VW’s Thunder Bunny & R GTI hot hatches at SEMA

When the original Thunder Bunny Golf GTI tuned by California based firm Automotive Performance Systems (APS) was delivered to Motor Trend magazine late in 1981, the testers wrote that “the little white wonder packs its own kind of lightning-quick rabbit punch — one that’s guaranteed to kayo unsuspecting boulevard bullies.” That car spurred on the actual launch of the GTI for the first time in America the following year.

Now VW has enlisted the help of Neuspeed to design a concept vehicle that reflects its roots in the sport compact tuning community. Also called the called Thunder Bunny, the new car is an updated, thoroughly modern version of the original, and it debuts alongside the Concept R GTI on the Volkswagen stand at the 2006 SEMA Show.

Under the hood of the Thunder Bunny is a newly developed turbocharger system designed by Neuspeed especially for Volkswagen’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. The installation includes a modified intake manifold, Garrett ball-bearing turbocharger and air-to-air intercooler, plus a stainless exhaust system, which boosts power to 225hp. The white exterior includes a larger central grille and a more muscular rear valance framing a twin R32-style exhaust from Neuspeed.

The R GTI features the trademark hexagonal grille, 19in alloys and develops 400hp and 340ft-lb of torque on 100 octane racing fuel, enough to propel the R GTI to 60mph from rest in just 4.8 seconds. The performance package was developed by APR, and includes a large Garrett turbo with twice the flow capacity of the stock unit, and is pumped up to 21 PSI of boost.

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