Imagine my delight when Canadian photographer, Matt, emailed me to inform me he’s been shooting a local MK2 Golf build for a friend of his. A photographer, documenting a build? Sounds like a match made in heaven to me, I only just managed to refrain from squealing like a schoolgirl. The build is a mixture of the owners images and Matt’s, showcasing the 2-door Golf’s transformation from almost stock and problem-ridden into a (yet to be run-in and re-tuned) 300fwhp animal.
Tag: vw
VW Fox ute conversion
Take one VW Fox 2-door wagon, wield your choice of cutting utensil around some structural pieces of metal rearward of the B pillar, mix in a bit of hard work and welding, and you end up with your very own US version of a VW Saveiro. That’s exactly what Shawn did, and he was nice enough to shoot me a link to his build thread to share with everyone. One thing is for certain, all the custom fabrication work wasn’t done so it could sit pretty and hardpark it’s whole life, this little truck was built to work!
To see more ute conversion builds, click here.
RWD Mini Clubman Estate
This is yet another build I’ve had stashed away for a while, one that I keep checking on for updates, hoping to see a bit more progress before I feature it. But with these builds there always comes a time when I realise that enough is enough, you all need to see it, no matter if it’s finished or not. The essentials are: 1978 Mini Clubman Estate (wag0n), rear mounted 20V turbo Passat VW engine, flat floor and raised suspension mounting points.
Thai Kombi Restoration
Have you heard the one about the Thai guy who makes his own replacement metal panels for air-cooled VW’s? Well you have now! This build has been doing the rounds for a while, I always see it pop up on forums within various “best builds” style threads, and for good reason. The man with all the skill is Pat, a metal magician from Thailand who works in a very humble shop, bringing classic VW’s back to life, one hand-formed piece of metal at a time. Come and see for yourself how he restores his brothers very rusty 67 split-window Kombi ute, you won’t believe your eyes.
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.
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?
Manilla Green Mk1
Mk1 Golf? Check.
Full build? Check.
Great photography? Check.
Well, this one ticks all my boxes.
Thanks to Oli from Supermade for the heads up.
VW Kombi + Trailer
More crazy contraptions from our Scandinavian friends. This time it’s some Finns who have created a VW Kombi trailer made from an unused cab, complete with airbags, tubs, and some big American Racing hoops. If that isn’t enough, it actually gets towed around by a matching full-size Kombi.
Thanks to Jani-Matti for submitting this one.
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.
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…