Motorsports Monday: 1985 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 16V

In the world of race cars, there’s something that gives enthusiasts like me raised hairs on the back of the neck. ‘Body in white’ cars are cars that were never sold to the public, but turned directly into racers either by a third party or by the manufacturer itself. What is extra special about them is that as more or less dedicated race cars, they were often sent with less options or even devoid of items that racers love to rip off. It might be no interior, less wiring, or a lack of undercoating but it all translates to the same thing – less weight, faster lap times and more wins. Today’s Volkswagen Golf may look like a run of the mill pocket-rocket racer that someone built in their garage, but it has an interesting history:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Volkswagen Golf on eBay

Year: 1985
Model: Golf
Engine: 2.0 liter inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 10,000 mi
Price: $9,000 Buy It Now

This is an SCCA/ICSCC/NASA legal race car built and campaigned on the West Coast in GT,
Super Production, Production, Radial Sedan and is now Vintage legal in the NW.
This was never a street car – the chassis was a VW factory chassis shipped to be built as an ice racing car.
This means there is no undercoating, no insulation, etc. (low weight). This car holds over six
championships and several track records in several different configurations. Lots of NW racing
credentials and history. Raced at Portland, Seattle, Westwood, Sears Point, Thunderhill, others.

If you want to own the fastest VW Golf on the West Coast – this is probably it.

Car weighs approx 1800lbs. The engine is a Ivey Engines (Portland, OR) built VW 2.0L,
long rod (Carillos), JE aluminum piston, forged crankshaft. It has a rare Schrick 16V cross-flow head,
cam bearings, 11mm camshafts, Schrick intake manifold w/ twin Mikuni 47mm side-draft carbs, header.
The engine is dry-sumped, 3-stage oil pump, Oberg oil filter, inline mesh filter and JE micro filter.
Ignition is crank-fired, solid-state Electromotive. This is a 220+hp engine delivering 190+ ft/lbs torque.
The car is built for 30 minute sprint races so there is no alternator – ignition runs on solid cell battery.
All Aeroquip hoses and fittings. Transmission is a GTI 5-speed w/ a 3.94 R&P. 100mm CVs inside and outside.
VW TDI Jetta hubs w/ oversized ball joints. Welded front diff – no Quaiffe. Bilstein coil overs w/ Eibach
springs, Ground Effects caster/camber plates, 4-wheel disc brakes. Tilton pedals and master cylinders,
detachable steering wheel, wired for radio and video mount on the roll cage. All gauges and switches work fine.
Fire system in car and plumbed. Simpson belts and window net. 11 gal fuel cell w/ an XS Fuel pump and fuel filter.
No major wrecks on track – driver door was hit once and driver’s left rear corner was creased once – all repaired.

Engine needs a complete refresh – not driven for over 8 years. The car was running when it last went into the trailer.
There is a freeze plug out – thought it was completely drained but apparently not. My guess is the plug did its
job but you’d want to magnaflux the block upon refresh. Car comes with 9 rims (we lost one because of a loose
lug nut), spare transmission (fresh) and a variety of engine components including a spare head that could
be built/sold. There’s more to talk about and show but you’d have to come see it all.

Call Greg – 503-957-7086 SERIOUS inquiries only, please. There’s well over $35K worth of stuff
(the engine was $8,000 alone when I bought it in parts before the race build) here and hundreds
of hours of work. It’s a fair price for a cool car that will need some care and feeding and a
lot of fun and history. We’re retiring and moving on to new things, so it’s time to let it go.

Now thirty-odd years on, this car has lived an interesting life from ice racer to extreme circuit car. And extreme it is – no alternator, Mikuni side-drafts feeding a rare set of Schrick head and intakes – the seller is correct that this built 16V is a pricey item. The result is that the car is claimed to be one of the fastest Volkswagens out there, and I’d have to believe it. My own Audi weighs in at a comparatively hefty 2,400 lbs with around 160 horsepower. This Golf should be pushing more power than that with 600 lbs less weight. The welded diff means it’ll be a tricky handler, but with the power and low weight you should be able to pull yourself out of most sticky situations. That is, of course, once you get it running, as there’s the potential that the block is toast. That makes the $9,000 entry price seem very steep, as you could pick up running ITB or ITA GTis for much less than that nearly any day of the week. But this car has a unique history and is really in another performance league, capable of eating Porsches and the like for breakfast. If you love Volkswagens and heading to the track, this package is surely one that excites you despite the high entry price.

-Carter