East Bound and Down: Southern Worthersee 2008 Pt. 2
Saturday, the car show was held at the Helendorf Inn at the heart of Helen. Despite using three separate lots, the show soon overflowed and cars were double and triple parked, with the main lot four cars deep. There was a wide variety of cars on display, from vintage slammed aircooled rides to the latest and greatest MKV GTI’s and R32’s. Old school, new school, or no school at all, it was present and accounted for. Here are a few of the highlights.
This is a bona-fide Audi Quattro. Not an A4, not a TT, not a Q7, but the original Quattro. This was the car that Audi homologated for road use so they could race in WRC Group 4, and then later Group B. This is one of the weaker versions, an older 10-valve US-spec with catalysts, but it’s stil a desirable car. They took the 4000 coupe, flared out the fenders for fat tires, turbocharged their 5-cylinder, and put in a primitive four-wheel drive system. When it came out for public consumption, it was a revolution. It had grip like nothing else on the road, and despite the (relatively) high curb weight, there really wasn’t anything that could keep with a Quattro on backroads. Many a rich banker spun these backwards into bushes thinking that four-wheel-drive meant they were not subject to the laws of physics. This car has a lot of neat features you don’t see in modern all-wheel-drive cars, like locking center and rear differentials and defeatable ABS. I’ve probably seen three of these in my lifetime. I’m happy to see that this one looks like it’s driven on a daily basis, and driven hard. They’re meant to be driven, not just looked at
This was perhaps the coolest car at the show. Where there used to be a tiny little four-cylinder now resides a fuel cell. Where there used to be a pick-up bed now resides a modern OBD-2 VR6. From a technical standpoint, it’s not that complicated - just a FWD VR6 drivetrain flipped around backwards driving the rear wheels. But can you imagine what kind of custom fabrication this install required? I bet this thing is terrifying to drive.
There were three Golfs sitting in a row done by a company called Bynum Builds. Two MKII’s and a MKIII. All were fascinating cars of really high quality with engine swaps.
This is an immaculate MKII Golf with a VR6 motor swap, full suspension work, and a fully custom interior. Quite a nice car. Engine bay was practically clean enough to eat out of.
This is a highly modified Harlequin edition Golf. The Harlequin was a limited-production run of the MKIII Golf (264 made) with every body panel a different color. This one was a bit different. The stock 2.0L 8v has been replaced with a 2.8L single-cam VR6, which has a rather massive turbocharger strapped to the exhaust manifold. It’s slammed on coilovers, and the stance is amazing. Oh, and check out that interior:
right-hand drive, color-coded interior… ridiculous.
You have to love someone with the audacity to pimp out a Eurovan. I can’t think of a better plate for this car than “vantastic.” That’s just tough to beat.
This was my personal favorite, of course: the infamous Project X Jetta. It’s a MKIV Jetta GLX VR6 that’s been turned into a two-door coupe, and fitted with a giant supercharger. Very interesting. This car is a legend among VW drivers and has reportedly changed hands quite a few times. Very interesting.
There were simply too many awesome cars for just one post. Keep your eyes on the site - more coming soon!