When I consider all of the cars I have built in the past, and the builds that I see frequenting websites and magazines by other car nuts, one thing is always clear in the project – it’s come about by the owner wanting to build something great out of something they had feelings for. It’s a rather strange bond between man and machine that infects just about everyone – unless you like football (soccer to our American friends), in which case cars are just four wheels and a seat to get you from point A to point B. On the basis of this basic build up starting point, I would like to challenge that concept and tell you about my quest to do something quite the opposite.
What this story is about is the beginning of a new and exciting car build that I didn’t want to build, but I am going to. Interested? Read on…
Discovering console racing games back in the late ’90s subsequently opened up my rather lacking education of cars beyond what we’re on sale in the UK at the time. I found these ‘GT-R’ things which you could tune to 1000hp and suddenly my BMW looked quite drab and I wanted a Skyline. What followed over the course of a few years was the creation of something that become quite unimaginable as my brother Rob and I set about creating some very entertaining and game-changing cars via the company we created for the purpose, Sumo Power. For some of you the name will be familiar, for others a quick Google image search will find an array of pictures which will be proudly thrown at your screen. Over a number of years our name has become somewhat attached to that era and those cars and to this day it follows us everywhere. Even though we no longer own that tuning shop, many people have a fond affection of the impact we had on tuning in the UK and Europe. For us, we were just doing our thing and trying to build crazy cars for fun.
For me, the Japanese ‘supercars’ of the ’80s and ’90s and the mass export and importation of these cars as grey imports in many countries around the world – notably in the UK – gave the normal car markets a problem. These were real cars, with great options, engines and styling – and they made the average ‘sportscar’ in the UK look rather tame and dull. Well, that was certainly the case for me anyway. I had finally come across cars that I really liked: R32s, R33s, R34s, Z33s JZA80s, RNN14s, GC8s… you get the idea.
The insight into my love of Japanese cars and history will become apparent to you as this story goes on, but right now you may be a little confused why I am telling tales of Japanese tuning in the ’00s when what you see before you are pictures of a Volkswagen Golf – and a convertible one at that! Where is this going you ask? Well my Speedhunting chums, after many years of not building cars, Rob and I have decided to create a tuning car by dusting off the tools, getting the brain into gear and thinking outside the box. The result of that is the butchery of what was a rather nice and well preserved VW Golf Clipper Convertible. As it stood in factory spec, I didn’t really like Rob’s cherished little car, but that fact has only driven me to consider funky ways in which to transform it into something I do like – much to my brother’s dismay. Could we do something interesting with it?
This project started after an email conversation with Rod over a year ago where I suggested I was bored of not building cars and fancied the idea to get back in the ring for some fun, despite knowing that I actually don’t have too much free time – if any. Our Kleers company is going from strength to strength and we thought it would be a nice idea to create a car that we could use to show off not only our personal interest in cars – and being ‘car guys’ – but to also be able to showcase our products at events. What began as a pretty simple build, though, quickly became more complex when Rod came up with an idea for its ‘purpose’. What if we modified the Golf in a way that cameras could be bolted to the outside. Yes, a Speedhunters camera car, ripe for shooting drift and race cars from unique angles. That was interesting to me, but it’s not the whole story. I want to make this European car far better by also making it Japanese – and very serious.
After a couple of weeks of throwing ideas around one detail was decided on: to make this car part of the new KM4SH program of aero parts at Speedhunters. The car needs to look aggressive, and while the bolt-on overfender craze is among us, going down that visually-pleasing route seems like a solid idea. As the pieces started to click together in a Japanese/Euro mash-up of sorts, I started to get excited. This was the way I could transform the car I loathed into something I really liked. So in April 2013 mock ups of an aero package came bleeding through as our starting point. Less than two months later we had a KM4SH kit ready to fit.
For the first few weeks things moved really quickly (remember this is April 2013, not 2014), and although we still hadn’t really locked down what we would do with the rest of car, at least the aero was sorted. Early on the piece we also decided that a removable FRP hardtop – rather than the factory fold-down fabric roof – would be the best way to go. Miura-san is responsible for the design of the KM4SH aero and agreed to look after this detail for us too, but what we didn’t count on was him getting extremely busy with some other big projects – most of which have since been seen on these very pages.
