APR displays at Waterfest 2012: R8 Grand Am

This year there were an unprecedented number of real deal race cars on display at Waterfest. Yeah there was the typical show stuff too, but from R8s to ah, R8s, it was great to see them out and in front of the public. More soon,

_WRS

A brief report: Waterfest 2011

Waterfest. Most people know of it, many love it, and it seems every year more and more turn their backs on it, claiming it to be too much of this, that or the other to be a 'real' show. I guess the cool kids decided it wasn't cool anymore, and while I get that, I have to say that Waterfest has done nothing except get more and more enjoyable to work and attend since the 'cool kids' deemed it uncool.

Allow me to explain it from a vendor's point of view...

Waterfest 16 - the slim pickens

Sometimes despite your best intentions or efforts, one has no choice but to abandon plans. That pretty much spells out my efforts this year for Waterfest. As the granddaddy of big-time VW shows it has always been a little bit crazy for those of us who have to work the event.



It's like Christmas in July, for anyone unlucky enough to work at a big-box retailer through a holiday season, but usually extremely hot and humid. Still, there are worse ways to make a living, and as much as Waterfest means weeks of hard work before and after, it is worth it.



This year, perhaps even more so than the past. At the absolute peak of Waterfest insanity, 2003 and 2004, it seemed to me that no-one, not the vendors, not the participants and not the customers were having much fun...but since then, the event has slowly, surely, gotten back to that 'VW show' vibe which had been lacking.



Maybe it is because the haters who claim to dislike it so much have finally all stopped coming, or maybe it's because there isn't QUITE the same massive number of people there, clogging all the isles and making it hard to walk. It could even be the revamped restrooms, which hey, do make a difference.



Whatever is, Waterfest 16 turned out to be a pretty much all-out success from my point of view. It was pretty warm yeah, and there is always something to complain about, whether that is judging, Jersey roads or whatever, but the feeling, the core of the show, was really good.



So if it wasn't as crazy, what's my excuse for not taking more pictures? Well not as crazy doesn't mean more free time for me....I pretty much only had time to take pictures Friday after set up and at the hotel. Jason, Arno and I were hanging with Leila from Vogtland NA, and Stephan from Vogtland Germany...



There were some really nice cars, with a pretty decent sized group from the Long Island / Eastern Queens...and a lot of air-ride, as there is no way you could roll cars like this in or out of NYC. At least not without a roll-back!



And that was it...I took a few pics at the show with the mobile, but this is it for the good quality stuff.



I'll probably claim to take more pictures at H20, the next big event on the schedule for me, but only who knows, with the size that show has become maybe it is the 'next' Waterfest and I'll have more excuses...

_WRS

Waterfest 15 - my excuse for not posting

Holy lack of updates! Man the show season sticks it to me. Honestly it's not that I'm complaining, as there are way worse ways to make a living, but when you're working 12+ hour days and planning out the booth, placing orders and generally making sure the wheels don't fall off, there's not much time for thinking up cool things to write about. I think I promised something about the A59 story a couple weeks back? Well we got some more time on that one my friends...

Waterfest 15 is the "big one" as far as VW shows on the East Coast, and probably the USA goes. I would guess that H2O International actually has more show cars at this point, but Waterfest has the bigger venue, the drag racing, the autocross, the burn out contest, the vendors, the girls. You get the idea. It's the hottest, most stressful and generally the hardest thing we do all year. Preparation takes weeks before hand, and recovery takes at least two weeks after, and in the meantime we don't get much sleep, but as far as shows go, it still has the goods as far as I'm concerned. We're so busy working that I never get a chance to see any of the show, and so I never take any pictures or anything, but I snagged a few on the way there.

Here we have the NGP Audi A3, sporting its slightly updated look. The Oettinger body kit remains, as does the APR Stage 3 turbo system, but the old RH wheels, which never really suited the car in my opinion, have been replaced by the Miro STP-3 19's.

The only real downside is that the Stoptech brakes were removed to fit the new wheels. I'm not a big fan of downgrading strictly for the sake fashion, but then again it wasn't my call.

The WRS Mk3 made an appearance, and despite some temporary moments of trouble with the speedometer not working, things were good. Anyways, there were some really awesome cars at the show, at least that was my impression on the walk from the booth to the bathroom and back. Up next will be H2o International (for me) but Jason and the rest of the gang (or maybe just Jason) will be hitting up Mk1 Madness and VAG Fair in the very near future. I'd go but I just don't have it in me. Maybe next year!

_WRS


P.S. - This is R32 guy, and he approves of this post.

Full Feature: NGP Rallye Golf VR6 Turbo

As I alluded to in my A59 post, I almost crunched the one-of-a-kind rear quarter panel of that car with the NGP Rallye Golf Turbo VR6. This car was also sourced from Canada now that I think about it, although at the time it was pretty much bone stock minus a set of coilovers and the VR6 swap. Some purists might scoff at the fact it has a VR swapped into it, but considering it was brought over to North American minus an engine, it really only made sense to put in a VR6. A G60 would be harder to source, harder to make good power with, and beside all of that it would never be quite right: The G60 motors which came in the Golf Rallye models is different than the Corrado G60 versions. Minor changes perhaps, but different nonetheless.

