There’s something about having a really fast street car that appeals to most automotive fanatics. You can go to a dealership and buy a modern muscle car that’s loaded with options and can run in the 9-second range, or you can take a classic muscle car and turn it into a real brute. Rob Carter opted to do the latter, and now he rolls around in a twin-turbo Mk1 Passat that can rip off 8-second passes.
The Mk1 Passat wasn’t designed by Volkswagen to be an 8-second street car powered by a boosted V8 engine. Carter went to Robinson Race Cars (RRC) to have a state-of-the-art 25.1 chassis made for the Passat that could handle upwards of 2,000 horsepower, and keep him safe when he drives the car. RRC used parts from Strange Engineering, Racetech, and WELD Wheels to turn the Passat into a rolling chassis.
To power the Mk1, Carter turned to John Sleath to build a stout LS-based engine. The LS mill is controlled by a FuelTech FT600 ECU and other electronics from FuelTech, as well. RRC built the custom turbo system that uses a pair of Precision Turbo & Engine 76mm turbos to feed the engine boost. The Passat also features a full exhaust system to make sure it stays street legal.
Carter is still in the process of shaking the Passat down and only has a handful of passes on the car. Right now, Carter is running the Volkswagen on low boost and only making about 1,000 horsepower to the tires. Carter’s plan is to upgrade the rearend’s center section so he can turn the car up to its full potential of around 2,000 horsepower. VeeDubRacing grabbed some great footage of Carter making passes at Santa Pod Raceway, where he ran a best pass of 8.56 at 165 mph.