FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
A43
dashboard
Langley auto shop leads the pack BRAKING NEWS
with Brendan McAleer
R
emember the New Beetle? No, not the current new Beetle, which is technically the new New Beetle, but the old New Beetle, which was the new version of the old old Beetle — oh never mind, I’ll just start again. Remember the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle? Sure you do. It was that super kitschy, super retro, super cute faux bug that consisted of a FisherPrice-styled three-hemicircle design running on the chassis of a Golf. It was a pretty successful machine and, despite somewhat questionable features such as an on-board vase and some odd forward visibility thanks to the three feet of dash mandated by the Golf underpinnings, it sold well. Seeing as it drove just like a Golf, that meant it handled pretty well and did a good job as a practical daily driver with a hint of style. Yeah, so anyways, these guys over in Langley? They built one with almost 500 horsepower. Let me set the scene for you. It’s 2001 and you’ve just bought yourself the Ferrari 355 you’ve always wanted. It’s gorgeous, perfectly proportioned in red, properly side-straked, and
possessed of a sonorous V-8 howl. Then some guy in a car with a dash-mounted flower-holder blows the doors off your Italian thoroughbred. I’m thinking that might be a little annoying — or hilarious. The mad scientists behind the high performance Beetle are no hack-job homebrewers either. You might not have heard of HPA Motorsports — a small shop that’s been doing business out of the Fraser Valley since 1991 — but the world has, and it likes their cars. I took a trip down to their new headquarters to find out what they were up to. It’s a pretty innocuous looking building, a beige mass plonked in a business park surrounded by gravel and concrete companies. The 12,000-square foot facility is a new home for the expanding company, and they haven’t even had a chance to put a sign up. Instead, parked out front is a clear advertisement of the sort of hijinks these folks get up to: a slammed Audi TT coupe with a prominent big-brake kit, a bright red R32 Golf with a frontmount intercooler and ... is that a brand-new Scirocco? How the heck is that legal? Marcel Horn, the dark-haired, gregarious, loquacious founder and president of HPA simply grins mysteriously when I ask how he’s able to have two examples of the sleek, Euro-only Scirocco on site. One car belongs to the company, the other wears Texas plates and a vinyl wrap covered in signatures. The owner of the latter, who has had the car
shipped up for some tuning work, had the car wrapped in matte-white but didn’t like the look. He charged $5 to sign the Scirocco at a car show and raised several thousand dollars towards cancer research. Most of the things written on his car are hilarious. And unprintable. Both Sciroccos have around 565 h.p. from twin-turbocharged V-6s, all-wheel drive and tuned-up dual-clutch transmissions. They are ridiculously fast, and ridiculously well put together. Almost every car in the HPA shop comes from far away. Along with the Texan car, there’s a GTI from New Jersey, another from Hong Kong, a Euro-only old-school Rallye Golf being built for an older collector out in New York. Another bighorsepower Golf sits in pieces on a lift, bound for Trinidad once it’s completed. HPA’sexpertiseattuningatwin-turbocharged version of the venerable VW narrow-angle V-6, the VR6, has led to an international following. Winning the aftermarket’s most prestigious event, the SEMA show, garnered one of their twin-turbo Golfs a place in the best-selling Gran Turismogamingseries,meaningthatkidseverywhere would grow up knowing what HPA is. There’s something satisfyingly Canadian about these cars. Special effort is made to use locally sourced parts and expertise, with almost all the performance parts either made in-house or nearby. HPA’s machines are certainly aggressive looking, but they’re as easy to drive as regular Volkswagens, with all-wheel drive and smoothshifting dual-clutch automatics.
Despite the big brake kits, most of the cars here are built to handle 18-inch alloys, meaning that fitting winter tires isn’t really that expensive. They also provide tuning solutions for the ubiquitous VW 2.0-litre turbo, and have done amazing things with the low-availability Golf R. However, it’s a much slower vehicle that Marcel’s most excited to show me this afternoon — a rough-and-tumble looking Jeep. He fires it up, and instead of the thrum of a big six-cylinder, there’s the signature clatter of a four-cylinder VW diesel. Sandwiched between the Jeep running gear and belt-driven accessories is a low-mileage junkyard motor, the whole thing having been cobbled together for less than $16,000, including the cost of all parts and the purchase price of the Jeep. It’s still as agricultural as you’d expect from an offroader, but there’s huge torque and reportedly excellent fuel economy. Instead of sucking down gas, the project Jeep runs clean, sipping diesel on its way down the highway to find the trailhead. It’s very different than the spare-no-expense nature of HPA’s lightning fast machines, built to be easily repairable and durable off-road, rather than dominant at the track. However, it’s the same idea as that first high-performance Beetle — an exterior shell with something unexpected underneath, all sewn together with care, made in Canada. mcaleeronwheels@gmail.com twitter.com/brendan_mcaleer
Attn: Honda Owners
The Honda
SAVE UP TO
MODEL
CLEAROUT WITH THESE PRICES, OUR 2013s WON’T LAST LONG.
