Project Ultimate 83 GTI
Overview, Goals & Specs ...
Ultimate 83 GTI Media Coverage
VW Newsroom, Automobile Magazine, Motor Trend Magazine, Classic Cars Journal, CarBuzz, Auto Blog, Yahoo Entertainment, MSN, Motor 1, AutoWeek, Car & Driver Magazine, Classic Cars, Hagerty, Hemmings, Top Gear, The Drive, and many more international web sites. Amazing. Thank you everyone!
A full 125 page PDF document on the car can be found here - for best viewing, download it and display on a wide screen monitor in full screen '2 up' mode.
A video version of this document with a detailed walk-around inspection is available here: https://youtu.be/e84opR4w0Jc
Project Goals & Results
The project goal was to create a ‘cost is no object’ Ultimate VW GTI by going back to the simplicity of the VW Mk1 with its tossable fun factor and old school mechanical connection between the driver and the road, and then working to improve chassis rigidity, and cranking up acceleration, corning and braking performance, while also sneaking in modern creature comforts.
As guiding references to this project effort, there were 2 great Mk1 GTI variants back in the day: the bad-ass Callaway stage 2 turbo; and the ultra-rare Oettinger 16s which was a factory supported car in Europe in 1981. To me the lighter 16s was the way to go – but in a more modern format, borrowing the Mk2 16V cylinder heads and keeping everything close to ‘stock’ configuration while maxing out all performance parameters.
The result is a car that looks inside and out like it just rolled off the 1983 VW showroom floor with a totally stock looking exterior and interior, but being a true ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ under the covers – resulting in a totally cool retro driving experience that can outrun a modern VW Golf R or a Porsche 718 Cayman S on the street or the track.
Performance: 240hp + 1950lbs = one very quick little car: 0-60mph in <5s, 0-100mph in 11s, and >1g corning and braking on street tires (a progressive nitrous system adds up to 100hp more).
Creature comforts include electric windows; forward and backup cameras – displayed on the rear-view mirror; adjustable heated seats; push-button engine starting; electronically adjustable brake pedal pressure; 1200W RMS bluetooth audio system with a hands-free cel phone interface; full data logging with 2 axis accelerometers; convex side mirrors; touch-screen digital dash (analog and digital gauges); electrical A/C system with central dash vents; infinitely variable blower speed, a stunning ‘new’ OEM sunroof; all original NOS seat fabric with sport-firm foam padding front and rear; custom leather wrapped OEM steering wheel, adjustable pedals (perfect for heel and toe shifting), driver adjustable brake vacuum assist, plush OEM grade carpeting, floor mats and sound deadening insulation.
When driven by Kees Nierop (former Porsche factory race driver at Le Mans) at the Vancouver Island Motorsports circuit (a tight 2.3kms 19 corner racetrack) the Ultimate 83 GTI was faster than a 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman S (also driven by Kees). Project goals met!
Ultimate 83 GTI Specifications Summary
- 1800lbs in track trim, 1950lbs in street trim (with some options removed)
- 240hp from 7,250-8,000rpm w/o catalyst or air box, 220hp from 7,000-7,400rpm with catalyst, air box and filter
- Up to +100hp with progressive ECU controlled nitrous system
- Hidden chassis frame and stiffening throughout
- Carbon fiber hood, hatch and bumpers, Lexan rear window
- Epoxy primer -> wet sanded glossy clearcoat
- New OEM interior throughout – gorgeous NOS seat fabric, new firm foam
- Mk3 ABA block, Mk2 16V heads, 288 solid lifter cams, oversized 34/29.5mm valves
- 95.5mm stroker crank, 11.5:1 83.5mm pistons (2092cc)
- Custom curved ITB intake, Lexan air box, with dual fuel rails
- Stainless steel braided hoses with race spec AN fittings used throughout
- 1.75” primaries stainless steel race header, 2.25” stainless steel exhaust, 2.50” tip
- Custom built VW 020 5 speed close ratio transmission with Quaife LSD, 100mm flanges
- Stage 3 and stage 5 clutch systems (stage 5 currently installed)
- 500hp rated race axles
- Custom radiator, electric water pump/controller
- Custom oiling system with external filter and oil intercooler
- 25Amp-Hour 13.5V Lithium battery system, computer controlled alternator charging
- Holley Dominator ECU with 150 inputs/outputs
- Holley touch screen digital dash, Holley individual coil race ignition
- Wilwood/Tech-53 big 4 piston calipers, 10” rotors, Hawk pads, adjustable proportioning valve, rear disks, ECU controlled servo vacuum – console adjustable
- KW V3 stainless steel struts/shocks compression/rebound adjustable in 16 steps, multiple spring sets for street and track use
- Hollow rear 28mm sway bar
- Urethane and Delrin bushings used throughout suspension and steering system
- Special shift linkage – ultra precise shifting
- Leather wrapped OEM steering wheel, custom steering column & u-joints
- Quaife close-ratio rack & pinion - blissful steering precision & feel
- Brand new sunroof mechanism
- Electric windows, seat heaters, Air conditioning system
- 1200W Bluetooth audio system
- Philips LED headlights, LED bulbs used throughout
- Looks dead stock inside and out but outperforms a Porsche 718 Cayman S on the track
- Meticulously documented on youtube with 180 videos and 830 photos online
My Original 1983 Rabbit GTI as inspiration for the Ultimate 83 GTI Project
I was an original 83 Rabbit GTI owner, my car having a November 1982 build date. I was proud to be one of the first GTI owners in Canada after ordering my car in October ‘82 moments after I had finished reading the November magazine issues of Car & Driver, Motor Trend and Road & Track which universally praised the new US spec GTI at its long awaited North American debut.
