When the Robert Bosch Corporation came to Banks and asked if they could inject some excitement into the rather pedestrian Volkswagen Jetta TDi, the answer was “heck yeah.” We started by adapting our tried and true, in-house developed tuner technology, merged it with the new Banks iQ, created a custom cold air intake and exhaust system, and finished it all off with a special wheel and suspension package… before you knew it, the first Sidewinder Jetta was born. Powerful, grippy, economical and fun are not words usually used to describe the same car… but it’s a recipe Banks had used for decades. It was quickly adopted by the Bosch demonstration fleet where it became a favorite of journalists and engineers alike. Banks keeps a version of the Sidewinder Jetta in its own fleet where it serves as a test bed for upcoming diesel technology and electronic systems.
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Back in 2010, Gale Banks brought two examples of diesel performance to Adam Corolla’s recording studio, less than a block from Disney’s famed animation studios. The first vehicle was a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI wagon, and the other was the Banks S-10 Sidewinder diesel drag truck.
The 2.0L diesel in the Jetta sported some extra power ...
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By John Espino
My latest stint with Bosch was last week at the AFVi Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. I was on hand to assist Bosch with their booth as a “technical representative of diesel technology”. Not a bad title of sorts, but in reality what it meant was that they’d point to me and ...
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The Sidewinder Jetta is now sporting some rather aggressive nose work and side skirting.
By John Espino
Of the many projects going on here at Banks this week there’s only really one that I can talk about without spilling some all important beans. See, there are thing that we just can’t talk about… yet, mind you. Since ...
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Bosch asks Banks to take a look at a diesel powered machine as it comes from Volkswagen. They drop a Jetta off at Banks’ Azusa campus and say: “We’ll be back in a few weeks, see what you and your people can do with an upgrade on this one.”
That’s a pretty long name for a ...
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