Sometimes, looks can be deceiving. Take this old Volkswagen Golf, for example. It's a wretched Mk2 that looks like it's destined for scrap. However, it's a car that can do the quarter mile in 10 seconds.
You can blame the turbocharged surprise under the hood for the unexpected performance. This little guy packs a VR6 in an all-wheel drive configuration. The 40-year-old hatchback is obviously more than meets the eye. So, let’s dig in.
Kim Paetz is the guy who rebuilt this four-door Golf from the ground up. You can forget everything you knew about the Mk2. It’s no longer valid. The model you’re looking at is now powered by a Volkswagen-sourced 2.9-liter VR6 that’s been extensively modified and boosted with a BorgWarner EFR 9180 turbocharger.
According to those who built and race it, the system produces 923 horsepower (911 metric horsepower) and 738 foot-pounds (1,000 Newton meters) of torque. A five-speed sequential transmission sends power to all four wheels with the help of a modern 4Movement all-wheel drive system.
The Volkswagen Golf was present at the L8Night quarter-mile event at Lausitzring, Germany, about 87 miles south of Berlin. The car is so loud it can rupture an eardrum. It does burnouts like no other and can compete with any modern sports car, while defying the laws of physics with its shape full of sharp edges and angles.
Photo: VeeDubRacing
The video uploaded to YouTube by the channel VeeDubRacing shows the Golf Mk2 running the quarter mile in a whopping 10.07 seconds, with a top speed of 148.7 mph (239.4 km/h). That’s what the Tesla Model X Plaid or Porsche 911 Turbo S can do, for example.
And that’s despite the fact that when the light turns green, the Golf struggles for traction and needs time to find the right gear. If this car started properly, it would probably put the Bugatti Chiron or Ferrari SF90 Stradale to shame. Kim Paetz says his best time is 9.9.
The second-generation Volkswagen Golf could have been labeled anything when it went into production in 1983, but not a sports car. The base engine was the 1.3-liter petrol, carried over from the first generation. The range also included a 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. A 1.6-liter naturally aspirated and a 1.6-liter turbo diesel completed the lineup.
American customers received the 1.8 petrol and 1.6 diesel, but neither exceeded 150 horsepower. So it's no wonder that a 923-horsepower Volkswagen Golf Mk2, capable of competing and defeating modern sports cars on the drag strip, is on everyone's lips.
