650 HP Mk1 Volkswagen Golf Does Amazing 9s 1/4-Mile Run, Sets FWD UK Record

Case in point with the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf in the piece of footage below. This is now the UK's quickest front-wheel-drive Golf, with the compact having recently gone sprinting during a session hosted by the Santa Pod Raceway.

The fastest run caught on camera saw the Vee-Dub completing the quarter-mile sprint in 9.86 seconds at 149 mph. Nevertheless, you should know the Golf has delivered even sweeter performance, having recently covered the task in 9.78 seconds, albeit with the trap speed of the second run sitting at 148 mph.

In its drag rubber might, the Volkswagen uses about 650 ponies and, as you can notice in the clip at the bottom of the page, the rear wheels now have the narrow profile expected from a drag racing-destined animal - when it comes to such cars, you can never be 100 percent certain about the hp figure.

There are many ways to turn 600 horses into a nine-second quarter-mile sprint

We need to remind you this is the second 9s machine we show you today, with the first also delivering 600 ponies.

Nevertheless, while this Vee-Dub is unapologetic about its all-front nature, the other 9s missile we discussed today is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive machine, namely a 1997 Nissan 240SX.

So yes, there are plenty of ways to build a 9s car these days, especially if we're talking about relatively affordable projects that don't intend to stay off the beaten paths.

As it usually happens with owners of such sprinting contraptions, these people never stop thinking about what they could do to make their machines even quicker.

Thus, you shouldn't be surprised if you meet one of the two local heroes discussed here again, but with even sweeter numbers involved.