THE WORLD’S BEST SELLING VW TUNING MAGAZINE!

THIS ISSUE OF PVW

WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN
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PERFORMANCE PARTNERS

COVER IMAGE: Superfly Autos

ISSUE: January 2025

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PUBLISHER ®
Elliott Roberts Jamie Orr
@elliottdukeroberts @xjamiexoe

BADLY DUBBED
Firstly, I’d like to start by thanking everybody that went out of their way to help Halls, who was part of the furniture here from day one. Her approach to selling
with the production of our first independent issue last month. From contributors may be slightly unorthodox to some, but it’s safe to say the magazine wouldn’t
- some of whom donated their skills purely for the love of the title - to the old be where it is today had it not been for the great relationships Sarah has formed
publisher, Kelsey (who is helping with the transition period) and our long-serving with our advertisers for nearly 30 years. Well, that and the fact she won’t take no
(suffering - All) designer, Lorna who stepped up to assist with ad production for an answer. Does this mean the end? We hope not. So, we won’t say goodbye,
among other things. The magazine has always been about pulling together and because our door will always be open, however, this does mean we’re actively
working as a team - often with very little budget or resources. We’re hoping to looking for somebody to help out with ad sales, so please do drop us an email if
improve the latter going forwards, but pure enthusiasm is usually enough to get you think you’ve got what it takes. Sarah always said the mag sold itself, but…
us through. Well, I’ve totally run out of space here to mention what’s in the issue but if you
I don’t want to bore you too much talking ‘shop’, but this is your magazine, missed the cover then flip the page and all will be revealed. Thanks again for all
too, and it’s important you understand the title is far from being a cash cow. of the love. We coulnd’t do it without you guys. Do enjoy the issue…
Quite the opposite. New publisher, Jamie Orr didn’t jump onboard to earn a quick Elliott roberts, Editor-IN-CHIEF
buck, he did so to basically save the title. Needless so say, it’s vital in these early
days that we ensure Performance VW is sustainable.
In terms of running costs, everything has gone up over recent years, from
paper costs to distribution - everybody wants a piece of the pie. In order that
more money goes directly to us (OE Publishing) we need to cut out the middle
man as much as possible and for you to order your issue from us. Thankfully,
we’ve seen our subscriber base increase by almost 40% in the short time we’ve
been in charge, which is extremely promising. Ad revenue has also increased,
largely thanks to companies signing up for a 12 month period (rather than
sporadically). We are especially grateful to our new Performance Partners (all
listed above) who have signed up to our new print/digital packages that allows
them to showcase their brand, products and project cars across Performance
VW’s multi-media platforms.
While, touch wood, everything so far has been extremely positive, there has
been one sizeable downside to the acquisition. We made the difficult decision
to take advertising sales in house rather using the previous agency. Sadly, this
means that due to contractual obligations we have had to say goodbye to Sarah

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elliott Roberts (elliott@pvwmag.com) DISTRIBUTION OE Publishing LLC 2024 all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole
ART DIRECTOR: Lorna Mansford Seymour Distribution Limited or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the
SUB EDITOR: Tony Taylor 2 East Poultry Avenue publishers. Note to contributors: articles (words/photos) submitted
London for consideration to by the editor for publication must be the original
WORDS: Alex Grant, Bryan McCarthy, Dave Kennedy, Greg EC1A 9PT work of the author or photographer and not have been previously
Emmerson, Dan Sherwood, Graham Leigh, Elizabeth de Tel. 020 7429 4000 published unless made clear to us. Where photographs are included,
Latour, Krstof Heyvaert, Dinah Jean Volante www.seymour.co.uk which are not the property of the contributor/reader, permission to
reproduce them must have been obtained by the owner beforehand.
PHOTOS: Superfly Autos, Zach Robert, Dan Sherwood, Artem PRIVACY POLICY The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of
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January 2025 3
 U LIKBEE
IF YOS
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TO K E P TH E
ALIĵ V
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4 Performance VW
 FEATURES
008 FLOORED GENIUS
Laid eight inches lower than stock,
Gavin ‘Gavlar’ Dunbavin’s home-
built, body-dropped Mk1 Caddy is
a feast of fabrication with an
air-cooled surprise in the back.

030 NEW YORK GAMBLE

Back in the day, the only cars
producing over 700bhp were
lightweight racers found on
Formula 1 grids or drag strips.
Marquis Anderson’s Stage 3 RS3
demonstrates things have
changed somewhat since then…

054 TWICE AS NICE

After his first turbocharged engine
build blew up, Luke Doughty was
distraught, but rather than give up
on his dream of a boosted R32,
he doubled down and built the

଀
monster motor of his dreams.

062 THE PERFECT COCKTAIL

Sometimes the best things
happen by happy accident; whilst
bartender Nikita Kravchenko
wasn’t initially looking for a Mk2
Jetta, he took the plunge and has
blended up a punchy little number.
Join us for a taste…

54 068 SO FRESH, SO CLEAN

No matter how good this Mk1
Jetta coupe might look at first
glance, this is a build dripping with
details, and it just gets better and
better the deeper you dive into it.

068 CAR OF THE YEAR

68 Another year has passed and
another batch of game-changing,
rule-bending, boundary-pushing
VW and Audis have graced these
pages. But which was best? Well,
that’s up to you…

62
ƒBjœƒ
074 LOCK AND LOAD
Belgium’s VAG Nation Reloaded
has quickly proven itself as the

80 ‘go-to’ single-day event for those

searching for the best modified
metal around.

January 2025 5
Laid eight inches lower than stock, Gavin ‘Gavlar’ Dunbavin’s home-built, body-dropped Mk1 Caddy
is a feast of fabrication with an air-cooled surprise in the back. Words: Alex Grant Photos: Superfly Autos

T
he performance end of the back in the Volkswagen timeline – and things rebuild, it’s got more in common with a Beetle
Volkswagen scene owes a aren’t always as they appear. than a Golf.
lot to being able to mix and A large reduction in ground clearance rarely “The only original Caddy parts are the outer
match. With a layout that’s fails to grab attention at shows, but Gavin panels, everything else has been cut up,” he
barely changed between the “Gavlar” Dunbavin’s Caddy can stop even the tells us, calmly tucking into a still-steaming
Mk1 and Mk8 Golf, owners least car-minded high street foot traffic in its Greggs. “It’s body-dropped eight inches on
of the earliest water-cooled cars have gained tracks. Laid low enough that you’d need to a Beetle floorpan – the old 16-inch wheels
an ever-expanding choice of (almost) drop-in squat to see all four wheel bolts, it has the would touch the inner skin of the bonnet
hardware to bring them up to date. But, while sort of presence that almost involuntarily when it was aired out. There’s a lot of time
classic styling and modern performance are draws camera phones from pockets wherever and effort gone into this, and I’ve had to work
a match made in heaven, those who want the it’s parked, but the best parts of the build lie most of it out by myself.”
lowest lows may be better looking further beneath the surface. After a nine-year DIY It probably won’t surprise you to hear this,

8 Performance VW
but this ain’t Gavin’s first rodeo. The Caddy’s the time, so that’s what I wanted too, but they need to fret about cutting up a tidy example,
overhaul is rooted in a Saturday job as a were expensive. Putting a farm truck on the and it could do some of the donkey work
14-year-old, restoring, body-dropping and floor seemed like a cool idea.” at the start of the build too. Yes, if you’re
equipping classic cars (mostly Volkswagens) We’d be surprised if the previous owner wondering, you can get a Beetle floorpan into
with air and hydros, before going full time recognised anything other than the number the back of a Mk1 Caddy – and the right (rust-
after he’d qualified as a mechanic. Old habits plate. The Caddy had lived most of its life off riddled) donor was a lucky eBay find about an
die hard. Although he’s now earning a living the beaten track, came fitted with lamping hour from home. Kind of an ironic final haul for
working on aircraft, most of its garage gear (bright lights used to startle wild animals) the hard-working mini truck.
stablemates haven’t escaped some sort of for shooting out of the bed, and its burgundy Of course, there’s no straightforward way to
altitude drop during what became a lengthy bodywork had all the rot, dents and earth- pair a rear-engined platform with the silhouette
build process. filled cavities you’d expect after decades of of a front-engined shell, especially when
“I bought this car when was 17, as a little farm duty. It was a running, driving truck, but you’re also factoring a body drop into the mix.
project to improve my fabrication and welding long past the point of becoming a concours- The first step was measuring how those two
skills – there’s no better way to learn on a winning restoration. elements compare, before cutting the Beetle
car than messing up your own,” he laughs. For Gavin, though, it was perfect. Starting floorpan back to its spine (the central tunnel
“It was all air-cooled stuff I was working on at with a rough bodyshell meant there was no and gearbox mounts) and extending it to fit

January 2025 9
 "As the bed is a large part of the truck’s
overall length, there was even less
‫ܫ‬J]NGNQNY^YTLJYYMNXWNLMY

the Caddy’s wheelbase – which is around

240mm longer.
As the bed is a large part of the truck’s
overall length, there was even less flexibility
to get this right, as Gavin explains. “I’ve
extended mine just behind the handbrake.
If you extend the front axle forward then it
pushes everything else in the car backwards,
and the Caddy doesn’t have as much room
as a Mk1 Golf so the handbrake would have
been behind the bulkhead and I wouldn’t
have been able to move the seat back.
“This way the rear axle moves backwards,
the pedals stay in the same place, and
everything is in the centre of the cabin next to
me. You’ve got to think about this stuff before
you start cutting or you’ll make a massive
mistake, get it all painted and realise, ‘fuck,
I’m not gonna fit in my own car!’”
Everything attached to the spine was

10 Performance VW
fabricated by Gavin to match up with the
bodyshell, including bead-rolled floor panels
and a compartment behind the rear bulkhead
for the fuel tank, battery and other ancillaries.
With the engine at the back, the longer
wheelbase required an extended gear shifter,
clutch and throttle cables, while the pedals
were shortened to clear the steering rack – a
symptom of the body drop.
It takes a lot of engineering to get a car
down this low. The Limebug front beam is
eight inches narrower than a stock Beetle
item, mounted on custom chassis legs and
paired with drop spindles, which effectively lift
the mounting point for the wheels higher into
the arches. There’s enough clearance up front
to get full lock on 16-inch wheels with the Air
Lift Performance kit on full drop. As a bonus
of the re-designed layout, there was enough
space in the Caddy’s original engine bay for

January 2025 11
"All of the swages on the
tubs and the top of the buck are
the same as Volkswagen used"
the air tank. my bead roller so that I could make all of the them, a Type 3 fastback panel with a custom
Beyond the familiar air-cooled engineering, swage lines to the same measurements as the inspection cover offer easy access to the oily
though, he was flying blind. The Caddy shed old split screen and bay window campers,” bits, and those also took a couple of tries
around four inches of what had been the sills, explains Gavin. “All of the swages on the tubs to get right. Having realised that the Type 1
and the lower sections were then re-fabricated and the one that goes around the top of the engine would stick up out of the top of the
to bolt onto the chassis – just as a Beetle buck are the same as Volkswagen used. Most buck, Gavin’s swapped to a rebuilt Type 3
body would once have been. Most of the metal people probably don’t notice – I have had a 1,600cc with Weber twin 40 carbs and a late
below the swage lines had to be rebuilt by hand few say they recognise it – but I know it’s there Beetle gearbox using shortened axles.
to replace a mix of filler, cracked paint and and my brothers know about it too.” “I wanted it to be simple,” he tells us. “I
rust, while the exposed edges of the bed had a There’s more to that metalwork than know Beetles inside out, so I did the same to
lifetime of farm damage to iron back out. Every clever styling. With nothing but empty space my car. It means I can fix it easily if it goes
custom-made element was sympathetically and steering parts beneath the bonnet, the wrong. You can lift the whole body off to work
designed to look almost factory fitted – even if Caddy has extra vents cut into the inner on everything without it being in the way. Just
you can’t see it without a lift. arches supplying cold air into the tailgate unbolt it from the floorpan, disconnect the
“My brother machined me a special tool for and the new engine bay at the back. Above steering and you’re away. I didn’t skip any

12 Performance VW
corners, I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”
He’s confident in the quality of that
fabrication, too. The Caddy rolled into
Ultimate Dubs 2019 under a coat of primer,
only a few hours after completing an all-
nighter with friends to get it back in one
piece. It says a lot about a project when,
even before it’s been painted, there’s no
shortage of people looking to take on the
rest of the build.
“I was offered a sum of money for it at
Ultimate Dubs, and I was tempted. It would
have been a good deposit for a house.
But my Mum and Dad reminded me that I’d
spent six years doing the metalwork with my

January 2025 13
 "The only thing I
had to fork out for
was the paintwork"

brothers, and about all the late nights we’d

put into it. I felt bad, so I thought I’d better
keep it. I’m glad I did – it’s one of the best
things I’ve done, really.”
The upshot of getting the Caddy running
was Gavin had a few months to figure out how
the truck’s mad mash-up of parts co-existed
on the road. It spent summer 2019 getting
out to its first events, put in a shift as a
wedding car for his brother, then disappeared
for the finishing touches. Knocks, bumps
and rattles get a lot more difficult (and more
expensive) to put right after it’s been through
a paint booth – and that’s no DIY job either.
“The only thing I had to fork out for was the
paintwork,” he tells us. “I painted the chassis
myself, but the body was done at Classic
Works. The original plan was to go back to
the factory red, but I ended up going with
Manila Green instead – I love the colour and
Volkswagen used it on the Golf, but not on the
Caddy. They’ve done such a good job with it.”
Given the high-street-halting reception
behind us, it’s hard to argue with that verdict.
That newly painted bodywork is accented with
a few carefully chosen chrome trim items and
sits even closer to the tarmac than it did on its
first outing. The 16-inch 3SDM wheels it was
built on recently made way for a set of three-

14 Performance VW
 DUB DETAILS
ENGINE: 1600cc, air-cooled Type 3, rebuilt
and painted gloss black, twin Weber 40 carbs,
custom stainless exhaust, 1600cc Beetle
gearbox, shortened driveshafts, extended gear
selector, clutch and throttle cables
CHASSIS: 8x15” Image Billet 60 three-piece
split rims, 165/45 Nankang AS-1 tyres,Beetle
‘spine’ with extended wheelbase and custom
floorpan, Limebug 8” narrowed beam, Beetle
drop spindles, Beetle disc brakes, Air Lift V2 air
suspension, custom air tank
EXTERIOR: Eight-inch body drop with custom
tubs, engine bay and ancillary compartment in
the load bed, respray in Mk1 Golf Manila Green,
Volkswagen T1 Transporter fuel cap, chrome
side trim and door handles, custom tubs front
and rear
INTERIOR: Kirkey aluminium bucket seats,
custom brushed aluminium door cards,
shortened pedals, aluminium window winders
and interior door handles
SHOUT: Limebug, VW Heritage, Bugwelder,
Caddy Pan, Classic Works

piece, 15-inch Image Billet 60s tucked right up to do. Having set his mind on keeping the
into those bead-rolled wheel arch tubs. Caddy indefinitely, and with the hard graft out
The finish is just as impressive inside, and of the way, the next steps are evolution rather
almost all of it is on display. Gavin kept the than revolution. Despite the extent of the
original dashboard and Wolfsburg steering re-engineering involved, it’s surprisingly usable.
wheel, but little else. The brushed aluminium “It gets about six and a half inches of lift,
door cards were fabricated by hand using the which doesn't sound like a lot, but it’s enough
originals as a template and designed to match to go over speed bumps and stuff like that
to the Kirkey bucket seats either side of the comfortably so it's not too bad. It cruises at
Beetle’s spine. Who needs upholstery anyway? like 70-75 quite nicely, to be honest, which is
“Everyone asks what the seats are like to unusual. If it didn't drive nicely then I wouldn't
live with,” he laughs. “It’s so low that your legs be happy with it. It's got to be right.”
are flat, like you’re sat on the floor. That’s fine And it is. Mixing and matching air and water-
for 20 minutes or half an hour, but anything cooled Volkswagens isn’t easy, and it’s rare
longer than that and my arse is numb. I to find anyone willing to go ten tenths with the
might look into the cushions for them, but I’m conversion. But that nine-year commitment
thinking about changing the seats anyway – to a floored farm truck shows there’s value in
I’m not sure I like the big head rests anymore.” looking further back from time to time. This
Otherwise, he says, there isn’t much left one really is a match made in heaven