This car was built by Ed at NGP as an all-engine, no frills street / track monster. Built 2.9 bottom end, ported head, Techtonics cams, monster turbo, Autronic stand alone management 3.5" downpipe and exhaust, the works. At 29psi it made 550whp, which is around 640hp to the crank. That was on a C16 mix, which it obviously didn't run on all the time. On the street it ran 15psi on pump (about 380whp) and occasionally we ran it on pump 100 octane, and around 23psi (around 450whp). When Blaksquirrel shot these pics it was on that 100 octane set up.

As I'm sure Josh can attest to the speed at which this car could accelerate with the gearing it as running. A 5-speed 02A with Peloquin differential was originally in the car, but it stripped 3rd gear during a tuning session, and a Quaife 6-speed box was available, so hey, why not, The 6-speed trans was not really set up for a turbo...the gears were a bit short to be honest, and it could get through them in a hurry. I was in the car with Ed on that trip and let's just say this car has no problem topping out 6th gear. It would accelerate in 5th gear like most cars do in 2nd.


On that particular run it was just third....fourth......fifth............sixth..............done. All I can really say is that I don't want to be going that fast in a Mk2 anytime in the near future. We were probably going around 155mph to 160mph (speedo wasn't hooked up), and the effects of low and high pressure zones developing around the car were starting to become quite clear. The hood (carbon fiber) was flexing quite a bit, but it's when the headliner of the car started flapping and moving around that I was like "uh oh..." That was the point that we had reached terminal velocity though so Ed stomped the brakes and we were back down to normal speeds in no time.

Luckily Ed was smart enough to fit brakes up to the task of slowing a 2500lb car from 150mph in a heart beat. RPI big brake kits, 13" rotors with Wilwood calipers, were fitted at all four corners, and they could take care of pretty much anything you threw at them.

A hydraulic line-lock was used for e-brake function, and the bias was cockpit adjustable. I drove this car before this was installed, and let's just say you didn't want to hit the brakes too hard. The rear tires would lock up well before the fronts, meaning you were probably looking sideways, i.e. spinning out if you made a panic stop.

There was not much else to this car. FK coilovers with special Shine Racing springs, Team Dynamics 17x8" et20 wheels, a Spec Stage 5 clutch, Sparco seat and wheel, color matched cage, some gauges, and no radio. That no radio bit was a real boon for me personally. At the time that NGP had this car I was typically a "go to" guy for being behind the wheel of these cars for shows.

It was both an honor and a displeasure. Driving a 600hp+ Mk2 with all wheel drive, a race-firm suspension, race seat, race harness, race clutch and no stereo was a dream at the beginning of a drive. It was LOUD, it was FAST and it was FUN. After an hour or two behind the wheel the exhaust drone would begin to make your thoughts wander. Songs would pop into my head and swim around, the rumble of the tires over broken pavement would add to the effect....my own little percussion section for my little prison of a car.

After a show...12 hours or more of hard work, packing and unpacking, selling, barely eating, no time to relax, driving this thing home was the LAST thing any sane person would want to do. I can recall one fateful trip home from Waterfest in 2004 or so. It was raining hard, the traffic was terrible (that clutch made that one even worse), and the VR6, monster turbo and 3.5" exhaust made the cabin feel like a sauna. No A/C by the way. Fogged windows, driving behind the NGP truck, transmission making noise, exhaust popping and spitting. By the time we arrived back in Maryland I was fit to be tied. That wasn't the last time I drove the Rallye to or from a show, but it was when the shine began to wear off or me.

Ed raffled off this car in 2006, and it ended up in Tennessee, the lucky winner treating it fairly well, but it ultimately spun a bearing and ended up sitting for a while before the raffle winner sold it. I know who has the car now, and I know more or less what the owner has in store for it. I can't say much else really, and it'll probably be a couple years before the Rallye shows its face again, but the owner is a die hard enthusiast, a smart enthusiast, and chances are it'll have even more power than it did before. Yikes.

_WRS

Show Scene Flashback: Waterfest 1998

This may not be the typical subject matter here on the WRS, but I cannot deny my roots. I've been around the block for quite a few years now, and have quite a few stacks of photos (thanks to Blaksquirrel) to prove it. I am not really all that big on shows to be honest. For me a car sitting still in a field or a parking lot just doesn't do much for me. I can appreciate it sure, but give me a beat up, battle-scarred example over some trailer-queen show-mobile any day of the week.

The pics here are a few of the Mk3's from the Waterfest 1998 show. This one was at SUNY Purchase I think, but it's been so many years, I have to admit I can't quite remember. Enjoy the trip down memory lane...we'll have a lot more of these gems to post up if Blaksquirrel ever gets off his arse and contributes.

Until next time...