Ride in a Polo G40 & Mk1 project progress

["Neal Tovsen" <sixteen.volt@verizon.net>]

Well, I've never ridden in a Ferrari or a Lambroghini, but I did get a ride
in something even more rare (in the US, at least). It's probably even more
rare than a Reiger Scirocco! :)

I finally got the opportunity this weekend to meet Oliver of oRz Motorsport.
He drives a Polo G40, bored/stroked from 1.3L to 1.5L, with a G60 upgrade,
chip, cam, and a meaty intercooler sticking out the front bumper. To my
surprise, it has a completely different head than anything in the US. At
first glance it looks like an 8v with teeny-tiny intake runners, but it is a
cross-flow design with the exhaust exiting the front like a Honda. The
engine also leans forward instead of backward, and the motor mounts are
really funky. Engine management is via Digifant, just like the Corrado G60,
but obviously tuned for smaller displacement. What a ride! He says the
weight is somewhere around 1200lbs, which I find hard to believe, but even
so it is definitely a light car. With three of us in the car (back seat is
actually roomier than my 16v) we were doing 110mph before I knew it. He's
running 1.2bar (~17psi) of boost, and the car SCREAMS, literally. The
supercharger whine is sweet. I don't know what the HP figures are, but I'd
probably guesstimate it somewhere around 150-180hp. Maybe I'll bring my
G-Tech next time we meet. :)

We talked a bit about my '77 mk1 G60 project. He gave me some really good
advice, and opened my eyes to some of the mystery of the G-Ladder's inner
workings. He's also been trained by SLS in Germany on how to rebuild
G-Ladders, so we'll be taking a look at mine to see what kind of shape it's
in. After riding in his car, I can't wait to get mine running. (patience,
Grasshopper!)

In other mk1 news, I decided to have a go at the sound deadening material
with the dry ice technique. It was still a lot of work, but definitely
cleaner and easier than with a torch! 5lbs of ice was enough to do the
entire '85 floor pan (the one from Cincy) and the small patches in the '77.
Once I grind away the undercoating and decide exactly where to cut, I'm
ready to weld the "new" one in. It also looks as though the '85 floor pan
will fit nicely. The particular pattern of ridges in the pan is a little
different, but the dimensions are the same, the side rails and center hump
are the same, and the cross-brace with the front seat mount appears to match
perfectly.

Neal


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