Since the conception of Autobahn Designs / ABD Racing in 1990, we have tuned some of the best cars in the world and improved these to be even better. In days past everything seemed new and exciting and as time progressed we hate to admit it, but we were almost getting bored with applying the same products to cars over and over with maybe just a model change to differentiate one from the next. Enter the concept to all together create a project completely out of the norm. Probably too daring for our competitors to try but we are not to be bound by the latest trend and stay limited to that. ABD Racing is a trendsetter and time will tell if the Safari Golf SUV is the start of something new for all of us.

The idea was first imagined as a sort of "buggy": remove the top and add a full cage.This idea was later scrapped for more of the Sport Utility style as removing the roof would surely cheapen the concept. Of course raising the ride height would be necessary so our minds went to work on that. I had previously built a lifted Rabbit pickup in 1981 and was very happy with the performance and function these vehicles provided so I knew the potential was there. With this project, we would take it one step further. In the past, the suspension had to be hand formed any modifications made were done through our own tools and all parts were created one off for that project. On the Safari Golf, we went to work with our friends at Carerra suspension and built a complete threaded body suspension. This allows the cars ride height to be adjusted from -4" to about 4" above stock height and still a nice ride. After the suspension was tackled, we focused our attention to the wheel and tire combination. A 205.65x15 tire along with some CEC 169 wheels proved to be the perfect addition for the look we were hoping for, pure SUV not pre-runner.

With these two concerns out of the way it's now time for fun. The entire car was stripped and sent to Silvermans Auto Body in Riverside for the color transformation to Land Rover non-metallic green. With the addition of the 90< Bumpers as well as the Hella green front turn signals and rear tail lamps this unit was really starting to come together. It wasn't until the addition of the custom fabricated front bumper/brush guard and rear lamp guards were added that we were sure the Safari Golf was on it's way. In addition to these items, a complete rear aluminum skid plated was formed as well as a small unit up front for those tall brush excursions. Engine performance was turned over to Rev-power in San Bernardino to create a 202lcc 16V motor with Schrick 260' Cams and Remus full dtm style exhaust. An ABD Racing carbon fiber intake badge covers the ABD Racing bright red 8mm silicone plug wires. Breathing is handled via an ABD Racing Big Borer Intake along with use of a K&N filter element. Gear exchanges are handled by a Sachs 16v clutch and selection is shortened with the use of an ABD Racing Short Shift kit and weighted linkage ABD Racing power shifter. Suspension modifications as mentioned before include a modified Carerra Threaded body spring and shock kit. To reduce any flex an ABD Racing upper stress bar was incorporated, sitting proudly in the engine bay as are the ABD Racing VR6 upper strut bearing conversion and urethane components through out. As the Safari Golf screams across fire roads of So. California, stopping now becomes a concern. Duties are handled by using ABD Racing front and rear cross-drilled rotors and ABD Racing stainless steel braided brake lines This combination proves to be more than enough stopping power while keeping the rotor temperatures down.