Timeline
Here is a short video made in 2017 describing the journey from a garden shed to 10,000sq/ft purpose built premises. If you want to read even more about our past see our timeline below:
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2010
Where it all began..
Darkside Developments was started back in 2010 by Twin brothers Scott and Ryan, building upon Ryan’s connections and reputation made by supplying enthusiasts worldwide with upgraded parts to make their TDi engines faster and more economical.
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2011
The start of SRS Automotive
In 2011 Scott and Ryan’s older brother Stefan came along to take over the used parts section of the business, which was separated into SRS Automotive
It became apparent early on that the hybrid turbos available in the aftermarket or custom one off big turbo builds were not appealing to most owners looking to tune their pride and joy. Within a few months, a true ‘Bolt-On’ big turbo kit was test fitted to a newly purchased project car, the company Jetta, which eventually made 316bhp and 468ft/lbs while still returning 50+mpg on a run. The car was raced regularly at Santa Pod drag strip as well as standing mile and top speed tests at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. Turbo kits to suit a variety of engines, vehicles and power goals were released, the sale of over 100 kits in the first 2 years further cemented the popularity of the TDi engine as a great all round tuning platform.
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2013
An Arosa was born!
The Drag racing bug had bitten and the recognition a fast time gave the company could not be ignored so when Dan, Darkside’s master Fabricator, had the idea of creating a purpose built drag car in 2013, Scott and Ryan jumped at the opportunity to support him.
The yellow Arosa was purchased and quickly stripped down then rebuilt into something the previous lady owner could only imagine.
The first run out was a 10.86s @ 141.1mph making it the quickest and fastest Front wheel drive diesel in the world at the time, compared to the 13.8@104mph the Jetta accomplished the year before, this was a welcome improvement and testament to the hard work of the team.
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2014
More development
2014 started out with the now infamous Arosa baton handed over to Ryan and the car was used as a development tool for new parts on both the 1.9 8v PD and 2.0 16v PD (BKD) engine.
Ryan finished his tenure in the driving seat with a 9.9s run at 142mph, with one run reaching 148mph which still stands today as the fastest terminal speed of any FWD Diesel.
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2015
Moving on
Summer 2015 was a big one for Darkside with the move to a new self designed and internally project managed facility - https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/our-facility/
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2017
Well into the 9's
For the 2017 Season the Arosa powerplant was swapped to a 2.0 16v Common Rail engine to further improve the product range for a power unit that had seen little in the way of development.
Paul, Darkside’s chief mechanic, was given the opportunity of filling the driving seat and with a 9.7s at 146.7mph, instant improvements were seen with more to come next time the car sees the track.
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2018
New project!
Early 2018 saw the reveal of the latest Darkside project, an All Wheel Drive, Common Rail engine’d pocket rocket - Citigo. The project was kept secret right up until its reveal where over 600,000 people viewed the posts on social media. The day of the reveal saw a feature in VWG magazine at a track day organised by the cars previous owner Clive of BeachBuggyTurbos.
A planned late start to the drag racing season in 2018 should be an interesting one with GTi International and TOTB being the first big events for the CitiGo and the Arosa.
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2019
Record Breaking!
In June 2019 we broke the record for the fastest FWD diesel with a 9.4611 sec run at 150.55 mph in the quarter mile.
Later on in the year in October we won the MSV Track Day Championships in the SEAT Ibiza.
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2020
Paint & Body!
Darkside Paint & Body was born which will allow us to take on a wide range of bodyshop work. Get a Quote
In 2020 we became the tyre sponsor and MSV partner for Yokahama Tyres.
Darkside Developments are now the UK's exclusive KTM X-BOW dealership. Visit the website.
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2021
Success on and off the track
Whether it be racing in the MSV Supercup, Focus Cup or KA Enduro, Team Darkisde have brought home silverware and have dominated the track! Off the track is a similar story as our business has had it's most successful year to date!
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2022
A move in the right direction!
As Scott and Ryan focus on new projects and some well deserved family time, it's over to our 6 new managing directors to push the company forward for the foreseeable. Danny, Danny, Danny (yes, there's 3 of them!), Rob, Paul and Dean have all stepped up to the role, managing their own departments within the company. All 6 members have been with Darkside for several years, helping the company grow into what it is today. We're confident they can continue this upward path for Darkside Developments into the future.
Towards the back end of 2022 we hit a BIG milestone on social media, reaching 100,000 subscribers on YouTube!
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2023
Moving out!
Early 2023 we moved 1000s of stocked items across our yard to our new distribution unit, leave more room in our main unit for a proper race workshop!
As part of our commitment to growth and innovation, we've been making significant investments in new equipment to bring more processes in-house. We're thrilled to share that we now have a fully operational turbo room, complete with a flow bench and balancer, allowing us to rebuild and upgrade turbos right here at Darkside HQ. More on this to come in 2024!
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2024
The Future of Darkside Developments
In 2022, we proudly announced that some of our longstanding team members had risen to the roles of managing directors. Now, a couple of years later, their leadership continues to propel us forward, ensuring a bright future for Darkside.
While the Darkside team push forward, here's a quick look at what Scott and Ryan are currently focusing on: In our ongoing efforts to enhance the longevity and reliability of modern diesel engines, we've installed a state-of-the-art DPF cleaner. This not only improves performance but also saves our customers substantial costs on replacements.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to push the boundaries of excellence at Darkside!