Everyone loves an underdog. At least we do, and we suspect it's one of the main reasons so many people hang onto older VWs and continue to drive them well after they can afford something more exotic.

Once a seed is planted in your head, you can't seem to shift it, no matter what you do. It might be the Rick Astley classic or, in the case of Spero Courtis, it was the VW Golf R and the modifications ...