If there’s one factor that overlaying automobile tradition in Japan since 2008 has taught Speedhunters, it’s that the Japanese know how you can 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 over time have been conceptualized after which created by Japanese outlets and people. Typically, these vehicles are in-built a ‘JDM’ type utilizing elements from Japanese producers, with spectacular outcomes.
Ten years in the past, Dino featured a really cool Mk2 VW Golf Cup automobile with quite a lot of 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 plenty of compromise. With the best 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 day by 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 challenge was just a little totally different to what they’ve began with prior to now.
That’s as a result of, earlier than this Mk2 was street registered it was initially a Cup automobile raced in Japan’s one-make Golf collection. Regardless of being way 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 may presumably be. This meant tying all of it in with an honest dose of stance with out impacting on its potential to be enjoyable and quick via the corners. To complete it off, the automobile wanted these all-important JDM touches.
The very first thing was to scrub 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 present the Mk2 a extra ground-hugging look up entrance. Particulars just like the grille had been sprayed black, and yellow headlights and Hella fog lights added for additional distinction.
The look achieved by the elimination of the entrance bumper works completely with the pièce de résistance within the Voomeran ensemble of elements: the overfenders. The JDM Works look is sweeping via 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 all sides and sport a satin black end for added affect.
Irrespective 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, nevertheless, they nonetheless supply a compliant experience for the road.
After which one other JDM contact adopted. It might have been far too predictable to suit the automobile with previous reversed-rim mesh BBS and even Porsche wheels so widespread in VW scenes in Europe. Hideo scourged wheel catalogues and stumbled on a recently-released wheel designed and manufactured in a collaboration between Tokyo-based Star Highway and Work Wheels in Osaka. The 15-inch wheels, which had been created to be used on previous Japanese classics like the Fairlady Z and Skyline that Star Highway is legendary for, had been simply what he was after.
They’ve that cool old fashioned look about them, but are produced to the best trendy requirements for two-piece solid wheels, and naturally had been an uncommon selection for a Golf. The wheels measure 15×10-inch in any respect corners, however to get the look good 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 working something over 205/45R15s would have generated method an excessive amount of grip and killed that great liveliness this technology of Golf is understood for.
Hideo spent a very long time getting the main points good. Take the screws that maintain the flares onto the steel inventory fenders beneath for example – these had been particular order, copper-plated objects that price as a lot as a few these Glow Star rims! Nevertheless it’s the small issues that at all times are likely 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 laborious to realize 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 just a little Hideo fitted a warmer cam whereas retaining the race ECU these Cup vehicles had been fitted with.
Efficiency ignition leads and an entire overhaul assure reliability and a contact extra energy than the 112hp it might have generated from inventory. It may not sound a lot this present day, however let’s not overlook that the automobile weighs lower than 900kg and its major goal is to deal with properly and be a enjoyable steer.
To maintain the entrance finish doing its greatest work doable 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 LSDÂ to permit him to get on the loud pedal earlier when exiting corners.
Granted there’s no bumper, however protruding a good distance from the physique work the Voomeran straight-through exhaust undoubtedly has a contact of bosozoku about it. It sounds fairly buzzy, even at idle, not permitting you to overlook that this can be 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’d count on a Cup automobile to be, and that’s straight-out uncooked. There’s no carpeting, trim, or extra seating – solely a bolt-in Okuyama roll cage to maintain the previous chassis from twisting an excessive amount of.
All the pieces is centred across the driver and the entire driving expertise, which is as unspoiled as you’ll be able to presumably get. A lot so actually, that it form 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 laborious to extract pace and efficiency in your favorite stretch of street.
When he drives his Golf, Hideo will get to sit down 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 title backwards!
Except for a contemporary CD head unit there’s nothing to spoil the simplicity of the dashboard, the whole lot being stored because it was through the automobile’s racing years.
It doesn’t actually matter in the event you aren’t into the VW scene or the entire stance motion, it’s laborious to not respect how Euro Magic have provide you with an idea that succeeds on many ranges.
The automobile appears to be like 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. In reality, it’s way more throwable now given the rise in entrance and rear monitor, making it deal with even higher and permitting it to hold extra pace via corners.
It doesn’t matter what the make or mannequin is, the place it comes from or what kind of tuning type we is perhaps taking about – the Japanese proceed to impress for the best way they will 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 properly and really achieved that aim. I’d love to listen to what you suppose.
Do you want JDM’d Euros?
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