the trio, can trace its roots back even further than its place of origin.

Silviu’s car history

“My first car was a Skoda Octavia RS, and that’s how I got involved with drag racing events,” he continues. “It had the same 2.0 TFSI engine as the Lupo, making 650hp at the front wheels, and I was running 11.4-second quarter miles at 217km/h (135mph) in that spec. That’s when I decided to install a second engine – another 2.0 TFSI – and got the time down to 10.0-seconds at 243km/h (151mph).”

The Lupo offered an opportunity to package similar hardware into a less weight-compromised platform. Silviu tracked down a well-kept 3L as donor, stripped it of anything that wasn’t mission critical, then set about putting Volkswagen’s gram-by-gram weight saving to more entertaining use. This was a quick car even with a single, mildly tuned 20-valve turbo up front. Effortlessly quick. But not quick enough, apparently.

Not so much a VW Lupo anymore

Lupo owners won’t find much they recognize under the skin. The Octavia had highlighted a need to combine the highest possible strength with the lowest possible weight, and those demands were the limits of a structure that had been designed for 61hp. With its sights set on Europe’s fastest cars, the team at DOP designed and built a rigid tubular structure from lightweight chromoly, then fixed the 3L’s bodywork over the top.

“The panels are very light, so the body and chassis together only weigh around 200kg. I tried to make a bonnet from fiberglass, but it was a few grams heavier than the aluminum one because it had to be reinforced so it wouldn’t break. However, we realized the aerodynamics could be improved. The airflow under and over the body should join up about five meters behind the car, so we measured it and tapered the roof by 200mm to get that right,” explains Silviu.

VW Golf R Mk6 Engines

That bespoke structure reduced the need to cram components into reluctantly small spaces, but there’s a lot going on here. There’s a Mk6 Golf R CDL-code 2.0-litre TFSI engine at each axle, chosen for their tougher timing belt setup instead of the later chain. These are built to an identical, and near-bulletproof, spec; a bottom end strengthened with a girdle kit then fitted with JE pistons and Tuscan rods, fixed to the head with ARP studs and paired with CatCams camshafts. Heavy-duty groundwork designed to withstand the boost of a Precision Turbo 6870 compressor.

“The 2.0 TFSI was my first choice – I had got it up to 650hp in the Skoda, so I knew the strengths and weaknesses really well,” explains Silviu. “As long as you get one with a timing belt, the block and cylinder heads are always the same, so you just need to reinforce the internals to take the extra boost. But the biggest weakness with these direct injection engines is a lack of fuel, and that’s what limits the power.”

Alleviating that bottleneck is no easy task. The engines use a combination of port and direct fuel injection; Audi S3 injectors in the combustion chambers and eight auxiliary 1,050cc injectors in a dual-plenum inlet manifold, which have a separate control unit. That’s a total of 12 injectors and three Bosch 044 fuel pumps per engine, and a resulting thirst for electricity that required a larger battery and stepping up from the stock 150-amp alternator to a 180-amp version. Even then, the belt slips at high loads.

Parts from Bugatti

Silviu already has upgrades in mind: “I have started using Bugatti Veyron fuel pumps for street cars up to 900hp,” he tells us. “They are brushless and we use them with a brushless controller – two pumps per engine – with no issues. You can run them at a low speed and light load, so it doesn’t heat the fuel and they use less energy. A Bosch 044 draws 23-24 amps at full load, but a Veyron pump draws 13-14 amps at full load and has twice the capacity. They’re good for around 900hp on E85 fuel. Incredible pumps.”

Every component, and every gram, has a purpose. Within the tubular structure, the team carefully weaved boost pipework into the two engine bays, slotting an airbox into the passenger side window hole and a huge front-mount intercooler into the bumper – the rear engine runs a water-air cooler instead. Dialled up to full boost, that hardware puts out 950hp at each axle, snapping and popping flames through holes cut into the hatchback’s swollen bodywork. Weighing in at 1,350kg, or slightly less than the new Polo GTI, it’s putting out more than 1,400hp per tonne. In other words, roughly 300hp per tonne more than you’d get in a Bugatti Chiron, but with almost no filtering of that mechanical brutality when it’s put to use.

Two DSG gearboxes

With that in mind, there was no way the human driver could be allowed to limit progress. Having cut his teeth using manual transmissions in the Skoda, the twin-engined VW Lupo uses a six-speed DSG unit at each axle to minimize the shift time. Despite the power increase, mechanical upgrades are light, comprising an uprated clutch and Wavetrac differential to help put the power down. Each gearbox shifts independently, which means there’s no break in acceleration once it’s rolling.

“The DQ 250 transmission isn’t very strong – on a street car we usually break them at about 650hp,” shrugs Silviu, as if he’s describing a rumbling wheel bearing. “We have an advantage with a bi-motor car because the weight is distributed between two gearboxes. It’s like you’re running half the weight of the car at each one, though it doesn’t quite work that way. In a light car you won’t break even a weak gearbox like this one.”

