At first glance, Todd Cope’s VW Mk4 GTI looks like any other clean modified ride. One look under the hood however and it is immediately apparent that there is something quite different and special about this car. When asked what Todd likes most about his car, he replied “That would have to be the engine bay. It just does not look like a VW under the hood anymore.” I doubt anyone would disagree.

So, what does this “new look” produce? “I don’t have any dyno numbers or 1/4mile times to date with the new setup, but power numbers with this turbo and fuel system will be upwards of 500hp on pump gas” states Cope. Um…WOW! If his estimates are correct, that would amount to about 278 horsepower per liter.

Something Different

Not satisfied with buying an existing bolt-on turbo kit, Todd and friend Scott decided to create something completely new. “The goal of the car was to build a VW that other people were not building,” states Cope. “So we set out to build as much of the car ourselvs as we could. There are a lot of custom CNC one-off parts on this car that could be a story all its own. The list of aftermarket parts is extensive.” He’s not kidding. Appart from new engine internals able to survive the heavy breathing, here are just some of the engine modifications:

Custom sidewinder turbo manifold all equal length by MAKK Motoring
Custom intake manifold with custom CNC velocity stacks
TiAL Alpha Q Recirculating Blow-Off Valve
TiAL 44mm wWastegate
TiAL 3582R V-Band Turbo
Walbro In-Tank 255 Fuel Pump
1000cc Injectors
Eurodyne tune
AN custom water and oil lines
CNC machined Master Cylinder Billet relocation piece for MAKK Motoring by Ray Pabon
Coolant System Flange and Water Pipe designed and built for MAKK Motoring by Ray Pabon
Billet Heater Core Fittings custom made for MAKK Motoring by Ray Pabon
Custom Coolant System Hoses and lines built and installed by MAKK Motoring

Other Modifications

On top of the engine mods above, over the last few years Cope has also done a lot to make his GTI special. This includes Ksport Pro Coilovers, 18 inch Kinesis wheels, a custom roll cage and a serious sound system. So what’s next? “I think the next thing on my list will be paint and body mods and some new interior,” states Cope. “I think that’s what is lacking as far as the show car portion of the car goes.”

Well, if he is as creative with the look of the car as he is with the power, we’re in for a treat. Cope has been showing the car in the Pacific Northwest since 2003 and has won more than 40 awards. He may want to makes some more room on the trophy case with this monster.

Wish List

So Todd, if you could modify any car, what would it be? “I’m a die-hard Audi and VW guy so if money was no object, I would have to say an Audi B5 S4. I love those cars.” With a 500hp 1.8L Turbo, you can only imagine what Todd would do with the 2.7L S4.

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If you are someone who requires the assistance of coffee or energy drinks to get your adrenaline going on a normal day, you might consider taking a look at the blood pumping AC Schnitzer modified 2009 BMW E92 M3. If you are not familiar with AC Schnitzer, take a look in the mirror and feel ashamed, then put down the coffee and check this out.

First a little background:

AC Schnitzer is a company conceived in Aachen German, birthed in 1987 to the sweet joyous wailing cries of BMW fans rejoicing. AC Schnitzer is one of the worlds largest BMW tuning companies and accommodates a large variety of modifications focusing on performance, comfort and safety. Inspiring interior designs using fine materials such as leather, carbon and aluminum, combined with boisterous body kits and mammoth mechanical upgrades, has set AC Schnitzer kilometers beyond the competition. It has also allowed them to achieve the world’s second fastest street legal BMW with a max speed of 206.16 mph (just 50 mph shy of the world’s fastest Bugatti Veyron). AC Schnitzer has been so influential in the BMW tuning world that they have begun a legal campaign to acquire all pirated designs of their patented technologies in order to physically destroy potentially hazardous look-a-likes and scams.

The unmodified BMW M3 stands out in a class of its own with an impressive 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and gorgeous contoured body designs that make me want to take it to a fancy lobster dinner, perhaps a romantic comedy movie and a romantic walk on the beach. Hand this beauty over to the Über professionals over at AC Schnitzer and you open up a plethora of emotions in my gut that creates a yearn so uncontainable I have to go outside for a breath of fresh air. ACS’s modifications embody every bit about Car Overload’s ideals; flawless beauty mixed with passionate performance, all handled with unique oversight that takes this sports car into the realm of supercar. Once modified the car achieves an additional 265 HP clearly qualifying this project as an Overload. Obviously a project as grandiose as this would set you back a pretty penny, but that doesn’t stop our drooling.

Do you have a personal project car or know someone who is working so hard they bleed engine oil? We want to hear about it and give them praise best we can! Leave a comment to let me know what projects you’re interested in and we’ll get them featured.

Photo Credit: Allen Qu

Robert Frost once wrote about taking the road less traveled. More sage advice has never been written, and I for one couldn’t agree more. However, I would like to bring up an option not discussed by Frost, and that is to take the road most traveled, but do it in style.

VW’s, Audi’s and BMW’s are nice and quite classy, however nothing catches the attention and encompasses excitement and curiosity quite like a “Project Car”. Project Cars can be practically anything, from the humorous nitrous powered Mini-Van, to a carbon fiber, twin turbo Porsche. Whatever captures the senses and encourages one’s individuality on that concrete river can be considered a Project Car and here at Car Overload we want to celebrate and give praise to anyone and everyone out there willing to take the leap and swim in a conformist ocean wearing a neon colored Speedo (that’s a metaphor, we really don’t want to know about you swimming around wearing a flamboyant neon Speedo).

To kick things off, I wanted to whet your pallet with a drool inducing sensation known as the Citroën GT (otherwise referred to as the GTbyCitroën). This white stallion requires sunglasses in order to be viewed directly without burning your retinas, and sunscreen is encouraged. Aside from its stunning, perhaps adultery inducing looks, the power it produces can also be considered heart pounding at 780 bhp, which translates to between 600-650 HP and has 0 emissions. At this point I must apologize, because I forgot to mention that this beast is not only a rocket on wheels, but also a green, eco-friendly fuel cell powered car. Gas powered cars have a hard enough time achieving over 500 HP, so to achieve this feat with an electric car is even more impressive. To do this, the GT harnesses 4 electric engines powered by a fuel cell, accompanied by aerodynamics trimmed especially for the car of the future.

Project Cars, be them personal or corporate initiated, are all put into motion with a purpose, and the Citroën GT is certainly no exception. Polyphonic, the makers of the PlayStation game Grand Turismo, approached Citroën with the goal of bringing a virtual car into the real world. The design is meant to inspire constant motion, and becomes obvious by the white to gray gradient paint, the extreme angles and the elongated body. Inspiration and design come with a price at the sweet tune of $1.8 million (6 production cars will be unveiled in September 2009).

Car Overload eats this car up with a side of garlic bread and a glass of crisp Dom Perignon. However it’s not the price tag or the luscious looks that has us lusting over this car, but the individuality and passion behind it. Which is why Car Overload is going to start writing weekly about personal and sponsored Project Cars. Welcome to Project Overload.

Do you have a personal project car or know someone who is working so hard they bleed engine oil? We want to hear about it and give them praise best we can! Leave a comment to let me know what projects you’re interested in and we’ll get them featured.