The Misadventures of a Volkswagen Junkie!

The New VW GTI @ 2008 Paris Motor Show

2008-10-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Powering the latest incarnation of the GTI is VW's new EA888 four-cylinder engine in turbocharged 2.0-liter form. Developed by Audi as part of a world engine program, the transversely mounted unit kicks out 210 horsepower, which is 10 hp more than the current GTI. Torque, however, remains the same, rising to a peak of 206 pound-feet at just 1,800 rpm.

As before, drive goes to the front wheels via either a standard six-speed manual or an optional six-speed double-clutch gearbox that has steering-wheel-mounted paddles and a full automatic mode.

The 2010 GTI gets an electronic differential for the first time, called XDS, that operates through an enhanced electronic stability program to help power get to the road cleanly and efficiently.

Volkswagen claims the new car will sprint from zero to 60 mph in under 7.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 149 mph. Combined fuel consumption averages better than 30 mpg on the European cycle. CO2 emissions, on which some European markets base road tax, have dropped to 178g/km.

The underpinnings are a development of those used in the old GTI with a combination of MacPherson struts at the front and multilinks at the rear. It sits 0.8 inch closer to the ground than the standard Golf and rolls on unique 18-inch wheels shod with 225/40ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport tires.

The new GTI also gets adaptive damping as on the Scirocco. Known under the name DCC (dynamic chassis control), it provides three levels of suspension stiffness: normal, comfort and sport. The system also alters mapping of the steering and throttle for sharper and more immediate responses in sport mode.

Picture of the Day: Vdub with Sporty Appeal

2008-07-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

A picture says a thousand words.

Picture of the Day: Tricked Out Vdub Truck!

2008-07-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

Here is my picture of the day. Click to view and/or download a larger version of it:

Dancing F&F Vdub Golf R32's at Universal Studios Hollywood

2008-07-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

If you make it to Universal Studios Hollywood, check out the Studio Backlot tour. I was pleasantly surprised by the dancing VW Golf R32's from "The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift". Here is my personal video:

Click Image(s) for Larger Picture:

Volkswagen Confirms $1 Billion Dollar Manufacturing Plant in Tennessee

2008-07-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

As other automakers cut back, Volkswagen says it will invest almost a billion dollars in a new plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The factory will make a new midsize car designed for American drivers. Great news for us here in the States! And it is expected to cost $1 Billion to build and employ around 2,000 employees.

New Tank or Just Volkswagen's New Armored Truck ?

2008-07-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

When you think of armored trucks, the first thought that probably comes to mind is an image of the boxy blue and gray behemoths that are the International trucks Brinks uses to haul around their bricks of cash and gold. It doesn’t really get more gangster than that unless you’re pushing a tank or Volkswagen’s new 9.150 ECE armored transport vehicle.

Made for the Brazilian market, the 9.150 ECE either looks like an extra from the Transformers movie or an ice cream truck…if the truck was owned by T.I. and he was peddling automatic weapons. Details on its security technology are scant, but from the looks of it, we’re sure it can make big guns go ping ping. Word to Curtis. It’s powered by a 4 liter turbocharged diesel engine that puts out a paltry 150hp, but then delivers a whopping 405 lb-ft of torque. That grunt is needed to haul the bricks, ya dig? Brinks needs to holler at VW immediately.

Check out a gallery below.

Send This VW GTI to Indy -- Or Better Yet, My Home!

2007-05-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

Given it is Indy Weekend, it seems a little wrong -- but only a little -- to tout a non-Indy car. But when you see this Volkswagen beauty, it is impossible to resist!

GTI 650 one-off ditches rear seats for W-12 engine.

This is the VW Golf GTI W12-650, and I want one. If you wanted a faster GTI, you would probably think about getting it chipped or chopping it in for an R32.

But fortunately for us dreamers the VW works created it. The downside: the GTI W12 is a one-off creation, built to show at the Woerthersee VW/Audi modified car gathering in Austria.

Not surprisingly, the GTI W12-650 has a fair amount of power from its twin-turbocharged W12; 641hp, to be precise, or 650PS (hence the name). It also packs 553lb-ft of torque. VW reckons it will run from 0-62mph in 3.7sec, and head on to 202mph, which is pretty much on a par with a Porsche 911 Turbo.

Performance numbers are similar to a Porsche 911 Turbo.

The engine is mounted longitudinally behind the front seats, and powers the rear axle through a DSG gearbox. The wheels are based on the GTI’s standard items, but at 19" they are larger and the tires much wider – 235mm up front and 295mm at the back.

The track is 160mm wider than standard, so there are vastly exaggerated wheelarches, giving the GTI W12 the look of a DTM car.

The bodywork is a bespoke steel and carbon-fiber affair, styled under VW design boss, Klaus Bischoff. “We strived to retain a classic GTI appearance,” said Bischoff. “The biggest challenge was to provide the mid-mounted engine with sufficient air without upsetting the silhouette to any great degree.”

That means that there are gaping vents in the side, and the rear side windows slope dramatically inwards, leaving the rear pillars as a kind of Ferrari 599-style flying buttress. The whole carbon-fiber roof acts as a spoiler.

This baby looks fantastic! Please, Mr. Winterkorn, can I have one? Pretty please!

Indy Weekend - Good Luck Women!

2007-05-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

For all three women who will make history Sunday in the 91st Indianapolis 500, the issue has become passé. Women can drive race cars against male competitors; that much was proven more than 30 years ago when Shirley Muldowney started winning drag races.

The significance of this year's version of the media overkill on the female racers story, then, lies with two points: First, the numbers are growing, and second, for the first time a woman is considered a legitimate contender to win the race before it begins.

