Performance VWの January 2025 の目次

Firstly, I’d like to start by thanking everybody that went out of their way to help with the production of our first independent issue last month. From contributors - some of whom donated their skills purely for the love of the title - to the old publisher, Kelsey (who is helping with the transition period) and our long-serving (suffering - All) designer, Lorna who stepped up to assist with ad production among other things. The magazine has always been about pulling together and working as a team - often with very little budget or resources. We’re hoping to improve the latter going forwards, but pure enthusiasm is usually enough to get us through. I don’t want to bore you too much talking ‘shop’, but this is your magazine, too, and…

HG-MOTORSPORT POLO & GOLF SPOILERS We’re used to HG-Motorsport producing pretty awesome exhaust systems and downpipes, but after launching its body kit for the Mk8 Golf last year, we know these guys have great style, too. Fresh off the press are these deep hatch spoilers. The first is for the Mk8 Golf R, GTI & Clubsport (£140.00) and the second for the Polo 6C GTI (£198.00). Both have a real OEM+ look to them. Constructed from a high-quality ABS material these spoilers have been carefully engineered in an advanced 3D construction. They’re also patented and TUV approved, too! No cutting or bolting is required, these are applied using double-sided bodywork tape making it an effortless upgrade. It’s worth noting these are delivered unprimed in a white finish, so will need…

With PVW entering a significant new chapter in its incredible history, Elliott asked if I could explain how the mag came about in the first place. To be honest, the past three decades have been a blur but there were undoubtedly some landmarks that led us to this moment. For me, it started on Custom Car magazine. I arrived on work experience and never left (sounds familiar - Ed). One of the writers lost his driving licence to an impressive blood/alcohol reading and Editor Tony Thacker took a chance on me. As an old school publishing house, I learned every aspect of magazine production from experts. Equally important, Tony tagged the new “Euro-style” movement that was emerging. He demonstrated the benefits of exploring new ideas, which is something I took…

IIt was 45 years ago that VW decided that a small, Golf-sized saloon was the order of the day and essentially grafted a boot onto the hatchback body to create the Jetta. It turned out to be a smart move, with the Jetta becoming the best-selling European car in the US, Canada and Mexico, as well as proving popular among buyers in Europe, especially in the UK, Germany and Turkey. Much like its Golf counterpart, the Jetta was offered with both four and two doors, and Eetu Tirronen’s (@eetutirronen) beautifully boxy build is the latter, and it really shows off the Mk1 Jetta at its very best. While there is an awful lot to love about this build, what we especially love is that while this is an incredibly clean…

The performance end of the Volkswagen scene owes a lot to being able to mix and match. With a layout that’s barely changed between the Mk1 and Mk8 Golf, owners of the earliest water-cooled cars have gained an ever-expanding choice of (almost) drop-in hardware to bring them up to date. But, while classic styling and modern performance are a match made in heaven, those who want the lowest lows may be better looking further back in the Volkswagen timeline – and things aren’t always as they appear. A large reduction in ground clearance rarely fails to grab attention at shows, but Gavin “Gavlar” Dunbavin’s Caddy can stop even the least car-minded high street foot traffic in its tracks. Laid low enough that you’d need to squat to see all four…

Milltek, the leading aftermarket exhaust company for all things VW Audi Group, has been at the forefront of the industry for over 41 years. From the iconic VW Golf Mk1 GTI to the latest Golf Mk8.5 GTI, Milltek has it covered (and everything in between). With options to suit every owner, we offer the largest range of TÜV/‘e’ mark approved products, OEM+ classic-style systems, valved systems with optional remote control, and interchangeable tips available in five finishes on many systems. Designed, developed, and manufactured by teams of true automotive enthusiasts across our facilities in the United Kingdom, Nürburgring in Germany, and Knoxville, Tennessee in the USA, every system is designed & crafted from the ground up for its specific vehicle by engineers with decades of experience. Milltek has always been…

The road to a modified ride is different for every enthusiast. Some have clear signage, while others are unpaved and rutted with potholes. There aren’t coordinates or an address you can just pop into Google Maps and have it direct you straight to Slam Town. Occasionally, a new car is acquired with the intent to stay on the stock path, avoiding any detours that would result in unintentional additives. “When I went to pick up the car, I told my dad I would not modify the car and it would stay the way it is,” 32-year-old Marquis Anderson tells us. “That didn’t last long at all.” Before we dive into the deep end of the present, let’s first wade around the shallows of the past. As with many modified map…