I made the many of the usual Mk1 GTI mods to the car plus a few unique ones:
- Euro G grind cam
- adjustable cam sprocket
- upgraded fuel pressure regulator
- Canton Mecca oil filter with synthetic oil
- Mecca external temperature controlled oil cooler
- Webber big throat throttle-body
- Callaway cast aluminum valve cover
- Performance ignition wires, re-curved distributor
- Euro GTI exhaust manifold and dual downpipe
- Gillette Exhaust (cat delete)
- Bilstein BTS-172 suspension system (springs, struts, shocks)
- Suspension Techniques race front & rear sway bars with adjustable heim joints
- Upper and lower front strut/control-arm cross-braces
- stainless steel brake lines & sport brake pads
- 15x7 Ronal wheels and tires
- Concord HPL-130 cassette deck with dBx noise reduction module, Proton 222 power amp with upgraded coax speakers front and rear and an 8” passive Sub-woofer
- Hella headlights with 90W bulbs
- Hella dual air horns
- Escort radar detector
- Modified/tucked-in bumpers
- White bumpers & mirrors
- Rear hatch winglet
… All in all I ended up doubling the price of the car with the add-ons.
I did quite a few weekend autocross events during the 4 years I owned the car – it cornered very flat with neutral front/rear balance, acceleration was in the range of 0-60mph in 7.5s, and it had decent but not exceptional braking. I loved the car but always wanted more engine and dreamed about owning one of the super rare factory 16V GTI models from Europe (the Oettinger GTI 16s) or a stage 2 Callaway turbo setup, which would have turned my GTI into the ultimate bass-ass GTI of its day. Fast forward 30 years to 2012 when I started to turn my attention to revisiting my true automotive ‘first love’ and embark on a new no-budget limit ultimate 83 GTI project car …
I had learned quite a few lessons from my 1st GTI mods:
- the mk1 car is already very front-end heavy, causing it to understeer, so keeping the weight off the front wheels was goal #1 – make the car as light as possible – especially up front
- make the chassis much stiffer than stock – the mk1 unibody is very weak and flexes far too much, which is especially noticeable once stiffer suspension parts are bolted on
- the OEM body panels are non-galvanized mild steel and rust is a big problem in all of the pinch-weld areas – strip the car to bare metal and epoxy coat it
- add power but keep it within usable limits – and don’t add weight while doing so
- improve braking performance but don’t add unsprung weight to the front suspension
- don’t lower it too much – it messes with the bump-steering
- don’t have a loud exhaust as it quickly gets tiring
- remember the fun factor of the original OEM setup – toss-ability, great steering feel, great shifting
I wanted the car to weigh 1800lbs in ‘track ready trim’, about 250lbs less than US spec ‘stock’ weight and I also wanted to target around 7lbs/hp which is a typical modern supercar weight/power ratio which meant an engine with around 250hp. Keeping weight off the front-end also meant saying ‘no’ to shoe-horning in a more modern turbo-charged engine with the need for a much heavier transmission as well – so the decision was to max out a Mk2 16V design, mated to an original Mk2 020 transmission (also to keep the spirit of semi-originality to the engine/transmission design).
I also wanted to keep the suspension in keeping with the original car and spent some time driving the GTI with Bilstein Rally Race front struts but they were too stiff for street use so opted for the high dollar KW variant 3 coil-overs, but using springs that were 20% softer than KW V3 specs to provide for a more comfortable, compliant ride on everyday road surfaces.
Finally, the need for brake rotors and calipers that would fit inside the OEM 14x6 snowflake wheels limited me to 10.1” rotors but I was able to source custom large 4 piston calipers that provide world-class brake torque.
Index of Project web pages:
Project Overview, Goals & Specs
Project Car Initial Condition
Chassis Development
Bodywork & Paint
Suspension, Steering & Braking Systems
Engine, Oiling, Cooling, Transmission & Exhaust Systems
Electrical, A/C & Fuel Systems
Interior
Performance Validation
Final Street Trim Conversion
VW Vortex thread on this project
Videos # 001 - 049 (Feb 2013 - May 2014)
Videos # 050 - 099 (Jul 2014 - Sept 2015)
Videos # 100 - 149 (Sept 2015 - May 2017)
Videos # 150 - 181 (May 2017 - Dec 2019)
My original 1983 Rabbit GTI (owned 1983-1987)