Volkswagen arguably established the hot hatch as a market force with the original Golf, way back in 1974. And even if Americans still have a love-hate relationship with hot hatches, the Golf might be the only variant that can consistently achieve sales success here in the United States thanks to a consistent combination of style, utility, and performance. That's why Matt Farah says you can always get back into a GTI six-speed, though of course, the all-wheel-drive Golf R might be a bit more fun. All-wheel-drive conversions have also become a popular performance enhancement for Golfs these days, resulting in incredible builds like this 1,356-horsepower second-gen Volkswagen Golf that just hit a stunning 211.68 miles per hour in a half-mile as documented on YouTube.
Countdown To Blast Off
The video gives a POV look at the absolute insanity of piloting this car to such a high speed. But in a series of Facebook posts, the German team Turbosektor-Ost that competes with this Golf documents everything that goes into creating what might just be the world's fastest hatchback at the moment.
Under The Hood
Mounted transversely in traditional Volkswagen-Audi style, the Golf now employs a narrow-angle VR6 displacing 3.3-liter—not to mention an enormous turbo that's just about as big as the engine itself. The powerplant was built with a ported head, upgraded head studs from the Philipp Kaess Pro Series line, and uprated camshafts.
Stripped But Not Gutted
The engine produced a wild 1,356 horsepower and 917 lb-ft of torque in another video featuring the car on the dyno, and that grunt is routed to all four wheels through a later-model Volkswagen 4motion all-wheel-drive system.
The interior has also been prepped with Sparco buckets, an enormous shifter, an aftermarket steering wheel, and an electronic gauge cluster. Surprisingly, the rest of the dash looks relatively stock, though it's a safe bet to assume there's no air conditioning blowing through those vents.
Sources: youtube.com and facebook.com.