Every so often, there's a car that's so distinctive, so uniquely menacing, you can pinpoint the exact moment it crossed your path. Just like the first time you saw Harrison Ford's intimidating '55 Chevy in American Graffiti, seeing Art Sibiga's '93 Corrado VR6 is an unforgettable experience.
The Coupe's dark attire and ominous presence command respect. Its sinister hue and hunkered stance intimidate; this unorthodox style is a glimpse into its addiction for speed.
Sliding into the passenger's seat, the cockpit is sparse like a fighter jet's. With a simple turn of the key, Art summons the narrow-angled six into life. Exiting the industrial area, the bark of the open-exhaust echoes off buildings and consumes the air around us; its acoustic ferocity gives an inkling of the madness that will soon ensue.
There are quick cars, and then there are fast cars. And while many have achieved 300whp, few swim in the waters over 500whp this Corrado occupies.
In a rush of charged inhalation, the first three gears come and go in a whirlwind of tire smoke and torque steer. Even the LSD and gummy BFG Drag Radials couldn't contain the boosted onslaught until fourth gear. Pulling effortlessly into triple digits, the retina-distorting top end is breathtaking, reminiscent of a sports bike; scary fast!
Uninterested in show, everything on this car is for go. "Before buying the Corrado, I had another daily-driver. So when I got it, I wanted it to be fast," Polish-born Art said.
Although the current setup is incredibly quick, the journey to insanity was one of blood, sweat and long hours. "I can't count how many times I've torn the car down to its shell. It's been alot of work, but driving the car makes it all worthwhile," Art said.
Shortly after taking delivery of this black beauty, Art and his friend, "Turbo Joe" Solpys from ForcedFed Performance, decided that an OBD2 VR6 was needed in order to reach the power they desired. It was then punched out to 2.9 liters with Ross pistons, Manley rods and ARP studs.
"I figured I might as well build the motor with forged internals before dropping it in, since I knew I wanted over 20psi on the street," Art said.
Once the mill was in place, the stock automatic was scrapped for a new 020 with hardened internals, Peloquin LSD, huge clutch and burly DSS stage 5 axles.
Prepped for serious power, he built a custom turbo kit around a GT35R turbocharger. Bolted to an ATP manifold and assisted by an FMIC, the set up made just over 400whp on 93-octane with the stock intake manifold and ECU.
"The car was great on the stock ECU; Joe's tuning was perfect, until we wanted to play with race gas. Once we went in that direction, the car gave us problems," Art said.
Not long after hitting the wall with the stock computer, Turbo Joe headed to California, but not before introducing Art to Zoric Race Products (ZRP).
"The guys at ZRP were known for Evo tuning and hadn't played with many VWs. So after talking to Joe Zoric at ZRP, I decided to tweak a few things," Art said.