HPA Motorsports has offered force-induced upgrades for VW’s legendary VR6 motor for over two decades, but its latest VR550T package for the Golf R Mk7 is arguably the most comprehensive yet.
Whether it was finger flicking the controller of your favourite console or putting in laps on go-kart tracks, these youthful experiences acted as building blocks for a lifetime of automotive enthusiasm. The former allowed fans of Volkswagens to pilot a multitude of Wolfsburg’s finest in an assortment of environments. Being able to race an HPA-tuned MKIV R32 in Gran Turismo 4 from the comfort of one’s own bedroom was a game changer. Even before its digital debut in 2004, HPA Motorsports-bannered cars caught traction with enthusiasts worldwide. The distinctive blue piping for the twin-turbo VR6 motor is a core memory for many, either having a post of the bulging engine bay on their walls or seeing it first hand at car events.
HPA Motorsport history
Founded in 1991, Township of Langley, British Columbia based HPA Motorsports née Highwater Performance Autographics has a CV that could crash LinkedIn’s servers. The man behind it all, Marcel Horn, started tuning Volkswagens before he could even legally drive – tinkering with a Mk1 in his family garage. From there the Canadian company was formed and bing bang boom, transitioned into the powerhouse it is today.
Those in North America rocking KW suspension bits can thank HPA for introducing the brand to the NA market in 1998. A year later they played doctor and transplanted a VR6 into the recently released New Beetle, causing quite the stir by preceding VW’s insertion of the sporty 1.8T in the retro coupe. After seeing a Cabrio with a twin-turbo VR6 setup in a magazine, Marcel caught a plane to Germany to meet with Martin Gräf of HGP – the originator of the double-fisted boost builder. So began a long distance relationship in which both partners benefited from the strengths each other brought to the garage. They haven’t looked back since.
Early 2000 builds
In 2000, the GT6 Beetle, as HPA called it, gained a pair of snails and a handful of magazine features. They went on to win Best of SEMA in 2004 with their MK4 R32, leading to its place in Gran Turismo history. They repeated that accomplishment in 2007 with their twin-turbo Audi TT, the only company to win the top award twice. Volkswagen tapped the Canadian company to build a trio of cars for their 2005 SEMA debut dubbed Project R GT Concept for the brand new Jetta V, B6 Passat and Touareg. All three had twin-turbo VR6s and DSG transmissions. The Jetta won Best Euro.
It was the success at SEMA and Volkswagen’s trust in HPA that opened up a global market for Marcel and his crew. As HPA’s Brand Manager Jonathan Leung puts it, the common theme was “VR6, forced induction and AWD.”
HPA and the VR6 motor
HPA’s affair with the VR6 has persisted to the present day, even when Volkswagen themself abandoned the six-shooter in their halo Golf. The MK6 Golf R, no longer an R32, was down two cylinders and the distinctive growl of the narrow angle VR. Initially, HPA catered to the 2.0L and offering different tuning options for it (and they still do, mind you). But in 2014, they debuted their 3.6L VR6 twin-turbo MK6 Golf R, dubbed the FT740. It took Best Euro at SEMA that year.
In the nearly 10 years since, HPA has been busy building road and track terrors with the fit and finish of a factory install. They campaigned a duo of Jetta GLIs in the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge to prove their 2.0L program had the equivalent strength and durability as their VRTs. They recently paired with AREA Motorsport in the UK to compete in the Enduro 750 with four FR450 equipped MK7 GTIs, scoring a few podiums in the process.
VR550T program
And now, after two years of development, HPA is launching their VR550T program. Those detectives amongst us will deduce the latest from HPA is a turbocharged VR6 with 550 horsepower. What the gumshoes might not figure out at first is that this is a factory 2.5L motor, offered in the Chinese market Teramont. “You’ll see the VR550T program is the culmination of the last 33 years of our business and the result of our passion for the VR6 platform,” says Jonathan.
Gerald’s car history
Enter Gerald Orban, a 38-year-old software developer from New Westminster, British Columbia. “I was always attracted to going fast, and the connection between man and machine. I was exposed to go-karts growing up and while I enjoyed them I did not get a chance to drive them often. Fortunately, the world of video games really allowed people to live the fantasy of being a race car driver, and also to modify their cars to see how it can impact its performance. This was something where as a child I would sink tons of time into, and still do to this day in my sim rig!”
In 2015, after student loan obligations had been taken care of, Gerald was ready to get a car of his own to drive off the screen and onto the street. “Believe it or not, VW was not on my radar at all. I had grown up around a big JDM scene in Toronto, which coloured my original prospects.” Don’t worry, G. We’ll breeze past that as we all have our biases here. “I looked at STIs, Evos, etc., but none of them really felt right once I sat in them. On a whim I was pointed to the nearby VW dealership to look at a GTI, and instantly fell in love.” What did he fall in love with exactly? A MK7 GTI in Carbon Steel gray with the Performance Package, as he tells us, the perfect combination of looks, agility and speed, as well as sizable aftermarket support.
