There have been a few turning points over the period of this Mk1 project that have put the blue Golf into perspective. The rollcage being installed was the time when the VW went from a regular car to a trackcar. But no matter how much fibreglass, custom components, or race-engineered gizmos were attached to my Volkswagen, it was the recent installation of the battery that truly swung it for me!

Admittedly, reading about a battery is about as interesting as reading about tyres - both are dull - but both are crucial and, the latest addition to my project car has  me waffling. Problem is, there is a lack of people willing to listen.

But that’s what I have you, our dear readers for; thousands of ears dedicated to my talk of a Powervamp Performance 20 battery. And what a battery it is. In layman terms, the original battery weighed 13.9kg. The Red Top job is only 5.1kg and employs pure lead maintenance-free Drycell thin plate technology. Originally used to start fighter aircraft engines and to withstand the shock and vibration experienced in combat aircraft, these batteries have proved ideal for use in competition applications.

Small, lightweight, maintenance free and with exceptionally high discharge capability (up to 2000 amps instantaneous current) these batteries are flame retardant, can be fitted upright or on their side (as pictured below) and will not leak even when damaged. I have been told that you could smash it into a million pieces and it’ll more than likely still start a car. As a matter of fact this battery is actually smaller than what Bassam’s ‘Carbon Creation’ carries around. For the first time I’m proud to be smaller in said department.

Supplied and fitted by Gulf Sport, the Powervamp 20 was braced down by a simple custom bracket, but lightweight battery or not, I now have a problem with the sarter motor. Darn it