Engine: 3.2 liter S52 motor with MoTeC M800 engine management system, Göke Carbon Technik air box, Arqray stainless steel rear mufflerinline_mediumwraptextright27126325/featuredvehicles/eurp_0912_1996_bmw_m3_gtr_replicaeurp_0912_08_o+1996_bmw_m3_gtr_replica+crossbars.jpgTrue

Eating and breathing the European tuning scene, we've seen variations of nearly every VW, BMW or Audi possible. So it's rare that we're caught off guard. And yet we were blindsided at this year's Leavenworth Drive (et 11/09). Walking through the horde of 700 cars, we saw plenty of nice Euros, but nothing stopped us in our tracks like Jess Kenoyer's '00 Audi S4. It was an incredible moment. The slammed sedan looked as if it should be at the Wörthersee Tour in Austria, not at a gathering in Washington State.inline_mediumwraptextright25915016/featuredvehicles/eurp_0912_2000_audi_s4eurp_0912_01_o+2000_audi_s4+side.jpgTrue

To some people, the E30 3-Series is the most iconic BMW of all time. It has a style that was copied throughout the early '90s, and its boxy outline is still raved about by car enthusiasts today. Not only were its looks appealing, driving an E30 was just as rewarding. Forget the fancy iDrive system, adaptive headlights and traction control -there weren't any fancy gimmicks or complicated electronics.inline_mediumwraptextright26741527/featuredvehicles/eurp_0911_1984_bmw_tc_baur_318ieurp_0911_01_z+1984_bmw_tc_baur_318i+front_passenger_side.jpgTrue

When life throws you a lemon, make lemonade. This saying applies to all aspects of life and even to the trials and tribulations of building a modified car; parts break, check engine lights flash, accidents happen. But these problems aren't a reason to quit and return the car to stock. Instead, most of us make our cars better, faster, stronger.inline_mediumwraptextright30979887/featuredvehicles/eurp_0911_1997_audi_a4eurp_0911_01_z+1997_audi_a4+front.jpgTrue

After a 16-year love/hate relationship with his '89 VW GTI 16v, Andrew McDermott has returned with a concept unique in the US VW scene.inline_mediumwraptextright25503632/featuredvehicles/eurp_0911_1989_volkswagen_gtieurp_0911_01_z+1989_vw_gti+rear_passenger_side.jpgTrue

Apologizing for his late arrival at our photo studio, Juan "Pumpkin" Vega explained how the police had stopped him en route. Driving a vehicle like his '00 VW GTI inevitably attracts the attention of law enforcement, but fortunately this one seemed more curious than vindictive. In fact, after overlooking numerous mods, Juan escaped with just some lost time.inline_mediumwraptextright25493264/featuredvehicles/eurp_0911_2000_volkswagen_gtieurp_0911_01_z+2000_vw_gti+rear_passenger_side.jpgTrue

Ever wanted to know how fast a turbocharged BMW M3 from HorsepowerFreaks is? We asked Tommy Reyes, proud owner of this '03 M3 SMG, and he remembered a ride-along he gave to his best friend last winter.inline_mediumwraptextright30941931/featuredvehicles/eurp_0911_2003_bmw_m3eurp_0911_01_z+2003_bmw_m3+front.jpgTrue

The Best of Waterfest 2009
1991 VW GTI
Walking through the vendor row at Waterfest 15, it's easy to start seeing things with a jaded eye. Many of the cars follow similar trends and soon everything can begin to look the same. That was until we came across Phantom Autowerke's booth. All we could do was stop and stare.inline_mediumwraptextright24870469/featuredvehicles/eurp_0910_1991_volkswagen_golf_gti_vr6eurp_0910_01_o+1991_volkswagen_golf_gti_vr6+front.jpgTrue

2007 VW Rabbit
Since December 2007, the US has been in an economic meltdown, with the unemployment rate hitting its highest point in more than 16 years. The stock market plunged as the Dow Jones and S&P 500 fell to their lowest levels since '07. The ripples of this have affected every industry, including the one we care about most - automotive tuning. From muscle cars to Japanese imports and even the European scene, people have cut their spending habits.inline_mediumwraptextright29760111/featuredvehicles/eurp_0910_2009_volkswagen_rabbit_mk5eurp_0910_01+2007_vw_rabbit_mk5+left.jpgTrue

2004 BMW M3
Fast is the new 450hp Nissan GT-R. Fast is the twin-turbo 530hp Porsche GT2. Fast is the 631hp Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 V12. But if you thought these cars were fast, then you haven't witnessed the phenomenon bursting out of Portland, OR. HorsepowerFreaks (HPF) is building turbocharged E46 M3s to redefine the meaning of fast. With stage one M3s averaging 450whp and stage two 595whp, they're becoming the most feared streetcars around.inline_mediumwraptextright24875929/featuredvehicles/eurp_0910_2004_bmw_m3eurp_0910_01_o+2004_bmw_m3+front_passenger_side.jpgTrue

1999 BMW 318i When we started putting together this issue, we couldn't have imagined it would fall into place so sweetly. The Waterfest coverage speaks for itself - it's a great show, with great cars; we just have to be there to reflect what happens. But the E46 widebody theme we also weaved into this month sort of fell into our laps.inline_mediumwraptextright24939155/featuredvehicles/eurp_0910_1999_bmw_318ieurp_0910_01_o+1999_bmw_318i+aerial.jpgTrue

2001 VW Beetle TDI
According to chaos theory, small changes within a given system can lead to unexpected, radical results. The famous example is the butterfly in one part of the world flapping its wings, causing weather aberrations on the other side of the world. You get the idea...