Initial mods on his Mk7 Golf GTI
The usual bits were applied, including a Remus catback and a tune. “I thought the car was decently quick from the factory, but the first time I mashed the gas on the onramp it was a massive rush of adrenaline with the increase in performance. The beginning of this journey really started.” As they say, the journey of a 550 horses begins with a single trot.
Ok, no one says that, but in 2016 Gerald crossed paths with HPA. “I’d heard about them as a boutique VW shop which does incredible builds, but it didn’t click [at the time] that the orange Audi TT from Gran Turismo was theirs. I was looking to do my stage 2 tune, which required a downpipe, and had heard they were going to be building them locally for people while also providing an accompanying tune.” And that, as they actually say, was the start of a beautiful relationship.
Bridging the gap between video games and real life, in 2017 Gerald attended his first track day. “I’d just purchased a set of [Michelin] Pilot Super Sports and was eager to see first hand what it was like to navigate a road course in the flesh.” The GTI was continuously upgraded, with the purpose always centered around making the car faster and more capable on track. This culminated in the final form of that GTI with HPA’s FR450, KW V3 suspension and a host of other track oriented mods,” Gerald tells us. “But it was always a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Very little would give away its potential when cruising on the street.” But there is only so much the front wheels could take and in 2020, Gerald began searching for a replacement.
Choosing the AWD replacement
There weren’t too many AWD options for him in the VAG family. It was a Golf R or the five-cylinder turbos in either the Audi TT RS or RS3 (DAZA). “I was initially really attracted to the TT RS because of the ease of extracting far more power from it than the 2.0T of the Golf R,” admits Gerald. “I was looking for 500-600HP reliably from pump gas, or a blend of race gas + pump gas.” A deposit was placed on a TT RS and it seemed he was climbing the ladder from VW to Audi.
But it wasn’t until he spoke with Marcel about building his next track machine that the covers were drawn back a bit on HPA’s upcoming VR550T. “Marcel sensed I was not happy about losing the Golf form factor and decided to let me in on a secret then. He showed me an engine on a stand, which would eventually be the heart of the VR550T swap and I was sold instantly.”
In order to justify the choice, Gerald did a cost analysis comparing having to buy new performance parts for the Audi rather than swapping what he could from the GTI to an R and the numbers for a fully modified Golf were more favourable than those of a TT RS. Add in his desire for a hatchback and the practicality of room for four adults and his choice was clear.
Buying the VW Golf R Mk7
Despite the VR550T being far from realized, Gerald found himself a nice 2019 R in Oryx White two weeks later. Any modifications that could be transferred from the GTI were and he ordered himself the vanity plate you see here as soon as he put down a deposit for the swap*.
*It’s important to note this is not just a swap. Jonathan tells us this is “a fully conceived balanced special edition package that is optimized to deliver reliable, no compromise, daily drivable, weekend trackable, fill up at the gas station, road trip throw the keys to anyone.” Spoken like a true brand manager, but it’s abundantly clear that HPA stands behind their work. They wouldn’t be in business for as long as they’ve been and their reputation reaffirms that.
They’re doing a serialized run of 50 VR550Ts built in-house by HPA. Gerald’s is number two and has acted as a feedback factory for the program thanks to his extensive track time.
VW Golf R Mk7 VR550T engine tuning
The engine is a German-built VR6 with a factory turbo – the first production version of this kind. They’re brand new crate motors and HPA went and secured a surplus of over 200 of them. The 2.5L VR6 turbo (DDKA) is overbuilt to withstand the poor fuel quality in China. A forced induction 3.0L VR6 was first talked about in the prototype Arteon R, but sadly never made it to production. As of now, a a CNC adapter for the DQ381 7-speed DSG with upgraded clutch packs is the only transmission, but manual transmission support is in the works. For those unfamiliar with transmission codes, the DQ381 is a smaller version of the DQ500 (DSG in the TT RS/RS3).
“We partnered with HGP Turbo who helped us develop an upgraded turbo package for the engine,” Jonathan goes on to tell us. “Our decades of experience tuning and adding forced induction to the 3.2L VR6 gave us the right blueprint of what needed to be done with the valvetrain to convert this torquey SUV engine to a high revving sports car engine.”
Reliability of the VR550T Golf R Mk7
The motor itself is upgraded substantially to handle the increased power without any concerns if it won’t start, overheat, or will it make it to your destination. Additionally, Jonathan tells us a lot of CANbus and electronic integration was performed to have the engine talk to all the ECUs without triggering any dashboard lights or preventing any of the functions in the cabin from working.
