Featured car - 16v RE2000
It all started in an idle moment on a rain-soaked Tuesday morning in October 2007, when my attention was grabbed by an advert on the internet titled 'GTi Engineering'......
It was for a 1987 D-reg 3-door GTI RE2000 16v in Tornado red, two owners and a mere 169,000, I pondered, then 10 minutes later took another look, made the call and arranged a meeting that very lunchtime. Another call to a friend and fellow VW fan Stuart Sinclair and, without too much persuasion, he came along too, 'just to have a look', you understand.
The chap selling it, Mike, a retired airline pilot, showed us in and immediately went through all the paperwork which came with the vehicle. I'd already got the impression over the phone that Mike was a proper chap, and it was very soon apparent that this was a very proper car. All the paperwork was present and correct, showing that this was indeed a genuine GTi Engineering RE2000 16V. Mike feels fairly sure that it's one of the earliest Mk 2s to have undergone this conversion. and what a conversion it is...
The original owner had the vehicle taken, still brand-new, to GTi Engineering at Silverstone, where he must have ticked nearly every box in the options list. The list of modifications (costing £7,500 in 1987) comprised of the RE2000 engine conversion, GTi Engineering steering wheel, three extra gauges. Bilstein springs and dampers, Zender wheels, Zender body kit, front fog lights and GTi Engineering floor mats.
Mike became the second owner in 1997, with the mileage now at 57,000 he added some useful upgrades, such as power steering, a stainless-steel exhaust and a K-Star fuel injection/ignition system.
Mike had clearly looked after the car well, changing the oil every 5,000 miles, and the fact that the clutch was still original is testament to how well it has been driven. Every bill and receipt had been kept in a file, and there was even the advert which had attracted Mike to the car in the first place.
The car itself looked complete and in fair condition, bearing in mind that it had now covered 169,000, and in over 20 years of road use. The front spoiler needed a little attention and the tornado red paintwork had lost it's sparkle, but overall it was straight and honest motor car. We called back later that evening for a test drive; yes it was a bit tired, the brakes were a bit wooden, the clutch had finally started to slip and, with the Zender body kit and wheels, you felt the need to have a bit of Rick Astley cranked up, but I now fully understood why the company was called GTi Engineering. Even after all that mileage the engine was fantastic, with instant pick-up, urgency, even today some 20 years on. providing genuine pace. Manufacturers please note: 160 bhp and about 960 kilos equals a dynamic driving experience!
A fantastic piece of engineering, the cylinder head is beautifully gasflowed and the valves reprofiled, with the inlet and exhaust manifolds also being reworked. When the bottom end was further broken down, a Holbay steel knife-edged crankshaft and Omega cast alloy pistons were discovered, all of which were still in first-class condition. On removing the flywheel and clutch assembly, the centre plate was indeed dated 10/86 with OE equipment markings! With no major parts needing replacement, the cylinder head was away, the block was stripped, cleaned, painted and fitted with new rings and bearings. I would add a note to anyone doing the same rebuild to check the auxiliary shaft bearings, as these had worn badly. While the crank was out, the whole assembly (front pulley, crank, flywheel and cover plate) was balanced by Rotec (01403 791615) to F1 standards.
The only modifications made to the engine were lightening the flywheel and using ARP conrod bolts to keep the whole thing together. Stuart a toolmaker by trade, has turned into a bit of a gearbox master and duly stripped the transmission, finding several synchros which were well past their best, all new bearings were fitted and the dreaded diff rivets were removed and replaced with a nut 'n' bolt kit. To be fair the stripping and rebuilding work has been done by Stuart, I find myself in more of a cleaning, painting, managerial type role. The rest of the project, the bodywork, brakes, suspension etc, has been a fairly straightforward affair, with the bodyshell dealt with by the excellent Brays of Henfield (01273 493758) where Steve, Dave and Ben have done a cracking job. Ben reported that the body itself was in great condition, with no signs of accident damage or any corrosion, which is great when you consider that this car has been used every day and is not a 'pampered poodle'.