While we waited patiently for the roof to come in the summer of 2014 (the entire program couldn’t start until we knew how the roof would fit) there was plenty of time to think about how to bring this car together. One major detail needed a decision – the engine arrangement. I’ve pretty much owned all of the popular Japanese cars and engine setups, from JZs and SRs to RBs, VQs and VRs – from 300hp to 1200hp, naturally aspirated and with single and twin turbos – you name it. What to do though… There was temptation to convert the Golf to rear-wheel drive, but I felt that would make the car a bit ‘same old’ in the engine swap department and it would be expected to drift, and I didn’t want that.
Instead, I settled on another idea – one which I consider to be quite radical yet sound in terms of decision making.
I’ve raced EP3 Honda Civics, DC5 Integras and even a Jazz (Fit) ‘Type R’ for the Honda UK factory team, and all of those cars had one thing in common: a K20A engine. For Honda purists the K20 is a lifesaver – it can handle massive power whether N/A or force fed, is easily accessible, and there are a raft of off-the-shelf tuning parts available. With the same basic engine and gearbox layout as the little Golf, it’s also a really great fit for our project and one that I feel very comfortable to pursue.
The concept of the car is to create a mash-up of epic proportions – VW Golf versus Honda Civic Type R; Kleers versus Speedhunters KM4SH; Europe versus Japan. Just how far we go and what we plan to do to fuse these two icons together – that’s for future posts… But I can tell you it’s become very interesting indeed. The hardest, dirtiest and hair-brained scheming parts of the build are yet to come, and as I don’t really care for preserving the Golf in any way, it’s led to a whole host of ideas to abuse it and make it awesome. How about an exhaust that runs through a section of the rollcage? Yes, these type of beer-fuelled, nonsensical ideas have come up, although most will not make the cut.
Numerous people and companies are already getting involved to help us out in places. Some are Speedhunters partners, but most we know and trust via our own connections, which will make this car something I will proudly say we built.
As I write this first story, the build has already taken a huge step forward and I’ve already begun penning the next instalment of updates for you, with one big detail yet to come. In future there may be some areas of the build that you lot can help us decide upon, but for now I will make you one promise: unlike my good mate Peter Pentell, I won’t be asking you what colour my harnesses should be – I’ve already chosen them!
Andy Barnes
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
If you wanna get fast cars in action, you gotta get a fast car of your own
lol, a red hot roll cage sounds awesome, do it
lol, a red hot roll cage sounds awesome, do it
Now this sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing how this progresses!
Very disappointed in the engine choice... a Vtech-yo in a VW? Sacrilege!!!
please make an e46 kit
Is there any way to get a kit for my Rabbit?
@flushpoke funny, its the only thing I find interesting enough in this project to keep me reading.
what a choice for a camera car, i like it....and i think its no sacrileg, to take a K20, the mark ones weight should fit peferctly,it ´s
just a bit crazy .............and i like such builds
nethertheless I still would hve opt for a VW/Audi 4pot with Turbo... the more torque could be quite useful (not to mention the build would be a bit easier )
what a choice for a camera car, i like it....and i think its no sacrileg, to take a K20, the mark ones weight should fit peferctly,it ´s
just a bit crazy .............and i like such builds
nethertheless I still would hve opt for a VW/Audi 4pot with Turbo... the more torque could be quite useful (not to mention the build would be a bit easier )
Andy B you are a cool dude in my book. Your R34 was the first one I saw in real life after embracing the jdm culture through the nfs franchise as a youngster. I still remember the anime paintbrush on the valve cover and the very same car breaking records at santa pod when i was a postgrad student in the uk. Flooded by an array of mostly disappointing posts this month, I can safely say you saved the month.
nice, this is going to be awesome I hope the engine note will be loud and almost obnoxious!
iProGam3r Of course, is there any other way?
@TROLLS ROYCE That car was a special car to me too as it represented everything I thought a GTR should be: massive excessive loud power, kill everything in its path on and off track, outrun motorbikes such as R1's and Busa's and win a show and shine comp - all on the same weekend, special times...
@TROLLS ROYCE That car was a special car to me too as it represented everything I thought a GTR should be: massive excessive loud power, kill everything in its path on and off track, outrun motorbikes such as R1's and Busa's and win a show and shine comp - all on the same weekend, special times...
