the .:R

OK. I guess its time to let slip a little peek into my madness. The .:R .
I dont even call it the "car" anymore. I just call it "the .:R". Its part of the family.

You see, its a 2004 VW R32. One of only 5000 made in a limited edition, one year, one off model. Really one of only 1000 in Black Magic Pearl (3 other colors offered) if you want to get technical. So spread out 1000 cars into every city in America... it ends up pretty rare huh? There is an enthusiasts website I frequent (too often) that has a running thread for .:R "sightings". Those people are crazy (I am a member).

(All you females can go ahead and skip this post because I am steering this one strictly into testosterone infused waters. Seriously, check out Oprah or the View... and I am not chauvinistic (I dont think). Check back tomorrow.)

Back to the .:R. It is a monster. It is a narrow angle V6, 260 HP, 6 speed, all wheel drive beast wrapped up in a small unassuming (I prefer stealthy) black two door hatchback. Did I mention all wheel drive? Its almost unfair to other cars on the road. It grips in the wet better than most cars can in the dry. It stops from 60 and 100 quicker than the Porsche 911. It is 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and traps high 13's at 105 or so, STOCK. From the factory. Those crazy German engineers made it that way. I had my mom in the car at 120 recently. I dont think she was nearly as amused as I was. It is an autocross killer and can win stock class in most any SCCA event you enter it mainly because of its smooth NA (naturally aspirated- read no turbo) motor with a lot of low end and a huge rev range. It redlines at 7200 rpm. Chipped it can be close to 290 HP. Cams? Forget it, 300+ with the aforementioned mods. Then there are the turbo kits available... upwards of 500 HP have been done on many .:R's.

It is electronic drive by wire throttle, in other words, no mechanical linkage. It has traction control you can disable via the console (for more fun at the limit). And then there is the exhaust note... Put it this way, I dont use my radio but about once a week. I usually just roll the windows down and listen to it when I drive. I know, I need help.

If you have been one of the lucky few to get a ride from me lately... you get an idea of what I am talking about. If you havent, just bug me about it. When you drive it, it is surely as close to driving purity as you can get. Its not a tail-happy throttle oversteer kind of experience but I did add a stiffer rear sway bar to help make it closer to neutral on exit. On that note, I also added a cold air intake to help it breathe better, although I have to be particularly careful when the roads flood. The intake element is down at the lower part of the front air dam so it sits about 8-10 inches off the ground. I have also added some polyurethane bushings (perfect Birthday gift from Amber- thanks sweetie) on the pendulum motor mount to prevent motor torque from affecting shifting. No small issue for a transverse high horsepower motor.

Maintenance wise, she only gets Mobil 1 synthetic oil at 6K intervals (manual says 10K). I did (and will continue to) the center differential service myself at 20K (manual says 40K). Had to buy a special 90$ wrench for the filter just so I can do this service myself. Lets see... I put the green top coolant sensor in it (known VW issue), and I have replaced a recall brake light switch. I am also on my second set of Z rated Summer only tires (only get about 20K out of them). I do all the service myself because I dont trust leaving it with anyone. Its worth as much today as when I bought it. It went up in value the first year and a half that I owned it. Check Kelly Blue Book. Unreal.

You should see the panic when I have to park it in public places... I park as far away as anyone dares and make sure one side is protected (end slot) and by moving over in the slot (away from the next car) as much as possible to protect the other side. My family (who are great sports about it by now) are all too familiar with my neurotic parking habits. Hey, I cant help it, after 2.5 years of ownership this car has zero door dings and zero scratches. A record I am trying to keep.

It is just about flawless which is only really seen when I wash it and I have to wash it every week. Hand wash it mind you. I also replace the wash mit I use every other month to prevent paint scratches from hand washing. Dont get me started on the special soap and wax I use. And then there is the Clay bar... Oh brother. Such is the bane of owning a black car. Im telling you, I must be crazy or getting there fast.

Ahh... but then I go for a drive and all seems right with the world. ;]