The word ‘iconic’ gets thrown around too much these days. From the past though, only the truly great and awe inspiring were handed the honour of getting called an ‘icon.’ Lest we forget, the word carried a great deal of weight back then that lent a certain credibility we seem to have lost nowadays.
Plus, time was a cardinal factor in achieving iconic status. It didn’t happen overnight, it took a healthy helping of staying power to stick around and claim the deed.
Words: Dinesh
Photos: Tom
An idealized example of a vehicular icon would have to be a model that has been around for generations while sticking to its core characteristics that brought forth its materialization in the first place. Till now, it still offers the same driving thrills and isinstantly identifiable with from the mere mention of its initials.
So let us see if it works then. Bear with me here as I know you guys are smart enough to read the title and put Grand Tourer and Injection together with a sport that retired men with no fashion sense and life ply their time at.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI has been an icon of hot hatch motoring since the Mk1 put tight handling and front wheel drive together in a compact body that offered raw driving to the masses.
Since then, the Golf GTI has reached its sixth iteration and is still a massive hit with driving enthusiasts. From the factory, the Mk6 comes with a 2-liter TSI engine that belts out 210hp and 280Nm of torque courtesy of forced induction and direct injection that is sent to the front wheels through a quick shifting 6-speed DSG.
With specs like that, right off the factory floor the Golf GTI would stretch a smirk on the face of any driver’s face. Plus, it isn’t all that bad looking too. Angled head and tail lights with LED’s give it a very menacing look while the trademark honeycomb grille with the GTI badging is a throwback to the Mk1.
Nonetheless, the mantra of modding requires that nothing remains as it were off the assembly line and that leads us here to this Golf GTI that has been turned into an exotic in its own right.
The exterior is dominated by the complete Razor body kit from RevoZport. Up front is the bumper with integrated LED daytime running lights and the addition of a carbon fiber splitter. Covering the engine bay is a carbon kevlar hood with vents made from carbon fiber.
Taking in its side silhouette, the prominent side skirt and fender arches can really be appreciated. Completing the kit would be the rear bumper and the diffuser attached to it. There’s also the side diffusers in faux carbon attached to the rear bumper.
Other bits of the body kit include the carbon fiber side mirror covers and the carbon fiber rear roof spoiler. Once again, the entire body kit is from the Razor catalogue from RevoZport.
The extended wheel arches allow wider wheels to be fitted and shouldering that responsibility are 20-inch Savini forged custom three-piece wheels. You would have probably noticed the outrageous lips adoring the wheels, and they measure up 3.5-inch for the front and 4.5-inch on the rears. Those beautiful wheels are wrapped in Nitto Invo 245/30 ZR 20 tyres for more bite.
With such dashing good looks, performance had to be bumped up as well and some minor mods under the hood ensure that. As all the additions to this Golf GTI was done at Exotic Mods in Sunway Damansara, it’s only fitting that the engine ECU remap was handled by them as well.
The Stage 2 remap adds an extra 75hpto this Golf GTI’s repertoire while a Remus sports exhaust system throws in another 8hp into the mix. Finally, a GruppeM carbon air intake system keeps the engine breathing freely and an Exotic Mods carbon fiber engine cover adds some panache for the visually stimulated.
Handling wasn’t forgotten too. A set of H&R sports springs stiffen things up and lower the car nicely to sit flush on the wheels. Stopping power is provided by Brembo Gran Turismo 4-pot big brake kit clamping down on the front rotors.
On the inside, things weren’t left as they were with TID Styling aluminium paddle shifters for better grip on those upshifts. Aiding the driver in keeping an eye on the important engine parameters are a set of three Pivot gauges. Perhaps the only bit still from the factory would be the dash mounted DVD touch screen player with navigation.
YouTube - Volkswagen Golf GTI MkVI
As you can see, the final result is nothing short of eye candy. Menacing and sinister would be the operative words here, a gloss black Golf GTI with an aptly named Razor body kit and LED’s definitely fit the description. Just in case more convincing was needed, there’s always the bright red Brembos peeking out from behind the wheels warning everybody that this Golf isn’t for the retired or plaid-wearing.
Special Thanks to:
Exotic Mods
No.22A, Jalan PJS 3/43,
Sunway Damansara Technology Park,
47810 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia
Tel : +603 7803 3938
Fax : +603 7803 3983
Contact Person: Ee Shedden
Bigger Pictures:
Wallpapers - 1920 X 1200
