RE: Driven: VW Caddy racer

RE: Driven: VW Caddy racer

Tuesday 29th May 2012

Driven: VW Caddy racer

Express delivery takes on a new meaning with this most unusual track toy



On leaving the UK to be MD of Volkswagen Group Ireland, Simon Elliott bought a boat and christened it 'Audacious'. If other sailors knew that it was a name he was given by motorsport commentators for his outrageous overtaking on the track they'd probably give him a wider berth.

Simon lets PH's Shane loose in his van
Simon lets PH's Shane loose in his van
Nonetheless, it's impossible not to be charmed by his enthusiasm, especially when it comes to vans. 'Enthusiastically' driven white vans are something we've all encountered, but Elliott takes this to a new level - particularly when the vehicle in question is his Caddy Racer.

Back in the day, Elliott's predecessor, Peter Wyhinny, started the phenomenon of racing a Caddy in the Volkswagen Cup and it was hugely popular - with the spectators and commentators. Other racers regularly complained about the clouds of black smoke it produced. Having driven it a few years back our own editor still claims to be able to taste the diesel on the back of his throat now.

Smokin!
That was only one of the reasons Elliott took a different tack for the 2011 season. The TDI diesel racer was, to put it bluntly, a bit of a shed. It was fine under power (so long as you weren't behind it), but back off or get your braking point wrong and it would spin like a top. Elliott was hauled before the stewards at Brands Hatch for spinning off in places they'd never seen anyone go off.

The old Caddy racer could be a bit wayward
The old Caddy racer could be a bit wayward
Coincidentally, the Caddy had been replaced by a new model and Elliott had no trouble 'obtaining' a pre-production shell before it was crushed. The engine and gearbox came from a crashed Golf GTI he found on eBay. Thanks to Superchips the 2.0-litre turbocharged lump now makes 270hp and a handy 378lb ft of torque - both produced below 4,000rpm. It's quick enough to make you smile without taking long to get used to. And there's little point in chasing the rev limiter - other than to hear the sound coming through the custom made Milltek Sport exhaust that runs under the cockpit and finishes in a huge twin-exit in the middle of the rear bumper. Sound proofing? Erm, no. There's a reassuringly chunky custom roll cage though.

Pukka racer
Keeping it all in check are three-way adjustable Nitron dampers all-round, with all the suspension hardware mounted on solid bushings and running adjustable anti-roll bars. In a break from standard road-going Caddys there's a multi-link rear suspension set-up from a Golf, again solidly mounted. Big 335mm discs are mounted up front, the rear ones much punier. There's no ABS or traction control or anything, but you do get brake bias adjustment. Given our half hour on track we'll not bother fiddling with that.

Simon's Caddy is a big step up in ability
Simon's Caddy is a big step up in ability
It takes only a couple of laps to get into the groove. It's nothing at all like a regular Caddy - other than the great visibility out the windscreen - and yet it shares little with a Golf GTI in terms of the driving experience either. The van's stability over bumps and under braking shines through and, while you sit low down and there's precious little body roll, there is a nagging sensation that it's a high vehicle that shouldn't be doing these sorts of speeds.

Don't believe for a second that this van was purely a marketing exercise. That's perhaps how Elliott and his predecessor justified its existence, but it has the makings of a competitive racer. Simon never raced before he took ownership of the Caddy Racer and yet he finished well and reckons it could be a regular podium finisher in the right hands. Audacious overtaking moves are nothing new for van drivers of course but if you've got £20K burning a hole in your pocket and fancy taking those skills to the track you know who to call!



   
   

 

 

 

Author
Discussion

The Danimal

Original Poster:

178 posts

154 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
That's awesome. Extra wide sunstrip next on shopping list I think!

Cupramax

10,469 posts

251 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
PH article said said:
The engine and gearbox came from a crashed Golf GTI...

Thanks to Superchips the 2.0-litre turbocharged lump now makes 270hp and a handy 378lb ft of torque - both produced below 4,000rpm.
Really? On a petrol engine?

DanDC5

18,745 posts

166 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
I assume that's £20k for a normal Caddy not the racer? £20k for that would be the bargain of the century!

KM666

1,757 posts

182 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
£20k all in? Bargin if it is!

ptn

1,694 posts

143 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
There's something very cool about a quick van.

b14

1,060 posts

187 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
Cupramax said:
Really? On a petrol engine?
Have you heard of turbo charging? My 335i makes its peak torque at 1500rpm.

