1998 Volkswagen GTI VR6 - Undercover Insanity

The car was decidedly fast and Kirit enjoyed extending his kill list. Sadly though, the fun didn't last as it spun a rod bearing as a result of a faulty oil-cooler line.

Undeterred by the costly setback, Kirit had Esserini fill the block with forged Cunningham rods and JE slugs for a boost-friendly 8.5:1 compression. Feeling that the stock ECU was holding the car back, Kirit also sprang for the revolutionary (in its time) TEC2 stand-alone engine management system.

Midway through the build, tragedy struck. After years of battling cancer, his grandfather passed away two months before Kirit was married. Overwhelmed by the great loss, the GTI sat at the shop for nearly two years until he eventually found the drive to finish it.

"I almost gave up on it many times but I had to see it through," Kirit said. So with friends by his side, the project was dragged to a second Bay Area shop where they would tune the TEC2, fit the Stage Five axles and get the car to idle. Over the next few months they discovered several problems until Kirit stepped up and added the new TEC3 stand-alone to make things easier.

While under construction for months, Kirit was turned on to Bill Schimmel at Schimmel Performance (SP). After many conversations, Kirit decided on the second shop to install a GT35R, Quaife six-speed 'box with LSD, air-to-water intercooler and DTA stand-alone management, all purchased through Schimmel.

Several more months went by and the car was still reluctant to run properly. So eventually, Kirit flew Bill out to California to tune the car. And since Kirit was friends with Dick Chiang at Dynospot Racing, they used his Dynojet for the job.

After a day of tuning the car made an impressive 532whp but was sputtering up top.

Having been at shop #2 almost two years, he took the car home. "I couldn't just give up, it was a battle I had to win," Kirit said. "I'd had enough of the BS and just wanted it done right so I called Bill and asked him to send me a motor with whatever parts I would need to do it right," Kirit said.

In return, he got a Schimmel Performance 3.0L stage 2 block with 83mm JE Pistons, Manley rods and ARP bolts. He also had their big-valve ported head, Ferrea valvetrain and SP 263 turbo cams.

Continuing his mantra of doing things right, Kirit added an SP short-runner intake manifold along with a GT4088R turbo, Tial wastegate and BOV plus DTA Pro 8 engine management and water/methanol injection.

Since he was in it to win, Kirit again fetched Schimmel and his co-workers out to help build the GTI. "There was no other option," Kirit said.

To make the story even more insane, Kirit had True Image install a 12-gallon Fuel Safe Pro Cell along with an SX fuel pump/regulator and Aeromotive filters. When Russell lines just weren't good enough, he added Aeroquip.

With the fuel cell in place, the SP crew arrived for a four-day stint but ran into problem after problem. Eventually, Bill suggested they rewire the entire car to start with a clean slate.

By now, you know what Kirit decided to do; and several days later the guys had the engine installed, fitted the new parts and installed the DTA 8 Pro ECU.

Finally the battle was won. The car ran like never before and, with the right fuel, was good for over 700whp!

While the powerplant had been the focus, along the way the car had received H&R coilovers, Autotech sway bar, 11" brakes and dope 17" BBS LMs in the ultra-rare gold finish.

On the outside it now wears an Abt grille and lip, Projektzwo mirrors, carbon hood and hatch along with Euro bumpers and Mk4 headlights.

Inside, the car was fortified with Recaros, a Momo wheel, GReddy boost controller and a host of gauges.

Kirit's GTI is like nothing I've experienced before. It has to be the ultimate street sleeper - no front-mount, cage or widebody; just plain, unadulterated speed.

After years of hard work and loss, the car has become more than transport: "Although I'm not able to drive it as much as I'd like, when flicking on the garage lights or taking it for a freeway blast, I remember the years that went into making this car," he said. "It's become more than just a car. It's a hobby, a drug, a gateway to something greater."