Cheesesteaks and Rocky. These were about the only things I associated with Philadelphia before traveling there to visit AWE Tuning. A group of supercharged R32s of this caliber wasn't expected at all.
Editor Bidrawn and I took a five-hour flight (that didn't seem a tick over three days) to check out what was really going on in Philly. Bidrawn sat between two World's Strongest Man-sized passengers. I was lucky enough to get between a gentleman who seemed to be able to transform the knowledge contained in books into body heat through the process of reading, and a pile of nervous energy, who apparently had to give the proverbial "most important presentation of his life" upon landing. Every time he wrote something less than perfect, he was forced to tear the entire piece of paper to shreds while grunting about sure failure.
We arrived at AWE's headquarters in the late evening. Techs were still hard at work wrenching, welding, grinding and doing all the things associated with a real shop. We made ourselves comfortable in a lobby with everything from a PlayStation to an espresso machine.
I knew AWE built some of the best cars around. I also knew they wanted to impress us, so nothing short of spectacular would be put before our critical eyes.
For years, AWE has been tuning VW, Audi and Porsche products, using high-tech methods to come up with elegantly simple solutions. These guys know how to make cars faster and aren't interested in gimmicks or extra flash. They design and manufacture their products in-house-when they use other companies' components, they only use the best of the best.
The first cars we sampled were an example of the melding of two great shops. AWE and VF Engineering collaborated to create the amazing R32s seen here. The supercharger kits were designed by VF, with their installation, along with many other mods, handled by AWE.
Mike PadrozaPadroza approached AWE with a simple goal: reliable horsepower. It didn't take much convincing to get him hooked on the idea of the VF Stage III kit. The kit consists of a centrifugal supercharger, front-mount intercooler, higher-flow injectors and power steering cooler. This kit runs an impressive 12 psi (which requires lowering the compression ratio), as well as a reinforced clutch and stiffer VF engine mounts. What goes into the engine must also come out, so the exhaust was upgraded with a full Milltek system, starting at the high-flow cats and terminating at the polished tips.
To cope with all the extra power, Mike swapped out the factory springs and dampers in favor of KW Variant 1 SHS coilovers. They keep the car well planted, while a 21mm H&R rear anti-roll bar helps balance the car and eliminate much of the model's inherent understeer.
Putting the power to the ground are Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Tires, sized 225/35 up front and 255/30 trailing. The sticky Dunlops are mounted to RH RAN two-piece wheels.
This may be the most conservative of the bunch, but it's far from tame. With a few subtle body mods like the OEM HID headlights, clear side markers and MkV rear wiper, there is still plenty to look at.
Pat Tamminen
Pat Tamminen is no stranger to high-performance Golfs. He bought a 1984 GTI brand new. After he got rid of that, he always wanted another VW, but nothing really piqued his interest until he saw a review of the R32 in The New York Times. He bought a silver one the next day and never looked back.
Tamminen is a drummer. Most drummers generally aren't what you would call normal. Tamminen may be somewhat eccentric, but his car has the same clean Euro styling as the other DubAudi cars. Exterior changes are kept to a minimum: clear side markers, a front lip spoiler from a Seat Cupra and, most notably, the black powder-coated 19-inch BBS LM wheels.
Performance is again by way of the AWE/VF tag team. This time, a Stage IV supercharger kit with Techtonics 260/264 cams and EIP Street Series exhaust. Holding the now more muscular powerplant in place are VF engine mounts. To add some show to the go underhood, Tamminen chose EIP strut, oil, coolant and dipstick caps.
The coilovers used here are Eibach Pro Street. Balancing out the factory understeer is a Neuspeed 22mm rear anti-roll bar. To get the geometry back to factory specs, CPP control arms are used, thereby keeping the Pirelli P-Zero tires stuck to the ground.
Tamminen sees the modding of his R32 as a journey with no end. He recently beat cancer and says every day is good day with his car.
Peter Jacobelli
The Black Magic Pearl car here is actually Jacobelli's second R32. His first was Deep Blue Pearl and owned originally by his father, Michael, who had passed the car on. Not long after receiving the car, it was involved in a front-end collision, prompting the modding. He began with the VF Stage II kit, along with several other mods that made the car a great performance-oriented daily driver for his 80-mile daily commute. The car was then involved in a rear-end accident that effectively ended its life.