Bahn Brenner`s Lysholm-Supercharged 20v Corrado There are few

Corrado Del Fuego
here are few things in this world that still give
T
me that tingly feeling, and this Corrado is one of those
things. Sure, the car doesn’t have a big stereo system,
and there’s little interior left to discuss. That’s not to mention the rear
valance is completely cut out of the bumper, and the car does have a pretty
extreme wing on it. For some reason, though, everyone who sees this car has to turn
around and take another look at it. Our best guess is that this car screams, “I’m all business! Get out of my way before I roll you, chump.” Maybe it’s because when you look at the
The custom exhaust
comes out where the
bottom half of the rear
bumper used to be.
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car, you can tell it’s purpose-built. No matter what the reason, if you like VWs, then you’re
sure to like this Corrado.
John Betz, VW nutcase and owner of Bahn
Brenner Motorsport, has owned this car for
quite some time. It has seen many motors,
and since the last time this car graced our
pages for our eurotuner GP coverage, the
1.8L 16v supercharged motor that was in it
has been swapped out for a monster 20v
motor with a Lysholm MX3 fitted to it. John
tells us the idea behind building this car was
to create something with raw performance
appeal, and he also wanted to do something
no one had ever done. That sounds like a
cliché answer, but John did it. Instead of
creating only one-off body mods, he decided
the motor should be the focus. With that
thought running through his head, John located a 1.8T motor. He then removed the
turbo and put a Lysholm MX3 charger
Bahn Brenner’s
Lysholm-Supercharged 20v Corrado
ink: Jason Jackman
pics: Philip Royle
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In the place where the
back seat used to live,
there now resides a
fuel cell, a nitrous
bottle, and a rollcage.
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:: 1990_VW_CORRADO
VWCORRADO
1990
JOHNBETZ
The Fiber Images carbon-fiber hood was used to reduce
weight, and the Rieger RS quick-release front bumper
makes it easy to work on the car when the need arises.
All of the comfort items in the interior were removed in
favor of gauges that keep track of the motor.
//
AUBURN, WA
OCCUPATION:
Owner of all things
Bahn Brenner
IT SAYS HERE YOU’RE
HANDY WITH A CNC
MACHINE?
Some people have said that.
ARE YOU DOWN WITH MAKING SOMETHING FOR US?
It depends on what it is.
WELL, WE’VE ALWAYS DREAMT ABOUT A CNC FOOSBALL TABLE AT WORK.
Umm…
HOW ABOUT A GIANT CNC ALUMINUM BRITNEY
SPEARS DOLL?
What is wrong with you? Never mind—I guess all the
stories are true.
SURE THING, BOSS.
Ugh…
You tell us—does this look like it means business?
_____ TECH SPECS _____
in its place. Yes, we know—that’s one huge
blower.
The fun doesn’t stop there with this Corrado.
Why, you ask? Because John also cracked
open the 02A tranny and replaced the mainshaft and all the gears with Quaife’s sixspeed conversion and limited-slip differential.
While the motor was in pieces, John decided
to beef up everything he could find. He had
custom H-beam connecting rods made, then
replaced the factory pistons with a custom
forged set. John also called ARP to request every bolt the company makes for his car, including everything from rod bolts to head studs.
John used a 20v head from a European naturally aspirated 20v. When plumbing the
charger, he wasted no time and busted out
the CNC machine to make an intake manifold, 31⁄2-inch throttle body, fuel rail, and air
intake. Yes, he custom-made it all. That’s the
benefit of owning your own shop and CNC
machine. When it came time to fuel the car,
John decided that anything VW had offered
to date couldn’t provide the tuning flexibilty
he needed, so a Tech III stand-alone engine
managment system was acquired, then installed. The stock fuel pump and injectors
were tossed in favor of an Aeromotive highoutput pump and Bosch 80lb/hr injectors. To
keep with the fully fabricated theme, John
decided to design and build his own diverter
valve and modify a set of 16v cam gears to
work with his new Frankenstein motor.
