The Volkswagen GTI MK1, the poster car that excites so many VW fans. But let’s start where the story of this particular car gets even more exciting…
Back in 2016, Adam Bennett wanted to build a track car, but he never expected it to turn out quite like this. “I have had it since 2004 and it has genuinely evolved to become more extreme than I ever expected.”
The vehicle was stripped down to a rolling chassis and sandblasted in every possible nook and cranny back to bare metal. 95% of all nuts and bolts have been replaced and this car has been finished to an incredibly high standard.
Finished in Porsche Grey Black 7A1 with black interior and weighing just 850kg including the driver (*give or take, driver dependant!) The power-to-weight ratio of this car works out at 356bhp per tonne! Very few classic VW’s are as rapid as our MK1 GTI. This car is completely road legal and is perfectly usable as a day-to-day car.
Apx 20 valve turbo with 3 stage boost
Emerald ECU
6 speed 02S gearbox
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
800kg corner weight
384nm torque
Bhp/tonne 356
AVO GTX performance suspension kit
Motorsport spec triangulated rear beam
Pro race 1.2’s with R88
Wilwood four pots on 280mm discs
Electric power steering
Brake comp brake bias/pedal box
Techedge 2j9 wideband lambda
Porsche grey black 7A1
Yoko ad08R
The full spec is as follows:
Engine: 1.8T APX 20v, noise test-compliant turbo back stainless steel exhaust in 63mm tubing, Emerald ECU (mapped by Emerald) and custom wiring loom with three map settings: 200bhp, 265bhp, 285bhp (various torque settings). Custom engine mounts, hydraulic (with braided hoses), twin paddle Helix clutch, lightened/balanced flywheel, new fuel system including pump and stainless basket to hold filter/pump etc, braided fuel lines with custom swirl pots setup, Mocal oil cooler with stainless hoses and alloy fittings run inside front wing with cover plate over hoses, Forge intercooler, Mk2 Golf diesel radiator with twin 10″ fans, SFS hoses, custom induction filter, baffled alloy sump, Mocal oil catch tank, Audi 02S six-speed gearbox, Peloquin limited-slip diff, cable shifter on custom raised allow tower inside car, new 100mm driveshafts, Mk2 wiper motor, washer bottle and oil catch tank moved further back for better weight distributions.
Chassis: 15″ Team Dynamics wheels with Yokohama ad08R tyres, front Wilwood four-pot calipers and 280mm front brake kit, brand new copper lines and braided hoses throughout, lines to rear brakes run through the inside of the car, rear disc conversion with Mk4 calipers, larger Mk2 16v brake servo/master cylinder, adjustable Tilton bias valve, AVO GTX adjustable coilover suspension valved and built to custom spec with higher lb spring rates (front and rear), fully polybushed, seam welded wishbones with ball joint extenders, lower strut brace, rear motorsport derived triangulated axle inc, adjustable rose joints to reduce beam flex under load and CDS tube roll bar fixed in place of original anti-roll bar to increase oversteer and reduce understeer, 15mm wider track on the front, 10mm wider track on rear, stud and alloy wheel nut kit, Ground Control fully adjustable front top mounts with new bearings, adjustable rose-jointed track rod ends, Quaife quick steering rack in original Mk1 housing, currently running new rack with original ratios, strengthened steering rack mounting points.
Exterior: Bare metal respray including underside, new front panel, rear panel, front wings and parts of sill, lower rear panel cut to allow air flow as existing design acts as an air scoop, new grille and spoiler, welded in cleverly cut roll-cage for reduced weight and fitted to front suspension turrets, part seam welded shell, lightened shell throughout (inc. removal of spare wheel well), original seat belt points, excess metal in rear quarters and doors, rain tray in engine bay, carbon fibre bonnet, fibreglass tailgate, Plexiglas windows, lightened metal doors, tubed rare arches, pulled arches all-round, new windscreen, lower swage line deleted, tinted genuine Helix rear lights, cold air ports in front panel. Please note, the personalised plates will not come with the car, we are awaiting new plates to be issued from the DVLA.
Interior: Carbon door cards, flocked dash with Stack gauges (mph/rev counter 0-60 timer, lap timer), electric power steering with adjustable resistance control, Cobra Suzuka Pro bucket seats with Luke four-point harnesses, fibreglass wheel well cover, carbon trim in dash, OMP steering wheel, fire extinguisher, custom ECU port and fuse board inside glovebox, raised shifter tower, battery relocated to boot.
