The candy white exterior has received several design studio touches. The body kit includes a larger central grille and a more muscular rear valance framing a twin R32-style Neuspeed exhaust. Like the R GTI, the Thunder Bunny II's paint is overlaid with pearl silver graphics that Jenkins calls "topographical". They are meant to evoke the contours of the car's geography or waves of air that flow over the surfaces and they appear to blink on and off in the changing angles of sunlight.
Like the original, its 19x8 alloy wheels are painted gold. Similar size multi-spoked forged alloys have been sourced from Neuspeed's RS line of wheels for track use. The front brakes are have bunny-bedecked Brembo four-piston brake calipers. Yep, bunnies. A warren of Thunder Bunny logos dash across the surface of the white-painted caliper.
Suspension is adjustable for both ride height and shock stiffness, giving the car a street/track dual character. There's also a Neuspeed short-shift kit and custom spherical aluminum shift knob, created in the design studio. A stock GTI steering wheel has been re-covered in Alcantara to go with the upgraded upholstery and trim.
Stock GTI seats are re-covered in black-and-white checkered tweed, echoing the early 80s, and framed by black leather with white stitching. The color scheme is complemented by the white carbon-fiber interior trim provided by OSIR, major contributors to the design studio's Concept R GTI.
R GTI-The Baddest of Them AllConsider the R GTI the direct descendant of the R concept show-stealers at SEMA in 2005. After all, the same parents are involved: chief designer Derek Jenkins and his talented crew at the Volkswagen Design Center California, located in Santa Monica. However, unlike the R concept vehicles which showcased the extremes of performance-tuned Volkswagens, Jenkins and his team approached the R GTI with a goal of "speed through lightness." That is, amplifying the engine's output and improving performance by reducing weight. "The R GTI is a kind of weekend track car, but still a car you could take on the street. But unlike last year, our approach was more on weight reduction instead of going totally nuts on the power," says Jenkins. "Hence the extensive use of vacuum-bagged carbon fiber composites to save weight."
In collaboration with carbon fiber component experts, OSIR Design, Jenkins replaced much of the stock GTI, including the front fenders, hood, side skirts and hatch door, with carbon-fiber panels
But weight saving was just the beginning. "To maximize improvements in power and authentically deal with the inherent limitations of front-wheel drive, we subtly widened the front fenders to accommodate 265s all round. We didn't have to widen the rear,but we had to add about 23mm to each front fender." As you can tell from our track testing, the wider Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (265/30-R19) helped the R GTI pull some impressive numbers.
So did the power upgrades. Jenkins gives credit for the R GTI's impressive performance to APR, who replaced the stock turbocharger with a larger Garrett ball-bearing unit with twice the flow capacity. A large-diameter cast-aluminum intake pipe feeds the big turbo from the larger, front-mounted intercooler, delivering twice the stock airflow. Add an Inconel exhaust manifold and an APR stainless steel exhaust system and the result is 358 wheel-hp at 21psi. If 100-octane race fuel is used, VW claims output rises to some 400hp.