The US performance industry's largest show, SEMA, takes place at the beginning of November in Las Vegas. It gathers the cream of the domestic, import and European aftermarket under one roof and we were there to sniff out the best offerings.
In 2005 it was the year of the Civic, and Honda unveiled its newest car. And while Ford dominated the show in 2004 when it launched the Mustang , this year Honda seemed to have missed a great opportunity. The new Civic was completely overwhelmed by Volkswagen, which made its very first official appearance at SEMA. They used the occasion to unveil three exciting vehicles based on the latest VW products.
All three were designed by Derek Jenkins, VW's Design chief. The styling mods were then executed by Volkswagen at its design facilities before the cars were handed over to HPA Motorsports in Canada where each was fitted with a twin-turbo 3.2 VR6 plus the twin-clutch DSG transmission and four-wheel drive, and each got an R GT designation.
The fabulous 550hp widebody Jetta R GT was probably the most difficult to engineer since it started life as a lowly front-wheel drive 2.5 liter five cylinder. It can now accomodate 265-width 19" tires all round on custom VW Avus wheels. The striking front spoiler gives the car more menace and appeal. Inside, there are four individual Recaro seats and a full rollcage. More details in the February issue of eurotuner - where you can also read about the M5-beating 575hp Passat R GT twin-turbo that takes a subtle and refined approach. Based on the European-spec Passat 3.2 V6 it has rear PSP screens and twin iPods to enhance its grand touring appeal.
We'll also reveal details about the widebody VW Touareg R GT. Starting out as a V6 model, it now claims 500hp, custom 22" wheels and VW's existing Votex Individual body kit. Inside it has the same entertainment system as the Passat. Built to this specification it should scare a few Cayenne off the road!