IS THIS THE MOST MODIFIED MK8 GTI IN NORTH AMERICA? TOP GEAR AND ROB DHAM REPORT.
Here at SXdrv, we’re unashamedly massive fans of just about anything that the VAG creates. The big boss loves the Italian creations from Lamborghini, the iconic company that’s owned by Volkswagen. This is evident in the super sexy black Gallardo parked up at the SXdrv head office. When you take a look at more of the cool cars parked around, you’ll notice that there are more Mk1 Audi TTs strewn around than you’ll see at an owner’s meet, yet another nod to the brand. For more proof, there are two Porsches on the property, more VAG products. This here SXdrv scribe is just as passionate, having owned more than a few VWs throughout the years, and is currently daily driving a pretty clean Mk4 GTi. VAG things are where it's at. Being more of a Golf fanatic than an Audi one, we’re pretty clued up with all things Golf. Every incarnation from the Mk1 to the Mk8 has our interest, but with the availability of the 8 in SA, we still look at them through new eyes because there aren’t any around. The range-topper is the Mk8 R, and here it costs more than a pretty penny which keeps it out of reach of many who live and breathe VW, but ever so slightly lower on the model ladder is the timeless and iconic GTi. This is the one that we prefer. Sure, it’s “only” front-wheel drive, but that’s possibly because we grew up with front-driven cars. Well, that and the fact that it’s easier to take care of and service a DGS setup that only powers the front wheels - in the long run of course. With the car already heading to a facelift model, it means the Mk8 has been around for a good five years now in foreign markets. That means there is already a huge selection of aftermarket bits available to make the car better in every way. When content pops up that has anything to do with modified Golfs, it demands our immediate attention.
The beauty of modifying Golfs is that there are loads of well-known tuning shops around the world that create and supply top-quality performance parts and accessories to improve every facet of the car. Even better is that most of these mods are easily bolted on which means a car can be comprehensively modified with a great increase in power and handling that can all be rendered stock in a weekend if the car had to go up for sale. The way it works also means that if someone modified a car and something decided to break, the parts can be easily removed to send the car back to the dealership for a warranty claim. Is it wrong? Very. Does that stop anyone from doing it? Not really. This video grabbed our attention because it was created by the world-famous Top Gear, and because they stepped away from the usual content of brand new cars and supercars and opted to focus on a modified car. Top Gear sent their appointed TG Tuning Correspondent Rob Dahm (yeah, that Rob Dham famous for building and tuning some of the most insane rotaries on the planet) to Texas to check out BMP Tuning’s Pomelo-yellow GTI. While there hasn’t been a scientific survey created on the subject, the BMP car is reportedly the most heavily modified Mk8 GTI in North America which was done mainly by using bolt-on options. The Mk8 is bagged with Airlift Suspension compi=onents, but that’s par for the course these days, added to the suspension mods there are also things like a custom set of 20-inch Pretoria wheels from the Mk7.5 that are now 3-piece split wheels, a Seibon bonnet, a Thule roof box, a Bobb Tuning carbon fibre intake, a larger front-mount intercooler, a larger diameter downpipe and exhaust, BFI Stage 3 engine mounts, front and rear tubular subframes, custom tuning for the ECU - and much more. In this video, the car runs on a Stage 2 tune from Unitronic that runs on 93-octane (US-spec) fuel. The power increase is great, but we’re not convinced it’s the most powerful in North America. Stock the Mk8 GTi can put down 177 kW to the wheels, in this form that’s up at 249 kW. Buuuuut, if you check the video frame by frame at the beginning, a dyno chart pops up showing a very healthy 397 kW… Do you know of any modified Mk8 GTis? How do they compare to this one that claims to be the most powerful? Let us know.
Take a look at the YouTube video that was a little confusing at first. We clicked through to see the most modified GTi in North America but we immediately spotted famed rotary tuner Rob Dham presenting. We're rotary fans and VW fans, so it took a while to compute, but the way Dahm reports on this car for Top Gear was good enough that we'll be keeping our eyes out for more modified content from him and the TG crew: Is this the most modified VW Mk8 GTI in North America? | Top Gear
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