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QTSLJWYMFSYMFYFSIR^FWXJNXSZRG

16 Performance VW
 O U LIKE
Y
IF SCRIBE
SUB EEP THE
TO K M ALIVE
DR EA

°čţÎŅĵ
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INTRODUCING
APR STAGE Ƒ
POœERMAX
MQB/MQB EVO
APR is famed for it’s legendary Stage 3 (big turbo) upgrades for all the
great VW/Audi engines and its just announced the latest to the market. The

PRICE
APR Stage 3 PowerMax GT2563S Turbocharger System is intended to fit
the MQB/MQB Evo 2.0T Ea888.4 (289-333 PS) engine found in the Mk8
Golf R, S3, Arteon and many others. The best part of these systems are
that they’re intended to be a direct bolt-on upgrade that includes everything âƗƆŀŀţŀă
you need to transform your car, from the Garrett turbocharger, installation
kit and APR software upgrade. Of course, it’s always worth talking the
upgrade through with a local APR agent to ensure your vehicle is eligible.
Okay, that’s what you physically get in the kit but what sort
of power/torque gains can you expect? Are you sitting
down? How does 478-543hp and 409-435 ft/lb of
torque (depending on octane levels) grab you?
The kit is designed to maximise power with
just an intake and intercooler - it requires
no additional hardware.
It goes without say that APR's
calibration engineering team
dedicated months to fine-tuning
the Stage 3 Pmax engine and
transmission software to provide an
exceptional driving experience without
imposing undue risk on your engine's
lifespan. APR's calibration experts have also
integrated additional safety and protection protocols
into the ECU to guard against LSPI, knock, turbo shaft
speed, exhaust gas temperature, turbo discharge temperature,
exhaust back pressure, and fuel system limits. Basically, if you’re looking to
seriously increase power in your Ea888.4 without headache, then we can
think of worse routes to go down.
PRICE: $2699.95
CONTACT: goapr.com

January 2025 21
WHAT'SNEœ
HG-MOTORSPORT
POLO & GOLF SPOILERS
We’re used to HG-Motorsport producing pretty awesome
exhaust systems and downpipes, but after launching its
body kit for the Mk8 Golf last year, we know these guys
have great style, too. Fresh off the press are these
deep hatch spoilers. The first is for the Mk8 Golf R, GTI
& Clubsport (£140.00) and the second for the Polo 6C
GTI (£198.00). Both have a real OEM+ look to them.
Constructed from a high-quality ABS material these spoilers
have been carefully engineered in an advanced 3D construction.
They’re also patented and TUV approved, too!
No cutting or bolting is required, these are applied using
double-sided bodywork tape making it an effortless upgrade.
It’s worth noting these are delivered unprimed in a white finish,
so will need painting or wrapping before fitment. Check out the
website below as HGM also produce a number of other spoiler
applications which we’ll bring you news about soon.
PRICE: From £140.00
CONTACT: hg-motorsport.de

HPA MOTORSPORT DOœNPIPES

HPA have always strived for perfection and when it comes to its Cell High Flow metal cat. The Argon back-purged TIG welds and CNC
downpipes they make no compromises. Its MQB Performance cut and formed lower hanger brackets give a real custom feel and
Downpipes are all precision designed and made in-house by its you can choose from either a ceramic coated finish ($999.00) or not
fabrication team and, as you can see here, the finish really is as good ($799.00)
as it gets. PRICE: $799.00
The MQB (FWD) 1.8T & 2.0T downpipe you see here has a 75mm CONTACT: hpamotorsports.com
diameter, is made from T304L stainless steel and comes with a 300

CKœƗƉSKID PAN
Running low is great, but it’s always best to protect
your engine from ‘sumping out’ and these new
Skid Pans from CKW2 will do that. They don’t just
look great, they will save your bacon, too. Offered
in steel or aluminium, these bolt on plates need
no modifications and will fit Mk2/Mk3 Golf/Jettas,
plus Corrados and Passats (up to B3.5). Even
better news is they will work with 2.8-3.6 VR6
conversions, plus the 2.0 and 1.8T. The pans come
with all mounting hardware, are easy to remove but
also feature oil drainage access that means you
can drop your oil without removing the pan.
PRICE: $400.00
CONTACT: ckw2.com

22 Performance VW
 Got a product, service or offer you want our readers to know about?
Email: info@pvwmag.com with all the details and we’ll make it happen

MILLTEK COILOVER
Xƒzj~ˆěƒˆ¤X) COLLECTION
ˆ
FXzFz)ƒ Did you know that KW Automotive GmbH
Looking to upgrade the exhaust on your Mk8 GTI and in Germany actually owns KW, ST and
want to let everybody know about it? Well, Milltek recently AP suspension brands? These three
released an Oval Jet ‘Clubsport-style’ tailpipe option for suspension brands offer upgraded
its 80mm OPF/GPF-back exhaust systems. Finished in damping and spring solutions to suit
either Polished Stainless or Cerakote Black the tailpipes all budgets and applications. Whether
will set your car off from the crowd. The Particular Filter you’re after a lowering spring solution
Back systems start at around £1200.00 and increase on a budget or a money-no-object race
slightly depending on the tailpipe you choose. It’s worth application, these guys have got you
noting that every system is designed, developed and covered. From colour-coded, personalised
hand-finished in its UK manufacturing facility. coil springs to OEM-look spring/damper
PRICE: From £1200.00 coilover combos, head over to the website
CONTACT: millteksport.com below for more details.
PRICE: Various
CONTACT: kwsuspensions.co.uk

MEGUIAR’S HEAVY DUTY

TRIM RESTORATION
If you own an VW/Audi with textured black trim then
chances are you’ll be only too familiar with the fact
the colour can seriously fade over time due to UV
light. Thankfully, Meguiar’s new Heavy Duty Trim
Restoration Kit (available soon) can, you guessed it,
restore the faded gr trim back to a rich black finish.
This three-part kit includes a Cleaning Solution,
Protective Trim Shield, and Trim Shield Applicator Pad.
A trim applicator is also included in this car detailing
kit to help ensure an even application for the best
performance of the trim sealant.
PRICE: TBA
CONTACT: meguiars.co.uk

RML ŏƆŰƉˆ)
~%~jzƒ
Retro Modern Line (RML) has made a name for itself by producing
upsized versions of some classic OEM wheels. Last month was
over-sized Snowflake wheels and this month its a pre-order on these
stunning 16” Teardrops. You may remember a number of classic VWs
came on 14” Teardrops back in the day, so these 16” have got to be
the ultimate OEM+ style upgraded.
Available as a 7x16” or 8x16” (both in Et35) the wheels feature
a true directional designing, meaning if you run a staggered set-
up then all four wheels will be unique. Flow formed and with a
machined face and charcoal tears, these wheels come with
matching centre caps and are limited to just 500 wheels. You
can expect delivery in Spring 2025.
PRICE: £244.00
CONTACT: rmlwheels.com

January 2025 23
 41 YEARS OF ENGIN
Milltek, the leading aftermarket exhaust company for all things VW Audi Group, has been at the forefront
of the industry for over 41 years. From the iconic VW Golf Mk1 GTI to the latest Golf Mk8.5 GTI, Milltek
has it covered (and everything in between). With options to suit every owner, we offer the largest
range of TÜV/‘e’ mark approved products, OEM+ classic-style systems, valved systems with
optional remote control, and interchangeable tips available in five finishes on many systems.

Designed, developed, and manufactured by teams of true automotive enthusiasts

across our facilities in the United Kingdom, Nürburgring in Germany, and
Knoxville, Tennessee in the USA, every system is designed & crafted
from the ground up for its specific vehicle by engineers with
decades of experience.

Milltek has always been an innovator in the performance

aftermarket industry, continuously developing new products
and updating existing ones to meet the evolving demands of
vehicle owners. Our latest innovation is the V2 system for
the Golf Mk4 R32, enhancing the iconic "Wookie noises"
enthusiasts love.

Our products are available through an extensive network

of dealers in over 96 countries worldwide. We build to
stock, ensuring systems are immediately available from
large inventory holdings at each of our three global
headquarters. All of this is backed by our original purchaser
lifetime warranty.

Visit our website to explore our range of products and find your nearest dealer.

www.milltekcorp.com www.millteksport.com
NEERING EXPERTISE
TORQUEBACK
DAVID
KENNEDY PVW tea m for aro und a de ca de. We originally interview
Dave was a vital part of the the job because he was wearing questionable cowb
ed him in
oy boots.
get may have
a pub and he nearly didn’t jec t car wa s pa rke d ou tside and saved the day. He l?
ra pro if the feeling was mutua
Thankfully, his stunning Bo rea lly miss him. We asked him
sev en years but we
been gone

26 Performance VW
 for the mag?” Elliott
ancy writing something

F
mo nth s back. “Life after
asked me a few
or something?”
PVW and modified cars,
se thre e lett ers have been a
P.V.W. Tho
redible 27 yea rs now. In 1997
thing in my life for an inc gig as Robin
In 2007 I got the
I bought my first copy. I was ma de red undant
in 201 7
to Elliott’s Batman, and And , her e I am ,
publisher.
when the mag got a new a tow n just south of
ting this in
seven years later, wri
(to take the run of sevens
London called Sevenoaks
thing further). (not
a cupboard I have three
Buried in the bottom of ing alm ost all of
es contain
seven, thankfully) big box r the
ated alongside Elliott ove
the 140-odd issues I cre ond -in-c om ma nd at the
I was sec
near-as-damn-it decade
the world.
coolest car magazine in
dragged out, I’m right
When those boxes do get ts
s I wrote and photoshoo
back there. All the feature ing of getting their
bee n dre am
for people who had eting
n they got the keys. Me
car in the mag from whe sin ce day
usly subscribed
people who had religio The
. See ing the ma g in shops all over the world.
one
ies
up-and-coming compan
I
genuinely grateful that
gave their new product
a
"You have
to be prepared
spot in the News pages.
The places I went, the
people I met, and the for what happens
if you have to
stories that will never be
printed in these pages.
‘Dave from PVW’ was
who I was for a massive
break up"
chunk of my life. Elliott,
g,
Churchy, shows, travellin hoots,
sna ppe rs, pro jec t cars, deadlines, photos
stress, at tho se tim es
I look back
the readers - all of it – and I don ’t half miss it
fon dne ss.
with so much pride and strous
broken and financially disa
sometimes – constantly
project cars and all. e
ng, and you will never hav
“Find a job you enjoy doi quo te from
,” is the famous
to work a day in your life did
rk Twa in. Wh at he did n’t say though, or if he
Ma was tha t whe n you do
it down,
nobody thought to write love , with people you
ut thin gs you
a job you love, abo if you
pared for what happens
love, you have to be pre
have to break up. at a
good. I’m a copywriter
These days, things are gro up. Stil l wri ting
t car par ts
multi-national aftermarke gro wn-up ones in a
par ts the n, just
about cars and car
grown-up job.
dified cars? I’m not sure
So, life after PVW and mo t
sea rch history is as full of projec
there is one. My eBay – Mk 1 Aud i TTs and
it ever was
car window shopping as t-ifs.
current four-wheeled wha
air-cooled Beetles are the um n, I’ve had a bit of
ting this col
And, while I’ve been wri maybe
, so… after all this time
an idea for a second one e little lett ers
tho se thre
I’m not totally done with

January 2025 27
TORQUEBACK
G REG EMMERS ON
‘THE DUBSTER’
Not jus t fam ed for his religious attire of combat trousers
and Caterpillar
good at spotting
, fou nd ing ed ito r, Gre g Emmerson was also pretty
boots ection.
publishers in the right dir
new trends and steering

28 Performance VW
 We let some of the
XHJSJ XRTXYNS‫ܫ‬ZJSYNFQ
UJTUQJXF^NYQNPJNYNXѰ

).
– apologies to the owner
t new cha pte r cover car ever made it first issu e, I scr ambled
can for the
ith PVW entering a signifi ed if I With a looming deadline ser ’s Oxf ord
Elliott ask ing on Mike Fra

œ in its incredible history,

could explain how the ma
the first place. To be hon
decades have been a blu
r but the re wer
g came about in
est,
e und
the
oub
pas
ted
t thre
ly some
e
to find suitable cars, land
Edi tion Mk2 and
others. I ensured both had
windscreen, establishi
Ian Brim