Chassis upgrades for the twin-engined VW Lupo

None of the Lupo’s suspension setup made it through the rebuild. The tubular chassis was designed around two sets of front suspension from the Mk5 Golf platform, converted to D2 Racing coilovers and with GTI brakes all round – ample stopping power for a drag car, but earmarked for replacement with something lighter in future. Arch flares at each corner cover 26-inch Hoosier tires wrapped around 15×10 steel wheels, custom-made by DOP using bands from three additional wheels per corner. It’s put some unusual strains on the mechanical parts behind, as Silviu explains.

“We’ve converted it to electric power steering, using parts from a Mk5 Golf. It is drivable without it, if you’re on street tires, but the part-deflated Hoosiers are very different. If you turn the wheel, it pulls back to the center, which isn’t safe,” he says.

“However, the driveshafts are completely stock. I bought some upgraded shafts but I haven’t installed them yet, because they’re twice as heavy. If I break the standard driveshafts then I’ll fit the others, but for now I don’t want to add any kilograms unless it’s completely necessary.”

Interior modifications on the twin-engined VW Lupo

That’s also true of the cabin. Separated from the rear engine by a metal bulkhead, it’s an environment stripped back to only the most essential components. A fiberglass dashboard, trimmed in non-reflective Alcantara, puts duplicate oil gauges and boost controllers within a glance, while the dual DSG shifters and compact Sparco wheel are positioned close to the ultra-light 23kg bucket seat. Wolfsburg was obsessive about trimming weight, but a stock Lupo 3L would feel almost Phaeton-like by comparison.

Quarter-mile drag racing

The performance on offer in this twin-engined VW Lupo is every bit as wild as the car’s presence implies. Two years in the making, the Lupo put in a first run while de-tuned to “just” 600hp per engine, putting down an 8.7-second quarter mile at 273km/h (169mph) on an untreated track. Achieving high power reliably has been relatively straightforward with a familiar powertrain. The challenge, Silviu says, is putting it down effectively.

“I put the engines up to 950hp each at Santa Pod, but I didn’t manage to improve the ET because we couldn’t get a clean pass in six runs,” he tells us. “The main problem was wheel spin and the gearboxes were not changing as fast as they could. We fitted wheelie bars in the last race to stop the front from losing traction so hard and made an 8.7-second pass at 1,200hp. It feels like a walk to the grocery store – the car is so stable that a pass like that feels like way over ten seconds. Then you look at the timeslip and realise how fast it really is.”

Of course, the team hasn’t taken a soft approach to curing those issues. It spent last year building another Lupo 3L, this time with a single 835hp 2.0 TFSI and DSG setup and testing how to get the shift strategy perfect. Although it’s technically a side project, it’s impressive in its own right; at 8.8 seconds and 263km/h (163mph), it’s second only to the blue car as Romania’s fastest Volkswagen.

What’s next for the twin-engined VW Lupo?

But the next chapter for the twin-engined VW Lupo is more a fresh start than an ongoing evolution. As you read this, DOP Motorsport has two 3.6-litre VR6 engines under construction for the already lunatic hatchback, and both are boosted by a GTX55 turbo and nitrous with a target of between 1,500hp and 1,800hp per axle. For context, a street-legal project with just one of those engines has shown it’s capable of sprinting from 100-200km/h (60-120mph) in 3.3 seconds. Packing more than twice as much power into a much lighter body is a borderline terrifying concept.

For Silviu, though, it’s another way to push the boundaries. “We all like building fast cars and special projects, and I don’t think that will ever change. Drag racing is all about the small details. You’re always fighting for those last 0.05 seconds, combining a good driver and extreme reaction speeds with fine tuning – of launch control, the amount of power you can put down, when to shift gear, and so on. There are so many variables, and so much data to analyze, that you can cut 0.1 seconds compared to a previous run just by getting that right.”

Conclusion

Having reached the top, the ongoing challenge is staying there. Drag racing wasn’t on Volkswagen’s radar as engineers trimmed the Lupo’s weight for maximum efficiency. But Shoehorning near-unimaginable horsepower into that platform should push DOP Motorsport further into the upper echelons of Europe’s drag scene, strengthening a very different reputation for Wolfsburg’s most efficient car.

Words: Alex Grant. Photos: DOP Motorsport. 

The post 1900hp Twin-Engined VW Lupo Drag Car appeared first on Fast Car.

When it comes to the Nissan GT-R, we thought we’d seen it all. From drag car builds sporting almost 3000bhp, to Time Attack racers, slammed show-stunners and of course wide-bodied Liberty Walk kits etc. But then we got a message through from the team over at Amber Performance that they were hiding something away in their workshop. In truth, we had seen this car before, but we knew little about its origins, or what modifications it featured. So in true Fast Car fashion, we invited Amber Performance’s owner, Jason, down to Silverstone with the GT-R. A location that is rather fitting given the story that’s about to unfold.

