Sport Compact Car October 1994

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Fanning the flames in
Neuspeed's Jetta Ill GT
BY LARRY SAAVEDRA
aron Neumann is no stranger to the intricacies of Volkswagen performance. And, he's
especially keen to overzealous car magazine
guys, who make it their business to scan the parking
lot of Automotive Performance Systems in search of
killer feature material. APS has produced many outrageous project cars under their Neuspeed banner,
like this new Jetta III- which caught our eyes from
the moment we strolled into their shop. It's sure to
spin some heads on the road. It definitely got us all
revved up and roaring to go!
Neuspeed's Jetta III GT is a byproduct of Aaron's
intense desire to make everything he touches fly ... and
fly very, very fast. To achieve that goal, Aaron outfitted the Jetta III GT project with Neuspeed suspension
A
46 SPORT COMPACT CAR/ OCTOBER 1994
tress bar features a
Neuspeed _uppel ~r~angulated shape.
tully tunct1ona
components, for tighter steering
input and better control around
turns. The Jetta III GT A3 chassis
is already quite solid, so any refinements are icing on the cake, so to
speak. The APS Jetta III GT is also
set up with Neuspeed/Bilstein Sport
shocks (gas filled front and rear),
Neuspeed lowering springs to drop
it about 1-1/2 inches in front and 13/ 8 inches at the rear . Further
refinements include a powder coated gloss black N euspeed 25 mm
front anti-roll bar with rod end
hardware and urethane bushings
and 28 mm adjustable Neuspeed
rear bar, which complement the
permanently attached factory rear
bar. Front upper stress bar and
Neuspeed's rear triangulated stress
bar round out the modifications to
the suspension.
Body modifications were next on
Aaron's list of performance influenced upgrades. VW factory fender
flares and side skirts from the
European
VR6 begin the transformation from
mild to wild. Aaron also installed a
Fuba 16V-style electronically amplified antenna and capped the factory
antenna hole with a Neuspeed fender plug. Other treatments include a
VR6 rear deck wing (painted to
match the factory red body color),
smaller, lighter European bumper
caps (also painted to match the
black factory trim strip), VR6 Golf
GTI four-bulb Rella headlamps
(requiring a Golf hood swap ) and
Neuspeed headlamp bezels (which
fit only Eurolights).
According to Aaron, the Rella
Euro headlamp conversion is not for
everyone because of its cost, however the system is far superior to even
a U.S. H-4 conversion. As an added
enhancement, the Jetta III GT now
sports a set of Rella DE fog lights
(available from Neuspeed in kit ·
form) in the bumper cap. European
(smoked) side blinkers were a final
touch.
Moving over to the engine , the
Jetta III GT features a
Neuspeed short shift kit , P"kit
(pending CARB certification ) for
improved throttle response , midrange and top-end power, Neuspeed
260 degree performance cam and PFlo air filter . According to Aaron,
'their Neuspeed P-kit alone provides
an additional 14 percent increase in
road hors~power. To increase the
exhaust flow , APS went with an
aftermarket Remus muffler with
chrome-plated oval tips.
The interior was customized just
as nicely. A Neuspeed/MOMO {!arbon fiber-look steering wheel,
matching shift knob and leather
shift boot are noticeable improvements over stock. Custom floor
mats with Neuspeed's logo embroidered in red was an enterprising
addition, as well. The factory stereo
was retained, however it was
pumped up with MB Quart speakers and Alpine BassQuake.
Wheels are 16x7.5-inch Antera
Opus-1s with 225/40-16 Dunlop
SP8000 rubber, a soft compound for
amplified stf eet traction. Neuspeed
cross-drilled r·o tors and stainless
braidt;Jd brake lines give the
Neuspeed Jetta III GT the stopping
power a car of this caliber requires.
Aaron mentioned that he's currently building his next project car,
a 1994 Honda Civic. We can only
assume that it will be something
very fast, extremely agile and nothing short of exotic.
0
Engine .................... 1993 VW water-cooled
2.0·1/lsr, Neuspeed P·kit,
Remus multler
Trani ............. ............. Manual five-speed
Wheels & Tlres .............. 16x7.5-inch Antsra
Opus 1s,225!40·16
Dunlop SPBOOO
The main feature of the
Neuspeed rear
stress bar is
that it is triangulated to keep
the rear tubs of
the unibody
square. This
prevents the
rear from twisting, giving th~
car a more posttive feel in its
rear end.
Body ............. VW VR611ares and side skirts,
Golf hood, VR6 deck wing
lllilrJo;•••••••................... Neuspeed/MOMO
carbon fiber-look
steering wheel,
custom mats, MB Quart
sPIBkers, Alpine BassQuake
,.,ltm. . . .
NIUIPBfd lowering springs,
NfiiiPBBti/BIIsteln shocks
and struts, NtuspBfd
trlf!llulal8d sllwl ball,
ll#luspBBd trlallfulal8d
anti-sway bars
SPORT COMPACT CAR/OCTOBER 1994 47
PHOTOGRA~~Y : RANDALL. J.~~;CHMANN
··Automolil7e Performar1<;e Systems
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AUTOMOUVE P~RFORMANCE SYSTEMS, IN_C.
...
3300 C~ Molposo • Camarillo, CA 93012
.Jio5.3~8.7171 tel: 805.388.0030 tax • ;[email protected]!t.
WNW.NEUSPEED.COM