Danica Patrick, Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno (in order above) have been mobbed by reporters in the days leading up to the Indy 500, and the questions are the same ones they've been answering since they reached the top levels of motorsports:

Do you feel like you're making history?
Can women compete against men?
Is this a significant statement for women?
What will it mean if a woman wins the Indy 500?

And, of course, each year a bungled question to a female driver comes out as this: How does it feel to be a woman?

Never before have three women started in the Indianapolis 500, which has featured female drivers off and on since 1977, when Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the race. In fact, women have competed in 13 of the previous 15 Indy 500s, including every one since 2000. The increasing number of female competitors is reason for attention, but the three women don't see it as a significant landmark.

"Just because there are other women out there doesn't make me want to go any harder or faster," Fisher says. "Everybody is the same in my mind. I think it's great what this has done for the league and the sport. We've drawn a lot of attention to it. It's made the league more popular. People are tuning in. That's awesome. As an open-wheel fan, I couldn't want any more for the series, so that's great. But to me on track, they're just two more cars."

More significant than the numbers is the quality. Patrick is considered a serious contender, one of 10 to 12 drivers given a valid chance to win the 500. It is the first time a female driver could be thought of as a contender before the race. In 2005, Patrick was strong in practice and qualifying, but wasn't given much consideration as a possible winner.

This time, starting eighth in a top-flight Andretti Green Racing Dallara-Honda, she is.

"I want to get it over with so I don't have to answer anymore questions and so it doesn't have to be sitting on my shoulders, being that burden," Patrick says. "But I can't imagine that I feel any different than anyone else who hasn't won their first race, too. It's one of those things when you finally do it, it's such a relief."

View Pictures and Poster of Danica Patrick

For the most part, their male counterparts don't begrudge the women their place on the racetrack. Patrick and Fisher both have reputations as clean, capable drivers — the jury is still out on Duno —and most of the men in the field at Indy have raced against women since their karting days. Ability isn't necessarily the issue; publicity is.

The attention the female drivers receive sometimes gets to the men, and their point of contention is reasonable. During a recent media tour of New York following qualifying, Duno, whose racing resume is slim, was approached by a reporter for the New York Times. A top male driver seated nearby grumbled quietly. "The only time the New York Times ever interviewed me, they wanted to ask me about Danica," he said.

For the record, four women have raced in the Indy 500 a total of 18 times. After Sunday's race, those numbers will increase to five women and 21 times. Critics of the women-in-racing theme say it's not news anymore, yet the drumbeat continues in the mainstream media, perhaps in anticipation of victory. A woman has never won a major closed-course auto race, and a win by a woman Sunday would be a monstrous, global news story.

"You have more attention because it's a woman in a male sport," Duno said. "At the same time, we have more pressure. Everybody is looking at what the women are doing. Nobody sees how many cars are behind the women; they only see what the women are doing."

But the simple fact that women race against men is old news, and even the women are growing tired of the same old theme.

"It's a special moment, but it's a reflection of our time," Duno said. "Women are able to do anything they want. Women are presidents, engineers, race car drivers. It doesn't matter if you're a woman or man; it matters how good you are."

More Danica Patrick Pictures! (click to enlarge in new window)

The Golf GTI Pirelli is back!

2007-05-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Wolfsburg, 17 May 2007 - The Golf GTI Pirelli is back; a powerful, fast and very exclusive GTI. Volkswagen is continuing the history of one of the best known limited edition models in Europe.

In May 1983, the “Original Pirelli” arrived on the market. It was based on the first generation, second series Golf GTI. A distinctive identifying feature: Specially designed alloy wheels with the “Pirelli P” on their outer edges. A remarkable 10,500 cars of the special model were built and sold within half a year. Then it was over – a limited edition! If there were an Automobile Hall of Fame for young-timers, the “Pirelli GTI”, as it was called by its fans, would have long held a place there.

Book me a trip to Wolfsburg, stat!

View/Buy Great Volkswagen Posters and Pictures!

VW Wallpapers for Your Computer!

2007-05-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've scoured the Internet and found a small set of cool Volkswagen auto images that you can use as your computer wallpaper! I'll be sure to add more periodically and let me know if you are looking for a specific model.

View the image by "clicking" it. Click the image again to view the largest version. You can download it ONLY after viewing a larger image. Once you see the larger image, right-click it and select "Save Image As" or have it set as your "wallpaper" by selecting "Set As Desktop Background".

Funny VW Polo meets Terrorist Commercial

2007-05-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

Some people are offended by this commercial for the concept. It is unclear if it was created by VW (as viral marketing) or by someone as a joke (see the research). It was never aired on TV but the production value is high, so it is hard to tell. It does get across the point, in a funny -- but maybe inappropriate -- way.

What do you think?

BTW: The images on the sidebar called "VW Videos" are VW videos found on YouTube by Google. You can view them by "clicking" on them. The video is played at the top section of my blog (so you may need to scroll up) and they start when enough of it has downloaded. Enjoy!

Top Notch '77 Volkswagen Westfalia!

2007-05-18T02:35:00.001-07:00

Wow! This 1977 California Westfalia looks in GREAT condition. Too bad I was outbid on eBay.

Welcome to my Volkwagen Blog!

2007-05-18T02:31:00.000-07:00

I've sent up this site so I can share with other both my passion and knowledge of Volkswagen automobiles. I've owned VWs since my teens and have now worked on them as a professional mechanic and hobbist for over 10 years. I'll be sure to show you pictures of a couple of my current projects and will be blogging about interesting items I find on the internet. Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions on VWs. I might have an answer for you!

Thanks!
Sargent (AKA Sarge)