ENGINE:
1.8L I-4 AWW block, 8:1 compression, custom grind
BBM camshafts, pistons, piston rings, crankshaft,
and H-beam connecting rods, ARP bolts, fuel rail, in take manifold, air intake, 3.5-inch throttle body, 2.5inch exhaust, and header, BBM plug wires, BBM/
Lysholm MX3 screw compressor, customized 16v
cam gears, custom diverter valve, custom intercooler
piping, Aeromotive fuel pump, Bosch 80lb/hr fuel
injectors, Tech III stand-alone engine management,
European 20v North American–spec head, Schrick
oil pan
TRANSMISSION:
02A six-speed manual, Quaife America/Autotech
six-speed conversion, Quaife LSD, Drive Shaft Shop
Stage III axles, Spec Stage III clutch, BBM shift kit
and shift lever
SUSPENSION:
H&R race coilovers, front and rear Autotech sway
bars, Turn 2 rear strut brace, VW Motorsport bushings
WHEELS & TIRES:
17x7 Center Line RPM wheels, Hoosier tires
See what we mean when we said that John
fabricated just about everything on the motor?
Really, we weren’t exaggerating.
The 17-inch Center Line RPM wheels and Hoosier tires do
their best to put the power to the road and keep John shiny
side up when the car is out on a road course.
BRAKES:
BBM Big Red front brakes, 11-inch rear brake upgrade,
and stainless steel lines, PBR Metal Master pads
BODYWORK/LIGHTING:
Opel Calebra side skirts, North Viking wing, Euro head lights, shaved door trim and side markers, Rieger RS
quick-release front bumper, Lexan rear window with
aluminum supports, removed sunroof with a luminum
block-off plate
INTERIOR:
MOMO Cup GT seats and Race shift knob, Auto
Meter gauges, custom rollcage, fuel cell, Schroth
five-point harnesses
MOBILTRONICS:
Not a damn thing
PROPS/SHOUT-OUTS/MAD LOVE:
T e c h t o n i c s T u n i n g , H & R , A R P , e u r o t u n e r magazine,
Auto Meter gauges, Fiber Images, all the guys at the
shop for helping out and working long days with me,
and the sick love for Corrados that kept me in this
the whole way
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:: 1990_VW_CORRADO
To take some weight out of the car, John
gutted the interior, leaving only what was
needed to operate the car. With that thought
in mind, he also replaced the rear window
with a Lexan piece, then pulled out the sunroof assembly and replaced it with a sheet
of aluminum. John also hollowed the dash,
removing any excess amenities, and mounted a virtual cornicopia of gauges to keep an
eye on what the motor was doing. The factory front seats were replaced with a set of
MOMOs in order to hold him in place, the
rear seat of the car was replaced with a
rollcage, and the spare tire was tossed in favor of a fuel cell.
We can list the mods on this car all day,
but when push comes to shove, the real fun
is starting the car and taking a ride. When it’s
sitting at idle, the only thing you can hear is
the sound of the screw charger. Some may
confuse that sound for a broken power steering pump, and others for a fire engine siren,
but the ominous whine coming from the car
at idle is hypnotizing. The car is an absolute
blast to drive, as well. From the second you
stand on the throttle, the charger is the only
thing you can hear as it spins the tires loose.
The car refuses to get traction until the end
of Second gear, when it throws you back in
the seat and does its best to shake your
lunch from your belly.
There’s no denying it—this car is taking no
prisoners, and it tells you so from the second
you turn the key. If you’re building a car to set
a new standard in the scene, this is one way
to do it. Then again, I’m a Corrado freak, so
it could be just me.
Cross-drilled rotors
and Metal Master
pads keep the Corrado
from smashing into
walls at the end of
straightaways.
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The Tech III engine management system keeps all
of the motor’s important functions in check.
The entire interior was removed to save weight, and
a lightweight set of MOMO seats were installed.
The proper stance of the car is achieved by a set of H&R
Race coilovers. The Opel Calebra side skirts also give the
Corrado a very unique look.
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