I have a '92 GTi SOHC 1.3 and I am looking to beef it up. Are there any hints or parts that I can buy?

I have to agree generally with all the comments/reviews I have read; this car is HIGHLY underrated - what a little gem!

I recently bought mine (Jun 2001) and actually came across it accidently, as a friend recommended it as a nippy runabout. My old car (I won't say what it was for fear of embarrassment) blew its head gasket and I was getting bored of it as it wasn't a sports car. But anyway, didn't fancy paying to have the head done only for it to go again a few months down the line.

So I saw my little beauty in the Autotrader, rang up and haggled him down to 1300 for this 92 J, immaculate, FSH model. And I have to be honest, I was completely ignorant of this car before I bought it; my friend constantly commented on it, but I always just used to think 'how fast can a 1300 be?'. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I'm not a boy racer, or at least I didn't used to be. I've always taken good care of my cars, but this car just has to be driven! Again, as someone mentioned, it is a bit slow off the blocks until it hits about 3 1/2, but then it just doesn't stop!

Doing 70 in second, I've humbled all the GTi's, GSi's, XR's and V-tecs round my end. I've even managed to keep up with my mates mk1 Golf GTi (1.8) from a standing start, but more impressively I kept up with, wait for it, my friends BMW 323! I couldn't believe it, but I guess it must have been the power:weight ratio.

As you've guessed I love this car. I'll say it again, I love this car. Over the last couple of months its received more attention than the missus! and there's more to come; I'm planning on taking on the big boys - I'm saving now for a Superchip, K&N induction kit, and a booster valve. For die hard modders out there, you'll recognise these as basic mods anyone can do. For those that don't know and want more power, allow me to explain how they'll work.

The superchip is pretty much self-explanatory; It'll reprogramme your Swift's ECU and open up the rev range by releasing the rev limiter and also changing all the timing so your engine works that little bit harder. Although it can be self-installed, it's been recommended that you get your car professionally tuned (pref. rolling road) and then installed so that your timing is spot-on. You can get a chip for the swift from 'Superchips', the market leader, for £165.

The induction kit will allow the engine to breathe more, therefore providing better combustion, thus more power. that'll cost around £70. But remember, the filter element can be cleaned and re-used instead of having to be replaced like your standard filters.

And finally, a little device which is becoming popular, a booster valve. You might have seen the ads in the likes of 'Revs' and 'Max Power', it's by a company called Ecotek LTD. It fits onto the pipe leading into the carb, and basically all it does is allow air to be sucked into the carb, similar to your sports filters, but the trick here is that this little valve actually reduces emissions and IMPROVES FUEL ECONOMY whilst making your car faster! Great eh? I couldn't believe it either, but I've seen it in practice; on a mates Nova SR (which needed it) and it made it more responsive, and better across the rev range. On the Swift this is going to be a god-send, seeing as the Swift engines lag til 3-4k revs. Now, it'll fly from the go. This'll cost you £48.

So, when I've got all these put on, I don't know what the bhp is going to be exactly, but I do know it is going to be rapid!

Just to finish then, my only qualm with the Swift is the ride; the handling I don't mind, but the ride quality is just too rough and bumpy for my liking. So I'd appreciate any feedback on what I could do about that.

Also, I really struggled recently to get hold of some clear front indicators for mine. I eventually tracked down a company in Bristol called P.H.A, but if anyone out there knows of any other decent places out there for Swift bits, I'd appreciate your help.

If anyone is interested in the mods I mentioned, I intend to gather websites and phone numbers for the places I've chosen to buy from. So I'll stick them on here soon, so watch this space. Mail me at tnazir77@hotmail.com if your impatient or if you've got some info I could do with.

Cheers, Taz.