There’s a well-known saying that goes: “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” And while this may indeed be sage advice to many, it can be a little hard to swallow when you’ve sunk thousands of pounds, countless hours, and numerous scraped knuckles into converting your car’s engine from a 250bhp naturally aspirated V6 into a 600bhp turbocharged tarmac terrorist, only for a minor mishap to cause it all to go up in smoke. That’s the kind of pain that would make many lesser men crumble and take up a less stressful pursuit… like free-climbing or death diving. Only petrolheads with the very strongest minds and bodies could even attempt to dust themselves off and go through it all again, especially with the spectre of the same…

Where to start? 2024 marked the third time we set up our VAG Nation Reloaded gathering, 350 pre-selected cars, an industrial area and some cool beats… Sounds like a recipe for success, doesn’t it? But in the weeks and days prior to the show, the only things we got in Belgium was rain and grey skies. I started panicking and was thinking: “we need tents, we need a place where people can shelter…”. I tried to stay calm and luckily just a couple of days before the event, the weather forecast got better and better and it looked like it would stay dry on Sunday. I visited a lot of events before our own show and invited great people with top-notch cars. So you always hope that everything works out…

APR is famed for it’s legendary Stage 3 (big turbo) upgrades for all the great VW/Audi engines and its just announced the latest to the market. The APR Stage 3 PowerMax GT2563S Turbocharger System is intended to fit the MQB/MQB Evo 2.0T Ea888.4 (289-333 PS) engine found in the Mk8 Golf R, S3, Arteon and many others. The best part of these systems are that they’re intended to be a direct bolt-on upgrade that includes everything you need to transform your car, from the Garrett turbocharger, installation kit and APR software upgrade. Of course, it’s always worth talking the upgrade through with a local APR agent to ensure your vehicle is eligible. Okay, that’s what you physically get in the kit but what sort of power/torque gains can you expect?…

Fancy writing something for the mag?” Elliott asked me a few months back. “Life after PVW and modified cars, or something?” P.V.W. Those three letters have been a thing in my life for an incredible 27 years now. In 1997 I bought my first copy. In 2007 I got the gig as Robin to Elliott’s Batman, and in 2017 I was made redundant when the mag got a new publisher. And, here I am, seven years later, writing this in a town just south of London called Sevenoaks (to take the run of sevens thing further). Buried in the bottom of a cupboard I have three (not seven, thankfully) big boxes containing almost all of the 140-odd issues I created alongside Elliott over the near-as-damn-it decade I was second-in-command at…

Stewart’s model started out as a 1:18 scale Norev Gulf livery car. “It did have the Zender bodykit which I really liked. I thought it had real potential, but I didn't think the Gulf livery suited the Golf.” The car also came on black Zender wheels which weren’t doing anything for Stewart, so would soon have to go. “I actually bought the model second hand with no box and one mirror was broken off, but luckily it was still inside the model.” Initially, Phil painted the car red but he had issues with the paint. “It kept chipping off as I was trying to rebuild it, which was a little bit frustrating so I put everything in a box and forgot about it for a while.” Here’s where the story…

It’s always a bit of a rare treat when we get to feature a Jetta, extra special this time as the 31-year-old bartending owner hails from the Republic of Belarus in Eastern Europe, more famous for its rich culture of art and literature than it is for churning out rad VWs. If this second-generation saloon is anything to go by though, perhaps we should book a ticket. Like many of us, Nikita got a taste for petroleum as a young boy, hungrily swotting up on the facts and figures of various marques, drawing his favourites and playing with his toys. It’s only natural that his taste had a Wolfsburg bent, as at 16 he started to work on the Mk2 Golf that had been in his family since 1994. He…

Who’s old enough to remember the birth of Euro-look? Slammed suspension, dinky wheels and de-chromed bodywork was de rigueur (pardon our French - Ed) at car shows, but it was the bright pastel shades that attracted us most. These days, most people generally prefer their cars painted black, grey, silver or white. It’s all very natural and if we’re honest, a little bit dull. Thankfully, Frenchman, Christophe Frédric isn’t like most people - he likes his cars bright and more specifically, blue! Christophe was kind enough to welcome us into his garage recently and talk us through his unhealthy addiction with blue, V6-powered Golfs and any sort of memorabilia or collectables that match! Please enjoy his collection and go give him a follow on socials if you have time. CHRISTOPHE…