You see, what you’re looking at right here is one of only a handful of genuine roadgoing Nismo GT3 kitted GT-Rs in the world. Let’s roll back the time for a second though, as it hasn’t been plain-sailing for this Godzilla. Watch the full video below.

About the Nissan GT-R R35

The eagle-eyed among you will have already spotted that this is a left-hand drive car. It won’t be a surprise to you to learn that this car is in fact a US import. Given the UK-market got the R35 right up until 2022, it seems strange that this car was a lefty, even more so when you remember that the Japanese also have right-hand drive cars. So why import a US car?

Jason tells us that he was looking for a particular spec Nissan GT-R to build a demo car to show off what the team at Amber Performance could do. But after falling in love with Seibon’s 2009 example, finished in white and star of SEMA show, he knew that this was a car he needed to replicate in the UK. It just so happens that Jason has a great relationship with Seibon in the US, and after the team announced it was finished with the car, Jason was offered the chance to buy it. In his words, it was a no brainer.

Here’s where things get interesting. Once the car was in the UK and the team were planning the next stages of the car, a workshop fire halted all progress. Sadly, the R35 suffered some damage as a result of the fire, but thankfully, the majority of the damage was aesthetic, and the underpinnings were all intact.

Buying the Nismo GT3 kit

After assessing the damage, Jason decided it was time to do something wild. After searching far and wide and looking at different kits, he managed to get in touch with someone who had the mould for the Nismo GT3 GT-R race car. It was a lengthy wait to receive the kit (in part due to an overseas supplier that failed to deliver on a kit despite being paid).  Not to be deterred, Jason and friends visited Germany and despite not finding the individual in question, did manage to get a refund on the bulk of the original investment. This fortuitously coincided with a genuine Nismo kit becoming available in the UK.

This was immediately secured then fitted to the car, essentially replacing panels like for like. The list of parts is far too long to note down here, but you can see it covers the front bumper, canards, front wings, side skirts, rear quarter panels, rear bumper, diffuser, front splitter and undertray. All of which are genuine Nismo GT3 parts.

At the back, you’ll notice that huge spoiler. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that of course isn’t the genuine GT3 wing, instead, it’s a modified Rocket Bunny wing, with chassis support from JW racing.

Elsewhere on the car, it might be harder to spot the other modifications. Largely because the panels are all painted in this striking green. Through further weight saving, almost the entire body has been replaced by carbon fiber items from Seibon. And that theme continues inside with the rear bench being replaced with carbon fiber items, as well as the door trims and other accessories. It’s carbon overload, but not in-your-face. Striking the perfect balance between the Nismo GT3 race car and the road car.

Other modifications on the Nismo GT3 GT-R

Under the bonnet, power is now up to a healthy 725bhp. Jason was keen to keep power “moderate here”, more in keeping with the Nismo GT3 GT-R race car, which was limited to around 650hp in race trim. It features a new hybrid turbo and wastegate set, a Forge blow-off valve, and a load of HKS goodies. These include a new intercooler, hardpipe, blow-off valve kit and an EVC 7 boost controller. A new fuel inject set and an Apexi exhaust system bring it all together.

As for the suspension, Jason opted for an OEM+ setup, utilising a Bilstein coilover kit. On the road, this does a great job of improving handling, but without compromising on comfort. And yes, while it looks like a Nismo GT3 GT-R racer, it still has to be driven on the road…

What’s next for the Nismo GT3 GT-R?

Jason admits that this is it for the car. Amber Performance won’t pursue anymore modifications for the car, although problems arise on all modified builds, so we’re sure we’ll see some changes in time. For now, though, it’s a case of getting it to as many shows as possible to show it off. One of which is our very own JapFest event, which takes place on April 7th at Silverstone circuit. If you want to see the car in the flesh, you can pick up your tickets to the event right here.

The post Road-Legal Nismo GT3 GT-R Tears Up The Rule Book appeared first on Fast Car.

Popularity can be a double-edged sword in the modified game. Take the Mk2 Golf as an example; after 40 years as a staple part of the Volkswagen scene you’d be spoilt for choice when it comes to parts and advice, but with the flipside that you’d also have to dig a lot deeper for fresh ideas in the first place. There’s still plenty of untapped potential among the subtlest blends of new tech and classic influences, of course, but sometimes it pays to rip up the rules completely.  

“If I was building a Mk2 for myself, then it wouldn’t be far off what we’ve done here,” smiles Tom Clarke, clearly buzzing at the slightly overdue end result of his most recent automotive brainstorming session. “There are loads of Mk2s out there winning shows, and I love every single one of them, but with this one I wanted to do something different. I wanted to create a conversation, something that would be brilliant for that Volkswagen world, and also escalate it some.” 