“The VR550T is a tribute to what we think VW should have delivered from the factory. The MK7.5 Golf R is a great platform with the best balance of modern touches. The VR550T has the serialization and VR badging that identifies it as a special edition car worthy of Wolfsburg and now it has the power plant to match.”
Chassis modifications on the HPA VR550T VW Golf R Mk7
So back to Gerald and his nearly three year wait for the ultimate track weapon. It arrived just before Christmas in 2023, which is the best gift anyone could buy for themselves. Looking at the car, it’s clearly put most of its eggs into the performance basket. But that’s the beauty of the R. It looks good straight from the factory and requires little to make it look great. Obviously, everything looks better lowered and in this case KW V4 Clubsports take care of that. But just so the stance crowd is aware, the suspension was set with purpose. Remember, Gerald doesn’t do anything unless it will brings results on track.
Aftermarket wheels
“The HRE wheels I use for the track are in a really rare spot for their fitment where I can get it to fit over my front BBK without having to worry about clearing the massive front calipers,” admits Gerald. “But I couldn’t help myself with the IPA bronze custom colour. It’s just such a nice complement to the Oryx white paint.” HPA’s 380 mm front brakes are made in conjunction with Baer and not only look the part, but perform even better. Massive 6-piston calipers grab a hold of the 2-piece rotors and scrub off speed at an alarming rate.
Exterior modifications on the VR550T Mk7 Golf R
We’re willing to bet the first thing that stands out is the big black hood, something that took a bit of mental effort to commit to. As someone who is not interested in modifications that draw attention, having a carbon fiber Seibon hood with two large vents surely seem to shout in the face of modesty. “The hood was honestly the hardest leap to take for me,” says Gerald, whose words give off that wincing feeling as you read them. “Having functional cooling ducts was important for helping evacuate all the extra heat the engine and turbo generate, but I was not sure I wanted to accept such an aggressive look. After seeing it on the car it felt right with how aggressive the VR550T made it.” Verus front dive planes and a rear diffuser help tie the exterior all together.
Interior modifications on the VR550T Mk7 Golf R
Gerald took a little more liberty with the interior and his form follows function approach. A side effect is that it happens to look like it belongs in an Audi. “I wanted some nice buckets for the track and spirited driving and the Recaro Sportster CS came highly recommended,” says Gerald. After speaking with Tim Cardon from Velocity Upholstery, the pair agreed on an Audi RS style spilt honeycomb stitch on the seats and door cards. “I felt at this stage that my goals had shifted a bit and I wanted the car to represent an ultra-premium OEM+ variant of the R which VW could have offered. The Alcantara has the extra effect of helping you stay planted in the seat while carving the back roads as well!” Dual purpose Gerald strikes again! Always thinking.
On track driving
Speaking of track time, wasn’t that what this car was all about? “I frequent the Canadian Pacific Northwest tracks often: Mission Raceway (Mission, BC), Area 27 Motorsports Circuit (Oliver, BC), and Vancouver Island Motorsports Circuit (Duncan, BC). My track group of friends with Rizzo Motorsports have also been a great community to lean on for insights and suggestions on how to better prepare the car for the track, and to push each other to go faster.” After seeing video of some shakedown laps, hearing the Wookie wail of the VR6 over the turbo noises and watching everything pass by expeditiously, I can only imagine the amount of fun it is. I think the driver puts it best, especially when he has the perspective of his former FR450 for comparison.
“Comparing and contrasting the FR450 vs the VR550T is hard to put without lots of excitable curse words. The thrust of it and how ready it is to give you 100% of its torque is so aggressive that I’ve not felt anything like it. I have sat as a passenger in other track prepped cars with 600HP and they don’t accelerate anything like this. The emotions of the whole package are overwhelming and any time I mash it, it’s an ear to ear grin. Coupled with the KW V4 Clubsports, the additional weight hanging off the nose has also been managed very well in the corners.”
VW Golf R Mk7 VR550T verdict
To think, the purchase of a single downpipe way back in 2016 has led to owning a Golf R with a modern VR6 turbo is astounding. Having the privilege of working with HPA throughout the development of the VR550T and subsequent adjustments after track days benefits both Gerald and any other HPA owner looking to squeeze out the most performance both on and off track. “It’s great to have a shop so supportive and eager to help push its products to the limits,” beams Gerald.
In a world focused on frugality and fuel economy, we’re glad to see that the VR6 isn’t being completed overshadowed by the four-cylinder turbo. All hail the VR6!
Words: Bryan McCarthy. Photos: Jonathan Leung.
Love modified German cars like this VW Golf R Mk7 VR550T? We’re hosting the German Car Festival this October 5th at Goodwood Motor Circuit. Don’t miss out on the action!
The post VW Golf R Mk7 With HPA VR550T Package appeared first on Fast Car.