ng
elow’s Deutchcar 16v, am

a
the sig
tren d
nat
tha t
ure
still
PVW
see
stic ker
ong
on the
ms quite popular
time, it was simply a way
to
landmarks that led us to
this moment.
ived to this day (just a bit - All). At the suc ces sfu l.
tom Car magazine. I arr and that proved
For me, it started on Cus get the new title noticed but the
nce and nev er left (sounds familiar - Ed). If I’m hon est , I wan ted Mike’s Mk2 on the cover
on work exp erie imp res sive ang les – som eth ing I
his driving licence to an er
One of the writers lost a pho tog rap her hadn’t shot any cov i gre en ma chine
Editor Tony Thacker too
k again! But Ian’s Aud
blood/alcohol reading and hou se, I lea rne d ensured never happened sing le hea dlig hts , eyebrow,
school publish ing le wip er,
chance on me. As an old erts. Equally ticked all the boxes: sing system (which was
ry asp ect of ma gaz ine production from exp t big bum per s, 17” wheels and a sound
eve ro-s tyle ” mo vem ent tha
the new “Eu still a thing in 1996).
important, Tony tagged exploring
onstrated the benefits of I’m incredibly proud of wha
t
was emerging. He dem cin g air-
ing I took to PVW, embra do with PVW as
"It was so far
as, whi ch is som eth we wer e abl e to
new ide of great
cooled, Audis, rat-look,
etc.
publication a team, with a number
removed from
Car . It was an em erg ing unt il Ellio tt arrived
I then headed to Fast ds, people involved
ow ben ch testing of ported hea lea ve (Oi! - Ed). We
the concept in my
Dav e Viz ard ’s fl and refu sed to
typified by er
ple understand where pow were always enthusiast
s and wanted
intakes, etc. It helped peo ds and
head that I asked
n evo lved from hea ativ ity and
mag soo to highlight the cre
was developed but the ing . As Editor, I pushed the ing scene,
and chi p tun ity of the VW tun
to start again"
cams into turbo kits ingenu
a hig h con ten t of dyn o and track to ack now ledge
d id
boundaries but maintaine GTI, Cosworth, RS Turbo,
not being afra
It’s part of
was the hey day of the bui lde rs on the frin ge.
testing. It eloped a
and more. We also dev what made the mag so
popular, and
205 GTI, BTCC, rallycross Car , whi ch foc use d on the e important in
led Top I want to say it bec am
spin off imaginatively cal Ws, etc. VW scene,
gra le, STI , Evo , BM the dev elo pm ent of the s to
Cosworth, Inte for Ma x Pow er, and I left cre ativ ity and encourage owner
irat ion al ture the
Our work provided insp onl y Tec hnic al Edi tor. helping to nur
perhaps its try something different.
to join this new mag as gets were; venturing first into
there and the bigger bud went to where the cars
I led the product testing s pea king We also
rs were particularly goo
d at setting
impressive scale, perhap Europe, where the builde
allowed us to reach an tha t inc lud ed rac e ; par ticu larl y the Mk 3, which
coilover test trends for each new mo
del
with a multi-car Mk2 GTI tes ting the ss issue whe n we fi nall y fou nd the
ents and pro drivers birthed the Mk3 Madne
teams swapping compon me nt and tran sitio n to T&A new car s.
cars. However, the toxic
environ best way to modify the
US, where turbos and
prompted me to look else
where. We then travelled to the
lish er of Per form anc e For d
e the nor m. I think those trips also
That’s when I met the pub superchargers wer rs
d it from the fou nde r uence owners and builde
Magazine. The compan
y had acquire
pro vide sho wed PVW was able to infl and bol ste r the
y needed somebody to better cars
but was floundering. The in each region to create ne. And that
ing the inte rvie w in the local pub, I rdin ary tale nt within the global VW sce
direction and dur
ma g, sinc e the ext rao
m, ridicul ous ly small budgets
m for a good VW was despite a tiny editori
al tea
mentioned there was roo stment. Imagin e wha t we could
e incredibly dull. and a general lack of inve
existing publications wer , the re was sile nce unt il ds!
k to me have done in the right han
After promising to get bac e Ford gs for the same compan
y,
asked to lead Performanc I continued to launch ma
months later when I was anc e VW . The wea sel BM W, whi ch had a sim ilar vibe
d Perform including Performanc e
and the imaginatively title on and formance GTI for the Fre
nch
had taken my presentati to PVW. We also did Per
(we’ll mention no names) he did n’t hav e the visi on. for the gro win g Japanese tuning
, exc ept hatchbacks, and Ban zai
tried to launch it himself of VWs for around eight years unt
il I
and featured hundreds ne. That was my home
Having owned, modified nee ded a sce the n Eur ope an Car
knew the British scene traveled to LA to run eur
otuner and
on Fast Car and Max, I lds the PVW
irin g, cre ativ e pla tfor m for the incredible bui ma gaz ine s. I bel ieve most people could see
more insp ary Bin i You saf ticularl y.
It was the legend influence in eurotuner par
that were cropping up. ignoring the so proud of what
lain ed tha t the existing VW mags were It’s bee n an incredible journey and I’m
who exp
t Asi an ow ner s sim ply tt was abl e to con tinue, and now
observed tha we achieved, what Ellio
emerging Brit-look and out We sts ide ?!
ure its futu re. The re’s still so much
– imagine a world with Jamie has arrived to sec
weren’t being featured to wo rk giv ing a more the dig ital rea lm, and so many cars
y, I set scope for growth into
When I joined the compan d whi le bei ng sho wn eve ryb ody ’s support – we
purposeful direction to
Performance For
hed a few to cap ture, that I’m sure – with PVW . I’ve been
mag. They’d photograp ther 28 years of
their first attempt at a VW tinc tive ’ Rhu bar b can look forward to ano ber of arti cles over the
d a cover with a ‘dis a sm all num
feature cars and create the con cep t delighted to contribute tinu e to be part of one of
so far removed from sincerely hope I can con
& Custard GTI, but it was keep as yea rs and
to start again. I tried to our greatest achieveme
nts
in my head that I asked sib le (but I don’t think the
inal car s as pos
many of the orig

January 2024 29
Back in the day, the only cars producing over 700bhp
were lightweight racers found on Formula 1 grids
or drag strips. Marquis Anderson’s Stage 3
RS3 demonstrates things have
changed somewhat since then…
Words: Bryan McCarthy
Photos: Zach Robert

T
he road to a modified ride is stay the way it is,” 32-year-old Marquis a Corrado wing that once you hit 50 MPH the
different for every enthusiast. Anderson tells us. “That didn’t last long at all.” wing goes up. We used to go to Waterfest and
Some have clear signage, while Before we dive into the deep end of the Show & Go.” His dad also had additional MK3s,
others are unpaved and rutted present, let’s first wade around the shallows of a Passat Wagon, an Audi S4 and a Mk2. They
with potholes. There aren’t the past. As with many modified map holders, still occasionally go to shows together, the last
coordinates or an address Marquis’ love for automotive personalisation being Cult Classic a few years back, despite a
you can just pop into Google Maps and have it was courtesy of his father, who also had a Tesla Model X on his drive.
direct you straight to Slam Town. Occasionally, hard time keeping a car stock. Marquis started his VW scene association
a new car is acquired with the intent to stay on “My dad had me around cars all my life and over a decade ago with a 2002 MK4. Prior to
the stock path, avoiding any detours that would going to all the shows, so I just adapted to getting ringed by Audi, he also heavily modified
result in unintentional additives. it,” Marquis tells us. “He had a Mk3 that was a 2008 GLI, the booted version of the Mk5
“When I went to pick up the car, I told my around for a while, a Windsor Blue Jetta with GTI. “My first mod on my GLI was Solo Werks
dad I would not modify the car and it would H&R lowering springs, FK Edition wheels and coilovers,” he recalls. “Then I upgraded to Air

30 Performance VW
Lift. [For wheels] I started off with Rotiform “I needed to own one. I sat down with a sales at another one at a Brooklyn Jeep Dodge
1-piece wheels, then went to CCW Classic rep who told me they were getting stuck at Chrysler dealership. At first when I got to
5s and then went to BBS RFs.” The car also the ports and that they will be $80-90k. I said the dealership, they did not want me to test
benefitted from a Thunderbunny front bumper, I would never own one.” Little did he know that drive the car because they thought I was not
baby blue wrap, and a handful of performance in less than a few years time, the motor on serious and would not be buying the car. The
parts. It was quite the looker, until a blown his GLI would go kaboom, forcing his hand to supervisor was like ‘it’s an RS3, we know what
motor sidelined it for a bit. It’s since been start looking for that unicorn. we got’ but I came all the way from the Bronx
relegated to daily duties. I can think of worse Marquis continues his tale of tribulation to Brooklyn and the sales guy allowed me to
ways to bang around the boogie town. turned triumph. “I had a good amount of test drive it. I was a little nervous to get on it,
“I used to work for Greenwich Honda and money saved up. I went to an Audi dealership but he told me to get on it like it was my car.
when the 2017 RS3 first got announced it was in [New] Jersey and test drove one and So I got on it. That ended up being the one.”
coming to the States, I went and looked at completely fell in love. I know they say don’t Jokes on them as not only did he buy the car,
one at Greenwich Audi,” Marquis reminisces. go with your first choice, so I went and looked but he was able to talk a bit off the asking

January 2025 31
price as well. This was December 11, 2019. known on Insta, was ready to immediately around. The windshield also got some 20%
The car had barely 8k miles on it. walk back his assertion that he wouldn’t sunglasses to reduce the glare and up the
Proud of his negotiating skills, Marquis change a thing this time around. “When cool factor. There were some fender gaps
and his dad hit the road. “It was nothing but I got home that’s when the ideas started that needed to be minimised as well. The
smiles the whole ride home from Brooklyn flowing. I already knew the potential these car was sold with HREs in place of the
back to the Bronx.” Not only that, but after cars have power wise.” Going from a stage factory rollers and everyone knows the
seeing it in person, his father’s attitude 2 APR 2.0T in the GLI to a 400-horsepower unwritten rule is always suspension before
towards dropping that much coin on a car 5-cylinder turbo wasn’t much of a difference wheels. That transposing of steps was
changed. He even advocated the decision in power, but there was far more oomph to rectified with a class act air ride installation.
to another unconvinced family member. “He be uncorked. “Zach Wilson from Bag Riders reached
went from ‘oh you are spending too much But before any #moarpowah hashtags out to me knowing me from the MKV and
money to buy this car’ to calling my mom and were tapped, some visuals needed to be how nice my GLI was. He said he ‘Marquis
telling her that it’s a really nice car.” addressed. The fishbowl effect was negated if you plan on bagging the RS3 I’ll give you
So now, handsomeboyvegas, as he’s by the application of 5% ceramic pro tint all a deal that you can’t refuse. Contact me
when you are ready.’ I lied and told Zach I
don’t think I’ll be modifying the car and after
that the rest was history.”
The handling of the air ride install was
tackled by Misha aka rat4life. But what you
see here is not how is started. Oh no, this is
the third incarnation of the tanks and lines.
“We’ve done the trunk setup on the RS3
three times,” admits Marquis, "just because
every year I like to change it up and every
year I want a new look on the car.”
During the first chapter of its air ride
life, back in July 2020, Marquis took the before Marquis arrived at the decision Paint correction and ceramic coating,
opportunity to acquire additional parts. “I to power forward. “I got a Unitronic MPI performed by Tint Max in Long Island,
ordered a carbon fibre steering wheel from @ upgraded kit (injectors), NGK spark plugs and ensured the RS3 would be photogenic for at
carbon_freakz_ on Instagram and added my the Fuel-It! ethanol content least five years.

"That’s when
twist to it. The Audi TT RS and Audi R8 are reader. That’s when the And so Marquis enjoyed
the cars that come with the Drive Select and fun began, allowing me to his mobile artwork
push to start buttons on the steering wheel.
But not only do those cars have them, my
run E85 fuel.” When asked
if he performed any of the the fun began, through 2022. “Everything
about this car,” he
RS3 has them as well. So I did a carbon fibre
wheel with push to start, Drive Select buttons,
work himself, his rather
candid response was allowing me to recounts, “the sound,
driving it and making other
LED display screen, Lamborghini Urus carbon
fibre paddle shifters, and Alcantara sides with
refreshingly honest. “I’ve
done none of it. I don’t
run E85 fuel" people happy. Getting the
compliments and people
a matching Alcantara air bag cover with grey have the patience. I would just appreciating the build
stitching.” It’s a pretty nice place to rest your get frustrated and break things.” It wasn’t long makes me feel good. Although,” he clarifies, “I
hands, to say the least. before before he slid the cursor over to stage built this thing for me.”
It can be speculated that the motorsport 2 and clicked ‘apply,’ or something like that. The RS3 collected golds, trophies, and
inspired tiller steered the project towards Around the same time, the HREs were top marks from a variety of shows, including
a more performance oriented destination. replaced with three-piece Rotiform LSRs, Top 25 at Cult Classic and a VAG Fair win. It
Regardless of the reason, it wasn’t long sitting pretty under the Nardo Grey paintwork. was a booth car for Rotiform at L’oe Show in

January 2025 33
 impending storm. “I was told when I went stop engine / low oil pressure. I immediately
stage 2 E85 it was a possibility I could blow pulled over and stopped the engine. I was
my motor,” says Marquis, almost feeling the on the side of the road when the VolksNation
wincing through his words. “But then I was guys Joel and the crew came to the rescue.
told that since I don’t beat on the car or daily They jacked the car up. All of my oil was
it, my chances were slim. But it happened. coming out the bottom of the car. There was
2021 and 2022. Unitronic hosted him at their “October 30, 2022 was the worst day of so much shit going through my mind I didn’t
Waterfest booth. He’s also been to countless my life owning the car,” Marquis says matter know what happened. I knew I didn’t crack
cars & coffees. The Audi even made it to of factly. “That was the day that I blew my the oil pan because I didn’t hit anything.”
Alpine VAG Fair in Helen, Georgia and Ocean motor with 25k miles on the dashboard. Once the dust had settled and the
City Maryland’s H2Oi, albeit it was trailered That day I was heading to FCP Euro Cars oil stopped flowing, three holes were
to the far off lands. “I don’t like long drives and Coffee at Lime Rock Park. I was literally discovered in the block. Apparently a rod
and don’t like driving long distance on 3-piece almost there, about 20 minutes away, when had a corn allergy. This was confirmed by
wheels,” Marquis admits. “And at the time I was the motor blew. bits of metal on the ground under the car.
full E85 until Unitronic came out with UniFLEX. I “My dad was in the passenger seat so I This catastrophic incident took the car off
was one of their beta cars to run it.” didn’t get on the car at all. I felt a jerk on the the road for the next few months.
This is the point in the audio book where a steering wheel, then a message on the dash “That’s when it was back to the drawing
change in the narrator’s tone alludes to the saying drivetrain malfunction, followed by board. I said since I blew the motor, let’s do

34 Performance VW
this the right way this time around. I went from
stage 2 to stage 3 [with] Iroz new 750HS
With a fresh motor properly broken in by
Josh, Marquis was back on the show circuit,
DUB DETAILS
hybrid turbo, Iroz fuel pump, Iroz upgraded enjoying his car as intended. He was again a ENGINE: 2.5T five-cylinder with
flywheel, Iroz catch can and DSG catch can, booth car at L’oe Show in 2024 and scored JE pistons, Integrated Engineering
pistons, rods and here we are today.” Josh Best Audi at Tuner Expo in Philly. There is rods and carbon fibre intake, Unitronic
from TCR Performance aka Tin Can Racing certainly no stopping him for 2025, either. 4” turbo inlet, front mount
and Performance was enlisted for the motor New wheels might be in the cards. “I was intercooler Stage 3 ECU & TCU tunes,
rebuild and it took approximately ten weeks going to go with BBS E88s, but I got a little MPI injector upgrade kit, UniFLEX
start to finish. discouraged, being told that the wheels kit , dogbone mount and 4 bar TMAP
While the motor in Marquis’ car has not yet aren’t street friendly. Especially living in the sensor. Iroz 750HS hybrid turbo,
been on a dyno, similar setups matching his Bronx and the roads we have, although I don’t catless downpipe and mid pipe,
modification list has resulted in a brutal corral daily drive the car.” He might also want to brushless low pressure fuel pump,
of 764 crank horses on E85. “It feels like a extract more power from the motor, but that upgraded flywheel, IMS oil pan spacer,
roller coaster,” he says with a smile. “That would require a full frame turbo and possibly DSG catch can, oil catch can, NGK
rolling anti lag is no joke!” Although after one sleeving the block. “But that will definitely race spark plugs, Fuel-It! E85 sensor
engine failure, I think it would be prudent to mean spending more money. The goal right CHASSIS: Rotiform three-piece LSR
only activate it occasionally. Use it wisely and now is to save and purchase a house.” Just wheels. Air Lift Performance gas and
at your own peril, warns Unitronic’s website. make sure it has a garage, Marquis socks, Air Lift 3p management, two-
piece Neuspeed rotors

"Similar setups matching his EXTERIOR: Carbon fibre duck

mods have resulted in a brutal

bill, Horsch carbon fibre front lip, side
skirts and rear diffuser. Front end and

corral of 764 crank horses"

all carbon pieces wrapped in Xpel
INTERIOR: Custom carbon fibre
steering wheel with push to start and
Drive Select, Carbon fibre centre
console overlay, custom hardline trunk
setup
SHOUT: Everyone who was involved
in my build. Thank you to Misha @
rat4life (my air ride installer) who
became a brother to me, Air Lift,
Rotiform, Bag Riders and Zach Wilson
because without him the RS3 wouldn’t
be bagged. Horsch Carbon, Integrated
Engineering, NBP Nick for always doing
amazing work with my wheels, Elliott
and Jamie for the dream of being able
to get my car in the magazine. Tint
Max Manny and Steve for doing my
PPF and paint correction. Foreverzro
Zach for taking these amazing pictures.
Unico Detailing for letting me use their
shop. Josh over at TCR Performance
for doing my motor build and building
my car. Plus, my personal company
(Carbon Freaks) for carbon fibre
steering wheels

36 Performance VW
MODELBEHAVIOUR
DIFFERENT
STROKES
This 1:18 scale Mk5 Golf may have come BEFORE
with a Zender bodykit and Gulf livery out of
the box but Philip Stewart had plans to put
his own personal spin on it.