If you’re familiar with Tom by name, you’ll also know that this sort of thinking is par-for-course. If not, then there’s a hint in the livery. The Golf is one half of the latest in-house project build-offs at Meguiar’s UK, and the third opportunity to lock creative horns with marketing executive Dale Masterman, who has been building a Ford Ranger in parallel. It’s a modifying grudge match born out of differing tastes that came to light working on early company demo cars. A process which has pitched Tom’s wide-body Renault 5 and flame-spitting Volvo Amazon against Dale’s low-riding Mercedes W114 and race-inspired Jaguar S-Type R. I’ve added a link to each car’s feature on the Fast Car YouTube channel – trust me, they’re worth the watch!

Tom’s car-building backstory

Creative differences are hardly surprising. While Dale grew up around his Dad’s hot-rods, Tom admits he “fell into” the automotive industry by accident. With only dull company cars on the family driveway, it was a neighbor’s meticulously detailed Mk1 Civic that sparked an interest, and the rest owes more to geography than genetics. The automotive world is pretty hard to avoid when you’re growing up close to Silverstone and its dense population of motorsport specialists, and they drew him into orbit too. After a weekend helping friends manning the Yokohama Tires sprint course at GTI International during the early 2000s, 18-year-old Tom wound up with a full-time job at the company and a working life surrounded by influential connections.  

“I can’t hide the fact that I’m of the Max Power generation,” he laughs. “One of our customers was a shop in Milton Keynes, and those guys still are my best friends now. We’d do everything together; build cars, go to shows, go to Southend. So my car passion started when I was 18 and in my younger days it was always French cars, but Northamptonshire is quite Volkswagen-based. I’ve been fortunate to have friends building the best Mk2s in the country and we always had mutual respect for one another’s cars, but I’ve never built one myself.” 

Far East inspiration

The Mk2 wasn’t a dead cert here, either. Loose ideas for a Golf weren’t set in stone until he found the right ingredients to step out of the comfort zone. Having been a big part of the Renault and Volvo builds, that process started with a “spitballing” session with Matt at Reflex Auto Design and an idea that stuck almost instantly. What about, budget permitting, injecting Japanese motorsport influences into the UK’s Volkswagen scene, with one of the country’s first Rocket Bunny kits? That would be pretty exciting, right? 

“I don’t like to procrastinate,” Tom smiles. “By the time I’d got back to the office I’d already made contact with my Dutch colleague Paul, because the European importer for Rocket Bunny, TofuGarage, is a customer of ours. Within two hours I’d made the call to Alex at TofuGarage and 24 hours later he’d spoken to the Japanese team who’d supported us with a deal on a kit. It takes weeks to get here, so we ordered it before we’d even found a car.” 

Slim pickings

Speaking of budgets, those snowballing plans wouldn’t leave vast amounts for the car itself. Scouring classified ads was a careful balance between over-spending on a museum piece and bogging down in weeks of expensive body repairs, but luck was on his side. Hoping to borrow a trailer from MMR Performance, Tom discovered that owner Max had something even more useful lurking out of sight. A cheap, non-sunroof, three-door Mk2 bodyshell just waiting for the right home. Ideally, one with plenty of cleaning gear on site. The dots were easy enough to join.  

“It had had one lady owner from new, then Max had owned it for 15 years and stored it under an oak tree,” he tells us. “It looked horrible, there was a lot of mildew and moss over the body, and it had been home to a litter of kittens through the winter so there was cat poo inside. But the tree gave it a constant, with no extreme sun, rain, or frost. It was a mega find.” 

Better still, the moss wasn’t concealing anything unexpected. The body emerged almost unscathed from an initial jet-washing session needing only an outer sill repair to put it right, and, although interior had become an unsalvageable biohazard, its almost rust-free fixings at least made it easy to get rid of. Tom can’t help smirk remembering the look Matt gave him when he found out he’d be cutting up one of the cleanest unrestored Mk2 bodyshells he’d ever worked on. 

Painstaking attention to detail

Despite saving time on restoration, the bodyshell was no shortcut – it’s a labor of love founded on Reflex’s experiences building countless Mk2s. By the time it arrived at Custom Cages, Matt had painstakingly deleted every redundant hole, bracket and panel in the cabin and under the bonnet – there were 55 of them in the engine bay alone. The FIA-spec six-point rollcage that followed is bespoke, designed in CAD based on a 3D-scanned model of the cabin including its 30 years of wear and tear. By packing it as tightly into the space as possible and stitch-welding it to the shell, the reward is a reduced need for gusseting and a cleaner finish. 

If that sounds drastic, Tom had barely started. “This is the first genuine structural replacement carbon roof on the market,” he explains. “You have to remove the whole panel, then this bonds into the rain gutters. The original roof was absolutely perfect and it killed Matt to do it, so we reused the metal for the arch linings. With the Renault 5, the wide-arch kit had inner supports to add rigidity, and they broke off, so Matt fabricated an extended wheel arch for the kit to bolt onto. We’ve done the same with this.”  

