I think the GTI 2.0L 16V would have been a competitive ITA car at its old ITS weight (2220).[/b]
Well, DUH!!!!

No offense, Eric, but am I in some alternative-VW world this week? You're telling me that you believe the Volkswagen 2.0L DOHC 16V FWD strut-equipped Golf should weight **300 pounds less** than my Nissan 2.0L DOHC 16V FWD strut-equipped NX2000 (and 150+ pounds less than a 1.8L Miata)? Why in the world would you think that? Do VWs really suck that bad...? I doubt it.

And this is coming from a guy that's owned, enjoyed, driven, and raced some form of VWoA product since I was allowed to!

You boys just gotta get outta your pouty "going to the garden and eat worms" attitudes and MAKE IT HAPPEN. Show me a max-out build on a Golf (and that means probably spending $25k minimum and running serious shocks instead of off-the-shelf Bilsteins, 9# wheels instead of stock VWs, new Hoosiers, etc) driven by an experienced, skilled driver that's failed to consistenly run at the front, and we can chat. Otherwise...