S
tewart’s model started out as a the paint. “It kept chipping off as I was trying had thrown in a box a few months back. “I
1:18 scale Norev Gulf livery car. to rebuild it, which was a little bit frustrating remembered it had a Zender bodykit, then
“It did have the Zender bodykit so I put everything in a box and forgot about it looked at my Vectra and a plan was hatched.”
which I really liked. I thought it for a while.” “I bought the paint from a local shop and it
had real potential, but I didn't Here’s where the story gets interesting. was close enough to the colour of the Vectra.”
think the Gulf livery suited the Golf.” “Back in August I flew to Newcastle and Everything happens for a reason and Phil says
The car also came on black Zender wheels bought a real Vauxhall Vectra that came with he’s pleased now that the red shade hadn’t
which weren’t doing anything for Stewart, so a Zender kit. The Vectra is green and has worked out in the first place. “From the start,
would soon have to go. Rotiform CCV wheels, which explains the I knew I wanted to slam the model and stick
“I actually bought the model second hand theme for the Golf model. a set of Rotiform on it with a dish.” Phil was
with no box and one mirror was broken off, ”According to Phil, there currently isn’t actually aware of a guy in Germany called Bryan
but luckily it was still inside the model.” Initially, a Vectra available in 1:18 scale, but he who he met through Facebook: “Bryan has a 3D
Phil painted the car red but he had issues with remembered about the Golf model that he printing model spares company called ‘Scale

38 Performance VW
 From one-off scale models to complete model car
collections, we’ll be highlighting some of the best.
Please email us if you have a car or collection
you’d like to share: info@pvwmag.com

Owner:
Philip Stewart
Location:
Northern Ireland
Model:
1:18-scale
Norev Mk5 Golf
Age: 42
YouTube:
RetroPhil82

3D-printed Rotiform
wheels were the
hardest part
to paint
Shell actually went
red before Philip went
down the 'green' route

Car Dubs 1:18’. I knew he had the Rotiform BMI £10 just so I could rob the door handles for I like it all. I would actually like to find a nice
wheels available and I thought they'd give the the Golf. By luck the Mercedes handles fitted example of a V5 Bora as I would love to
look I wanted.” perfectly.” prove they can be a really good looking car if
According to Phil, the Rotiform BMI wheels When it comes to full-size cars Phil’s not done correctly plus the V5 sounds awesome,
are quite tricky to paint due to the different just a VW fan, he also likes Japanese, Italian, too.” Be careful, Phil. Once that Veedub bug
colours required. “I sprayed them silver to French and Swedish cars. “You name it and bites it’s a hard habit to break!
begin with, then painted the chrome lips
with a Molotow chrome pen. Finally, I used a
cocktail stick to paint the black centres and
again with a more fine Molotow chrome pen
for the studs. The finishing touch was Rotiform
waterslide decals from sdmodelcartuning in
the Holland.”
Phil did debate getting a RHD dashboard
printed, which he previously did with a Mk4
Golf model build. “I just got impatient and I
wanted to see the model back together since
it had been in pieces for nearly two years,” he
admitted.
“I’m pleased to say that I stripped the
model, painted it and rebuilt it myself. I did
accidentally melt the plastic door handles
when I was stripping the paint, so I bought a
junk Mercedes A Class model from eBay for

January 2025 39
SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM


~Ɖj8ƉˆB)Ɖ¤)
~

Another year has passed and another batch of game-changing, rule-bending, boundary-pushing
VW and Audis have graced these pages. But which was best? Well, that’s up to you…

O
kay, it takes something really special to meet the grade 24 which are in the running for our coveted Car of the Year award!
when it comes to getting a feature slot in Performance VW Some might say whittling them down to 24 was a difficult job, and
in the first place. Getting short-listed to enter our Car of to a degree it was. However, once again we’re going to put the real
the Year competition? Well, that’s even harder. pressure on you guys and ask you to choose just one. That’s right,
Out of all the cars we featured in 2024 - from light-weight track day not your top three, but the one car you would most like to drive off
Mk1s to 1200hp drag racers - we’ve short listed those down to just into the sunset in…

-4ȓ84*38*7
ȓIțțȳLȠȳFMȳ WTVIȳȳȆWMQTțI/YWȳIQȠMțYW MRJS%TZȅQȠKGSQȅMȳL(48=MR
ȆSYVWYFȖIGȳțMRIȠRȵȳLIRYQFIVȠRȵRȠQISJȆSYVIRȳVȆMRȳLIFSȵȆ8LȠȳƶWMȳ

aĞžžåÛƐ²ĻƐĞžžƣåůƐåįįØƐÆåƐžƣŹåƐƓŇƐžƣÆžÏŹĞÆåƐƓŇÛ²džƐĞĻƐŇŹÛåŹƐƓŇƐĻåƽåŹƐ
ķĞžžƐ²ƐÏŇŤdžƐ²ď²ĞĻƐ²ĻÛƐĚåįŤƐīååŤƐƓĚåƐÛŹå²ķƐ²įĞƽåƐĞĻƐƓĚåƐŤŹŇÏåžžũƐ

ŏšƉI
b
~¤ƉěƉ%)bbFƒƉ:)XUƉŠbXš ƗšƉ8)~
~¤ƉěƉX))ƉœFXƒjbƉŠUš
`ĩƗƉƒF~jjƉŏţîˆ `ĩŏƉ:jX8ƉƗţljˆƉ
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So far as Sciroccos go, Dennis’s Mk2 1.8T from Holland is about as good Lee’s Berg Cup-inspired Mk1 is, in a word, bonkers! Wide-track, big-turbo
as they get. Air ride, BBS RS, CAE shiter, Digifiz dash, smooth bay and 387bhp Audi S3 2.0T and full Haldex all-wheel-drive system in a stripped
detailed 1.8T swap. Job’s a good’n! out and strengthened shell.

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42 Performance VW
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ƑšƉ`
~BƉěƉ:’~
¤Ɖ¤FX%F«ƉŠbXš ĊšƉ`
~BƉěƉ~jƉB
«)XƉŠUš
`ĩƁţăƉ:jX8Ɖ~ƉƗţ㈠ŏŀƁĊƉz
ƒƒ
ˆƉXƒ¢Ɖ™î
Another awesome Dutch contender in this 950bhp Mk7.5 Golf R running a ‘You never feature proper performance VWs.’ ‘You only feature show cars.’
tuned 2.5T DAZA motor, Recaro Podium carbon buckets and RacingLine Yeah, about that. Rob’s space-framed Mk1 Passat runs a twin-turbo LSX
big brakes. V8 and is fast… very fast!

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January 2025 43
SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM

ăšƉ
z~FXƉěƉ8~
bUƉƉjXU)~ƒƉŠbXš ƆšƉ
z~FXƉěƉˆF`Ɖ%bbƉŠUš
`ĩŏƉ:jX8ƉFˆűÚƉŏƆƴ `ĩƗƉ:jX8Ɖ™~ƆˆƉ
›%
Can you say lightweight? Frank’s awesome little Mk1 track day start tips Remember when a 200bhp MK2 VR6 cut the mustard? Well, times have
the scales at less than 700kg meaning his 206hp Polo 16v motor is more changed and Tim’s Mk2 boasts no less than 500bhp 1.8T power and full
than a little bit peppy! all-wheel-drive, too. Madness!

ƁšƉ`
¤ƉěƉX))Ɖ%jB)~ˆ¤ƉŠUš îšƉ`
¤ƉěƉI
UƉƒjœ%)bƉŠUš
`ĩƑƉ:jX8ƉƑţƗƉƗĊƴƉ™Ɔ `ĩĊƉ:jX8Ɖ~ƑƗ
Lee’s 90’s-styled Mk3 3.2-litre 24v V6 screams fun. From its red neons, TT On first impression, Jack’s R32 looks to be a clean example simply
filler cap, US-spec parts, period-style graphics and a whole host of other cool lowered on wheels. Then, you spot the side mouldings have gone and
parts, this was one unique Mk3. that’s just the start! This is one very custom Mk4 Golf!

ŀšƉIb)ƉěƉB
~~¤ƉBj%B
ƉŠUš ŏljšƉIb)ƉěƉˆBj`
ƒƉjœ«
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`ĩƗƉ:jX8ƉŏţîˆƉ
œ% zjXjƉ~)
%™
bƉŏƆƴƉ
Harry’s Mk2 Syncro boasts a 525bhp big-turbo 1.8T swap with all the Breadvans were never meant to be this cool, but Thomas has made it
trimmings, plus Quaife six-speed box, Recaro A8s, DIGIFIZ cluster, raised his life’s mission to ensure they are. Custom wide body kit, crazy wheels,
shifter and rear cage. detailed 16v swap an much more in this one.

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44 Performance VW
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ŏŏšƉIX¤ƉěƉ:j~%
bƉBF::FbƒƉŠUš ŏƗšƉIX¤ƉěƉ
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`Ɖƒ`FˆBƉŠUš
`ĩŏƉ:jX8Ɖŏţîˆ ŀljljĘŞƉ
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What a build. What a guy. What a car. Gordan’s Mk1 ticks a lot of boxes. Nine-hundred horsepower. Let that sink in for a bit! The RS3 is quick out
A near 300bhp 1.8T is housed in a super smooth bay, while a stripped of the box, but imagine what Adam’s feels like. It’s lighter than stock, too,
interior gets all the right bits. thanks to all that carbon!

ŏƑšƉ
:ƒˆƉěƉ:)~
X%Ɖj~
bƉŠ
bš ŏĊšƉ
:ƒˆƉěƉ)bƉ`
)ƉŠUš
`ĩƁţăƉ:jX8Ɖ™~Ɔˆ ŏƗljljĘŞƉƗţljˆƉ%~
:ƒˆ)~
So, the Mk7.5 R’s 2.0T four cylinder not got enough character for you? Wait, that’s 1200hp from a 1.8T four cylinder? Okay, it has been stroked to
Don’t worry, HPA has the answer with its 2.5 (DDKA) VR6 turbo conversion. 1988cc and, as they say, fully built - good for it to run in the mid 8s over
What a transformation! the quarter mile!

ŏăšƉ
:ƒˆƉěƉ
b%~)Ɖb)%)~ˆƉŠ%š ŏƆšƉƒ)zˆ)`)~ƉěƉ~j¤Ɖ™)~))UƉŠbXš
`ĩƗƉ:jX8Ɖ™~Ɔˆ `ĩƗƉ:jX8ƉƑţljƉ™~Ɔˆ
Anything with a slightly lifted bonnet usually means business and this 12v Another MK2 VR6 turbo, but this one is even prettier. With a built 3.0 and
VR6 does just that. With a G30-900 turbo, plus 02M six-speed box and similar turbo, plus a six speed box and Quaife diff, its got to be equally as
LSD, it’s sure to put the power down! rapid, too, if not more so.

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January 2025 45
SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM // SUBSCRIBE: PVȓMAG.COM

ŏƁšƉƒ)zˆ)`)~ƉěƉ~F
bƉI)bƒ)bƉŠƒ
š ŏîšƉjˆj)~ƉěƉ
bFUƉz
ˆ)XƉŠ
bš
`ĩƆƉ:jX8Ɖ~ƉœF%)j%¤ `ĩĊƉ:jX8Ɖ~ƑƗƉˆ~j
If ever there was a Golf that ticked all the boxes then this is it. One-off While the Mk4 R32 left the factory with 240hp, we all know it should have
widebody, bagged, split-rims, tuned motor and custom retrimmed interior. had 700 and that’s exactly what Anik’s turbo example is pushing out thanks
What a car. to its HPA FTX700 conversion.

ŏŀšƉbj™)`)~ƉěƉ~jƉ~ƒƒjƉŠƒ
š ƗljšƉ%))`)~ƉěƉ`
ˆˆƉB
z%)X
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š
`ĩƑƉ:jX8Ɖ
~FjƉƗţăƉljƁU `ĩƆƉ:jX8Ɖ:ˆFƉƑţƆƉƗĊƴ
Rob’s Mk3 Cabrio is the perfect example of a home-grown build. Not only So far as Mk6 Golfs go, Matt’s 3.6-litre 24v V6-swapped example has
did he gather up all the rare parts for the build, he did 99% of the work, got to be up there with the best of them. Smooth bay, 20” OZs, ten-pot
too. That motor, though! brakes, S&P shifter and much more.

ƗŏšƉ%))`)~ƉěƉ:
~¤Ɖb%%ƉŠUš ƗƗšƉ%))`)~ƉěƉI
ƒjbƉIjBbƒjbƉŠƒ
š
j~~
%jƉƗţljƉƗljƴˆƉ
›% `ĩŏƉ:jX8ƉBěXjUƉˆ~j
With over 600hp from a tuned 1.8T and all-wheel-drive, Gary’s custom Jason’s Swallowtail tribute is a real labour of love, largely because of the
Corrado has got to be the ultimate track day weapon. Oh, did we mention Callaway-turbo propelled H-block motor tucked under the hood. Those
the added aero, too? three piece steelies are on point, too.

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46 Performance VW
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Influencing
the scene
since 1996!
Performance VW is now
independently owned by
true enthusiasts!

Since its launch back in 1996

Performance VW has been
instrumental in shaping the
global water-cooled scene as we
know it, while also helping
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performance brands.

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have the perfect audience in place. Let us help you to reach yours…
 ty was
rg ed en gi ne bu ild blew up, Luke Dough
After his first turboc
ha
up on hi s drea m of a boosted R32,
er than give otor of his dreams.
distraught, but rath ilt th e m on ster m
d bu
he doubled down an d photos: Dan Sher
wood
Words an

T
here’s a well-known saying his automotive back catalogue, he
that goes: “If at first you had originally been on the lookout for
don’t succeed, try and try an Audi S3 8V saloon, however, the
again.” And while this may Golf was an itch he felt compelled
indeed be sage advice to to scratch.
many, it can be a little hard “I loved the sound of the R32’s
to swallow when you’ve sunk thousands of naturally aspirated V6 engine and
pounds, countless hours, and numerous had always fancied owning one,
scraped knuckles into converting your car’s but just never got around to it,” he
engine from a 250bhp naturally aspirated V6 shrugs. “So when I couldn’t find a
into a 600bhp turbocharged tarmac terrorist, decent S3 I wanted for the money,
only for a minor mishap to cause it all to I decided to go down the VW route
go up in smoke. That’s the kind of pain that as a bit of a stop gap.”
would make many lesser men crumble and The car he ended up buying wasn’t
take up a less stressful pursuit… like free- actually for sale at the time, but the
climbing or death diving. Only petrolheads specification of a late-model with
with the very strongest minds and bodies DSG gearbox, Recaro wingback
could even attempt to dust themselves off seats, KW coilovers and a Milltek
and go through it all again, especially with cat-back exhaust was exactly what
the spectre of the same disastrous end result Luke had been looking for, so he twisted
looming large in their subconscious. However, the owner’s arm with an offer he couldn’t
this was exactly the predicament that faced refuse and the menacing looking machine
35-year-old Luke Doughty when the engine of was soon gracing the Doughty driveway.
his MkV Golf R32 came to an undignified end. “Even though I had modified most of my
“The fault was traced to a small mapping previous cars, I originally had no plans to
error that meant the rear three cylinders modify the Golf, as it was just supposed to be
were running lean and overheating,” Luke a short-term ride until I could afford an S3,”
remembers with a sigh. “It ended up blowing says Luke. “However, as usual, I just couldn’t
the head gasket and melting the pistons. It leave it alone,” he laughs.
was not the day I wanted, that’s for sure.” As the owner of D&K Autos, a family-run
Luke’s story with the R32 began back in garage founded by his father, Luke is an
December 2020. As a longtime fan of experienced mechanic that joined the firm over
German performance cars, with a list of both 15-years ago, so knows his way around a car’s
Audi and BMWs finest hits already filed into oily bits, especially one of the VAG variety.