For all the visual impact of the Rocket Bunny kit, it’s a build that owes just as much to the tiniest details. Among them, the interior panels beneath the rear windows were re-shaped to allow the planned carbon fiber door cards to sit flat, while the fuel flap now extends outwards to follow the shape of the arches. After weeks of sleepless nights scrolling through images for the right spoiler, the perfect fit popped up at a classic car show – it’s a replica Lancia Delta Integrale Evo item, modified to fit the Golf’s narrower roof. 

Grand designs

There’s an equal amount of insomnia in the choice of paint. Porsche Rubystone Red was on the cards from the start, but never as a standalone color. Instead, the livery is a nod to his roots; inspired by the Advan Racing war paint he’d seen working at Yokohama, though those black sections are also perfect for demonstrating detailing gear, and finished with reversed Meguiar’s graphics to blend a little of the drift scene into the Golf’s already eclectic mix. 

“I really wanted to tie the color into the cabin,” continues Tom. “The idea was cherry blossom would link into the Japanese design cues and pull in the pink, but every time I looked at it all I could find was printed material and it wasn’t right. Then, at one o’clock in the morning on page God-knows-what of Etsy, this embroidered dress material came up. And I was like; ‘my God, yeah, that’s it!’  

“The following morning, I came into work excited because I’d found this material, talked myself into going for it, then spoke to the missus who thought it was a bit over the top. Within a week I’d realized that ‘over the top’ was right, and what I wanted. It’s a really dense material so it can take all the abuse, and I’m really pleased with it. It’s so, so good.” 

At this stage, it couldn’t be anything less than perfect. Having completed the seats, Hawkes Autoworks smoothed unwanted details from the dashboard before trimming it to match, and the hard graft on the bodyshell paid off during reassembly. The weave of the carbon fiber door cards is perfectly aligned from the front to the back of the car and mirrored on each side.

Wheels & suspension

Out of sight, the build team renewed every suspension part, and paired them with Still Static adjustable top mounts and a Noath tie rod flip kit to dial out bump steer. This helped to achieve a more track-ready ride height after installing H&R coilovers. 

With more bodywork to fill out, custom wheels were a must. Image Wheels had been keen to help and had the flexibility to get the details right, helped by checking dimensions using wheels borrowed from the Renault 5, but the final design is unique. It’s a VR5 wheel, more usually found on a Skyline GT-R, but downsized in this case from 18 to 16-inches. That’s no easy task; the entire structure had to be re-engineered in CAD, but the staggered 9- and 10-inch-wide set fits the Golf’s swollen dimensions perfectly. 

At least, they do after a final session of tweaking: “It was hard getting the ride height at the right place. Weirdly the top of the arch on the bodykit is higher than a standard Mk2 Golf. We’ve got H&R Ultra Deeps on it, absolutely maxed out, and if you max them out on a standard car then it’s dragging on the floor. On this, the arches sit right with the wheels.” 

Powertrain Mods

All of which left one final element to figure out. The shaved bay is home to some old-school tuning from J-Tech; a 2.0-litre ABF 16-valve with its a polished and ported head flowing air through Jenvey throttle bodies and a Milltek/TSR exhaust, and there’s no shortage of minute details tended to during the refit. The fly-by-wire actuator and expansion tank now sits in a new location to the side of the head, while the Forge radiator is shorter and wider than stock.  

“I had a different gameplan – the inner chav in me wanted a supercharged R32 engine, because… noise and, err, noise basically. Within ten minutes of getting to J-Tech, Jamie had talked me out of it. He said he could make our engine bay look like Andrew Carter’s Mk2 – I’d given that an award at Players, it’s a work of art. Having had Jenveys on my 206, I was all aboard the excitement train again,” Tom laughs.  

“But to have come at this and got it wrong would have been stupid, and everyone who has been on board with this has been on board with that. They’re die-hard Volkswagen guys, and they’d twitch sometimes, but I’d always tell them to just trust me and I’m really proud of everyone who worked on it. I just have a brain fart and people have to come on board, but to actually put out something like this is incredible.” 

Verdict

Having grown up watching some of the UK’s best Mk2 Golfs come to life, the bar was always going to be set high when Tom got a chance to build one himself. Motivated by a love of the Volkswagen scene but confident enough in the end result to bring die-hard enthusiasts on board, this mold-breaking Mk2 has found its own unexplored potential within the car’s 40-year status as a staple base car. Sometimes, all you need to do is rip up the rules a little bit. 

Words: Alex Grant. Photos: Grant Marriott.

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The Evolution of Rally Cars

The Ford Focus WRC

The Ford Focus WRC made its debut in 1999 and it quickly became a force to be reckoned with. Developed by M-Sport, the official motorsport division of Ford, the Focus WRC showcased cutting-edge technology and engineering prowess. Indeed, it was Ford’s first ‘proper’ WRC car, designed specifically to meet the new regulations after the ageing Escort Cosworth.

Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter Zetec engine, the Focus WRC produced an impressive 300-plus horsepower. Its all-wheel-drive system provided exceptional traction, allowing drivers to tackle various terrains with ease. The multilink rear suspension setup that made the Focus such a great handling car on the road also has its roots in the WRC design. Homologation rules forbid significant changes to suspension mounting points, so the road cars benefited as a result.

Piloted by legends

Under the guidance of legendary drivers like Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, the Ford Focus WRC made an instant impact. Colin McRae finished 3rd in the car’s first-ever competitive event at Monte Carlo in 1999. He was later disqualified for the infamous water pump homologation debate, but it showed the car’s inherent speed. McRae went on to win the gruelling Safari Rally a few weeks later. And then claimed victory again in Portugal in the same year.

With its powerful engine and advanced suspension system, the Focus WRC became a formidable force on the rally stage. In 2000, McRae and Sainz finished on the podium no fewer than 9 times – doing so together on four occasions! The following year was similar story – with five podiums for both Sainz and McRae. In 2002 (the final year of the iconic Martini livery), the Focus notched up another six podium finishes – three of those being outright victories.

The Ford Fiesta Rally2

Fast forward to the present day, and we have the Ford Fiesta Rally2, the latest iteration of Ford’s rally car line-up. The top-tier WRC category still exists (now called Rally1), and M-Sport enjoyed lots of success with the Mk8 Fiesta, including winning both driver and manufacturer’s titles in 2017, and winning the drivers championship again in 2018. When the rules changed to the current Rally1 specifications that include the use of hybrid technology, M-Sport switched to the Puma.
The Fiesta is still a formidable machine and is the weapon of choice for many competitors in the Rally2 Championship. Unlike Rally1, with its big budgets that only manufacturers can afford to compete in, Rally2 regulations include a price cap to keep costs under control. But think this is a ‘budget’ form of motorsport. It just isn’t. The Fiesta Rally2 still features an improved suspension system, more aggressive aerodynamics, and a refined chassis, resulting in enhanced handling and agility.

Tech Specs

Engine

The Ford Focus WRC has a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, based on the Zetec motor found in road cars. Initially built by Mountune and later by Cosworth, the spec includes a Garrett turbo with a 34mm restrictor. Power is rated at 300bhp at 6500rpm, with peak torque of 550Nm at 4000rpm.

On the other hand, the Ford Fiesta Rally 2 is powered by a modern direct-injection, turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. It uses a smaller 32mm turbo restrictor and delivers around 280 horsepower at 6000rpm and 475 Nm of torque at 4000rpm. While the Fiesta Rally2 has a smaller engine, advancements in turbocharging technology and modern direct fuel injection allow it to generate impressive performance figures.

Both cars feature anti-lag systems to ensure the turbo is always ready to provide boost. The WRC car uses a more complex ‘fresh air’ system, while the Rally2 car uses an electronic throttle body and jacks open the throttle slightly when the system is activated. Both systems do the same thing – they allow combustion to occur in the exhaust to provide maximum energy to keep the turbo spinning. On the WRC’s fresh air system, air is taken from the cold side of the turbo and plumbed directly into the exhaust manifold. Whereas on the Rally2’s system, the extra air has to pass through the intercooler, inlet, and cylinder before it reaches the exhaust where it combusts. The fresh air anti-lag system is what gives rally cars that distinctive chirping noise, too.

Drivetrain

Both the Focus WRC and the Fiesta Rally 2 feature an all-wheel-drive system, providing exceptional traction and stability on various surfaces. Both have sequential gearboxes: a six-speed Xtrac in the Focus and a five-speed Sadev unit in the Fiesta.
However, the Focus WRC utilises a fully active differential system. This allows the ramp angles of the front, rear, and centre differentials to be altered electronically. An ECU controls the settings, providing full tunability of the drivetrain.
Active differentials are incredibly expensive, therefore they have been outlawed for Rally2 specifications. The Fiesta employs mechanical limited-slip differentials, which still provide excellent performance but at a lower cost.

Weight and Aerodynamics

Surprisingly, given their 20-year gap in age and different regulations to comply with, the Focus WRC and the Fiesta Rally2 weigh exactly the same. They both tip the scales at 1230kg.
The Focus competed in a time when the manufacturers wanted the rally cars to closely resemble those on dealer forecourts, and as such the WRC car is the same overall dimensions as the road car.
However, with rules relaxed and more aggressive aerodynamics employed, the Fiesta Rally2 has little in common with its road legal counterpart. The Fiesta Rally2 is a full 50mm wider than the Focus. It’s shorter too (4065mm compared to 4152mm of the Focus), giving a squarer and more stable platform.
And that’s without the aero package. Much more than just a rear wing, the aero kit on the Rally2 car includes wider fenders, redesigned bumpers, and even aerodynamic wing mirrors.
This results in enhanced downforce and reduced drag.