2001 VW Passat 1.8T
It's easy to modify a GTI or Jetta. With thousands of parts available at nearly every retail and online shop, anybody with a few extra bucks and some imagination can build a unique Dub. But Justin Brill from Sonoma County, CA wasn't one of these guys. He wanted to build a car off the usual path. So he tried his luck with this '01 Passat.inline_mediumwraptextright24975158/featuredvehicles/eurp_0909_2001_volkswagen_passat_1_8teurp_0909_01_z+2001_volkswagen_passat_1_8t+front_left.jpgTrue

For the past few years, the cool kids in the VW scene have been preaching shaved bodywork, flat colors and air suspension. But forget that notion for the next five minutes because Derick McCoy's '08 GTI embodies a proven style that looks stunning time after time.inline_mediumwraptextright29758452/featuredvehicles/eurp_0909_2008_volkswagen_gtieurp_0909_01_z+2008_vw_gti+front_view.jpgTrue

Few could argue that, in its heyday, the second generation M3 was one of (if not the) best performance cars under 40 grand. German engineering, compact styling, five seats, coupe or sedan bodies, excellent braking, unprecedented handling and a torquey 240hp engine hauling just 3200 lb to low-14sec quarters were the traits of a highly desirable car in the '90s.inline_mediumwraptextright29757846/featuredvehicles/eurp_0909_1995_bmw_m3_e36eurp_0909_02+1995_bmw_m3+left_rear.jpgTrue

1998 VW Golf GTI
The warmth of the '98 Volkswagen GTI 2.0 seen here is like a serene mid-summer's afternoon. The fresh Ginster yellow paint looks alluring across the perfectly sculpted Mk3 body with its shaved accents and Jetta front-end. Matched with timeless BBS RS wheels, this GTI is as easy to admire as an Ansel Adams photograph.inline_mediumwraptextright29756103/featuredvehicles/eurp_0909_1998_volkswagen_golf_gti_mk3eurp_0909_01+1998_volkswagen_golf_gti 2_0t+overhead_front_left.jpgTrue

2001 Audi S4 Avant
We all know Audi's line-up of RS cars is a source of nirvana for many car enthusiasts. Designed to take on and effectively whoop M and AMG cars, Audi has never let us down when it has come to doing what's necessary to accomplish such feats.inline_mediumwraptextright24974258/featuredvehicles/eurp_0909_2001_audi_s4_avanteurp_0909_01+2001_audi_s4_avant+front_left.jpgTrue

For the rear, Wai kept the M-Tech styling theme and retrofitted an M3 diffuser into it. Initially, he bought an OE M3 plastic diffuser but during the process he realized the clips needed to be glued. This mixture of a plastic diffuser, fiberglass bumper and glue wouldn't offer enough adhesion, so Wai bought a fiberglass diffuser, cut it and added his own clips to snap onto the bumper. A carbon add-on from AC Schnitzer brought further emphasis to the bumper, which included a chrome surround for the exhaust tips.

Jason Moczulski's GTI VR6
If Jake's Jetta is the car for a driver with an extroverted sense of self, then Jason's '04 GTI is perfect for the introvert in each of us. In fact, it's the definition of a sleeper, with stock wheels, a modest stance, and just the front-mount to tip his hand about the car's potential. "It just sorta turned out that way," Jason explained. "The sleeper look is how I always wanted to go. I like speed over looks."

Tech Spec
1984 VW Scirocco
Owner: Paul Brooker
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Occupation: technician at SCI Performance

One of Marc's first dreams was realized when the Autoxtrm Golf became the fastest four-cylinder FWD VW, beating Joel Brown's record of 9.69sec. However, Marc had his sights on the C&M Jetta VR6, which held the North American record for fastest FWD VW at 9.38sec. Additionally, he was aiming to beat a VW Sapinho in Brazil that claimed to hold the FWD VW world record at 9.16sec.

Cracking the software has been one of Active's biggest challenges. The computer runs about 250 million operations per second, making it highly complex to alter parameters. Yet our drive highlighted the smooth power delivery without a trace of flat spots.

When we hopped onto the freeway, our jaws dropped. In second gear, the supercharged V8 snapped us back into the seat as the car accelerated. Through each gear from 25 to 120mph, the power was aggressive as it ran to redline. The noise from the blow-off valves was pronounced, but not overbearing. The free-flowing RPI GT Race exhaust made itself known with its burly tone, while the 305-section tires in the back had no trouble finding grip once we were in third gear. At lower speeds the M3 tended to slip sideways under full throttle so Josh had to feather the throttle. He admitted the power dies off at higher RPM, but thought a larger blower might remedy it.

And to squeeze every morsel of available horsepower from the stock turbo, the A3 visited BR Racing and SPP. Almost every bolt-on part was installed to quicken the A3 without making any sacrifices. This included a host of Neuspeed parts - software, turbo-back exhaust, short shifter and cold-air intake. Although there's no dyno numbers to prove it, the combination should net Adam an additional 50hp. "This is the best sounding car I've owned yet," he remarked. "It's really aggressive and throaty. It doesn't sound like a four-cylinder at all."

"With the K04 upgrade, we found the stock hoses were melting and oil was getting all over the place," said Lawrence. Fortunately, Samco hoses helped resolve the problem and provided the turbo inlet pipe. A Neuspeed power pulley and torque damper were then added, along with a Racetech intercooler and stainless cat-back Milltek exhaust.