[OT] Kevieeeee, Tell us about your 337

[kcollins1@socal.rr.com (Kevin Collins)]

T Berk wrote:
 
> I know you slipped it by the old school topics here but (in an on topic
> kinda way) it is a suitable donor mobile in the future.
 
> How about a 1st peaky run down?

Don't know where to start other than to say "WOW!".  She sits outside with
exactly 1000 miles on the clock right now, so she's officially broken in,
time to start having some fun.

What is a 337?  Take an '02 GTI 1.8T - add Votex body kit, 18x7.5" BBS RC
wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40/18 tires, 12.4"front/10" vented rear
brake swap directly from the Audi TT, including the red calipers & Pagid
pads, drop the suspension about an inch and a half with proper sporting
springs & shocks, throw out the crappy 02J 5-speed tranny in favor of the
MQ350 6-speed box from the TT (and new 24v GTI VR6), add upgraded bushings,
then spice the package up a bit with aluminum interior trim including 
pedals from the Seat Leon Cupra, real Recaro bad-ass cloth seats in black 
with red trim, special floor mats, red trim on the seatbelts, golf-ball 
shift knob, perforated leather steering wheel, shift boot and e-brake
boot w/red stitching.  Trim the options list to ZERO - the car comes one
way, in Reflex Silver, with no sunroof and NO options whatsoever.  VW 
managed to bring us this package for an MSRP of $22,225 + destination - 
- if you can find one for sale at sticker that is.  Local stealership 
McKenna here in HB has 2 in the showroom at +$7k (ouch!).

How does this all work?  UNREAL!  VW has really hit a home run with this
car.  At 2853 pounds, it's porky by "our" standards, but by modern standards,
this thing is a flyweight pocket rocket in the GTI tradition and it drives
and handles accordingly with NO compromises - right out of the box with
no aftermarket upgrades of any kind.  Only 1500 of them are coming to the
USA, with another 250 to Canada.  This car is about 95% of what the 25th
Anniversary GTI was to Europe, with only a few cosmetic items like black
headliner, Recaro rear seats in addition to the fronts, NAV system, and
new euro gauge cluster (bitchin' one at that, might be my only mod) being
missing from the US-spec car - all the good stuff stayed intact.  The 
motor is the current 180-hp plant in the base TT and Golf/Jetta 1.8T, 
code AWP, and is quite feisty right out of the box - C&D clocked 6.5 secs
0-60 time on a standard GTI with this motor; the exhaust on the 337 is
a freer-breathing stainless job that should net a few more ponies and
a bit more speed.

Here's an article about the car at Vortex.. Jamie Von Druska, the webmaster
at Vortex, deserves about 100% of the credit for getting VWoA to bring
this car to the USA...

<http://www.vwvortex.com/news/02_02/02_27/index.shtml>

--
Kevin Collins
Huntington Beach, CA
'86.5 16V 2.0
'02 GTI 337