Watch a Two-Door, VR6-Swapped VW Golf R Touch 220 MPH on the Autobahn
Small package, big speed.
It's funny how we still think of planes like the Boeing X-32 as stealth fighters. Ain't nothing stealthy about taking off vertically while looking so pleased with yourself that we want to pinch your fairing; you couldn't do that in a city center and not get a second look. Going unnoticed requires hiding in plain sight, with a disguise that wouldn't look out-of-place anywhere in the world. Being behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf should do the trick, as who in their right mind would look at one and think "hey, they're stealing a solid-gold toilet," or "that thing packs at least 770 horsepower?"
Nobody, that's who, and that's the appeal of the 2019 Golf R built by German tuning shop HGP-Turbo. Alloy wheels, reduced ride height, and a few simple vinyls give off the impression of light modification and belie what goes on under this Golf's hood.
You're looking at a 3.6-liter VR6 (basically a narrow, 15-degree V6) sourced from a Passat R36, the famed Golf R32's sedan sister. A pair of turbochargers cram boost down its gullet, giving it a horsepower rating that HGP-Turbo hasn't yet been able to properly measure—it breaks traction after 769 all-wheel horsepower and 682 pound-feet of torque. As you'd expect, this gives HGP's Golf performance that'll wipe the smile from any Lamborghini Huracan-owning Instagram influenza influencer's face.
Standstill to 62 dissolves in 2.8 seconds, and it only takes another five to double that speed. At 18.1 seconds, you'll hit 186 mph, some 9.5 seconds sooner than a Huracan will. On a de-limited stretch of the Autobahn, it'll steamroll 200 mph. The video below shows HGP's Golf R briefly scratch 220 mph and though it seems like it has the potential to do more, conditions didn't allow the driver to push for 221 onward.
Of course, supercar-beating performance doesn't come for the price of an evening out. HGP's twin-turbo 3.6 swap runs $110,000, and that's if you've already got the donor car, which started at $40,395 before its discontinuation earlier this year. You're getting your 150 grand's worth, though, as this setup is ratified by one of Germany's TÜV inspection companies, meaning it's built to some of the highest standards a German can imagine. And if you're at all familiar with the Germans, that's quite the achievement.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com
