Watch a 550 HP Volkswagen Golf IV R32 Accelerate Like a Bat out of Hell

Fast forward quite a few years and I’ve grown a little in the midsection while the R32 is now considered a collectable from the high displacement era. However, a tuning company called HPerformance has found a way to put new life into these old bones by adding a turbocharger to the mix.

You may have heard about the 550 PS turing project already, as the shop released several photos and a press statement at the end of September. However, we have something much better, a video.

But let’s look at the numbers first before we get too excited. When the R32 was new, it was claimed to deliver an impressive (at the time) 240 PS and 320 Nm of torque (236 lb-ft) from its 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V6. The fastest hatchback of its era was capable of going from 0 to 100 km/h in only 6.6 seconds and topped out at 153 mph (247 km/h). Just like we compare the Golf 7 R to the Ferrari 355, so too did journalists of the time say it was as fast as the early Lamborghini supercars.

HPerformance decided the robust V6 could take an HPA EFR550 turbocharger along with a revised software. Together, these features have bumped the output up to 550 PS and 730 Nm (539 lb-ft) of torque. It’s a good thing the car comes with 4Motion. Otherwise, it would have trouble dealing with GT-R levels of power.

As you can clearly see from the clip, this particular hatch acts like it’s on rails. Other mods have been made, including a set of KW Variant 2 coilovers, 19-inch HRE wheels, H&R stabilizers, a custom watercooled intake manifold, new 90mm exhaust pipes and other goodies.