54 Performance VW
January 2025 55
“We’re not VAG specialists, but the majority of the front and four-pot calipers at the rear. R32s that had been converted to run
our work does tend to be on vehicles under The original rear calipers were kept to retain turbochargers,” grins Luke. “It’s far from
the VAG group umbrella, “Luke explains. the OEM handbrake mechanism, while a set a simple process, but the power gains are
“And we are especially experienced with of 8x18in Sparco Asseto Gara wheels were massive and the sound is immense! I also
the overhaul of the modern breed of dual fitted as the original factory wheels would no liked the idea of setting myself a challenge,
clutch gearboxes, so I was obviously pretty longer clear the massive calipers. because, although I’m a mechanic by trade,
confident working on my own cars and had “The big brakes were originally just for the I’d never converted an NA car to forced
carried out countless modifications over the look, but the increased stopping power soon induction before, or built a forged engine.”
years, but they were largely limited to bolt-on became essential when I started tuning the Luke continued to mull over the plan in his
upgrades.” engine,” Luke says. mind for the next few months, weighing up
The R32 started out in a similar vein, with Having so far resisted the urge to mess with the pros and cons of using the money he was
Luke adding aesthetic improvements such the 3.2-litre V6 motor, mainly due to the saving for the S3 to put into a blown engine
as an Ingo Noak front lip, side skirts and rear large cost and complexity of trying to extract build, but he kept putting off the decision.
diffuser, an ECS Tuning spoiler extension a decent pony increase from the naturally “I’d always wanted an S3, as it had
and tinted rear lights. He also swapped the aspirated lump, Luke was drawn to the gains everything I wanted straight from the factory,
standard stoppers for a Brembo big brake that would come with forced induction. but at the same time, they’re not exactly
kit with drilled discs and six-pot calipers at “I’d seen loads of videos on Youtube of unique,” he explains. “There are very few

56 Performance VW
turbocharged R32s in the country and I
liked the idea of building something that
stands out from the crowd.”
He eventually put an end to his petrol-fueled
procrastination when he spontaneously drove
the car into his workshop at the garage and
removed the engine and gearbox.
“At this point I had none of the parts I
needed for the build, but knew if I didn’t
make a start on it, I probably never would,”
he chuckles. “So with the engine out on the
bench, I started to strip it down so I could
no longer talk myself out of it.”
The V6 now down to its bare components,
Luke was committed, and set about
ordering what he needed for the build,
including a full set of JE forged pistons, a

January 2025 57
 forged crank from an older 3.2 VR6 engine,
King Racing bearings and ARP fasteners
and a set of Supertech dual valve springs
with titanium retainers.
“Building the forged engine was a steep
learning curve, but through watching online
videos and working things out as I went
along, I managed to get the motor built
and ready for boost,” Luke beams. “This
was originally provided by a GTX3583R
turbo mounted on a log manifold with a
Turbosmart wastegate and blow-off valve.”
Fuelling for the increased airflow was
provided by six Bosch EV14 1000cc
injectors fed by dual Walbro 450 fuel pumps,
while the whole shebang was controlled by

58 Performance VW
an ECU Master EMU Black standalone ECU. to make: either buy a new car, or rebuild it scheme at this point, with various interior
“With everything up and running the engine bigger and better than before,” Luke says. trim parts wearing the yellow hue including
was mapped remotely by a tuner who had “Obviously, I chose the latter.” a half rollcage and carbon Corbeau bucket
experience with these conversions and And we’re glad he did, as his murdered-out seats with yellow stitching, but now he used
everything seemed great,” Luke recalls. “It monster, bedecked in black and yellow, is a the accent to make the muscular motor pop,
made 600bhp on the dyno and was ballistic!” seriously cool piece of kit. painting the rocker cover, inlet manifold and
Having more than doubled the engine’s power “The block was fine, but was sent away to huge metallic snail to match.
output, Luke was keen to experience the car’s be re-bored to ensure the cylinders were With the engine now built and looking the
full potential so began putting it through its perfect before the new oversized forged part, Luke shifted his focus to the car’s
paces on Santa Pod’s quarter mile strip. Aside pistons were installed with stronger X-beam transmission. With even more power on tap
from lunching a few stock DQ250 six-speed conrods,” says Luke. “The heads were then from the bigger turbo, he knew there was
transmissions, all was going well and Luke uprated with Schrick camshafts while a larger little point retaining the original gearbox, as
managed to enjoy a year of forced induction Pulsar G40-1150 turbo was mounted on a it had already proved insufficient to deal with
powered performance with the car, but that’s tubular sidewinder exhaust manifold with twin the torque that was generated with the old
when disaster struck. Turbosmart wastegates and screamer pipes.” setup, so a swap to the stronger seven-speed
“When the engine blew, I had a hard decision Luke had already started his wasp-like colour DQ500 box from the RS3 was required.

January 2025 59
 DUB DETAILS
ENGINE: 3.2-litre, six-cylinder, 24v BUB engine,
forged crank from older 3.2 VR6 engine,
JE forged pistons, Bespoke Partz X-beam
conrods, King Racing XP Series rod and main
bearings, ARP head and main studs/nuts,
Schrick cams with Bespoke Partz exhaust VVT
delete plate, Supertech dual valve springs and
titanium retainers, Jaaatt Engineering billet
oil filter housing with thermostatic external
oil cooler, PSP sidewinder manifold with 4"
downpipe into 3.5” system, Pulsar G40-1150
turbo, Turbosmart dual 45mm wastegates
into screamer pipes, heat management by
Funk Motorsport, Turbosmart Race Port BOV,
Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator, Nuke
Performance surge tank with dual Walbro 450
fuel pumps, Teflon braided lines, CTS Turbo
billet fuel rail, ECU Master EMU Black standalone
ECU, R8 coil pack conversion, Bosch EV14
1000cc injectors, Nuke Performance catch can,
BST short runner inlet manifold, Speed Factory
racing intercooler, 1000cc water/methanol
setup. AWD, 7-speed RS3 DQ500 conversion
with Jaaatt Engineering bell housing machining
and billet brackets, Bespoke Partz DQ250 To
DQ500 billet gear selector adapter and transfer
case support, Audi RS3 transfer case and drive
shafts, uprated Haldex rear diff clutches
PERFORMANCE: 700bhp+, 0-60 mph
3.2secs, 60-130 mph 6.2secs, 100-200 kph
5.4secs, ¼ mile 10.9 at 133mph
CHASSIS: 8x18” Sparco Asseto Gara wheels
in satin black with 235/40 ZR18 Michelin Pilot
Sport 5 tyres, KW V2 coilovers, all bushes
changed for polyurethane with a mix of
Powerflex and Strongflex bushes. Brembo 18z
6-pot calipers, Brembo 350mm drilled discs,
Brembo pads (front), Brembo 4-pot calipers,
Brembo 310mm drilled discs, Brembo pads
(rear), Goodridge braided lines all round, Epytec
dual rear caliper brackets, OEM rear caliper still
in place for handbrake
EXTERIOR: Ingo Noak front lip, side skirts and
rear diffuser, ECS Tuning spoiler extension,
Skyline mod tinted rear lights, custom tinted
front lights with AW Tuning headlight intake,
Maxton Design bonnet vents, Laser Studio
custom front and rear R32T badges, Team Heko
wind deflectors, quick release front bumper
INTERIOR: Custom Corbeau Pro Series X
seats with carbon kevlar shells, Planted seat
“The RS3 transmission was a big investment, achieving the car’s full power potential.” subframes, custom Vibe Belts “off white”
both in terms of money and the effort Even with the limited rev range, Luke seatbelts, SW Motorsport bolt-in half rollcage,
needed to install it, but it has transformed estimates the current setup, mapped by Carl track door cards in gloss black, retrimmed
the car,” Luke says. “It’s not only much Smith, is making a conservative 700bhp, so Royal steering wheel, Innovate oil pressure
stronger, but the ratios better suit the engine once the ‘box is sorted, there could easily be and temp gauge, all other gauges on Android
now its turbocharged, making cruising on the an additional 100bhp in the bag, which would screen, meth tank/pump, Nuke performance
motorway a lot more relaxing than before.” be totally insane! surge tank and battery cut off all mounted in the
To get it all to work, the gearbox had to be So is Luke glad he gave his Golf a second back, rear cargo net, Xtrons Android head unit,
sent to Jaaatt Engineering in Rochford, who chance to live the boost life? Or does he still JL Audio speakers and tweeters
machined the bell housing before a Bespoke crave a ride with a four-ringed badge? SHOUT: All my staff at D&K Autos who helped
Partz DQ250 to DQ500 billet gear selector “It’s been a long, painful and expensive out and had to listen to me moan when things
adapter was fitted along with an Audi RS3 journey, but this second time around the car went wrong, Carl Smith for tuning the car, The
transfer case and drive shafts. has turned out even better than I hoped for,” VR6 WhatsApp group for info and help, Bespoke
“Although it works brilliantly, the gearbox Luke says proudly. “There’s no way I’d swap it Partz and Jaaatt Engineering for parts, Pro Race
is still a work in progress, as it won’t rev for an Audi now, this is a definitely a keeper!” Engineering for engine machining and most of
beyond 6,300rpm before shifting,” Luke By daring to be different and doubling down the engine internal parts, everyone that shows
explains. “And considering the engine’s when all looked lost, Luke’s proved that love both online and at shows
redline is 7,400rpm, we’re still a way-off second chances can really pay off

60 Performance VW
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THE

Sometimes the best things happen by happy accident;

whilst bartender Nikita Kravchenko wasn’t initially
looking for a Mk2 Jetta, he took the plunge and has
blended up a punchy little number. Join us for a taste…
Words: Graham Leigh Photos: Artem Chernous

I
t’s always a bit of a rare treat when book a ticket. Like many of us, Nikita got a sold to fund an ICE install for the Golf. Nikita
we get to feature a Jetta, extra taste for petroleum as a young boy, hungrily was issued with his driving licence at 18 and
special this time as the 31-year-old swotting up on the facts and figures of various was finally able to drive the Golf that he’d been
bartending owner hails from the marques, drawing his favourites and playing beavering away on for the last couple of years.
Republic of Belarus in Eastern Europe, with his toys. It’s only natural that his taste As insurance premiums eased slightly
more famous for its rich culture of had a Wolfsburg bent, as at 16 he started with the passage of time, Nikita sold the
art and literature than it is for churning out to work on the Mk2 Golf that had been in his Golf and was considering a GTI variant as a
rad VWs. If this second-generation saloon is family since 1994. He was gifted also a VW peppier upgrade. Also making the wish list
anything to go by though, perhaps we should Santana by his grandfather at 16, but this was was VW’s Corrado and Audi’s coupé. Just like

62 Performance VW
concocting the freshest cocktails though, the time but it was a factory GTX 16v, was down to a bare shell and then sandblasted
sometimes a key ingredient will take you by in good condition and already had a few before being lovingly painted by Nikita’s friend,
surprise. “A friend of mine suggested that I nice bits like the JOM Blue Line coilovers, Dmitriy. Although ‘LY3D’ Tornado Red was
check out a Mk2 Jetta online. Helpfully it was MegaSquirt injection and custom exhaust.” used as a starting point, all involved agreed on
in Belarus and looked good, and seeing it The road to Jetta perfection was a gradual a custom mix for the radiant sedan. The sea
sitting in a carpeted heated garage is always one, with component upgrades and parts of red is punctuated by an inspired collection
a good sign of a charmed life. A deal was hauls playing their part over time but it was in of period treats including the G60 arches,
done and I purchased the car for $5,000 the winter of 2021 that things were stepped black-grilled Rallye front end, Auto Plas slatted
back in 2014. This was strong money at up to the next level. The car was stripped rear screen cover, privacy glass and an oh-so-

January 2025 63
DUB DETAILS
ENGINE: 1.8 20v turbo BAM engine with APX turbocharger, cold intake, uprated intercooler, PRORAM air
filter, custom downpipe, performance cat, stage 2 tune, transmission: Bullet Performance strengthened
clutch with VW T4 2.5 TDI lightweight flywheel (from 14kg to 7kg)
CHASSIS: Stepped-up (15” up to 16”) 4x100 BBS RS with 3.5” Radinox lips. KW V1 coilovers,
polyurethane bushes, X-Garage custom adjustable strut brace, JOM rear adjustable strut brace, a
bespoke X-Garage rear uprated anti-roll bar, standard 16v front anti-roll bar, custom camber shims (-2.5°

"Stepped-up 16"
front, -4.5° rear. Floating centre caps, Hankook WCI Z1 tyres, 280 mm VW Golf Mk2 G60 ventilated front
discs, Hawk performance HP+ pads, carbon fibre cooling ducts, 224 mm stock VW Jetta GTX 16V rear
discs, VW Passat B3 VR6 vacuum brake booster
EXTERIOR: Body stripped, sandblasted and repainted in a custom red, G60 arches and trim, Rallye front BBS RS now have
end, smoked Hella Red rear light clusters, Bonrath single wiper conversion, shaved engine bay, tinted
windows, Auto Plas slatted rear screen cover, custom active rear spoiler with manual and automatic
a girthy helping of
adjustment, custom rear diffuser
INTERIOR: Recaro sports seats from Peugeot 207 RC in leather and Alcantara, Corrado steering
dish thanks to 3.5”
wheel trimmed in Alcantara and perforated leather, dashboard, centre console and door cards custom
trimmed in black leather with red contrast stitching, complete sound insulation package, VW Golf Mk4 GTI
Radinox lips"
Anniversary gear knob, black leather gaiters with red contrast stitching, VDO auxiliary gauges, new lights nineties Bonrath single wiper conversion.
in the instrument binnacle and control panel, illuminated custom ‘GTX 20vT’ script in the heater control The body-coloured boot spoiler can be
panel, black Alcantara headlining and pillars, door handles trimmed in leather and Alcantara. red carpet adjusted both electronically and manually
set and floor mats, diodes fitted throughout, ICE: Alpine CDE 185-BT head unit, Focal Polyglass 130VB and works aggressively with the custom
component mid-bass speakers, Alpine S-S10TW front tweeters, a Vibe Powerbox 100.4M-V0 four-channel rear diffuser, a view that many on the road
amplifier, a Kick Angry Ant 1.1000 monoblock amplifier, an Edge Stage 10” Sub, 2GA Deaf Bonce copper are no doubt used to given the increase in
wiring, Klotz cabling and Neutrick connectors. horsepower…
SHOUT: First of all, I would like to thank my best friend for his great help in building the project - Egor, he Whilst the original 16v KR lump’s 139hp
helped me a lot. Friends from Orsha, Eugene and his father, Dmitriy who painted it in the winter of 2021 is entertaining enough, the 270hp hit from
and in general, all the guys who helped me in any way work on the Jetta! the stage 2-tuned 1.8T BAM powerplant
that now occupies the shaved ‘bay hits like

