Despite the fact you love them, you expect a certain lack of performance from your grandparents. The same goes with older cars. Even though they smell funny, leak fluid and stop working, you love them anyway. Just don't expect anyone else to feel the same.
It was surprising, then, when Brian Mick, owner of the '92 GTI on these pages, threw his keys my way and issued a simple suggestion: "Rev it to 7200 rpm-it likes it there."
That was like sending grandpa the world's nastiest lap-dance and a bottle of single-malt scotch. He'd redline until the stress killed him.
But hell, it wasn't my car, so why should I care if it came back in cardiac arrest with broken hips?
Seated within the confines of the superb Recaro seats, the GTI was like meeting an old friend, a buddy who'd been cryogenically frozen since 1992. The damn thing was perfect, right down to the last bit of red GTI piping. Mick told me it was a transplant of some sort, but I couldn't remember what kind, probably another 1.8t (those damn things are everywhere). I turned the key and instantly found the answer as the deep growl of VW's narrow-angle six barked to life. To this day, the VR6 remains one of our all-time favorite (okay, my favorite) motor-sounds, right next to Porsche's aircooled flat six and a Ferrari 12-pot mill.
Gripping the fat contours of the MOMO MonteCarlo steering wheel, I pointed the GTI northward, grabbed first gear and let 'er rip. The experience was an intoxicating blend of gut-squeezing thrust and howling motor, and it lasted all of 4 seconds before slamming into the rev limiter. Mick said let it spin to 7200 rpm, but the tach was indicating something like 7400-not that I had time to look, because I was too busy steering and trying to stay alive.
The motor was pulled from a 1998 MkIII and is OBD-II compliant. Engine mods include Schrick's 268 cams, SuperSprint's 60mm stainless-steel exhaust and nifty plug wires from ABD-nothing earth shattering but hugely effective nonetheless. The motor pulls the moment you stab the throttle-no turbo lag or cammed-up 16V crap, just pure power.
Although the lighter MkII chassis lacks the torsional stiffness of later VW cars, Mick's felt like it was carved from titanium. Maybe the factory got bored one day and seam-welded the entire body. Maybe. The suspension was augmented with H&R coilovers, adjustable units that RPI claims are the best thing for an A2 car. The resulting ride quality was perfect-at least as good as my own Project GTI. ABD's larger front and rear swaybars help flatten corners and dial out speed-stealing understeer, and Eibach's slick upper stress bar crowns the engine bay and adds additional rigidity between the front towers. Brakes are based on RPI's own recipe of Wilwood's 11-in., four-piston calipers, Brembo discs and Mintex "Redbox" pads, with the brake juice flowing through ABD's braided stainless-steel brakes lines. The binders worked so well that I've decided to keep the same (but poorly functioning) system on Project GTI. The brakes had good pedal feel and modulation and were damn near fade proof.
Although I've always been partial to the GTI's minimalist styling, the duds Mick's car wore looked great. The nose was fitted with Reiger's RS bumper, a de-badged Bonrath grille and a Kamei upper grille spoiler. Running gear is based on 17-in. Fittipaldi 500 wheels with Yokohama A502s that measure 205/40ZR-17. Inpro's Golf II headlamps feature hotter H4 bulbs and lend a better spread pattern to the beams.
The GTI's flawless cabin was treated to the aforementioned MOMO MonteCarlo steering wheel, RPI's short-shift kit and, as RPI puts it, "one crazy-ass Canadian driver" to complete the ensemble.
Dustan Woodhouse of RPI said he gets two calls a week regarding VR6 transplants. "About one guy in 12 will actually go through with the conversion," said Woodhouse. "The components range from $4,500 to $5,500, and labor is about $2,500. It seems like every conversion we do is driven at least 1,200 miles just hours after its completion, so we need to be very methodical with our procedure."
"In other words, we've got these suckers nailed down-there are a few tricks to get things perfect, but it's largely a remove-and-replace program."
I beat on Mick's car just like he told me-the harder I pushed, the better it got. The maniacs at RPI wanted to know if I was ready to convert my beloved GTI 16V to such a ride. The answer is yes and no. From a performance perspective, Mick's car is a superior ride. Period-end of story. But from a purist's point of view, VW's quintessential hot hatch needs a four-pot, multi-valve mill. Besides, I'd probably kill myself with the extra power of a VR6.