If there’s one factor that masking automobile tradition in Japan since 2008 has taught Speedhunters, it’s that the Japanese know the best way to construct a handsome modified automobile. We’re not simply speaking about Japanese fashions from home producers like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. Among the greatest modified European vehicles we’ve featured through the years have been conceptualized after which created by Japanese retailers and people. Usually, these vehicles are inbuilt a ‘JDM’ type utilizing components from Japanese producers, with spectacular outcomes.
Ten years in the past, Dino featured a really cool Mk2 VW Golf Cup automobile with various JDM design cues. Let’s revisit that 2014 characteristic for this week’s throwback put up…
2014 Characteristic
In all my years spent taking pictures and writing about vehicles in Japan and all through the world, I’ve come to understand that low doesn’t essentially imply numerous compromise. With the precise consideration to element, cautious planning and exacting execution, you can look good when parked up at a meet or present and nonetheless have the performance and efficiency and drivability to make use of each day. Case-in-point, the Voomeran Volkswagen Golf Mk2 from Euro Magic in Osaka.
When envisioning their most excessive automobile but, Euro Magic needed little trade-off when it got here to experience and luxury. After years within the Volkswagen tuning scene, they know a factor or two about making VWs sit good and look good, however the base for this undertaking was a little bit totally different to what they’ve began with prior to now.
That’s as a result of, earlier than this Mk2 was highway registered it was initially a Cup automobile raced in Japan’s one-make Golf collection. Regardless of being far more uncooked than the late-model Volkswagens that Euro Magic has efficiently constructed, it was the right platform to launch their new line-up of Voomeran-branded merchandise.
The plan was to additional emphasise the Golf’s roots – but hold it as user-friendly as a race automobile for the road might presumably be. This meant tying all of it in with a good dose of stance with out impacting on its potential to be enjoyable and quick by way of the corners. To complete it off, the automobile wanted these all-important JDM touches.
The very first thing was to wash the automobile up and prep it for just a few recent coats of child blue. Then the Voomeran additions adopted, beginning first with the kyusha-like bucktooth entrance lip spoiler to offer the Mk2 a extra ground-hugging look up entrance. Particulars just like the grille have been sprayed black, and yellow headlights and Hella fog lights added for additional distinction.
The look achieved by the removing of the entrance bumper works completely with the pièce de résistance within the Voomeran ensemble of components: the overfenders. The JDM Works look is sweeping by way of automobile tradition on world scale, and as Hideo Hirooka of Euro Magic defined to me, it was at all times a part of the plan right here.
The one-piece entrance overfenders improve the Golf’s width by 35mm on both sides and sport a satin black end for added affect.
Regardless of which angle you view on the automobile from, the very first thing you discover is how far the wheels sit out from the unique bodywork.
The Golf rides on a set of adjustable Euro Magic coilovers set as little as they go. Regardless of their firmness, nonetheless, they nonetheless supply a compliant experience for the road.
After which one other JDM contact adopted. It will have been far too predictable to suit the automobile with previous reversed-rim mesh BBS and even Porsche wheels so standard in VW scenes in Europe. Hideo scourged wheel catalogues and came across a recently-released wheel designed and manufactured in a collaboration between Tokyo-based Star Street and Work Wheels in Osaka. The 15-inch wheels, which have been created to be used on previous Japanese classics like the Fairlady Z and Skyline that Star Street is known for, have been simply what he was after.
They’ve that cool old skool look about them, but are produced to the very best fashionable requirements for two-piece forged wheels, and naturally have been an uncommon selection for a Golf. The wheels measure 15×10-inch in any respect corners, however to get the look excellent the fronts run a zero offset and backs a -3 so that they sit higher with the +40mm rear overfenders.
The result’s as aggressive as I’ve ever personally seen on a Mk2, particularly given the static suspension setup we’ve right here. The stretch on the tyres is fairly wild – and it must be as a result of operating something over 205/45R15s would have generated means an excessive amount of grip and killed that fantastic liveliness this era of Golf is understood for.
Hideo spent a very long time getting the small print excellent. Take the screws that maintain the flares onto the metallic inventory fenders beneath as an illustration – these have been particular order, copper-plated gadgets that value as a lot as a few these Glow Star rims! However it’s the small issues that at all times are inclined to make the largest distinction.
With its bumper-less look, the rear finish has a uncooked enchantment too. It’s totally different and recent – one thing that’s fairly exhausting to attain in a scene that’s consistently evolving.
Lifting the inventory bonnet reveals the 1.8L eight-valve 4 banger that powers the entrance wheels. To liven it up a little bit Hideo fitted a warmer cam whereas retaining the race ECU these Cup vehicles have been fitted with.
Efficiency ignition leads and an entire overhaul assure reliability and a contact extra energy than the 112hp it will have generated from inventory. It may not sound a lot these days, however let’s not neglect that the automobile weighs lower than 900kg and its primary objective is to deal with effectively and be a enjoyable steer.
To maintain the entrance finish doing its greatest work potential Hideo added a Voomeran tower bar to the struts tops, earlier than cracking the five-speed gearbox open to change the ultimate drive, and match an LSD to permit him to get on the loud pedal earlier when exiting corners.
Granted there’s no bumper, however protruding a great distance from the physique work the Voomeran straight-through exhaust positively has a contact of bosozoku about it. It sounds fairly buzzy, even at idle, not permitting you to neglect that it is a race automobile in spite of everything.
Upon seeing that the Speedhunters #FeatureCar decals are precisely the identical hue of blue as his Golf, Hideo didn’t waste a second making use of one to the rear quarter glass.
The inside is just about as you’ll anticipate a Cup automobile to be, and that’s straight-out uncooked. There’s no carpeting, trim, or further seating – solely a bolt-in Okuyama roll cage to maintain the previous chassis from twisting an excessive amount of.
The whole lot is centred across the driver and the entire driving expertise, which is as unspoiled as you may presumably get. A lot so the truth is, that it type of makes an actual fanatic miss the previous days the place vehicles weighed nothing, engines didn’t have an excessive amount of energy, and you actually needed to work exhausting to extract velocity and efficiency in your favorite stretch of highway.
When he drives his Golf, Hideo will get to take a seat in a pleasant and supportive edirb seat, which regardless of sounding a bit European is definitely extra Japanese than you suppose. Right here’s a touch – learn the identify backwards!
Apart from a contemporary CD head unit there’s nothing to spoil the simplicity of the dashboard, the whole lot being saved because it was in the course of the automobile’s racing years.
It doesn’t actually matter in case you aren’t into the VW scene or the entire stance motion, it’s exhausting to not respect how Euro Magic have provide you with an idea that succeeds on many ranges.
The automobile seems as aggressive as hell on the road and stood out like a sore thumb as we went for a fast drive proper by Osaka’s Itami Airport.
Regardless of the outside being very looks-oriented, this Mk2 has misplaced none of its chuck-ability. Actually, it’s far more throwable now given the rise in entrance and rear observe, making it deal with even higher and permitting it to hold extra velocity by way of corners.
It doesn’t matter what the make or mannequin is, the place it comes from or what kind of tuning type we may be taking about – the Japanese proceed to impress for the best way they’ll take a automobile, and with easy modifications make it look its greatest. There are after all various ranges right here, however seeing that Euro Magic needed their Voomeran Golf to make a press release and stand out, I’d should say that they’ve effectively and really achieved that aim. I’d love to listen to what you suppose.
Do you want JDM’d Euros?
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Dino Dalle Carbonare
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