64 Performance VW
the hardest of liquors. The set-up includes an the car for a couple of years on the JOM The interior continues the black and red
uprated intercooler, PRORAM air filter, and a coilovers, he then fitted custom springs theme, with the former being the more
custom exhaust downpipe and sports cat. The (16kg front and 19kg rear). The considered dominant of the two hues for the cabin
transmission is bolted to a Bullet Performance set-up now consists of KW V1 coilovers, space. Sumptuous black leather adorns the
strengthened clutch with a T4 2.5 TDI flywheel polyurethane bushes, an X-Garage front dashboard, centre console, door card and
that has shed half of its weight and now tips custom adjustable strut brace, a JOM rear seat bolsters of those comfy yet supportive
the scales at 7kg. We are pleased to hear adjustable strut brace, a bespoke X-Garage Peugeot 207 RC Recaro front pews, with
that the braking system has been enhanced rear uprated anti-roll bar, the standard 16V black Alcantara being the material of choice
to deal with the hike in horses, with Nikita front anti-roll bar, and custom camber shims for the seat centres and headlining. The use
plumping for 280mm G60 front discs and (-2.5° front, -4.5° rear). This allows the killer of red contrast stitching gives the interior
Hawk Performance HP+ brake pads, aided rolling stock to achieve an on-point tuck. a high-end feel and complements the body-
by carbon fibre cooling ducts. Jetta GTX 16v Nikita has plumped for a set of stepped-up coloured rear cage and custom red carpet
224mm discs are fitted out back and a Passat BBS RS which now have a 16” diameter set. The Corrado steering wheel has been
B3 VR6 brake booster is suitably beefy for the and a girthy helping of dish thanks to those custom trimmed in perforated leather
speed-scrubbing task at hand. 3.5” Radinox lips. Floating centre caps and and Alcantara and, along with the trio of
Getting the right stance was a key Hankook WCI Z1 tyres are the icing on the VDO auxiliary gauges and custom subtle
consideration for Nikita. He had enjoyed show-ready rim-flavoured cake. illuminated ‘GTX 20vT’ script on the heater

January 2025 65
control panel, walks a special tightrope that monoblock amplifier, an Edge Stage 10” Sub, custom magic. In this day and age, it’s rare to
is somewhere between OEM+ and artisan 2GA Deaf Bonce copper wiring, Klotz cabling see such a complete show car; from the Rallye
restomod. It not only looks and feels like a and Neutrick connectors. front end, to the shaved ‘bay housing an angry
million dollars, the ICE install means that it There’s a lot going on with this Jetta: old BAM, to the carbon fibre touches, to the BBS
sounds great too. Up to five layers of sound and new parts, OEM and custom, slammed wheels, to the bespoke cabin, to the Auto Plas
insulation ensures that the shake, rattle and but fast…it wouldn’t necessarily work on rear screen louvre, to the boot build, all the
roll aren’t literal and the handsome Alpine CDE paper but sometimes it’s all about the way back to the tip of that active rear spoiler,
185-BT head unit controls an install which blend. Perhaps it’s no surprise that it’s been it has a colour-coded flow and confidence
includes Focal Polyglass 130VB component expertly shaken, not stirred by a professional which, as you can see on these hallowed
mid-bass speakers, Alpine S-S10TW front bartender. This is a build that combines quality pages, creates a charm that you can’t help
tweeters, a Vibe Powerbox 100.4M-V0 four- workmanship, some choice OEM parts, some but fall in love with. A gradual project since
channel amplifier, a Kick Angry Ant 1.1000 rare accessories, and just the right amount of 2014, Nikita is finally ready to enjoy the fruits

66 Performance VW
of his and his close group of friends’ labour.
“We’ve constantly changed and improved
it, and now it's pretty much complete,
I’m looking forward to just enjoying and
maintaining it and being able to pick up the
keys on those sunny days. I feel a modified
car is a reflection of the owner’s soul and
I’m delighted with how this has turned out,
hopefully spreading the car culture word
in my country.” If Nikita’s drinks are half
as good as his Jetta, we can’t wait for an
invite. Cheers!

January 2025 67
 I
It was 45 years ago that VW decided that
a small, Golf-sized saloon was the order of
the day and essentially grafted a boot onto
the hatchback body to create the Jetta. It
turned out to be a smart move, with the
Jetta becoming the best-selling European
car in the US, Canada and Mexico, as well as
proving popular among buyers in Europe, especially
in the UK, Germany and Turkey. Much like its Golf
counterpart, the Jetta was offered with both four
and two doors, and Eetu Tirronen's (@eetutirronen)
beautifully boxy build is the latter, and it really shows
off the Mk1 Jetta at its very best.
While there is an awful lot to love about this
build, what we especially love is that while this
is an incredibly clean car that you can instantly
appreciate, there are layers upon layers of details
that only reveal themselves as you delve deeper and
deeper into the build. This is the kind of project that
comes about from a serious passion for a car and a
keen modder's eye that recognises that the devil is
in the details.
Eetu himself is almost as interesting as his car. “I'm a
structural designer and project manager at our family
company, which was first opened and run by my
grandfather from 1989 until 2002 when my father
and uncle took over, and now I'm the third generation
from our family working in the company,” he tells us
as we chat. But what we're really here for is the car
stuff, and while Eetu's first car was a Ford Fiesta, it
was quickly replaced with a Golf, and he is very much
a VW man through and through.
“I’ve been interested in VWs since my youth when
I was, I think, 13 years old,” Eetu recalls, “when
I was doing some after-school work at our family
company. I saw one of the guys who still works in
our company, he had this super stunning Mk4 Bora/
Jetta, with wild spec, and it was super clean with
Etabeta Turbo wheels. It was a VR6 4Motion Bora
with a beige leather interior, US-spec front and rear
bumpers etc. I didn’t know anything about those
back then, but later on, I was curious and talked
about it and vibed about it. But, firstly and foremost,
what makes VWs so special for me is the timeless
design these cars have and also that feeling they
give when you mod them to your liking and to your
vision,” he enthuses, and he's preaching to the choir.
“My first VW was the Mk3 Golf GL that replaced
my Fiesta, and I bought it because it was pretty
affordable back then. It had the 1.8 fuel-injection
engine, and five-speed manual gearbox, two doors
and a stunning 'Baby Blue' colour. It was perfect
for a 19-year-old kid who wanted to start his own
VW journey,” he grins, and with that car, he also

SO FRESH,
started his modding journey. The Golf soon ended
up seriously slammed on TA Technix coilovers over
Borbet T 17s with stretched tyres, and Eetu hasn't
stopped since.

SO CLEAN
“I've had a bagged Mk5 Jetta, with 19” BBS GT004
wheels, Audi TT RS brakes and Mk6 GTI golf interior
– that was the first car I highly modded,” smiles Eetu.
“It was a 1.6 Comfortline Jetta, so the front axles
needed to be changed to get the brakes to fit, and I
also added a Mk6 GTI steering wheel and Mk6 Golf
R side skirts to it. Then, after that, I had a B7 Passat
No matter how good this Mk1 Jetta coupe might look at Saloon with similar mods but changed the brakes for
a bit bigger ones from an Audi R8 and made it look
first glance, this is a build dripping with details, and it like a GTE Passat, which never was available as a
just gets better and better the deeper you dive into it. B7. I also had some Audis as secondary cars for my
wife, including a B5 Saloon and S3 Saloon,” and his
Words: Elizabeth de Latour Photos: Jape Tiltinen current line-up features his daily, a Mk4 Jetta/Bora

January 2025 69
DUB DETAILS 1.9 TDi 4Motion, and this rather special Mk1
ENGINE: 1.8T 20v AUQ with stainless steel downpipe and exhaust manifold, 2.5” stainless steel exhaust Jetta 'Coupé'.
with single Martelius silencer, Epytec engine and transmission adapters, TFSI coil packs, Bosch injectors, “The Mk1 Jetta had been a dream of mine
homemade bigger intercooler and boost pipes, new An6 fuel lines, new AEM fuel pump, Turbosmart blow- pretty long,” Eetu tells us, “I think from 2013
off valve, SAI EVAP PVC delete. 02M six-speed manual gearbox. Power: 210whp I saw a few stunning ones here in Finland and
CHASSIS: 8x15” (front) and 8.5x15” (rear) BBS RM012 wheels, fully polished, 2” (front) and 2.5” (rear) from videos from Wörthersee, etc. I finally had
Radinox lips, yellow centre caps and gold hardware, 165/50 (front) and 185/45 (rear) tyres, Air Lift a chance to get my hands on one in 2019
Performance air suspension with 3P management, front C-notch, poly bushes throughout, uprated front right before my wedding,” he grins. “I found
and rear anti-roll bars, front cross support brace, Wilwood four-piston calipers (front) and Mk4 GTI calipers this already drivable, 1.8T-swapped one, which
(rear), G60 discs (front and rear), Wilwood master cylinder was kinda rushed together. I found it online,
EXTERIOR: Full respray in Rallye Yellow, chrome Porsche handles, chrome trims, wiper arms, fuel cap and it was not far away from my home, 150km
and mirrors, clear front indicators, US-spec Mk1 Rabbit GTI front vent windows, Happich rear pop-outs, away. I thought it would be pretty solid, but it
new bumpers, new Hella front and rear lights was heavily rotten, and soon I found out that it
INTERIOR: Original LX seats, Mk1 GTI steering wheel retrimmed with red stitching and red centre stripe, needed a lot of welding and panel changes,”
Black Forest Industries red leather gear knob and leather gaiter with red stitching, Mk1 dash with Mk2 says Eetu with a grimace, but that wasn't
cluster and switches, drilled window winder handles, Pioneer head unit and uprated speakers, homemade enough to put him off buying his dream car.
boot build with black fabric trim, single air tank and compressor setup, hidden subwoofer and battery “I built a rotisserie and decided to do a
SHOUT: My wife Jonna – she was so patient when I had long nights while making this dream car complete restoration and include some
possible. Aapo Keskinen for helping with fabrication work and teaching me to weld and putting everything strengthening elements to the chassis because
together. Niki Sairanen for helping to figure out the wiring and electrics and some other things here and I knew it would stay 1.8T-swapped and get
there – his knowledge is outstanding. Fame Wheelworks for polishing my RMs and CDLC.Co for making some small power upgrades.” And, beyond
the best events there are in Finland and also supporting me highly all the time, and everyone else who has sorting the major issue of rust, Eetu had a
been helping and inspiring me during all these years solid plan in mind for the rest of the car. “I had

70 Performance VW
planned to fix the things I didn’t like about the Eetu's vision for this Jetta involved air, but an “I already had a set of BBS RMs because I've
car, find a suitable interior for it, and respray awful lot is going on behind the scenes that been collecting classic two- and three-piece
it in a different colour, II had already planned you can't see, and it all contributes to making wheels since 2013,” grins Eetu. “I thought I
for it to be Rallye Yellow. I already had a set of this Mk1 drive better than it ever has done in could get a set of BBS RSs, but they are more
BBS RMs, which I then widened with new lips its whole life. “I fitted Air Lift Performance air common than RMs on Mk1s, so I decided to
to fit perfectly, and also knew that it has to be suspension with 3P management, and I chose fully polish them, add 2” front and 2.5” rear
bagged,” and the end result is simply stunning. to bag the car because the ride height is not Radinox outer lips from Felgenfuchs, and also
It's impossible to start anywhere other than ideal due to the 1.8T oil pan being so deep, and some golden valves and bolts to them. And
this Jetta's exterior, because that bold, bright it’s the lowest point on the car. I also wanted they look insane on the car with the chrome
paint just slaps you in the face, and it ensures it to be close to fender-to-lip fitment while details on the body,” he enthuses, and we can
this Mk1 is the centre of attention wherever it parked, so there are not many other choices,” only agree. The RMs were a fantastic choice
goes. “I wanted this car to be yellow before reasons Eetu. Air-ride means he can keep the for this build, and the fully polished finish ties
I even bought it,” chuckles Eetu. “I already sump out of harm's way while driving while also in perfectly with the chrome details around the
had a vision of a yellow Mk1 Jetta, with being able to enjoy a serious drop and fantastic car, while the gold hardware and yellow centre
chrome trims, handles etc.,” and so this car fitment when parked up, with the Jetta's arches caps do the same with the bodywork, and it's
is covered in chrome and wears it all so well. just slipping over the sidewalls of his tyres. these little touches that make all the difference.
“I added Porsche door handles in chrome,
of course, chrome mirrors, chrome fuel cap
and side trims, and chrome wiper arms,” and
these dazzling highlights glisten gloriously
in the sunlight. Then there are the numerous
additional touches that set the car apart. “I
fitted front vent windows from a US Mk1 Rabbit,
these came from California, as well as Happich
rear pop-outs to get good airflow while driving
on sunny days. I also added clear front turn
signals. This is the first car I have resprayed
myself, and it is not perfect but it's not super
bad either,” remarks Eetu with a smile, but as
far as we're concerned, it looks fantastic.
The rest of the chassis, meanwhile, has hasn't gone overboard, he's done plenty to
undergone some serious upgrades across the add his personal touches to the cabin, and it
board, with a C-notch, strengthening and rust is exceptionally clean, just like the rest of the
repairs up front, poly bushes throughout, and build. “I decided to keep it almost as it has
thicker front and rear anti-roll bars. There's also been from the factory,” he explains. “I searched
a front cross support where the front of the which interior was fitted from the factory, and
engine is mounted, along with Epytec engine searched the seats and luckily found pristine
and transmission adapters, all of which are ones, then sent the Mk1 steering wheel to
something of a necessity when you've got a Finnish upholsterer Manulab and he did the
1.8T lump under the bonnet of your Mk1 Jetta, steering wheel covering in leather with red
which was never intended to handle this amount stitching and red leather detailing. I got a red
of power. That's also why you will have also leather Black Forest Industries shift knob and
spotted some serious-looking calipers tucked leather gaiter. I also added some speakers
behind the cross-spoke centres of those BBSs, at the front to keep myself comfortable while
and Eetu is running Wilwood four-pot front driving,” he says. “The trunk setup is also self-
calipers, and Mk4 GTI rear items with G60 discs made, with black fabric everywhere and the air
at both ends, along with a Wilwood master tank in the middle of the boot and compressor
cylinder, and that combo delivers some serious to the right side, while a subwoofer and the
stopping power. battery are hidden behind a cover plate,” Eetu
It's needed because the AUQ under the bonnet tells us. These changes make all the difference,
has been fitted with a selection of upgrades and he's got such a nice interior, with those
that have made it feel very healthy, indeed. extra touches to set it apart, like the drilled
There's a stainless steel exhaust manifold and window winders with their Wolfsburg Edition
downpipe, with a 2.5” stainless steel exhaust handles.
system incorporating one free-flow Martelius There's also an interesting addition that might
silencer. There are also TFSI coil packs and Bosch not be immediately obvious, and that's that
injectors, a Turbosmart blow-off valve, a bigger Eetu is running a Mk2 cluster and switches on
intercooler and custom boost pipes made by Eetu a Mk1 dash, made possible by his work behind
himself. All that adds up to 210whp, and while that the scenes. “I decided to upgrade the whole
might not seem like all that much, a Mk1 Jetta chassis wiring with a late Mk2 CE2 loom and
weighs less than 900kg, which means this one is fuse box with the Mk2 cluster, also the ECU
way quicker than you might ever expect. from the engine works with the CE2 fuse box.
Finally, we come to the interior, and while Eetu This means that all the engine fuses and relays
are on the CE2 fuse box, so there are no
secondary fuse/relay boxes added,” which also
explains why his engine bay is damn tidy.
And that perfectly describes this whole build.
This Mk1 Jetta is clean, so clean, and it's the
kind of car you want to take a step back to
admire in all its lemony goodness and then
dive in to drink in all those stunning little details
that make it so special. For Eetu, two things
in particular stand out among a sea of superb
mods. “My favourite modifications are the look
of the yellow and the chrome, with the wheels
fully shining and everything,” he grins, and it's
easy to see why. We just can't get over how
good Rallye Yellow looks on this Mk1 Jetta,
while all those chrome details and the polished
wheels suit the whole build perfectly.
It took Eetu three years to put together his
perfect, dream Jetta build, but we're sure
you'd be as surprised as we would be if he
told us he was done. “I want to fix some of
the things I've done to the engine bay – I've
already changed the steel fuel lines to black
nylon-covered Teflon lines with black fittings,
repainted the valve cover and intake manifold
again, and added rocker chrome trims and
chrome trims to the bumpers,” he says and
it's clear that this is a build that will keep
evolving. Don't expect dramatic changes,
though, because the foundations of this build
have been firmly established – keep it clean,
add chrome, enjoy, and, for Eetu, it doesn't
get much better than this

“I decided to upgrade the

chassis wiring with a late
Mk2 CE2 loom and fuse box
with the Mk2 cluster"

January 2025 73
VAG NATION
RELOADED
More than you
can afford, Ferrari!

