#LIFEONAIR: MAX EDWARD’S ’78 BEETLE ON AIR SUSPENSION

Max Edwards has built a rather special Beetle, taking inspiration from the land of motorsport, while somehow keeping it true to its classic Beetle heritage. These are two very different styles, but they compliment each other very well!

The idea first came to Max in February of 2011, and it had him searching high and low for an early-model Beetle. Eventually, Max stumbled upon an original 1978 model that was in need of some TLC. After enjoying the car in its stock form for several years, Max knew it was time for his Beetle to reach its final form – a form that would include a complete body-off restoration.

The suspension and chassis were the first elements to be overhauled, adding a 2” narrow beam to get that perfect Beetle tuck. To achieve the #LifeOnAir look and performance, he upgraded the suspension to Air Lift Performance through rods, long travel ball joints, track rod flip and raised and strengthened shock towers. The rear suspension was converted to IRS, using Air Lift Performance universal air springs, notched trailing arms and modified lower mounts. The whole suspension set-up is controlled by 3P, the pressure-based air management system that can later be upgraded to the height-based 3H system.

With a wide range of Air Lift Performance management options, Max opted for the 3P system because it gave him the benefits of instant ride-height adjustment, iPhone app control and, of course, the ability to upgrade to 3H in the future.

“I’ve always liked how the AutoPilot V2 system worked, having used it in the past, so I was eager to try the latest system on the Beetle,” Max explains. “It does everything I need, never giving me any issues, and the phone app is great for standing back and making adjustments to preset ride height. Since fitting the Air Lift system, the ride quality and handling is greatly improvement, like a premium set of coilovers.”

In fact, the Beetle is now as good as new underneath – a testament to the work and time Max has invested into this project.

For the exterior, the Beetle’s body was given a fresh coat of Pure 400 white paint, complete with custom 78 numbers and 4-color stripes. The bodywork also benefits from body-colored bumpers and Lucas yellow headlight covers for that motorsport vibe.

It’s a similar story inside, too. Porsche ‘Pasha’ material lines the seats and door cards, along with 964 seats and a 3-spoke steering wheel. Combined with an Alcantara headlining and the flush-mounted Air Lift controller, the Beetle’s interior looks seriously cool.

In the all-important wheel department, Max opted for a classic – genuine BBS RS, measuring 7.5” up front and 9” out back. The color-coded centers are the perfect finishing touch for such an iconic wheel design.

Max’s Beetle isn’t all show and no-go. The 1641cc motor runs a balanced bottom end, Eagle 110 cam, high-revving valvetrain and twin Solex 44 carbs. All killer, no filler!

The humble VW Bug may have been around for over half a century, but Max has managed to create something truly unique without straying too far from the original look.

The post #LIFEONAIR: MAX EDWARD’S ’78 BEETLE ON AIR SUSPENSION appeared first on VWVortex.

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Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway

Waterfest 24 will be held at Atco Dragway, in Atco, New Jersey. The summer event will take place at its new venue on July 21 and 22. Long held in Englishtown, New Jersey, the festival has been such a large part of the VW scene that the latest iteration of the Golf even comes with optional “Englishtown” wheels . The new venue, however, is an NHRA drag track a scant 52 miles southwest of Englishtown. The ¼ mile drag track opened in 1960, which makes it the oldest drag strip in New Jersey. The announcement came today on a social media post that announced the new location. Waterfest is North America’s largest VW/Audi show. As many 20,000 people show up for the annual show, making the second largest show in the world—with Worthersee being number one. 2018 will be Waterfest’s 24 th year in existence. The post Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2GQjkuc via IFTTT

Macau Gets Messy with 16-Car Pileup

The Macau Grand Prix is always good for an accident or two or 16— you may remember Audi’s race ending crash last year —and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. It didn’t take long for things to get messy on the tight road circuit. On the opening lap of the qualifying race a 16-car pileup caused the race to be suspended. Things kicked off when Daniel Juncadella hit a wall on the exit of Police bend, one of the tightest parts of the already tight circuit. The following car of Raffaele Marciello was able to avoid the carnage, but Laurens Vanthoor, who was in the upside-down Audi that ended the race last year, could not avoid Juncadella and together they blocked up the road pretty much completely. “I couldn’t see him [Juncadella] at first. Then I saw the car standing still,” Vanthoor told Motorsport. “I tried to brake but it was just understeering and I couldn’t do anything. There’s room for one car there and you’re blind.” Fourteen more cars would eventually crash into the corner c

The First of its Kind: Integrated Engineering Releases Highly-Anticipated IE450T MK6 Golf R Turbo Kit

After two long years of development, the team at Integrated Engineering has finally announced the release of their IE450T kit for the MK6 Golf R. With their turbo kit bolted on right out of the box, the sport AWD hatch is transformed into a 450bhp monster, with hardly any noticeable increase in spool time. In fact, 435 ft-lbs of torque are achieved at all four wheels, at a mere 3300rpm! By now you are probably asking yourself how this is even possible on a 2.0L engine that made nearly half that power from the factory. By employing true twin-scroll technology into the cast turbo manifold and pairing it with a state-of-the-art BorgWarner EFR turbocharger, IE was able to keep spool time at a minimum and bring the fastest-spooling big turbo setup to the market. “We wanted to offer a kit that would dramatically increase the power output without making the car lose its amazing street-friendly drivability,” mentioned one of the IE engineers. We are told the IE450T leaves the car driving jus

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