It was decided not to remove the Zender body kit, as the original fitting had been done so well, again testament to the work carried out at Silverstone, but all the windows and trims were removed before painting. The front spoiler needed some attention and replacement fog lamps were also fitted. Amazingly, we managed to source identical parts. While on the subject of parts much debate, only genuine equipment parts have been used. Not a cheap option (for instance, a genuine cam chain costs nearer £45 than the 310 for a non-OE febi part), but worth it for piece of mind. The suspension has been upgraded to Koni adjustable dampers and springs just to offer a little more flexibility.
One of the most striking features of the RE is the superb set of Zender wheels, which posed their own problems. Having been refinished to a brand-new look, the 120 bolts which adorn the four outer rims had been misplaced. We finally settled on a set of stainless-steel cap head bolts, which look right, although they weren't quite the correct length and so all 240 nuts and bolts were remachined. testing Mr. Sinclair's sanity to the limit!
Mike had upgraded the brakes to the bigger 256mm front discs and callipers (this car originally being an early Mk2 1, with the 239mm discs) so it was just a matter of fitting new discs and pads and a master cylinder as the brake lines had already been upgraded to the steel braided type.
Finally the 'big day' (two day, actually) arrived to refit the engine and gearbox into it's rightful home, just underneath the hallowed 'GTi Engineering' plaque found on the front slam panel and uniquely numbering each car, thus confirming it's bespoke beginnings. It was with more than a little trepidation that the ignition key was turned to fire it up. Almost immediately the engine bust into a lovely smooth idle, albeit with the usual couple of noisy tappets, and 15 minutes later, after all the smoke had cleared off the manifolds and the tappets had pumped up, the swiss watch of an engine was ticking over perfectly. 'Delighted' would not come close to describing our mood, as any of you out there who have ever wheeled a spanner in anger will understand.
The finishing touches made and a full valet and 10 layers of Autoglym later, the RE was ready for the road. While booking the MOT, it transpired in conversation that my long-time friend Gary Church, now Dealer Principle of the impressive new Crawley Volkswagen, had worked with Richard Lloyd while setting up Formula Palmer Audi back in the 1990's.
Since being involved with the RE I have read up as much as possible regarding GTi Engineering, and would very much like to have met Richard. Sadly that is no longer possible, but we plan to contact Brian Ricketts, the original tuning guru of GTi Engineering and show him his work from April 1987, as I'm sure he would be pleased (and proud) to see it once again.
It's only when you drive this car that the mixture of German manufacturing and English engineering have combined to produce one of the ultimate examples of the iconic Golf GTI. Working in the motor trade since 1990, I have been privileged enough to have driven some of the best cars available (Porsche 911, GT2, GT3, Ferrari, Aston Martin etc) and the way in which this little red hot-hatch from the 80's drives is certainly one of my most memorable experiences!
It must be obvious by now that Stuart and myself and very much GTI fans, but even an impartial observer couldn't fail to be impressed by the fact that this 21-year-old car, which has been used every day, not some garaged toy car, can still mix it with the very latest machinery. Some may argue that this was no ordinary GTI, but I would counter that and invite them to compare it with any £20,000-plus supercar from the same period.
Having driven my 'Athena poster' dream cars - Ferrari 328GTS and 1988 Aston Vantage - I can honestly say that neither of the aforementioned would be in the same category as the RE, if they were to go 'head to head' on nay cross-country A-road blast! We did a bit of 'timing' the other day and the RE managed 0-60 in 6 seconds and 0-100 in the late 15 seconds. It will certainly show a clean pair of heels to a current GTI.
After all the hard work, the future for this particular RE will be secure. Although it will never be driven hard on the track, it will certainly not become a museum piece and will be enjoyed on regular outings. The rev counter will regularly be back where it belongs, nearer to 7000 rpm !
