PVW article

[Jason Brunberg <stoopid@idirect.com>]

Please allow me to type out, in entirety, the Scirocco turbo article
from the September 97 ish of Performance VW.  Enjoy.

	Desert Storm

	The best laid military plans have to be kept secret.  Thousands of
man-hours are spent refining and uprating the latest weaponry before
it's unleashed on the enemy.  And, to ensure nothing's given away,
camouflage is used to disguise its potential.
	Dave Luben from Surrey is a man who's taken this military code to
heart.  He's built a Scirocco with enough potency to blow away any
pretenders, yet it's appearance gives nothing away as to what's under
his right foot.
	The innocuous-looking Mk2 Scirocco is an '87 GTX.  The top-line model
was bought as a tuning project by Commander Dave back in 1990, after
owning a Mk1 Golf and Mk1 Scirocco.
	"VWs are really well built and easy to modify - I went for the Mk2
Scirocco because I prefer its looks to the Golf," said Dave.
	After running the Scirocco with an 8v engine for three years, Dave knew
what he wanted under the bonnet - a 16V turbo.
	"It hadn't been done before - but a few people were putting the 16v
into the Mk1 Golf's back then," stated the insurance underwriter.
	He entrusted the job of engine construction to local firm, Alps
Motorsport.  The brief was simple - Dave wanted power and reliability. 
With this in mind, he sourced some of the best equipment around.  Check
this out: Hybrid T25 Garrett turbo, Cosworth Engineering pistons,
Porsche 944 Turbo injectors, Aston-Martin Virage throttle-body, VW
Motorsports billet cams...The list literally goes on and on.
	Like all well-planned projects, Dave's stormin' Scirocco benefitted
from R&D: "I had BMW M3 pistons in there at one time, but the engine
threw a rod, so I uprated to F1-spec," he said.
	Down at Alps, the backroom boys were quick to adapt to any change of
plan: "When the M3 piston went, we replaced the two litre Corrado block
in the car with a Audi 'tall' block," explained Andrew Levics, son of
Alps Motorsports boss, Arnie.  Cosworth valves were then added for the
perfect match.
	But the icing on the 16v cake was the programmable Motec M8 engine
management ECU - regarded in many circles as the ultimate aftermarket
fuel injection system.  According to Andrew, it's basically F1-spec,
with sequential injection and boost settings.  The M8 allows very
precise fuelling settings, with adjustments at every 250rpm increment.
	Channelling the turbo's fire is a 2.5" stainless exhaust system with 4"
tail-pipe by Cheesman's of Woking: "I got it 4 years ago when you only
saw 4" pipes on Cosworths," said Dave.
	With 250bhp on tap, the Commander had to attend to something: "Once it
was running, I realized the car wouldn't stop - and that was with Mk2
16V brakes all around and an uprated servo!"
	A call to SB Developments in Chessington saw the first stage of the
braking solution - a fully adjustable competition pedal-box.  It
operates Porsche 968 calipers and 304mm AP Racing discs at the front, to
give Dave extra help.
	The Porsche equipment can be spied through the car's stunning 7x15"
gold BBS split-rims.
	"I've always thought they're the nicest rims around, so buying them
five years ago at a knockdown price was a real bonus," said Dave.
	A set of 195/50 Bridgestones sticks the car to the road, while the ZR
rating means they're good for 150mph and more.
	The Scirocco currently sits on standard VW suspension, but not for
long.  Dave revealed: "I've got a height-adjustable Bilstein race kit
sitting at home, but I want to sort out the six-speed 'box first."
	Ah yes, the full-race German 'box.  The original VW Motorsport GpA 'box
was blown because "there was too much torque for it to handle!"
according to Arnie.  So the Gemini replacement's waiting to be slipped
in to finish the plan.
	Leaving the standard Scirocco GTX body kit in place, Dave gives few
clues to the turbo's potential (it's not even lowered yet).  Bonnet
vents allow more air into the engine bay, while the Kamei grille for the
Audi S2 with matching spoiler are the only concessions to fashion.
	"Trends change.  What looks good right now might seem awful in the
future," explained our man.
	The interior's similarly discreet.  A Momo alloy gear knob and Nardi
steering wheel give a taste of what's on offer, while VDO guages
(including boost, of course) keep Dave in touch with engine fuctions.
	With many Performance VW feature cars, the ICE install rounds off the
interior alterations.  Indeed, Dave has a fair amount of stereo, but
unfortunately, it's sitting at home in bits: "There was no point putting
it back in as the engine drowned out the audio," he said with a shrug. 
However, he's thinking of upgrading his in-car Sony Walkman...
	So after years of work, not to mention a fair slab of dosh, can the
Scirocco be classified as a lethal weapon?  In a word, yes.
	I slid into the passenger seat and the GTX growled through the gears as
Dave murmured "it can wheelspin in every gear."  A split second later,
he laid enough rubber to pin me in the seat as he wrestled with the
Nardi wheel.
	With the speedo firmly in three figures, Dave dabbed the Porsche brakes
to bring the Scirocco in line with passing plod.  Impressive.
	With race suspension, a six-speed 'box and ally roll-cage on the way,
Dave'll soon be giving a few more hints about the Scirocco's abilities -
especially as he's heading for the quarter mile.  Sooner or later, even
the most impressive military hardware has to do battle...ï

	Dub Details

Engine:	2.1 litre 16V four cylinder with T24 hybrid Garrett turbo, '96
spec Audi 2.1 litre 'tall' block, Motec M8 ECU.  83.5mm forged Cosworth
pistons, hardened and balanced Passat eight-shaped crank, GpA-spec
cylinder head and Cosworth intake and exhaust valves.  VW Motorsport
billet cams, two-piece Oettinger alloy sump, uprated oil pump, solid GpA
engine mounts and direct-fire ignition.  Pace ally radiator and
intercooler, dump valve, Porsche 944 turbo injectors, full set of
Cosworth sensors, Aston Martin Virage throttle body, custom plenum
chamber.  Cheesmans 2.5" stainless steel exhaust system with 4"
tail-pipe.  VW Motorsport GpA gearbox, ZF limited slip diff.

Chassis:7x15" BBS RS001 three-piece wheels with 25mm offset, 195/50 ZR15
Bridgestone RE71 tyres.  Standard VW suspension kit with thicker
Autotech Z-bars front and rear.  Porsche 968 Brembo Four-pot magnesium
calipers with 304mm AP Racing discs (front) and Mk2 16v calipers and
TarOx discs (rear).  Adjustable alloy pedal box with Autocavan 'super
brake' gear linkage.

Exterior:Bonnet vents, Kamei S2 grille and grille spoiler

Interior:VDO guages, Nardi steering wheel, Momo alloy gear knob

Ice:	 Sony Walkman
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