@flushpokeNot just disappointed but Very? Sorry to hear that but have faith in the future....
@flushpokeNot just disappointed but Very? Sorry to hear that but have faith in the future....
Why can you not like cars and soccer? my life revolves around the two pretty much with the addition of a few other things
looks like a great project, something that would usually only ever be in somebodies head
A K20 in a VW???
Yeah, that's a step toward the radical lane. Interesting to see where this goes, will definitely be keeping an eye out.
@Nate It nearly made it, just out of pure engineering stupidity that would apply on all the possible levels...would have been nice for the typical English winters though ' toasty'.
@Nate It nearly made it, just out of pure engineering stupidity that would apply on all the possible levels...would have been nice for the typical English winters though ' toasty'.
you are putting a Honda engine in a Volkswagen golf, that's like fire and ice
I don't think the owner cares about what people think. Good on the guys! If it pisses people off....it's a success.
"Early on the piece we also decided that a removable FRP hardtop – rather than the factory fold-down fabric roof – would be the best way to go."
Soooo... why didn't you just get a regular Golf, then?
Making something "better" by turning it Japanese as you describe is a bit ..... polarizing, which seems to match the intent of this project in general.
@flushpoke More like a Vw around a nice k20...sacralige
As we already owned the car Jake. We had a car and wanted to do something with it as opposed to having an idea and buying a car. The things we are doing to it and using it for and reasons for a removable roof will become apparent as this car build unfolds here
The Golf was bought in Spain? It has a spanish license plate...
Dear god, do not put a Honda motor in that Volkswagen! !!!!
Please just make one of these kits for the Subaru GC8/GM6 Chassis!!!!
The first time I heard about this car I was horrified. Yet the more Andy told me about it, my distain pretty quickly turned into a massive smile. This is what builds are all about for me, its an expression of an idea. Andy fucking hates VW, so he chooses the car he hates the most and tries to turn it into something he loves - all the time with a massive grin on his face. THAT, for me is fucking gold.
Let's not get tied up with notions of 'the right thing to do' or choosing sides over EU/Japan - this is th
4wd subaru drivetrain conversion would be legit, but not my car sooooooo...
1993-2001 Subaru impreza coupe ! And sedan
Turn it longways stick it in the back seat and make it 4wd...disco potato turbo and ill love you for life....just my 2 though...
Please say this aero kit will be available to the public. This would be perfect for my project.
Andy Barnes Im afraid so, and I never thought I would dislike an engine swap. Im very open minded and this just might be my first negative comment in my 5 years reading this awesome site. I grew up in a VW and im currently looking for a nice mk2 for a project so I have a big soft spot for VWs, and for some reason or another Hondas are my least favorite cars. But I definitely have faith in your epic skills so I will hold further judgment until it is complete... Cheers!
D1RGE EXE Lol, different strokes for different folks I guess.
SattySingh I didn't hate his idea. I'm just allergic to his anti-humble guts. Not a subtle choice of words at all. Keyword: stink-brain
SeanU Just went on the market.
ahhhhh! This is making me remember my own little convertible golf- a sportsline in a deep candy paintjob, finished the re-build after it took on an AMG merc - to the face. 12 months of hard work and huge bills later I locked the garage and walked away one cold night...... the local yoots were obviously cold as well as they set fire to the wooden doors which eventually caught the roof quickly escalating into a huge fire and 30k down the drain. Sad times
awesome little things that with the right amount of fettling handle like they are on rails... I'm going to enjoy seeing this one unfold I think....
Love this project, the fact its going to piss a lot of purists off is a good thing, I only have horrible memories of a Mk1 Golf Cab so im happy to see this one cut up!
K20 engine is a great choice, bomb proof reliable and loads of potential for more powaaah!
Cant wait for the next update!
SeanU The KM4SH Golf kit, you mean? Maybe, we'll have see what the general reaction is like once the car is finished first.
veedub20v But… the world's a far more interesting place when people do weird stuff, right? Haha
jdbeyer Hopefully, but we'll be waiting to see what the general public reaction is like once this car is finished first. Watch this space!