Cupramax

10,469 posts

251 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
b14 said:
Have you heard of turbo charging? My 335i makes its peak torque at 1500rpm.
OK clever clogs, show me the powercurve of a remapped Golf GTi engine that produces its peak power BELOW 4000rpm.

Hoygo

725 posts

160 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
These things are super fast,an old VW van was humiliating Evos,Scobies and Exiges in a trackday ,the thing was so fast that disappeared and no one of the cars mentioned above could keep up,i know it has to do a lot with the driver and don't know what work had ben done in that red Caddy van.

Veeayt

3,139 posts

204 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
Any pics of the original car?

leon9191

752 posts

192 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
Cupramax said:
OK clever clogs, show me the powercurve of a remapped Golf GTi engine that produces its peak power BELOW 4000rpm.
+1 got to be a diesel with that power/torque at such low revs. Must have met GTDI.

IainW

1,631 posts

174 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
Hoygo said:
don't know what work had ben done in that red Caddy van.
That was an eBay special as well. Think Giles Lock was the name of the guy who drove it. That and Peter Wyhinny's van were both in the field at one point. Here's the original Caddy van racer.

Changedmyname

12,543 posts

180 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
I love my van.

jamespink

1,218 posts

203 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
leon9191 said:
Cupramax said:
OK clever clogs, show me the powercurve of a remapped Golf GTi engine that produces its peak power BELOW 4000rpm.
+1 got to be a diesel with that power/torque at such low revs. Must have met GTDI.
I thought the first version was a diesel...

jamespink

1,218 posts

203 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
I love the idea here, cheap eBay bits built into a super stiffened shell and yahoo with the rest of the pack. What's not to like?

mjhmjh2

31 posts

239 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
jamespink said:
leon9191 said:
Cupramax said:
OK clever clogs, show me the powercurve of a remapped Golf GTi engine that produces its peak power BELOW 4000rpm.
+1 got to be a diesel with that power/torque at such low revs. Must have met GTDI.
I thought the first version was a diesel...
Based on the article peak torque and BHP are developed under 4000 rpm.
"Thanks to Superchips the 2.0-litre turbocharged lump now makes 270hp and a handy 378lb ft of torque - both produced below 4,000rpm"

Let's assume it's 4000 though

BHP = torque x rpm / 5252

378 x 4000 / 5252 = 288 BHP not a million miles off!. If both peaks were at the same point then the actual rpm site would be 3751 RPM.

I always thought a van would make a cheap racer as they are already partially stripped compared to the 'car' version.






MrFreight

129 posts

148 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
Hi

History lesson - In the late 50's / early 60's Tony Lanfrachi raced a Ford Thames 100E Series Van - It was lighter and stiffer than the equivalent Saloon - in the day that was how you Raced - Most of the vehicles Racing in Saloon Racing were bog standard save removal of bumpers etc etc.

Just an interesting snippet that may/may not be relevent

MF

DanDC5

18,745 posts

166 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
mjhmjh2 said:
Based on the article peak torque and BHP are developed under 4000 rpm.
"Thanks to Superchips the 2.0-litre turbocharged lump now makes 270hp and a handy 378lb ft of torque - both produced below 4,000rpm"

Let's assume it's 4000 though

BHP = torque x rpm / 5252

378 x 4000 / 5252 = 288 BHP not a million miles off!. If both peaks were at the same point then the actual rpm site would be 3751 RPM.

I always thought a van would make a cheap racer as they are already partially stripped compared to the 'car' version.
MG ZR160 van would be a good case for that, or if you want one as a road legal track car, aren't they something like group 7 insurance compared to the cars 15-16 hehe

AndrewJB

12,263 posts

170 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
im a regular visitor to VWR

The original Caddy was a 2.0TDI PD140 Engine

This Caddy is the 2.0TFSI Lump

E38Ross

34,943 posts

211 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
b14 said:
Cupramax said:
Really? On a petrol engine?
Have you heard of turbo charging? My 335i makes its peak torque at 1500rpm.
yes, but it certainly doesn't make it's peak power under 4k, not by a long shot.

i guess it's a diesel engine.

hondansx

4,562 posts

224 months

Tuesday 29th May 2012
quotequote all
I'm going to say it. There may be the slightest of chances that - yes, on Pistonheads! - someone may have made a typo.