Belgium’s VAG Nation Reloaded has

quickly proven itself as the ‘go-to’
single-day event for those searching
for the best of the best modified VW/
Audi metal. We ask event organiser,
Krstof Heyvaert why…
Photos: KOS Photographys

Subtle mods may be

order of the day bright
colours also popular

74 Performance VW
 VAG Nation always Last year's Car of the Year -
attracts plenty of Brits Michael Sloopmaker's 16vT

Colour-coded roll cage

defines subtle Mk2 Golf

here to start? 2024 show and invited great people with top-notch

œ
marked the third cars. So you always hope that everything
time we set up our works out as you had it in mind. You want
VAG Nation Reloaded everyone to have a good time.
gathering, 350 pre- On Saturday the pre-event at the Biznis
selected cars, an hotel got busy, some very special cars
industrial area and some cool beats... Sounds already showed up and the hotel was filled
like a recipe for success, doesn’t it? completely with VAG Nation guests, as was
But in the weeks and days prior to the every b&b in the neighborhood. It was a very
show, the only things we got in Belgium was chill afternoon/evening with good food and
rain and grey skies. I started panicking and there might have been some drinks too and
was thinking: “we need tents, we need a a lot of chat. Or was it vice versa, just some
place where people can shelter…”. I tried to chat and a lot of drinks?
stay calm and luckily just a couple of days And boom, after a short night’s rest, there
before the event, the weather forecast got it was, Sunday suddenly hit us, showtime!
better and better and it looked like it would As soon as we woke up and opened up
stay dry on Sunday. the shutters, we couldn’t believe what we
I visited a lot of events before our own saw… Blue skies, not a cloud in sight and

We are family. VAG Nation crew

make dreams come true

January 2025 75
VAG NATION
RELOADED
Custom stepped up Nope, we wouldn't
three-piece splits change a thing either

Red? Tick. 4WD? Tick.

Sexy as hell? Tick.

a rising sun! We rushed to the showground and it shows us that despite some of us may
and the first cars were already lining up. question it, respect and friendship are still
As soon as we opened the gates, cars just around in the car scene. The people and cars
kept on rolling in. By around 10.30 there we attract are mostly a bit older than at any
was a queue all the way up to the highway; other event, but luckily also some of the new
I couldn’t believe it. Cars from the UK, kids on the block match our vibe and are We know its not a VW but who
Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy and of more than welcome. doesn't love a Corvette?
course Belgium kept on showing up. Despite starting as a VAG-only event, we
It speaks volumes that we had to park can’t deny our love for other brands as well.
them all up as quickly as we could, whilst We appreciate quality builds so we also
staying true to ourselves, so we parked the selected some cool old and youngtimers
cars criss-cross over the various parking from other brands. That’s why you’ll also
grounds. We have a soft spot for anything find some BMW’s, Benzes and even some
low, cool and old-skool so we ended up with Rari’s, a Corvette, a Ford Escort RS mixed in
a great mix spread all over the showground. between all the VAG madness. We all share
We are very grateful for the massive the same passion, no matter the brand we
support we always get from other events represent.

Wait, VW never made a

Vento Coupe, did they?

My, what big nuts you have?

US-spec Mk3 was low!

76 Performance VW
 Read full spec on Mk1
Scirocco in Readers' Rides

Some won prizes

"Cars from the UK, Germany,

but everybody
was a winner in

France, Holland, Italy and

our mind

Belgium kept on showing up"

Match the engine with the car?

Check out COTY for another clue

January 2025 77
VAG NATION
RELOADED
They look like stepped-up We love the wheels but the more
AutoStrada Modenas to us you look the more you see here

Left or right? We're going

right, but it's a close call

"Keep on building cool cars

and bringing those cool vibes"
But we have to be honest, in the end, and sold it right after the show. We also had
we only provide the ground, the beats and a cup for Yorn who brought out his freshly
actually it’s you guys who bring the cool cars finished MK1 Golf, Chris who brought out his
Was still a nice selection of and the good vibes. Without you all there fully chromed and cleaned MK2, Tom who
new wave metal, too would be no show or even a community. brought his lovely Porsche Cayman and Kurt
As for the obligated cups we had to with his E24 on BBS E50 etc.
choose our top ten and I can honestly say it We might think or say it every edition, but
has never been this hard to choose. I don't the quality might have never been this high and
know them all by name, but I’ll give a shout just for that we take our hats off for the owners
out to some of them, starting with Neill who who brought their rides to our showground.
brought his amazing Golf R MK 7 variant We hope to see you all on the 22nd of June
showing a set of huge brakes, it was our 2025 for a next edition, celebrating car culture
one and only chance to give him that well and the friends we made. Keep on building
deserved cup as he broke the thing down cool cars and bringing those cool vibes!

We all know old-skool

rules and it certainly
does at VAG Nation

78 Performance VW
What's in…

YOUR GARAGE
Forty-three year-old Christophe Frédric has been obsessed with VR6s for over
25 years but his tidy Golf collection has more than six-cylinder motors in common.

ho’s old enough to remember

œ the birth of Euro-look? Slammed

suspension, dinky wheels and
de-chromed bodywork was de
rigueur (pardon our French - Ed) at car shows,
but it was the bright pastel shades that
attracted us most. These days, most people
generally prefer their cars painted black,
grey, silver or white. It’s all very natural and if
we’re honest, a little bit dull.
Thankfully, Frenchman, Christophe Frédric
isn’t like most people - he likes his cars bright
and more specifically, blue! Christophe was
kind enough to welcome us into his garage
recently and talk us through his unhealthy
addiction with blue, V6-powered Golfs and
any sort of memorabilia or collectables that
match! Please enjoy his collection and go give
him a follow on socials if you have time.

80 Performance VW
 GOT A SIMILAR ADDICTION?
If you’ve got an unhealthy obsession with water-cooled VWs too, and keep
them all under one roof, then we’d love to hear from you. Drop us an email
with ‘What’s in your garage’ in the subject line and tell us all about it.

CHRISTOPHE FRÉDRIC
IG: @vr6_world
TIK TOK: @chrischrisr32
AGE: 42
LOCATION: France
JOB: Airport safety officer
CARS: Mk3 Golf VR6, Mk4 Golf R32, Mk5 Golf
R32, 1962 Cox Beetle, Polo TDI
FIRST CARS: Seat Leon Top Sport TDI 150 and
Fiat Punto GT Turbo (Sorry, what? - All)
DREAM CAR: Porsche 911 GT2 RS
FAVOURITE SHOW: Top Gear
TOP TUNE/MUSIC: Linkin Park and Coldplay

January 2025 81
What's in…

YOUR GARAGE

Who or what got you into Volkswagens in

the first place?
It was actually the release of the Golf 3 VR6.

What was the first VW you owned and did

you modify it?

MK3 VR6 COLOUR CONCEPT

It was a Polo 9N SDI. Yes, it was modified
with adjustable shock absorbers and several
sets of rims.

Briefly list what cars are in your

collection and when you bought them?
Current;
• Mk3 Golf VR6, Colour Concept - 2021
• Mk4 Golf R32, Deep Blue - 2019
• Mk5 Golf R32, Deep Blue - 2022
• 1962 Cox 1200 - 2024
DUB DETAILS • Polo 9N TDI 2018
ENGINE: 2.8-litre VR6 (174 CV),
CTS Turbo 3” (76mm) decat and Previous;
full system • Passat R36, Biscay blue, 29/11/2019
CHASSIS: 7.5x18” BBS LM (SOLD)
(137) with Michelin PS4S • Golf V R32 US, United Grey, 20/02/2015
215/35/18 tyres, AP coilover (SOLD)
suspension and complete • Golf IV R32, Black magic, 2011 (SOLD)
braking system overhaul with • Golf IV R32, Black magic, 2007 (SOLD)
braided hoses
INTERIOR: Colour Concept all
original
Tell us a bit about your collection?
My passion for R models started in 2003

82 Performance VW
MK4 GOLF R32 DUB DETAILS
ENGINE: 3.2-litre VR6 (241 CV) with
F-Town Aggressor 3.5” (89mm) cat-
back 3.5”
CHASSIS: Original wheels with
Michelin PS4S 225/40/18AP tyres,
suspension and complete braking
with braided hoses
INTERIOR: Original interior with
factory König seat and full options

when I saw a Mk4 R32 in a Volkswagen what is in my garage. Finally, what’s the obsession with blue
showroom in Luxembourg. I decided at that coloured Volkswagens?
stage that I would have one and since then I Money no object, what is the dream car Blue is my favourite colour and it’s especially
have not stopped. you would like parked in your garage? the colour of the R range at VW. I wanted to
Easy. A Porsche GT2 RS. bring all generations together in this shade.
What does your wife think to your
obsession and collection?
At first my wife was not into this world or
the automotive industry, but today she has
&Y‫ܪ‬WXYR^\NKJ\FXSTYNSYTYMNX\TWQITW
become a huge fan. So much so that the Golf
Mk5 R32 and the COX are hers.
;<XGZYYTIF^XMJXGJHTRJFMZLJKFS
Do you prefer modified or standard cars?
Explain your choice…
I prefer modified cars, but only rims, shock
absorbers and exhaust to stay in an OEM +
style, with the joy of the vocalisations of the
VR6/R32 exaggerated.

Have you ever sold a car that your

regret letting go?
Yes, I regret the sale of my Biscay Blue
Passat R36 back in 2019.

Were you ever offered a car for sale that

you didn’t buy and regret not doing so?
No, because I always bought the cars I wanted.

What does the future hold? Any more

garage modifications or future car
purchases?
Yes, I would like the next purchase to be a
Porsche.

Would you ever sell a car in order to buy

something else?
I was considering selling everything in order
to buy the Porsche of my dreams, but after
reflection, it is always the same answer that
appears, it is totally impossible for me to sell

January 2025 83
What's in…

YOUR GARAGE
MK5 GOLF R32 DUB DETAILS
ENGINE: 3.2-litre VR6 (250 CV) with
Magnaflow 3” (76mm) catback
CHASSIS: 19” Omanyt Passat R36
wheels with Hankook Ventus S1 EVO
3 215/35/19 tyres, AP suspension
and complete brake overhaul with
braided hoses
INTERIOR: Original interior with
Recaro seats and manual gearbox
plus full options

"I wanted to bring

all generations
together in this
shade"

1962 BEETLE COX DUB DETAILS

ENGINE: 1200 12v (34 CV)
CHASSIS: 15” EMPI wheels with
Firestone F-560 135/15/72S (front)
and Firestone TZ300 205/65/15
(rear), narrowed front end (-12cm),
modified shock absorbers
INTERIOR: In the process of
complete restoration

84 Performance VW
 EVENTSDIARY We aim to compile
all global show dates
in one central place!

LOOKING FOR THE ˆ)ƒũ Let us know

X
ˆ)ƒˆƉƒBjœƉ%
info@pvwm
! Email us at:
tes
For all the latest showe…
da ag.com
gl ob with th
e date
website and, location and
from around th e
w
on these paeg’ll get it
GOT A SHOœ YOUˆ)ũ
es!

œ
bˆƉ ˆjƉz~j`j
an event
Want to promote
you're organising…

SHARE YOUR
GE!
EVENT COVeEyoRurAev ent
We’d love to shar ite…
coverage on our webs

FEBRUARY 13th
TUCKED AT THE MUSEUM
31st JAN- 1st FEB British Motor Museum 22-26th
DUBS IN THE MIDDLE
EURO TRIPPER 12
Fort Myers, Florida, USA
tucked-automotive.com
MAY Worcestershire ???New location
eurotrippersshow.com 13th 4th coming soon???
AUTO CULTURE EUROBUILT SHOW & SHINE dubsinthemiddle.co.uk
MARCH Doncaster Racecourse, UK Greenfield, USA

2nd
autocultureshow.co.uk eurobuiltvt.com 1st
JUNE
RISENATION - HALL OF FAME 26th 4th LIKE VAG DAILY AT THE LOODS
Nekkerhal, Mechelen, Belgium DUBS AT THE LAKE LAYLOW 12 The Lords H.O.F, Roosendaal,
@risenation_be McHenry, MD, USA Kortrijk, Belgium Holland
@dubsatthelake @laylowevents @likevagdaily
APRIL 27th 17-18th 6-8th
5-6th DROPPED EUROPROJEKT 4 VW TUNING SHOW
DUBSHED Heusden-Zolder, Belgium Kibeggan, Ireland Karlovac, Croatia
gtini.com dropped.de @mlvwireland vwtuningshow.com

86 Performance VW
EVENTSDIARY
Let us know
! Email us at:
info@pvwm
ag.com
with th
e date
website and, location and
w
on these paeg’ll get it
es!

14-17th
22nd BRITISH MOTORSHOW 28th
VAG NATION RELOADED Farnborough International Centre, OH SO RETRO SHOW
Zele, Belgium 19th GU14 6FD The Rec, Margate, UK
vagnationreloaded.be SCIROCCO REGISTER NATIONAL thebritishmotorshow.live ohsoretro.co.uk
DAY
29th
IDENTITY 2025
The Great British Car Journey,
Derby, DE56 2HE
24th
EUROBUILT CAR SHOW
OCTOBER
Identity Autoworx, Malmesbury sciroccoregister.co.uk Vermont State Fairgrounds – 4th
@identityautoworx Rutland, VT, USA EURO DISTRICT
19-20th eurobuiltvt.com Riverside Dr, Jeffersonvile, In, USA
VW GOLF MK2 OC NATIONAL
JULY MEET 30th
@theeurodistrict

4-6th Curborough Sprint Course, Lichfield NORTHERN WORTHERSEE 12th

EURO KLASSIC - BEACH TOUR vwgolfmk2.co.uk Frankenmuth, MI, USA WASATCH EUROFEST
Grand Bend Motorplex, ON, CA @northern_worthersee Midway, UT, USA
berlinklassik.ca AUGUST www.wasatcheurofest.com

6th 1-3rd SEPTEMBER 12th

THE ULTIMATE SHOW BEETLE JUICE FESTIVAL 13th WATER DAYS
Exhibition Centre Liverpool Jimmy’s Farm, Suffolk BERLIN KLASSIK - GRASS ROOTS Sky Park Resort, Japan
ultimate-show.co.uk vwbeetle-juicedfestival.co.uk berlinklassik.ca @_waterdays

Şƴƶĵ°čţÎŅĵ /ŸĘŅƶŸ
88 Performance VW
REœIND
1YEAR AGO
JANUARY ƗljƗĊ
How can it already be a year since Dennis’s Euro-look
Mk2 Scirocco 1.8T from Holland stole cover? Inside,
we featured a race-inspired Mk4 Polo 1.9TDI, a pair of
unique Mk7 Golf Estates (one R, the other a TDI), plus
a slammed Blackberry T6. We also looked at how to
Restomod your ride and checked out the latest on our
Project Race Support Caddy. We wrapped with coverage
from VAG Nation and Northeast Unity.

5 YEARS AGO
JANUARY ƗljƗlj
It’s already five years since our American photographer,
Mike Kippen, stole cover with his stunning Mk3 Golf 3.0
VR6 turbo. What a build! Inside, we had the usual mix
of cars including a G40-powered MK3 Polo GT, a race-
look Corrado G60 shot at Worthersee, Stephen Hunt’s
in-line 20v turbo Mk2 Syncro and 13-year-old Louis
Babington’s Mk3 Bolf. We wrapped with event coverage
from Westside, Waterfest and Dubs at the Gap!

