"Well I was actually looking to buy a Mk1 Caddy"
This is the first thing James tells me when I ask the back story of the car, which gives me an idea of how spontaneous the rest of this build will have turned out to have been, for example when asked why he ended up buying the polo his response was "Well I'd never seen one in my life so that's why I wanted it" - no deep-routed personal connection or admiration, just because he'd never seen one before. Ok then...
This is the first thing James tells me when I ask the back story of the car, which gives me an idea of how spontaneous the rest of this build will have turned out to have been, for example when asked why he ended up buying the polo his response was "Well I'd never seen one in my life so that's why I wanted it" - no deep-routed personal connection or admiration, just because he'd never seen one before. Ok then...
"The car was on the Isle of Wight and looking at the pictures it was fairly rusty [..] I called a few people that were into VW's and asked what they thought.. they all said the same thing: 'Don't Buy It!' So naturally I bought it!"
This is pretty typical of James' attitudes towards what other people have told him along the course of his build I've discovered, preffering to tackle a problem head-on and give it a chance regardless of what everyone else has said would be sensible or possible... perhaps that is why the build has turned out so crazy. Shortly after, the car was on the trailer on its way to James' workshop for the start of a thorough restoration. When he attempted to jack the car up for the first time to inspect underneath, the jack went straight through the floor... a sign of the work that was to come for this project.
This is pretty typical of James' attitudes towards what other people have told him along the course of his build I've discovered, preffering to tackle a problem head-on and give it a chance regardless of what everyone else has said would be sensible or possible... perhaps that is why the build has turned out so crazy. Shortly after, the car was on the trailer on its way to James' workshop for the start of a thorough restoration. When he attempted to jack the car up for the first time to inspect underneath, the jack went straight through the floor... a sign of the work that was to come for this project.
"I probably should've bought a MK1 Caddy... I wouldn't have had half of these issues!"
Originally the plan was to do the bare minimum to get it on the road, but the list of things to do kept getting longer and longer the more problems he found - part of the joys of classic car ownership! James' polo has gained itself the nickname 'Triggers Broom' with barely any of the parts on the car being original. It has received new Inner and Outer Rear Arches, Sills, Rear Valence, Doors, Scuttle, Inner Wings, Exhaust and Front Panel over the course of the restoration. Whilst this may seem a lot of work, it has paid off in having a rust-free car for years to come - vital in dreary southern English weather.
Originally the plan was to do the bare minimum to get it on the road, but the list of things to do kept getting longer and longer the more problems he found - part of the joys of classic car ownership! James' polo has gained itself the nickname 'Triggers Broom' with barely any of the parts on the car being original. It has received new Inner and Outer Rear Arches, Sills, Rear Valence, Doors, Scuttle, Inner Wings, Exhaust and Front Panel over the course of the restoration. Whilst this may seem a lot of work, it has paid off in having a rust-free car for years to come - vital in dreary southern English weather.
"The car was originally Alpine White but I decided to get it resprayed Miami Blue because.. Well just because I love blue!"
This turned out to be a very strong choice - the bright blue bodywork certainly catches the eye and suits the lines of the MK1 - even if the shell is just about the only original part of the car left, not that it's necessarily a bad thing...
This turned out to be a very strong choice - the bright blue bodywork certainly catches the eye and suits the lines of the MK1 - even if the shell is just about the only original part of the car left, not that it's necessarily a bad thing...
"After the endless restoration, I rebuilt the standard 895cc engine painted it up, lowered the car on coilovers and rocked a set of ATS Classic's. I ran the car like this for about 9 months with no issues, but then got bored with not being able to go quick enough. I took the car off the road for the winter and decided to make it quicker."
Sounds simple enough... right? And thus began the biggest undertaking of the project so far...
Sounds simple enough... right? And thus began the biggest undertaking of the project so far...
"I wanted to run a G40 engine on a Eaton M45 supercharger, I'd seen this done in Mk2/Mk2f polo but never in a Mk1."
After consulting people about running the M45 and being told not to do it (you can see where this is going...) James went ahead and did it anyway. The heart of the beast is the culmination of months of hard graft in his cold, tightly-packed workshop and a lot of custom engineering. The Eaton M45 Charger is bolted to the front of the engine block behind the grille, with the engine sat as far back as possible within the bay, to fit everything behind the original front grille. A lot of the pipework had to be custom designed, with James going with Joe at Fresh Reflections, who made up a custom hard boost pipe and intake, which is described by James as "A work of art".
After consulting people about running the M45 and being told not to do it (you can see where this is going...) James went ahead and did it anyway. The heart of the beast is the culmination of months of hard graft in his cold, tightly-packed workshop and a lot of custom engineering. The Eaton M45 Charger is bolted to the front of the engine block behind the grille, with the engine sat as far back as possible within the bay, to fit everything behind the original front grille. A lot of the pipework had to be custom designed, with James going with Joe at Fresh Reflections, who made up a custom hard boost pipe and intake, which is described by James as "A work of art".
"The chassis certainly hasn't been neglected either"
Underneath the car has also recieved a lot of attention, being fully poly-bushed for improved handling and responsiveness. Sitting on a set of TA Technics coilovers, it has also recieved a G40 rear axle, which has been strengthened and had the addition of a rear ARB. Also included in the chassis upgrade are PPP ARB blocks and a PPP Stage 2 subframe & modified gearbox mountings. With all the added ponies under the bonnet, it was probably only sensible that the brakes would also be treated to an upgrade - opting for a set of vented G40 disks and uprated calipers.
