MKIII & MKIV coupes

I’ve seen pictures of a few of these coupe creations before, I think they look great and I love the initiative people take to build something that VW didn’t offer. John emailed me two builds that he has personally worked on, a MKIII and a MKIV. Basically what happens is you take a Jetta/Vento/Bora sedan, use the longer doors from a 2-door Golf hatch, move the b-pillar backwards to suit the new doors, then fill in the gap between the door and the rear quarter panel. Yeah, I made it sound really easy, didn’t I? Hit the build threads after the jump to see the work involved.

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Eurowise AWD Mk1 GTI

I think I better feature this build just so people stop submitting it! Around 3 or 4 people have emailed me various links to this car in the last month, including one of the men behind it, Mike from Eurowise. Once you take a look at the images, you’ll see why it’s getting so much attention. Already the recipient of one very nice build including a turbo’d 16V 2.0, the car has recently been torn down for a full overhaul. It’s no secret I’m a big fan of MK1 Golfs, and even though I like them a bit more sedately built, this one takes things to the extreme with an engine, driveline, and floorplan being swapped under it from a MKIV R32 Golf, including the AWD system. I especially like how the MKIV rear end was shortened and sectioned to fit inside the dimensions of the MK1 body, instead of just tacking on some wheel arch flares or going widebody. Did I mention it’s also going to be twin turbo?

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RWD MKII Jetta

Mid-engine RWD MKII Volkswagen, sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because a very similar project was featured here over a year ago [click here]. While this one definitely shares some similarities, one point of difference is that it’s a Jetta, not a Golf. You have to give these guys props for ripping out entire floor-pans and changing the drive layout of a car in their garage. I’ve also got my eye on a MKI Golf being converted to V8 RWD, so keep your eye out for that one. The VW scene sure knows how to keep bringing the goods.

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Korrado

VW’s have featured prominently on this site for one reason; there are just so many well modded ones constantly being churned out all over the world. But even so, a lot of them seem to follow the same (successful) formula. OEM/rare/3pc wheels, slick paint, severe drop whether it be bagged or static, clean interior, shaved bay, etc etc.

So when was the last time you saw a VW built with a particular aspect that was truly different, something that set it apart from the rest? Keith submitted his Corrado that fits the bill…

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Sliding throttle bodies + DIY metal casting

I’m pretty sure this is the most extreme and creative use of DIY I’ve ever seen. Sure, some people have access to CNC machines, or they might be handy with a lathe, but have you ever seen someone CAST their own parts? The owner is even creating his own 16V head and a sliding throttle body setup, everything from the linkages to the carbon fiber plenum, all done by hand. Not enough, well what about a scratch-built head-skimming machine? I think you get the point, and I didn’t even mention the carbon fiber spoon…wait, what?

If anyone has the right to call themselves a “builder”, it’s this guy. The tech-savvy and fans of home-built cars will love this one. All of the hard work is being put into a MK2 Golf, but this is more about the work and parts than the car itself. If you’re a bit like me and found yourself scratching your head when you heard the term “sliding throttle bodies”, check out this link for a bit of information. Update: Or you can click here to see a Youtube video of some sliding throttle bodies in action. Fast forward to around 1:35 (Thanks Tilman)

Thanks to “Chester Rumble” from my favourite Honda forum, NWP4LIFE for bringing this build to my attention.

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VW Golf MKV Track Build

Another one from Justin, this time it’s a Dubai residing MKV being worked over in track-spec fashion, with two paint jobs plus a custom wide-body conversion – gotta love rear diffusers. Not too many ‘build’ pics at the beginning but it’s still a really sweet ride with plenty of nice photography. Credit to crankandpiston.com for majority of the slick imagery, check out their blog for all the best UAE coverage.

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Re-inventing the wheel

Remember the remote-mount turbo MKIII Jetta build?  Well the owner is taking the customisation game to a whole new level by scratch-building his own set of one-off wheel centers. Thanks to Ray from RAW WORKS for reminding me about this one.

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V8 Volksrod aka Lexibug

Let’s kick off this new blog with a build, shall we? VDubbin submitted this one to me last year, and it’s one of many builds sitting in my drafts waiting for a feature.

VW Beetles have been chopped and changed many times over the years in countless different styles, and there seems to be no sign of this trend slowing down. This one isn’t much of a Beetle any more, with a hand made custom chassis and Lexus V8 sitting up front. The thing I like about this build apart from the fact that it’s home-made, is that there are plenty of clear pictures showing the details of the intricate custom fabrication, including how the body was mounted to the chassis…very interesting and informative. Just wait ’till you see the custom seats!

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