It cames from Spain?! Really guys, STAHP adding Miura wide kits to everything, in some cars (like this), it hasn't any sense
this one is going to be #EPIC
veedub20v Why not?
veedub20v It is a Golf. It is not a classic Ferrari. Hundreds of thousands (or millions) were made, and this example is not special/rare/desirable at all (and it's a flimsy convertible). Ditch the boring notions of being an economy car purist. If you take carefully chosen parts of multiple other economy cars and put them together, don't you ultimately still have an economy car, but one which has been improved?
It is a Golf. Cut it up into little bits, and reform those bits into something actually interesting and different.
Andy Barnes If you can justify the very short list of 'pros' against the very long list of 'cons', and decide to do it anyway, you've completely thrown engineering into the trash.
@flushpoke I'm very disappointed in the car choice, but I'm still interested in the final result. That's the important part. Anything that starts with a convertible VW and turns into something actually cool is worth watching until the end, right?
Way to go! Make that boring VW into something radical! I always disliked VW Golfs, they are plain and boring, and most guys wo "tune" it around my area slap on a muffler fpr 50 bucks and call it tuned ... hence my dislike...
But that project is very very cool!
To all the don't go overfender guys, look art old works cars from the 80s ... overfenders were the rage back then, so i don't get the dislike.
Your right, I am a purist. I enjoy certain aspects of the import automotive scene. I love the body styling. No matter how many thousands of plain Jane vws are out there, I would never put Honda motor in a vw or visversa. If not only for respect to each brand.
I've had a K20 Civic, and a diesel VW Golf, I wouldn't have thought of taking the best out of both to make one worthwhile car... Neither were what I would call comfortable.
Could be that they were both what I would consider "first car" quality.
I am not a huge fan of overfendering, but I get it.... especially if you are going to extend the wheelbase as much as you have in the images above!
While the above might seem negative, it isn't. I am looking forward to what you are going to do with this car, and makes me hopeful that you make something better than the individual parts!
I'm liking these over fenders better than the berg cup kit I already have and am interested in seeing this completed. The mk1 is am awesome chassis and I vintage race mine but I do hate the cabriolets. Hopefully this turns out awesome
Just checked my recipts and it was closer to twenty then thirty, seems my nostalgia and bitter memories added 10k...
So does KM just make a body kit for any car for anyone with enough money even it it's not going to look good? It was fun when it started; widebody kits on lambos and cars that people wouldn't dare cut up, but now on a VW? What's the point, they've been cut up and widebodied and reconfigured a million times. Pretty much looses all the flair and excitement of a KM kit for me. It's like the kits that made their name on high end exotics have now trickled down to boring cars just because everyone wants one of his kits. So common now (at least online) that it doesn't matter. Just my 2c.
Looks outstanding already! Even though the little veedub is being 'butchered' and made up out of 'beer-fuelled' concepts the craftsmanship looks really good. As soon as i read the part about the frp hardtop images of the starlet kp60 hatch came to mind (with the trd style spoiler) imagening it wouldn't look nearly out of place on this devil.
Whatever makes it way onto there though i'm sure Muira-san and Andy will come up with something spectacular though.
Godspeed on the build!
Just tell me that there's going to be some kind of stabilized swing arm mount in this rig.
Just tell me that there's going to be some kind of stabilized swing arm mount in this rig.
Oh man, that pink R33 reminds me of the guys at Ex Vi Termini that years ago built a 1,300 hp, AWD R33 drag car that would do donuts inside its own wheelbase - on slicks and hot, dry pavement.
With 325 hp going to EACH WHEEL, they had a wee bit of difficulty getting it down the track in a straight line.
There was also something about RB26s experiencing some kind of weird, potentially fatal head cooling problem above 500 hp PER LITER.
Completely awesome.
Respect to Ken Miura, Rob and Andy, and Speedhunters, but please let this KM4SH shit die already.
YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNN!
So you're making a camera car with wide tyres/wheels and open rear flares? I get the feeling that you're going to be flinging a lot of crap backwards at anything that is driving behind you... If it's anything exotic, they're not going to be happy!
Dritt Fiske lol theres only one KM4SH kit out... how is that played out...
Just thought of something cool. Since the VW is a camera car, why not leave it a convertible, put in a solid roll cage and have an elevated rear facing seat for the cameraman?!? either way with an open top you leave yourself the possibility of some really cool photography options... just a thought.