5000
$
,
CASH PURCHASE INCENTIVE ON SELECT 2013 MODELS.*
ON YOUR SERVICE HERE’SHOWITWORKS:
You spend: $50.00-$99.00, You save $5.00 You spend: $100.00-$199.99, You save $10.00 You spend: $200.00-$299.99, You save $20.00 You spend: $300.00-$399.99, You save $30.00 You spend: $400.00-$499.99, You save $40.00
CIVIC STARTING FROM
16,935
$
0.99
You spend: $500.00-$599.99, You save $50.00 You spend: $600.00-$699.99, You save $60.00 You spend: $700.00-$799.99, You save $70.00 You spend: $800.00-$899.99, You save $80.00 You spend: $900.00 or more, You save $100.00
WITH GENUINE HONDA OIL CHANGE $
FALLMULTI-POINTINSPECTION
**
INCLUDES FREIGHT & PDI
OR
100
$
*
MODEL SHOWN: FB2E2DEX
% ON SELECT 2013 HONDA VEHICLES. LEASE OR FINANCE.
#¥
The ongoing benefits of owning a Honda. High resale value. Low cost of ownership. Affordable. Reliable. Fuel Efficient. Advanced safety. Fun to drive. *$5,000 Honda cash purchase incentive is available on select Honda vehicles. Honda cash purchase incentive will be deducted from the negotiated price before taxes and cannot be combined with special lease or finance offers. #Limited time 0.99% finance offer based on new 2013 Honda models and a 24 month finance term available only through Honda Canada Finance Inc. O.A.C. Finance example based on a new 2013 Civic DX model FB2E2DEX and a 48 month finance term available only through Honda Canada Finance Inc. O.A.C.: $16,935 at 0.99% per annum equals $189.19 bi-weekly for 48 months. Freight and PDI of $1,495 included. Cost of borrowing is $387.72, for a total obligation of $19,674.72. Down payment of $0.00, first bi-weekly payment, environmental fees and $0 security deposit due at finance inception. Taxes are extra. Finance on approved credit for qualified customers only. ¥Limited time lease offer based on select new 2013 Honda models and a 24 month lease term available only through Honda Canada Finance Inc. O.A.C. 72,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometres. **MSRP is $16,075 based on a new 2013 Civic DX FB2E2DEX including $1,495 freight and PDI. # Dealer may sell for less. Dealer trade may be required. For all offers license, insurance, applicable taxes and registration are extra. Offers valid from October 1st through October 31st, 2013 at participating Honda retailers. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.bchonda.com or see your Honda retailer for full details.
• Oil & filter change. Check for fluid leaks • Battery load/charging test • Inspect coolant level and freezing point • Check cooling system, inspect hoses and clamps • Inspect all brakes for wear % and condition • Inspect brake calipers, wheel cylinders and parking brake • Inspect tire wear and pressure and tire rotation • Inspect drive belt condition (if applicable)
88
88*
• Top-up washer fluid • Inspect transmission fluid level, power steering fluid level (if applicable), brake fluid level, clutch fluid level (if applicable) • Inspect windshield wipers, washer jets and blades • Inspect all lights and bulbs • Inspect and lubricate door locks, latches and handles • Wash and vacuum, plus shuttle service
Reg $169.95
Ultra fuel-efficient vehicles that require 0W20 oils are additional cost.
FREE SERVICE SHUTTLE (DOWNTOWN CORE) COURTESY CAR WASH FOR ALL SERVICE CUSTOMERS * All offers are effective until November 30, 2013. Taxes not included. Environmental levies extra. ˚Not to be combined with other offers. Please consult Kingsway Honda for more details. Please present coupon during write-up. Valid at Kingsway Honda only. Limit one per person. Coupon does not apply to prior purchases.
12th and Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
Member of Dealer the # D8508
CALL 604-873-3676
www.kingswayhonda.ca