Is This a 1,000 HP Golf GTI With a Longitudinal Phaeton R32 Swap?

Plenty of people saw it, but either the hood wasn't popped or people just didn't try to figure out what was going on. Either way, there's nothing out there which clearly states what kind of engine that is.

We're not 100% either. At first glance, this seemed like a 2JZ, an engine JP already had in this older GT86 and is commonly used for swaps, though not as much in Europe. All the header pipes are on one side and there's a huge turbo - job done, 2JZ.

Then we thought it might be a modified old M3 inline-6, even though it didn't look like one. But we found some YouTube videos where JP talks about what he wants to do to the GTI, and the R32 is named.

R32, isn't that the V6 kind of thing from the Golf 5 R? Yes it is, but in that configuration, the engine is placed horizontally, East to West, just like it would in a normal Golf GTI or almost every other modern Volkswagen ever made.

But there was this teeny tiny exception. The Phaeton is better known for its big engines, especially the W12. But it was also built like an Audi, North to South, and a VR6 3.2-liter was available for a few years. That's a VR6, not an Audi V6. Big difference!

That's what's in the Golf GTI, a Phaeton VR6, not the one from the Golf R32, and it's been modified heavily. JP is looking to get 1,000 horsepower out of the setup, which now features a bespoke AWD setup, a new gearbox, racing suspension glued to the roll cage and more.

It's also quite pleasing cosmetically. JP opted for the popular Pandem widebody kit and tied its striped theme with the cone scoop going through the hood to feed air directly to that massive turbo.