2003 VW Jetta GLI
Jose A Soto Cora is a full-time chemist and US Navy officer. Although he currently resides in Virginia, he spent most of his life in Puerto Rico - the island in the Caribbean roughly the size of Connecticut. Its people are American citizens since it became a US territory in 1898 after the Spanish-American war. It is more densely populated than any of the 50 US states. And with so many people living on the island, we were worried when Jose told us he had no friends.
Confused at first, we realized he wasn't a loner, but when it comes to his car, he doesn't show any camaraderie. Strongly competitive by nature as a former professional body boarder, he won't settle until he beats every car that challenges him on the dragstrip or freeway. This is the reason he chose to turbo this '03 VW Jetta GLI VR6 and nicknamed it the "No Friends" project.
Making his start in the Volkswagen community, Jose's first project was a Mk4 GTI VR6. Outfitted with an R32 body kit and painted in Tropic orange, the 174hp 12v didn't have the gusto to beat more modern machines. "I had everything you could imagine in an all-motor car. But I got upset seeing my friends with Evos and STIs going faster on the street, so I decided to go for more with another VW," explained Jose.
New and more powerful engines came to light and the opportunity arose to upgrade to a more nimble 180hp 1.8T or the newer 201hp VR6 24v. The 1.8T had plenty of potential with proven 300+whp turbo upgrades, but Jose felt there were better prospects for power with a six-cylinder. He'd also fallen in love with the sweet sound of VW's staggered-six, so chose the latter and picked up the Platinum grey GLI seen here.
Precision GT40R turbo is responsible...
Precision GT40R turbo is responsible for making power that's more than double the stock output
Absolute power was the only goal for the 24v VR. With defeat not an option, Jose put a call out to mechanics in Puerto Rico to fabricate a solution incorporating forced induction. Unfortunately, nobody stepped forward at short notice, so he started the work and research himself.
"Responsible mechanics can be a rare commodity, so I decided to make my own combination of parts. I ordered all the parts and stored them until everything was good to go," he said.
Jose ensured all his needs were covered, importing parts to rebuild the 2.8 liter block with forged JE pistons and Pauter rods. ARP head and rod bolts would eventually secure the motor.
After weighing the advantages of a supercharger or turbo, Jose knew he needed gargantuan power, so a turbo became the weapon of choice - one that wouldn't need to give its power at low RPM, but would have neck-snapping power towards the top-end.
Within weeks, a massive Precision GT40R turbo found itself on Jose's doorstep, along with a Tial wastegate and blow-off valve, 850cc RC injectors, Walbro fuel pumps and an Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator to handle the motor's thirst.
A Precision front-mount intercooler and HPA Motorsport short-runner intake manifold were then drafted-in to ensure the turbocharged motor would work efficiently with better airflow and cooler intake temps.
As the parts bin began to stack up, the time came to again track down a reliable technician for the installation and fabrication required by a VR6 turbo. "So I contacted Rolando `Roly' Resto. He's a VW enthusiast with a 10.9sec GTI on stock internals," Jose told us. "I also contacted Papote at Eurohouse Tuning, who's one of the most dedicated mechanics on the main island. I got hold of him and he agreed to help with the No Friends project!"
The head was worked to maximize airflow, then all the parts were assembled along with a Creative Performance manifold and A'PEXi exhaust. Final tuning for the ECU was accomplished by a Microtech LT12 engine management system, which would allow the most aggressive air/fuel maps for the dragstrip as well as the street.