Tested: 1985 Callaway Volkswagen GTI Turbo

From the July 1985 issue of Car and Driver.

Our almost unbounded affection for the Volkswagen GTI has been tempered only by our concern for its ultimate lack of poke. We looked forward to the day when the man who has turbocharged a thousand Volkswagen four-cylinders would pump more ponies into the company’s latest GTI. Callaway’s turbo conversions are not free of flaw (an impossibility), but among performance privateers, this Connecticut Yankee is known for putting some of today’s most as­tute turbo packages into the hands of peo­ple who feel, as he does, that the pedal on the right is for pouncing. Callaway leaped at today’s GTI the moment VW released a pre-production model into his care. The result is your basic bullet of the byways.

The red-coated bullet we’ve been re­loading at the Mobil station and firing at will for the past week is clad in a BBS trim package. The smoothly finished air dam, fender flares, and side skirts propel the GTI from “barn” toward “bullet,” and BBS claims that the pieces lick down the GTI’s aero ballistics by ten percent in the wind tunnel, despite the increased frontal area and the fat 205/50VR-15 Goodyear Eagle VR50s (a.k.a. “gatorbacks”), which are mounted on BBS’s famous alloy wheels. Our coast-down testing shows that the Callaway GTI is indeed slightly better than the stock machine in aerodynamic drag but slightly poorer in rolling resistance. At higher speeds, the Callaway car’s advantage should increase somewhat.

Speaking of high speeds, the turbo pushes the GTI’s terminal velocity from 114 mph to 122. At that point, VW’s rev limiter is itching to put a lid on fifth gear, though our test car’s tachometer still read short of the indicated redline. Whatever the effect of the body pieces, stability is first-rate.

The Callaway’s headlong ballistics begin with muzzle velocity through a Nissan 300ZX Turbo hood scoop. Fresh air feeds an air box sandwiched between the hood and an air-to-air intercooler. In the past, Callaway’s intercooler was buried below the battery; now it perches above the “Callaway” cam cover, and the resulting short runs of plumbing do a better job of cooling and delivering the denser air to the cylinders. VW has increased the GTI’s fuel-delivery capacity by switching from Bosch K- to KE-Jetronic fuel injection, so Callaway eliminates its own proprietary Microfueler, relying on a one-time ma­nipulation of the new electronic control box to feed an increment of extra fuel. A copper cylinder-head spacer reduces com­pression from 10.0 to 7.8:1, taking away some low-speed response but allowing the 10-psi boost that pumps the delightful 1.8-liter four to an estimated 150 hp.

Estimated or not, the power produces a 7.2-second 0-to-60 sprint amid a quarter­-mile burst of 15.5 seconds at 88 mph. And it’s easy, whooping up in a hurry with no sign of detonation (on unleaded premium pump fuel) and with only a brief hiccup if the throttle is quickly lifted. Fuel economy under a light foot is reasonable, but we managed only 18 mpg overall. Temptation is a spiteful thing.

Although no official emissions testing has yet been done, Callaway claims that the retention of the stock emissions system al­lows the engine to remain at least 49-state legal. However, our test car’s reluctance to start caused extended cranking and necessitated pedal babying, which might foul a full, by-the-bag emissions test. Company rep Scot Keller places the blame on an un­common glitch in the brain of this proto­type GTI.

Unlike many cars fitted with wide wheels and tires, the BBS-and-Goodyear­-equipped GTI tracks true. Only when cor­nering hard over seams that mimic your general direction of travel does the car dance nervously. Despite the availability of a BBS suspension package, Callaway feels that the stock components provide the best compromise between day-to-day driving and ultimate adhesion. The fat-tired, stock-suspended version we sampled matched the stock GTI’s 0.83-g skidpad perfor­mance but did not better it. Even on its original-equipment 185/60HR-14 Good­year Eagle GTs, the everyday GTI sends shock waves through the top ranks of high-­limit handling and world-class tracking. Two points: first, VW has done a fine job on the stock suspension; second, if the sweet limits of the stock car make you hap­py, you could save a bundle by leaving off the big booties and the extra body pieces. (If you really want to save money, a base VW Golf with Callaway’s less expensive Stage I turbo can roll out the door for un­der $10,000.)

For about $9000, base price, the every­day GTI provides splendiferously heady behavior, and, except for its powertrain, it is dressed to kill. It’s got dandy sport seats, suitably boffo trim, and the right heads-up dapper attitude. For an additional $4000 (which includes a heavy-duty clutch), Reeves Callaway’s Stage II GTI shows nothing but its ringed tail to otherwise potent machines. Many and varied are the pompous asses who will be booted aside by the Callaway Turbo GTI, shot in the butt by the bullet of the byways.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com