Performance on the Stages

When it comes to comparing the performance of the Ford Focus WRC and the Ford Fiesta Rally 2 on the track, it’s important to consider the changes in regulations and competition. The WRC has seen several rule changes over the past 20 years, affecting everything from engine displacement to aerodynamic modifications.

What we really need is someone who has driven both the Focus WRC and Fiesta Rally 2 in anger. Someone who can offer a direct comparison of what each car feels like when strapped in and belting across the stages. Enter David Wright.

In the hot seat: David Wright

David is a keen and very talented rally driver. But he’s not a works-backed professional racer. He runs a local branch of Fix Auto UK in his home town of Bentham in North Yorkshire. “Owning a bodyshop certainly comes in handy when rallying doesn’t quite to plan,” he laughs.
Having competed at numerous events in an ex-Carlos Sainz Focus WRC (V2 FMC) belonging to a family friend, David has recently acquired a modern Fiesta Rally2 to compete in tarmac rallying events. That makes him perfectly poised to compare these two impressive fast Fords.

David explains: “They are two very different machines. The Focus was designed and built using the very latest technology and active differentials. That makes the car surprisingly easy to drive compared to the Rally2. Coupled with the extra torque from the larger capacity engine, the Focus is a bit more forgiving and is always fast.

“By contrast, you need to get hold of the Fiesta by the scruff of the neck and really throw it around. The mechanical diffs and torque deficit mean you need to be on-song all the time to extract maximum performance,” he continues.

“You can take the Focus across incredibly hostile terrain like the Safari and Acropolis, and you know it’s tough enough to cope. And you can feel that behind the wheel. Whereas the Fiesta isn’t tough enough to survive events like those, on tarmac rallies the Fiesta feels like a go-kart compared to the Focus. It’s so nimble and precise. And the Fiesta Rally2 can easily be as quick, if not faster, than the Focus WRC on the right surface.”

Which is best: Focus WRC vs Fiesta Rally2

While the Focus WRC dominated the WRC during its prime, the Fiesta Rally2 is designed to excel in the Rally2 championship, which features slightly less powerful cars than the top-tier Rally1 cars. But this allows for closer competition and, reiterating David’s comments, puts a greater emphasis on driver skill and strategy.

Both cars offer exhilarating performance, but the Fiesta Rally2 showcases the advances made in rally car design and technology. The Ford Focus WRC and the Ford Fiesta Rally2 represent two different eras in the evolution of rally cars. While the Focus WRC will always hold a special place in rallying history, the Fiesta Rally2 proves that innovation and progress are constant in the world of motorsport.

The value of the WRC car these days means it just isn’t worth the risk of David using it in competition regularly. But rally fans will still get the opportunity to see used in anger at events like Goodwood Festival of Speed. And given his record of winning the rally stage outright, David isn’t one to potter around doing exhibition runs. Oh no, this will be spitting flames and spraying dirt everywhere as onlookers are immediately transported back to the early 2000s and the era of playing Colin McRae Rally on the PlayStation.

To answer the question, ‘Which is best?’ we don’t know. On one hand, you have the technical advances and rawness of the Rally2. On the other, you have powerful nostalgia and a car that was designed with no expense spared.

Which do you think is best?

Photos: Mantis Pro Media

The post Ford Focus WRC vs Ford Fiesta Rally2 appeared first on Fast Car.

“It has offended a few Ford purists, for sure – and I have had plenty of people ask me why I cut into a perfectly fine brand-new car. But where would the fun be if we all did the same thing?” It’s an admirable sentiment, and one we’re very much on board with. It would undoubtedly be hugely nerve-wracking to get savage with the cutting tools on a box-fresh hatchback, but James McAllister has sacrificed his warranty for the greater good on this project car.

You see, bravery is an intrinsic part of innovation. It’s often said that a short-cut is a short-cut because otherwise it’d just be the way, but it’s when we go in the other direction, deliberately taking the long way round in order to determine whether we can find or create something better, or more unusual, or more interesting, that the real magic happens. Naturally you have to be brave to step off the beaten track, as you don’t know what sort of thorns or poison ivy or angry bears will confront you – but life’s too short not to try it, right?

The idea to wide-body the Focus ST Mk4

The idea of creating the world’s first widebody Focus ST Mk4 didn’t just flare up overnight, it’s been more of a slow burn over many years, beginning with the wistful yearning of youth and growing into an unassailable keenness for taking fast Fords and making them funkier.

“I always saw my friends doing this stuff when I was younger, but I was never very mechanically minded and so I never really got into it back then,” James explains. “I have tried loads of different cars over the years, including a mix of some fast Fords, but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve started to see them as proper ‘toys’ – so when I thought about modifying, I wanted to get out some of the pent-up modification-ness that had been stored up! However, I wanted to do it properly, and make sure no expense was spared. No short-cuts.”