10 YEARS AGO
JANUARY Ɨljŏă
What a mag this one was. Not one, but three of the
best modified VWs ever built in one issue. Mike Love’s
inline VR6 twin-turbo Mk3 Jetta, Rudd Janssen’s
W12-powered Fridolin hot rod and Jorg Ballermann’s
flawless Mk1 Golf all shared cover. As if that wasn’t
enough, we also had Steve Fraser’s Mk6 Golf, Phil
Mizzi’s 700bhp ‘54 single-cab Kombi and a home-
grown Mk1 Golf pairing from Scotland.

20 YEARS AGO
JANUARY Ɨljljă
Dan Koenig kicked us off back in 2005 with his lovely
little Mk1 over in California. Sticking with Mk1s, we
then checked out Peter Works’ Mk1 1.8T in Belgium,
met up with our old pal Matt Heap to see his bagged
(in 2005!) Corrado and checked out Theodore
Dorset’s awesome supercharged Mk2 Jetta VR6.
Sticking Stateside, we finished the issue with Jamie
Schultz’ Mk2 Jetta Coupe VRT and a pair of Mk4s
over in Chicago.

90 Performance VW
<JRF^STYMF[JFQ\F^XGJJSXT‫ܪ‬SJQ^UTQNXMJI
but we’ve always been at the forefront of the
RTIIJIIZGXHJSJ&MYMJLTTITQѣIF^XѰ

25YEARS AGO
JANUARY Ɨljljlj
Back in 2000 it was the turn of Premier Vehicle Services (remember
them?) to take top spot with its rather tasty Vento VR. Inside the issue
1552 Design showed off its New Beetle demo, we hung out at Bug-Out
44 over in the US and got six NS Racing supercharged VRs together
for a group shoot. Later, we checked out an insane Polo VRT from
Germany, a tasty French Mk1 Cabby and a pretty serious Audi 80.

January 2025 91
READERS’ RIDES
JONATHAN BEAUDRY DUB DETAILS
IG: @jonathan. ENGINE: 2.5-litre five-
beaudry.370 cylinder Stage 2 by Neuro
Age: 39 Tuning. Custom A2B
Occupation: Paint Performance exhaust
sprayer for 22 system, header and
years downpipe
Location: Quebec, CHASSIS: Three-piece
Canada Works wheels, Air Lift
CAR: 2010 Golf Performance 3p air ride
2.5-litre, five- EXTERIOR: Painted
cylinder custom Candy White and
How long owned: Lexus Black. full custom
I’ve been modifying wide body, custom open
the car for over bonnet, full carbon roof,
seven years custom SK rear wing,
Amount spent: custom front lips, custom
$50,000 bumpers, smoked rear lights
First mod: That INTERIOR: full carbon dash
was air suspension and centre console, white
Fav part: The wide leather, Momo steering
body and carbon wheel with quick-release
interior hub, custom rear roll cage

Photos: Lalibs Media

Future plans: I by MP Performance, rear
plan to remove the seat delete, Samsung audio
engine, shave the system
bay and paint the Shout: Adrenaline Junkies
engine Car Club

JOSEPH FISCHETTI DUB DETAILS

Car: Golf Sportwagen S ENGINE: Fully forged and
Purchased: 2017 ported 2.0-litre facelift Golf
R engine swap with Littco
L500 turbo, RS3 fuel pump,
MPI etc.
CHASSIS: 8.5x19” OZ
Futuras - fully refinished
with polished lips and
black hardware. Air Lift
struts, Accuair E-level+
management, fully hidden/
spare tyre accessible.
Tiguan 340mm front brakes
(unpainted calipers to
match rear), aluminium front
subframe, Superpro control
I’m a long time reader and VW many of my VWs have been grey. The touched. After working on developing
arms, Clubsport knuckles,
enthusiast. Over the past few years only 4motion/manual/Tungsten Silver some open source tuning tools, I was
Whiteline sway bars
I’ve been building my pre-facelift Mk7 metallic car I could find was 700 miles also able to tune the car myself. I even
Golf Sportwagen which I wanted to away. I’m glad I bought the car when swapped in a built Golf R engine and EXTERIOR: Complete
share with you. The car started out I did because a few months later, the hybrid turbo. Golf R Variant pre facelift
as an S model 4motion with a manual facelift version was released, and soon The car makes a conservative bumpers/skirts/stick ons,
gearbox. It was bone stock with just after the manual disappeared as well. and unnecessary 500 horsepower plus Osram LED headlights
19 miles on the clock. Seven years later I think I can finally through the manual gearbox. We INTERIOR: Recaro
We never got the R Variant in the US say the car is 99% ‘done’. Well, I all know the VW community is what Sportster CS (currently
like you did in Europe, so I thought this hope it is. Suffice to say, aside from defines our passion, and this car being rewrapped), flat
car would be the ideal canvas to make the paint work, I’ve turned wrenches represents new and old friendships in bottom/round bag steering
my own. I needed a grey car as so on every nut and bolt that’s been all the best ways. wheel, BFI shift knob

92 Performance VW
 Got a car that you’re proud of? Want to show it to the ‘world’?
Then email us details and we’ll do our best to get in it in Readers’ Rides….
Email: info@pvw.com

EBEN SÉBASTIEN
IG: @sebastien_eben
This is my Series 1b Mk1 an NUSA engine - in the ‘80s
Scirocco from the end of 1977. NUSA offered a displacement
The vehicle was in a terrible increase kit taking capacity
condition when I bought it and from 1600cc (1588cc GTI)
required around 3000 hours of to what it called an 1850cc
restoration and modifications. (1845cc).
This was carried out solely by They also offered a choice of
my father and I (I am a body cylinder head with large valves,
shop worker and my father is a and different NUSA camshafts.
mechanic). It is equipped with My engine has the cylinder
head with larger valves (40mm manifold and system wrapped
intake/35mm exhaust), and a up the engine.
266 degree camshaft. The bodywork was restored
In addition I removed the similar to when it left the
injector and mounted twin Weber factory, but with some discreet
40 DCOE carburettors (Venturis modifications. Various details
32), plus a lightened (3.8kg) were custom-made such as the
flywheel, reinforced clutch and “Scirocco NUSA 1850” tailgate
an FM type gearbox (in which my badge. Currently only three
father fitted an LSD, plus a short NUSA engines based on EG are
4.25 gear). As an addition, we listed, mine in Belgium, one in
installed a GD Motorsport short Canada and one in France.
shifter (CAE type) which allowed The interior is close to the
me to keep the linkage system factory, too, with the addition of
of the 020 FM gearbox (that’s a 4-point roll bar and the removal
unusual but works very well). A of the centre console for the
period 4 to 1 Ansa steel exhaust GD-MOTORSPORT gear lever.

LEON HUDD DUB DETAILS

ENGINE: 1.9 TDiPD130 (fully forged) with ARL pistons (42mm), Pro
IG: @mk4l88hdd Race rods, ARP bolts, polished crank, horned and decked block, piston
Location: Blackwood, South Wales rings gapped for nitrous, brand new AMC head, 120% Firad Injectors,
Car: 2002 Bora ST TDI PD130 dbilas 272 race cam with 9.8 lift, dBilas titanium valve springs, Sachs
Purchased: April 2020 Sre 4-paddle clutch, 6-bar map sensor, PD150 head bolts, custom
First mod: Bilstein B8 and Apex power steering pipe, ported high-flow inlet manifold, custom 3” intake
50mm lowering springs manifold, AEM dry-flow air filter, custom Welly intercooler, 2.5 custom
Fav part: Bora R kit fabrication intercooler pipe work, custom 3” exhaust system. Quaife
Spent: £51,250 on full restoration ATB LSD, steel forks and sliders, upgrade input shaft, 4th gear support
(over three years) CHASSIS: OZ Astros Golf R32 wheels, KONI Red active shocks, Apex
Future plans: Port and Polished/ 50 70/70 mm lowering springs, ECS Tuning poly bushed, lower control
gas-flowed head, GTD3076BB turbo arms, 034 Motorsport rear top mounts, Powerflex rear axle and top
and add nitrous to try and break the mounts, Vibra-Technics engine mount, Powerflex front dog bone mount
600bhp mark with over 1000nm. with Vibra-Technics rear solid mount, Powerflex dropping bushes, LCR
Added chassis braces, 6-pot front big brake kit, Upgrade LCR with Pro Race adaptors to fit 280mm front
brakes and 4-pot rears. vented discs on the rear, braided brake line, Whiteline anti-roll bars
Power: It’s currently running 310bhp EXTERIOR: JDM Bora R body kit (China market), Mk5 Golf door
on a JW Automotive BMW 2260 turbo mirrors on Mk4 bases, Mk4 Jetta GLI bootlid, Hella clear tail lights
(mapped by AR Performance) INTERIOR: Tiguan R-Line flat-bottom wheel in GTI leather and real
Alcantara, reupholstered Mk4 Golf Konig seats in leather and Alcantara,
retro fitted heated rear seats, Mk4 Golf R32 floor matts, custom full FIS
colour screen clocks made by AR Ditta with Bora R emblem on start
up with needle sweep, custom gauges, miles to empty, mph display
and code reader built into the clocks. Auto-dim rear view mirror, cruise
control, tinted windows, Turbo Smart electric 4-bar boost gauge
SHOUT: Car builder: AR Performance, Overkill Performance (custom
fabrication), mk4rareparts/switch happy euro (car part source),
Autocolour VR (car painter), Precision Auto Upholstery (upholstery)

January 2025 93
READERS’ RIDES
œIM DE PRETER DUB DETAILS
IG: @vwbeastedition ENGINE: Stage 2 tuned to 229hp
Age: 49 with 501nm
Location: Belgium CHASSIS: 20” Navis Twins 5
Model: 2011 VW Transporter wheels with 225/40/20 tyres,
T5.1 Solow NSL coilovers
Purchased: I bought the van EXTERIOR: THQ full LED T6
in 2019 style headlights with dynamic
First mod: Adjustable coilovers indicators, dynamic side indicators
Fav part: I love my one of a kind and T6 style rear lights with
front seats dynamic indicators. The roof of
Future plans: I’m gonna wrap the van was wrapped in High
the whole front in forged carbon Gloss Black, THQ High Gloss
details (mirror caps, door handles
and badges), blacked out rear
side windows, THQ High Gloss
front splitter
INTERIOR: Custom THQ leather
interior in the front with sport

Photos: Shauni Baeten

bucket seats, custom made
steering wheel, THQ gearknob,
Pioneer AVH-Z9200DAB
touchscreen radio with Apple Car
Play, RockFord Fosgate amplifier
and a 12” Cerwin Vega subwoofer

NATHAN SOUSA JAY AYERS

IG: @baggedwagon
Location: Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
Model: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta wagon 1.8T
Purchased: 2020
First mod: Coilovers
Fav part: The three-spoke Volk C-ultra wheels
Spent: Surprisingly, only about $5,000 IG: @driversfound
Future plans: Dial in my interior - I recently I have the Caddy VR6 that was R8 class at last year’s Legends
picked up a nice set of GLI Recaros. Would highlighted in the December in Monterey during car week.
like to do a full GLI interior conversion issue! I’ve been part of the VW I built an Audi inspired bike to
scene for a long time. In fact, I match. Subtle upgrades to the
had a small parts line (JCAPS) R8 include using the factory
for 20 years selling interior and KW 3-way adjustable coil-overs
engine bay billet bits - you may with 20/21 HRE wheels, some
have heard of it. If you’re ever carbon parts, plus polished bits
looking for an R8 to fill pages I and TI hardware where I could
have a super clean V10+. We - even the axle bolts. It’s a real
won ‘Best of marque’ and the OEM+ build.

94 Performance VW
RCARS by

FUN, FUN, FUN! Whoever thought 40 horsepower, 13” pizza cutters, and off-road
ride height could be so cool? Well, it turns out, Dinah did.

H
i, I’m Dinah Jean Volante, West Virginia, and no parts available at the local number search began. I thought I’d just pull a
co-owner of Eurotrash Apparel parts stores, I decided to have it delivered to plug and see what the part number was, but my
Company, Euro District, Udderly my house rather than drive it the 14-hours home socket didn’t fit so I needed a special thin-walled
Euro, PVW contributor and from Jamie's shop in Pottstown. Registering spark plug socket (gotta love a Euro - All). Then
I recently fell victim to the and lowering the car in time for my show, Euro I thought, why put in the time and energy on
“Project Car”. District, the following week would be a challenge. finding and replacing these 1.3-litre parts when
Last year at a show, I asked Jamie Orr if he had I dropped it off at my shop and someone had an I’m just going to swap it anyway?
anything cool he wanted to sell. Something really extra set of Mk1 Rabbit rear coilovers to swap My last swap was a Mk2 Jetta Coupe with an
cool. Jamie admitted he had a Polo Fox Coupe over and we had to chop the front springs to ABA and Mk3 interior swap. I remember one
that might be up for grabs and after seeing match the ride reduction. It wasn’t ideal, but hey, late night at the shop, having finished working
photos I was instantly hooked. Somehow he was it made it and looked pretty cool! Temporary fixes on the Jetta swap, I slammed the hood shut.
able to pry this 1991 bone stock classic out of are always the best, right? Unfortunately, the throttle body sat too high, and
a one-owner German lady’s hands. And I'm so The low idling, spongy clutch, and German it left a massive spider web dent in my hood. It's
glad he did. Turns out a lot of the unique aspects Valvoline tags made me think it was in need of always those unexpected issues that can double
of this VW make it a real head-scratcher, but I’m some repair and maintenance. I jumped on my the time it takes to complete a swap.
always down for the challenge. trusty Worldpac app on my phone and looked With the Polo, I want to do something I haven’t
Being that the car is a 1.3-litre carbureted for the YMM. Nothing. Okay, I’ll just use the VIN, done before, so I decided the swap will either be
engine, barely able to make it up the hills of I thought. Again, nothing came up. Then the part a 1.8T or a TFSI 2.0T. Once I get the crusty 1.3-

Well, that workshop looks pretty

familiar. Dinah sourced her
Polo from none other than PVW
publisher - and car-importer
supremo - Jamie Orr

96 Performance VW
 IN focus!
Comments: This month, contributor
Dinah introduces her Polo Fox Coupe
project and talks us through the DINAH JEAN VOLANTE
future plans. Enjoy! @DINAHEUROTRASH

litre lump out this winter, I can determine which kit! It would be a ton of body work to make this side of the car to add a little something different
engine will work best for me. work, and I’d have to widen my uber rare 8x15” for Euro District. Moving forwards, I plan on doing
The interior is so 90s-tastic rad that I hate to Renault Alpine Turbo wheels to fill the arches. a full livery and possibly painting it a chocolate
change it, but my friend Mark is giving me his Currently, I have 6s up front because the Polo has milk brown - something similar to the colour you
Recaro Trophies to cut up. I’m planning on ZERO room for anything larger than a pizza cutter see when your coolant and oil mixes together (I
placing the neon striped cloth in the centre and 8s on the rear. I was lucky enough to get a know it well - Ed). Either way, I’ve got a long way
of the seats and possibly get the rest leather set of four 8s and two 6s with centre caps so at to go but am excited to document it here and on
covered. My other friend Trevor is currently least I can pick and choose the right set up. the PVW website (pvwmag.com) for you!
letting me test fit his Scirocco Kerscher body I also added some vinyl to the wheels and to the Dinah

January 2025 97
 • The Rewind
• Show reports
• Readers' Rides
• Model Behaviour
• Guest Columnists
• What's in your Garage?

NEXT
NEXT ISSUE
MO NTH The February issue
of PVW is on sale
10th January
2025

°
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