Underneath the car has also recieved a lot of attention, being fully poly-bushed for improved handling and responsiveness. Sitting on a set of TA Technics coilovers, it has also recieved a G40 rear axle, which has been strengthened and had the addition of a rear ARB. Also included in the chassis upgrade are PPP ARB blocks and a PPP Stage 2 subframe & modified gearbox mountings. With all the added ponies under the bonnet, it was probably only sensible that the brakes would also be treated to an upgrade - opting for a set of vented G40 disks and uprated calipers.
"Creature comforts are few and far between"
All the fuel lines have been run inside the car, and a Devilsown Water Meth injection kit has been added, with the tank stored in the boot alongside the relocated battery. In terms of comfort this car puts function and weight reduction before frills, with as much weight saved as possible. The interior has been fully stripped out, with a bank of monitor gauges set in the centre of the dash. A set of Cobra Classic bucket seats provides supportive seating, whilst the flocked dash adds a sense of comfort and style, with custom made carbon-fibre door panels finishing off the interior.
All the fuel lines have been run inside the car, and a Devilsown Water Meth injection kit has been added, with the tank stored in the boot alongside the relocated battery. In terms of comfort this car puts function and weight reduction before frills, with as much weight saved as possible. The interior has been fully stripped out, with a bank of monitor gauges set in the centre of the dash. A set of Cobra Classic bucket seats provides supportive seating, whilst the flocked dash adds a sense of comfort and style, with custom made carbon-fibre door panels finishing off the interior.
"I had seen a few sets of Mad'in splits on other Mk1 polo's and liked them."
So why change a tried-and-tested concept? A set of staggered 7 and 7.5j Mad'in splits came up at a good price and James snapped them up, getting the lips refurbished and the faces painted grey to contrast against the Miami blue bodywork. The wheels were then face-mounted for an additional unique touch. The car was also fully resprayed by Kaz at Surrey Auto Works prior to its reveal at Ultimate Stance 2016.
So why change a tried-and-tested concept? A set of staggered 7 and 7.5j Mad'in splits came up at a good price and James snapped them up, getting the lips refurbished and the faces painted grey to contrast against the Miami blue bodywork. The wheels were then face-mounted for an additional unique touch. The car was also fully resprayed by Kaz at Surrey Auto Works prior to its reveal at Ultimate Stance 2016.
"The car is getting there but there is still more I want to do."
For a car that is already as insane and frankly terrifying as James' - you must ask yourself where it can go next? Well, James says plans include a full roll cage install, conversion to using a fuel cell rather than the stock tank, full stainless exhaust system to replace the straight pipe, and a forged bottom end to replace the G40 one currently in the car.
For a car that is already as insane and frankly terrifying as James' - you must ask yourself where it can go next? Well, James says plans include a full roll cage install, conversion to using a fuel cell rather than the stock tank, full stainless exhaust system to replace the straight pipe, and a forged bottom end to replace the G40 one currently in the car.
Specifications:
Exterior:
TA Technics Coilovers
Mad'in Splits - Staggered 7 & 7.5J, facemounted.
MK1 Polo rear window louvres
Full respray into Miami Blue by Surrey Auto Works
Mad'in Splits - Staggered 7 & 7.5J, facemounted.
MK1 Polo rear window louvres
Full respray into Miami Blue by Surrey Auto Works
Interior:
Cobra Classic bucket seats
RaceTech Water Temp, Oil Pressure and Boost guages
RaceTech Rev counter
Custom made Carbon door panels
OMP Steering Wheel
Flocked Dash
5 speed linkage with short shift kit.
Engine:
RaceTech Water Temp, Oil Pressure and Boost guages
RaceTech Rev counter
Custom made Carbon door panels
OMP Steering Wheel
Flocked Dash
5 speed linkage with short shift kit.
Engine:
1272cc g40 bottom end
Jackson racing eaton m45 supercharger with smaller pulleys
Psd toothed pulleys
Bar tek vernier cam pulley
252/276 schrick camshaft with schrick lifters
Custom Made Radiator, Boost pipe and Intake by Fresh Reflections
Spal slim fan
De wedged throttle body
4-2-1 stainless exhaust manifold
Arp head stud kit
Polo gt inlet manifold
G60 green injectors
Devilsown water meth injection
Wideband lambda sensor and readout
Welded up boost return rocker cover
Jackson racing eaton m45 supercharger with smaller pulleys
Psd toothed pulleys
Bar tek vernier cam pulley
252/276 schrick camshaft with schrick lifters
Custom Made Radiator, Boost pipe and Intake by Fresh Reflections
Spal slim fan
De wedged throttle body
4-2-1 stainless exhaust manifold
Arp head stud kit
Polo gt inlet manifold
G60 green injectors
Devilsown water meth injection
Wideband lambda sensor and readout
Welded up boost return rocker cover
Photography: Kieran Bicknell
Words: Kieran Bicknell
Car owner: James Horwood (@James_Horwood)
Words: Kieran Bicknell
Car owner: James Horwood (@James_Horwood)