VW Golf Wagon Gets R32 Conversion And Big Turbo, Packs 1,080-HP Punch

Turn up your volume and listen to this heavily modified fourth-generation Volkswagen Golf wagon. It makes 1,080 horsepower (805 kilowatts) and has a gargantuan turbo. The result is an amazing sound.

 This car came from Denmark, and the builder did an absurd amount of work to create this machine. He took the drivetrain from a Golf R32, which was an all-wheel-drive version of the fourth-gen model, and transplanted all of the components into the wagon. But, that's just the start of things.

The R32 comes stock with a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter VR6. Bored cylinders give this one closer to 3.3 liters of displacement, and there are upgrades to the crankshaft, rods, and pistons. A huge Garrett G42-1450 turbo and wide-diameter air intake take up a big portion of the engine bay. The only thing small about this vehicle is the fuel cell, which is in the rear cargo area.

The gearbox comes from fifth-gen Golf. However, it has a conversion to work sequentially. When cruising, the driver has to use the clutch during shifts, but no-lift gear changes are possible at full throttle.

To cope with the power, there are Haldex limited-slip differentials for both axles. The brakes come from the 2006–2008 era of the Audi RS4. The suspension included KW V3 coilovers.

 Full-throttle pulls in this beast look like a violent experience because of the noise and the rapid acceleration. You can see the occupants being pressed into the seats, and the guys in this video clearly love the experience.

The same channel did a separate video (above) showing this R32 racing against a tuned Audi RS6 with 830 hp (619 kW). You might think a 250-hp (186-kW) difference would give the VW a distinct advantage, but the situation is much more complicated than that. Its massive turbo can't really spool up from a launch, so the less powerful Audi is actually quicker in the quarter-mile. They then race from a roll, and even then, the R32 wagon doesn't blow away the RS6.