The seventh generation of the Golf may be yesterday’s news, but the compact hatchback is a sweetheart of the customizing community for all the right reasons. In Finland, for example, drift team Maailmanlopun Vehkeet converted a Mk7 to RWD while retaining the factory sheet metal.

From the outside, it’s impossible to tell what hides under the body panels. Not even the wheel-tire combo gives any indication that a V8 replaces the standard four-cylinder turbo, a 4.0-liter engine from the early ‘90s.
Codenamed M60B40 in BMW jargon, this lump is found in 40i models from that era, ranging from the 5 Series to the 8 Series. With the bone-stock ECU, the eight-cylinder blunderbuss is much obliged to develop 282 PS and 400 Nm of torque at the crankshaft (278 horsepower and 295 pound-feet).
Relatively compact for a double overhead camshaft V8, the engine fits perfectly under the hood of the Golf with room to spare. Maailmanlopun Vehkeet used the subframe from an E36 up front and the rear end – including the differential - comes from an E39. The Finnish drifters quote 1,300 kilograms or 2,866 pounds with all necessary fluids and high-octane dinosaur juice, which is really impressive given that the stock Golf has a similar weight.
Modifications further include BC Racing coilovers at all corners and custom pushrods for the rear suspension, a setup that’s often found in racing cars rather than production cars. Pop the trunk, and the pushrods are there in plain sight along with an aluminum fuel cell and a ginormous harness bar.
Opening the driver’s door further reveals a sturdy roll cage and no rear seats whatsoever, and in addition to safety, this piece of hardware improves the torsional rigidity. Less flex during braking and cornering helps the driver feel more in control of the car, especially if drifting is the car’s main purpose.
There is, however, a “but” we have to highlight. Finland is very restrictive when it comes to car modding, which is why both license plate holders are devoid of actual license plates. Alas, this fellow here isn’t road-legal.