Turbo Technics VW Golf GTI | PH Private Area
Looking for something a bit different? How about a 190hp, turbocharged take on the iconic Mk2?
Private Area is obviously intended to cater for stuff that's a bit special - and surely they don't get much more special than this? This Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI is owned by Chris, who works in the offshore oil and gas industry. Chris has owned the car for the last 10 years and it’s not his first Golf, either. He’s had a few GTIs over the years, plus a Mk1 Cabriolet (although, living in Aberdeen, the opportunities to get the roof down were few and far between). He also spent a lot of time in Azerbaijan for work – for four weeks at a time before heading back home after each stint via Heathrow. And it was on one of those return trips many years ago that led him to this Turbo Technics Mk2.
The car was being advertised by its original owner, a South African chap who lived near the airport. So it wasn’t much of a detour to go and look at the car when Chris came off yet another flight. The original owner had taken delivery of it back in 1984, which makes this a very early, so-called 'Type 19' Mk2 GTI, with the rearward-mounted door mirrors and wipers that going the wrong way. And as soon as the car arrived, it was off to BBS to have the bodykit fitted and then to Turbo Technics to have the engine overhauled.
This was before the G60, of course, so if you wanted more performance for your Golf you needed an aftermarket tuner. When Chris saw the car it was basically love at first sight. He wanted something a bit different, and this was different. Whether a bit of jet lag fatigue influenced his decision as well, who knows, but he told me he bought it there and then. Boom. Money was exchanged, and he jumped in and headed straight into an eight-hour drive back up north. A memorable drive, too, he recalls, by the end of which he was very happy with his new purchase.
So happy, the car’s become a part of the family over the last decade, and it’s not been a static object. It’s been used extensively, hence the grand total of 108,000 miles, but it’s also been lavished with love and attention over the intervening years. Some of that was simply about keeping its looks intact. It’s not been fully resprayed since it was repainted in Porsche Guards Red when the bodykit was fitted, to match the original owner's 911, but has had paintwork when required to address stone chips and other marks. It’s never suffered badly from rust – it’s always been garaged – but there was one small area of rot developing in the floor, which was cut out and sorted, and the car has been wax oiled throughout to help prevent any more holes appearing.
It's not all been simple upkeep, though. Chris definitely likes to tinker. He’s carried out various upgrades alongside the general upkeep, some of which he’s done himself in his workshop/ mancave at home, like fitting the fast-road-spec Bilstein dampers with Eibach springs and anti-roll bars. This, he says, makes the car firm but not unusable. To throw in some context, he also has a GR Yaris among his collection, and he says the Golf rides similarly to that. Other work that requires specialist equipment has been farmed out to those with the necessary tools and skills, including the four-wheel geometry and the gearbox and engine rebuild.
While the gearbox was being stripped and refurbished, he also added a Wavetrac limited-slip diff and uprated clutch. That was done only 2,000 miles ago, and the engine was fully rebuilt just before that with upgraded forged pistons. The turbo has been rebuilt, too. In fact, the list of additions, as you can read in the advert, is extensive. The car’s been set up on a rolling road, and Chris told me that it’s producing 190hp at 5,000rpm and 175lb ft at 6,000rpm. That torque figure seemed abnormally high to me, but he said it’s a really driveable car. It’s making 95lb ft at 2,000rpm and 140lb ft in the mid-range, and because the torque curve keeps building the car feels alive rather than boring to rev out. He also said that, despite the limited-slip diff, it’ll still spin up its front wheels in third on a wet road.
Why’s it being sold? Well, for a couple of reasons. Chris has spent ten years (and around £30,000) with the car, so he’s had his fun with it, but mainly he needs the garage space. Along with the GR Yaris, he’s got a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Porsche Macan and a Proton Jumbuck pick-up (yep, it’s an eclectic collection) and he’s also got another project on the go – a Series II Land Rover that needs a new chassis. So he feels it’s time for the Golf to find a new owner to enjoy it. He’s in no hurry to sell it, mind. I'm sure he’s open to offers - not silly ones, obviously - and for such a well-looked-after and lovingly fettled car, it’s not silly money in today’s market.
ETA: If it was making 175 lbft at 6,000rpm would it not be making ~200hp at 6000rpm?
Back in the day I had an Escort XR3i with a twin stage Turbo Technics kit on (before Ford did the RS Turbo) and a mk2 XR2 with the same kit
Seemed like a rocket ship back then
As an aside, the Mk1&2 Golfs never had the most aesthetically pleasing engine bay did they?
Always remember being disappointed when I used to open the bonnet of my Mk1 1.6 GTi…
Back in the mid eighties a Turbo Technics car must of been the height of awesomeness.
ETA: If it was making 175 lbft at 6,000rpm would it not be making ~200hp at 6000rpm?
The article says never resprayed, but for a 1984 that colour looks too red for me. I thought it would be a Mars Red which has a slightly more orange hue.
The front grille is from a later model with fewer slats, wonder if it had had a front bump?
Oh, and the steering wheel is wrong.
Looks good fun and not as silly priced as I thought it would be.
Rebuilt engine and gearbox as well so even if it’s done 300k miles it wouldn’t bother me. Thorough inspection wouldn’t go amiss though.
I think it was done as an example of what could be done (Dealer Decision )
It got nicked from the forecourt one night when I went home in something else.
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