Because it's cool to complain........
Does a camera car mean more Speedhunter videos? You gonna need one for each continent.
@flushpoke We may, or may not have already thought of this
That is not a Spanish numberplate, it is a 91 (J) UK Plate, made up in a German pressed metal, Deutsche Font style.
Cool car! I've been building a Speedster Mk1 Golf for 5 years now. Mid mounted 40V 4.2 V8 from a 2001 Audi S8.
I need those overfenders - where can i buy them?!?! Hahaha
@4A4 They will be available in the New Year sometime when this car is finished
Ice Age I could, but it wouldn't be the truth
daskulthomas Thanks. The guy in the picture with me is Geof Hauser or Hauser Racing. Those guys are doing all the major fab work on the car for us and its their shop you can see in the pictures. In the next story I will share a bit more about their involvement but essentially those are the guys that fabbed our previous cars in the past, making our ideas reality as we don't posses those skills. Like most good fab shops, there isnt much they cannot do, and do well.
Kirk_B Cheers. I don't expect it to end up comfortable, most likely it will be the opposite of that - hard, noisy, angry, powerful and a handful to drive but beautiful - I hope we achieve all of these things!
Onecton Cheers, we're on the same page...
veedub20v I respect your view. I feel the same when I see RB26 swaps in cars which I feel are not worthy of GTR hearts.
veedub20v I respect your view. I feel the same when I see RB26 swaps in cars which I feel are not worthy of GTR hearts.
EvolveWRC No its a UK car from new, it just has a set of 'Euro' type number plates on it.
Yes. I am excited for this. There hasn't been a Speedhunters build post since Mad Mikes insane drift machine.
A V-tec Golf Cabrio, Yeah!
veedub20v Why respect when most cars are built to a budget and market? The block metal isn't somehow a brother to the body. They are corporately sourced (sometimes outsourced) bits of metal. Go nuts!!
Speedhunters I never should have doubted you guys lol, Cant wait to see how it turns out.
xrockonx TRA Kyoto and the Rocket Bunny imprint by Kei Miura were known for kei vehicles and S-chassis cars long before the Liberty Walk style exotic trend. Also yes, for the right price, Kei Miura will literally make a kit for any vehicle. That is, and has for a long time been, the primary function of his business.
Dritt Fiske They release one kit, which at this point in time is only fitted to two cars worldwide, and you're already complaining?!?! Lol.
Looking forward to the next update already Andy.
Andy Barnes Top work, thanks for answering. Where are you guys based? My Speedster needs these haha. Have you got a website i can follow? or will all the updates be available on here?
Thanks
The moment I saw the red valve cover on the engine I knew you guys went with a k series engine. Put a huge smile on my face. I got a dc5 I love the k20
Speedhunters SeanU Yeah this kit needs to be made!!
We are in the UK. The build will be detailed here in the main
You are talking about Mario's car. Fun times back then.
So your missus reads SH is what you are saying? Haha
I've built & raced more Golfs & Honda Civics over the last four decades than I can count, including many wild & original engine swaps. So seeing you guys combine these two makes is not blasphemy to me - but a wet dream I wish I'd thought of. So absolutely go for it. This Aussie can't wait to see what naughty things you get up to. Oh and yes I too have built a "camera car" raced on the track with camera bracket mounting points just screwed into the bodywork as needed. My only advice there is go long and triangulated. The angles you get with a tiny GoPro four metres off your car on the track are worth the effort.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TOqQoQY7Ps&index=16&list=PLh5B6MCXRHiHctkXWNg0LpeuMJyU0idlT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zblxWABGr9c you just gotta have fun
Awesome post!
Speedhunters featured my Mk1 Caddy build not too long ago.
( http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/06/the-volkswagen-caddy-from-hell/ )
Seeing this Cabby really reminded me of the flares on my truck! I am really looking forward to watching the Kleers progress on this build, and am really impressed with the flares by Miura-San!
I have another Mk1 Build on the horizon, and am hoping that this kit will be available at that point! I am hoping I can adapt the rear portions to the shape of a Caddy, which I'm sure will not be very difficult. Anyways, great post as always!