Photos: John Colley
After a morning locked in the studio, we were taking in some fresh air outside and knew Jim Offord was working his way around the industrial estate towards us for his turn in photographer Colley’s cave long before we saw him. Not because his supercharged Mk2 is lairy and loud, it’s just that when you’ve experienced the unique acoustics of a G60 you know exactly what it is; the howl from the ’charger ebbs and flows with boost levels. Even just listening to it being parked brings a smile to your face.
The G60 is an engine with proper character. Back in the early ’90s it had so much potential but was compromised in terms of outright power due to its eight valves and the G-Lader’s foibles. The VAG 20v and 16v turbo powerplants that have followed may have delivered more bhp and tuning options, but a modified G60 with a virtually lag-free 220bhp is no slouch and delivers an unrivalled mix of aural accompaniment – deep throb on idle, ’charger whine as revs build, scream on gear change and a howl when on full chat. In Jim’s view: “The noise is something else and it’s got enough power to put your head into the back of the seat very rapidly.”