We chose HRE's C90 wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires for the modification of project Volkswagen R32.
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Part 1: Introducing Our Latest Toy
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OK, I was extremely embarrassed and not at all pleased with the dyno testing results of my R28 presented in Part Three of this project car series. The awesome Advanced Motorsports (AMS) four-wheel MAHA dyno beat me fair and square. Sadly, I still have 'My R32 Blues'. Perhaps I was asking a bit too m
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Legal spirited driving on public roads does not give one the complete information necessary to evaluate any car's full performance capabilities. Street testing of my R28 only allowed me to reasonably test: the full engine power band in lower gears, the action and feel of the steering, clutch and t
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The only cure I could think of to help me through my case of the "R32 Blues" was to start working on the plans to build one. By late 2003 I had done all of the research and many iterations of the cost estimate to build my own Canada-legal R32, or "R28" as it ended up. The calculations were done usin
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The Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs (MC) was started in 1958 as an expansion of the Midwestern Center of the MG Car Club. Its purpose was to provide a uniform set of regulations and promote sports car racing and other activities all over the Midwest. Today, the Midwestern Council is comprised
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European Car Magazine Race Ready Volkswagen Golf needs an engine rebuild.
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European Car Magazine Race-ready Volkswagen Golf with a Junkyard motor Part 4 article.
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Right from the start, we said we were going to report on the trials and tribulations along with the glorious successes of our Project Race-ready Golf. Unfortunately, the trials have been persistent while the glories have been non-existent.
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Right from the start, the object of this project was to get on the track as soon as possible. That's why I chose a car that had already been prepared for competition and had a successful race history. The car, a 1985 Volkswagen GTI, had been raced for almost 1
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Magazine project cars follow a certain protocol. An enthusiastic editor or contributor thinks of a car they've always lusted after, one that if it were in perfect shape would be well beyond their means. You've probably had the same daydream. The difference is
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Despite the 140,000 miles on Project Corrado's clock, the car continues to perform like a thoroughbred stud looking for somewhere to kick up its heels. There's nothing quite as euphoric as feeling as its hooves fight for purchase deep into second gear.
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It's Friday night and Lisa starts playing "footsies" with me. She's got her special jammies on and that means one thing--I'm in for some action. Things are going well until I hear the unmistakable sound of a VR6 cruising up the street. Its tone is a bit differ
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That U.S.-spec Corrados were born with lousy illumination is well known. I'd lived with it every night since Project Corrado found its way to my garage, albeit at a rather dangerous price. Given the higher performance direction my Corrado was taking, it was ti
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I got a letter from a reader congratulating me on a fine choice in vehicles. Apparently, he, too, was a Corrado fan and, like me, wanted to see more of VW's last, true sports car. For the most part, the letter's tone was amicable, right up until the end, anywa
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When the Corrado SLC was first introduced in the U.S., the general consensus was it was a great car--expensive, but very, very good. One journalist even went so far as to call it "one of the best front-wheel-drive cars ever."
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I'd been ratted out by my own kids. Instead of tending the grill, I was sitting in the Corrado, rag in one hand, conditioning lotion in the other, buffing the leather to a dull sheen. The children watched as the teriyaki chicken burned until one screamed, "Dad
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In initial performance testing, this 1996 Jetta, "Project Black Dog," required 167 ft to stop from 60 mph. That was a record: We had never tested a car that approached that distance. Right after the ability to turn, I desperately needed to help this car stop.
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I don't remember much of what happens in day-to-day life, or rather, I choose not to. In retrospect, however, I do remember every car I've owned, their specifications, modifications and the interaction they had with my family. And though I can recall most of m
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When we tested this Jetta initially, it took 167 ft to stop from 60 mph and cruised through the slalom at 60.5 mph. The slalom driver had no kind words for its handling, and the skidpad revealed only 0.77g of cornering power. Clearly, the suspension, wheels an
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Don't buy this car to go fast. There was a time in the mid 1990s when the GTI had a 2.0 and was slower than the original. That GTI didn't deserve to be called a GTI. This Jetta is not as good as that lump. It is heavier, being a Jetta. It has smaller front bra
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Instead of buying a Porsche Boxster, I bought a house, a quintessential "fixer-upper" that sends real estate agents into some sort of default sales-jargon mode. "It just needs love...with a little imagination and some elbow grease...I can really see you two in
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I've always been proud of my resourcefulness. In junior high, I'd call in sick by using my grandpa's voice synthesizer after a tracheotomy took away his normal speaking ability. In a computerized voice I said, "Hello. This is Mike Mitchell . My grandson Les is
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Despite the fact Project GTI is running at seven-eighths its potential, I have been driving the bloody hell out of it. When I thought its ownership was in jeopardy, I drove it like a man trying to out-run Armageddon. If the end was coming, we'd go down in flam
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Whenever the hood of Project GTI 16V is opened, my knuckles start to bleed. I'd like to think it's a mechanical form of stigmata, a sympathetic melding of man and machine, but the truth isn't quite that romantic. The truth is, I don't belong working on cars, a
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