Winters are hard in Maine, hard enough to make men do crazy things. Things like asking, “How much horsepower can I get from a 1.8 liter VW turbocharged motor and still keep it drivable on the street?”
Joe Simas appears to have answered that very question. His 2002 Jetta rides on an Easy Street air suspension, wears a Wings West J-Spec body kit and sports a shaded flaming skull on the hood.
It’s what’s under the hood that makes this Jetta stand out from the crowd. Joe is running an AEM water / methanol injection setup, a DEI Cry02 intercooler sprayer, a larger GT 3076R turbo, beefed up internals, an ABD Big Intake manifold, an ATP 3 exhaust manifold, a 3 inch exhaust, upgraded fuel injectors and Unitronic 630cc BT software. The result? 490 horsepower at the front wheels on 117 octane race gas.
Besides, you didn’t think we’d let St. Patrick’s day slide without featuring a green car, did you?