You may have heard of the Porsche Mercedes or even the Porsche Audi. But did you know about the Porsche Golf 928? We located and chatted with the owner of this very special car.
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Different Times
The automotive industry has undergone seismic change over the last few decades. There was a time when automakers were not as combative as they are now. Mercedes-Benz management decided that failing fellow manufacturer Porsche could use a little help. Hence they farmed out the building of the 500E to their friends down the road. Click here to learn more about the V8-powered W124.
Audi did something similar when it asked Porsche to fettle a little known estate car. The end result was the fastest stationwagon in the world at the time. The RS2 was also the very first Audi to wear those two letters that would earmark all performance Audi’s going forward. More on the RS2 at this link.
A Crazy German
But the Porsche Golf 928 came even before those two cars saw the light of day. This creation was the brainchild of Gunther Artz. He could be considered the quintessential ‘crazy German’. Artz had built a reputation for customising and modifying cars during the 1970s. He worked his special magic mostly on VW models. Arguably, his most famous creation was conceived in 1979.
He had the crazy idea to marry the body of the Mk1 Golf to the complete underpinnings of a Porsche 928. At a quick glance you may not notice, but look closer and you will see that this Mk1 is a full 220 mm wider than a standard car, which took some doing. As a result the front and rear windows cost a fortune to produce. The car is also 300 mm longer. Additionally, it has a stretched bonnet, as well as wider bumpers and radiator grille. Scroll through the pics to see the comparison with a standard Mk1.
Full 928
Under that specially made skin was a full Porsche 928. The car’s engine, transmission and rear axle were shoehorned into the newly formed shell. Yes, it is rear-wheel drive. Even the interior was transplanted into the car. The cabin has the Porsche steering, instrument cluster, gearshifter and even the seats and door cards.
In period, the maximum power from the 4,5-litre V8 was rated at about 180 kW. As a result the Porsche Golf could hit a top speed of 230 km/h. It seems that old SA adage about there always being a faster Mk1 goes all the way back to 1979… Artz envisioned that he would build a limited run of these, but the cost proved too high. Just two examples were built, both of which still survive and live in Germany. We chatted with the owner of one, Arno Alberts, about his special car.
Renewed
“I bought the Artz Porsche Golf over 24 years ago,” said the German. “When I bought it, the Golf was not roadworthy. I completely dismantled it, welded it and repainted it. All chrome parts were replaced or re-chromed.” But he didn’t stop there. “The engine was rebuilt and optimised with a larger bore and racing parts. The 4,7 litre S engine was reworked in Weissach. Power was increased to over 245 kW. This resulted in significantly better pulling power.”
And his car is not just a showpiece, as he explains: “I often drive the Porsche Golf on the motorway at full speed. The top speed is well over 265 km/h. A Bilstein B6 suspension with shorter Eibach springs is installed. The roadholding is perfect.” Good on him for keeping the spirit of the car alive by using it as intended.
Let us know about any other Golfs with crazy engine transplants on our Facebook page below the link to this article. Join Arno for a high-speed ride aboard the car in the video below.
Cool post. Another 928 engined Golf was built by Sbarro and it was mental. The Artz build was more sleeper but just as insane