Buying the base car

A proper project requires a proper base – and if it wasn’t enough that James would be brutalising a showroom-fresh Focus, the model he chose was no ordinary ST. No, what he wanted was an ST Edition. This was the variant that came with KW V3 coilovers as standard, along with lightweight wheels and a very generous ticking of the option boxes.

“It was just good luck that I found this Edition,” he says. “I had an Orange Fury Mk4 ST estate before this; I went in to get it serviced and I knew about these Editions being released so I thought I’d check. It just so happened that they had one being prepped, and I jumped on it! So yes, the car was brand-new when I got it from Evans Halshaw Ford in Bedford – absolutely fantastic lot in there. And it wasn’t long before I started making changes…”

Planning the widebody build

It was always the plan to go widebody, right from the start. And the fact that no-one had done this before didn’t daunt James one bit. “I was asking around to find good coachworks or fabricators and bodyshops to see who would be interested and get some costs, but nothing felt right,” he says. “Then all of a sudden, I saw there was a kit by HUEIDEA Design in Taiwan that was released last year around July time, and I got straight onto messaging them to find out a bit more.

Turns out this had been made from a 3D scan of an ST Line, and the car they had done the kit on was that ST Line. I wasn’t really sure what I would get through the post, what condition it would be in and how the fitment was going to be; a lot of these kits can sometimes need a lot of work and so it’s always a bit of a gamble. And next I had to find a garage that was willing to take on the work but also would get a bit excited by it.”

Having been to a dyno day with the Mk4 ST Owners Group the year before, which was held at RGS Motorsport in Wellingborough, James had a feeling that this would be the place. So he went back to chat about fabrication, and it quickly became apparent that the owner, Brian, was just as enthusiastic about getting this pioneering build off the ground as he was. Some numbers were crunched, timescales discussed, and the whole project started to get mapped out. RGS were due to hold another Mk4 Owners dyno day, so this was pencilled in as the date to have the car completed and ready for its club debut.

Fitting the widebody kit to the Focus ST Mk4

“That only left a few weeks to get the work done, and there were still loads of parts to get sorted,” says James, “including finding some wheels that would work in a Ford PCD, which was a lot harder than I thought. The guys at RGS got cracking with the work, drilling into the almost brand-new car to test-fit the kit, and after finding out that the fitment was basically spot-on and there was very little work needed apart from some prepping to paint, we started cutting the arches to bits. They have been properly sealed against the weather, and brand-new arch liners also made to allow for the extra width of the flares. I didn’t want to leave any of it without it being properly done to OEM levels.

Painting the widebody kit

“The next step was to get everything painted, baked and on the car,” he continues. “The one thing that I just hadn’t been able to get before this all kicked off was wheels, and this was going to be the make-or-break for getting it done to the deadline. I didn’t want to get wheels before properly measuring it all or it could have been a few grand wasted.

After measuring and a quick drive up to Birmingham to collect from Driftworks, I got them back to RGS and we could get them fitted. The guys smashed the work in a week with me flying all over the place getting little parts I had forgotten, and got it all done in time for the dyno day. The whole car then had the paint cut back and ceramic-coated as I had been waiting until all the work was done to finish it off.”

Widebody Focus ST Mk4 Engine modifications

The attention to detail is as strong as the clarity of the unique vision, and it’s crucial to note that this wasn’t just an aesthetic makeover. James was eager to ensure that the ‘go’ matched the ‘show’; he’s keen to point out that he didn’t intend to go power crazy, although the elevation from its original 276bhp to the current 371bhp represents a very impressive 34% increase. This has been achieved via a Dreamscience Stage 2 tune working with Airtec induction and a Velossa Tech Big Mouth ram-air scoop, plus a Dreamscience intercooler, and believe us when we say that this car sounds utterly spectacular thanks to its raucous Milltek GPF-back race exhaust system with sports cat and downpipe.

You’ll also no doubt be pleased to note that, despite the painstaking show-car vibe, this is certainly no trailer queen. “I use the car as a daily driver,” James assures us. “I work from home a lot so it’s not a commuter really, but I do take it everywhere. It’s been to Austria over Christmas with my girlfriend and the Husky in the car, and that saw it get some proper use of the autobahn. I love how it’s turned out, and the fact that it’s the only Mk4 ST in the world that has been widebodied – for now, at least! Yeah, it’s a real love it or hate it thing, and it rubs some people up the wrong way, but when most people see it in the flesh it definitely gets a great reaction. It’s just a bit barmy, but finished off so well!”

Verdict

That, indeed, could act as a blueprint for the future of the modifying scene overall. ‘A bit barmy, but finished off so well’, it beautifully sums up what most of us are aiming for. And OK, it might irritate the purists, but like the man says: where would the fun be if we all did the same thing? 

Photos: Ade Brannan.

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