UK Based Performance VW Engine Specialist (est 1983)

jmr

1953 Oval: 179 BHP

The first step in preparing an itemised engine specification is to get a clear picture of what the engine will be used for e.g. daily driver, street/strip, race only etc. Some people come to me with a very clear idea of what they want, or maybe there’s a certain look or
Read More

Project 2110 – Part 4: Dynamic Balancing

Dynamically balancing the crankshaft assembly is an important part of any engine build. This article attempts to explain why. I’ll kick off with a little theory and then demonstrate by example, showing each step of the balancing process as applied to the crankshaft,
Read More

Project 2110 – Part 1: Introduction

The first in a series of articles covering the theory and practice of building a high performance Type 1 2110cc engine. The engine will be fitted to a split screen bus and is being designed to deliver a good combination of power, torque, driveability and most importantly,
Read More

Drag racing in the Outer Hebrides – JMR TV interview, 2010

BBC Alba presenter Fiona Mackenzie visits the JMR workshop. ‘Air an Rathad’ (On the Road) is a low budget ‘Top Gear’ style TV show, broadcast on BBC Alba – a  channel aimed at the Gaelic speaking population of the highlands and islands of Scotland
Read More

The importance of the 3 angle valve job

Tech Talk #9 explains what a multi-angle valve job consists of and why it’s one of the most cost effective methods of improving your engine’s performance. Graphs of before and after flow tests illustrate the gains, plus a brief explanation of why there’s also an
Read More

John Maher TV interview, 1999

In January 1999 a TV crew spent the day filming at the JMR workshop. The 6 minute segment was shown in the second programme of a six part series, ‘Stars & Cars’. Originally broadcast on May 6th 1999, it includes archive footage of my previous incarnation as
Read More

First batch of ‘Tech Talks’ added

I’ve added the first five posts to the Tech Talk section of the site. This area features discussions on various topics related to the building of performance VW engines. This first set of five are from a selection of posts I’ve contributed to the Cal-Look Lounge
Read More

Performance Art

‘Performance Art’ – VW style! An Lanntair is the largest art gallery in the Outer Hebrides.  In April 2010 they asked if I’d be interested in creating an exhibition centred around my work with Volkswagen engines. Never having thought about presenting a
Read More

2276cc EFI Street Engine: 211BHP

Richard Cooper has been a JMR customer for over 20 years. This is the same car he had when he first visted my old workshop in Manchester in the early 1990’s. It’s a LHD standard 1200 model which has gone through various transformations over the years. When I first met
Read More
12