what does TCL think of my project MK3 Cabrio content

[VR6 NRG]

so i figured what the hell, lets see what TCL think about my new project 1996 VW Cabrio.

some specs are
Ipanema Brown Metallic from the Audi Exclusive catalog
redone interior OEM seats in cream vinyl with black stitching
16x9" Gotti corvette 2 piece wheels with color matched centers
AccuAir suspension management with e-Level
Air Lift struts
Euro bumpers
euro core support and front rebar
jetta front end with badgeless grill and ecode headlights
shaved washer jets, front fenders, and rear VW logo
partially shaved engine bay
Vr6 Motor swap (motor has 280k miles on it)
2.9L clone manifold
5 speed trans swap from a TDI
and a bunch of maintenance parts
techtonics exhaust with a horrible tip (will get this redone soon)

The car isn't 100% complete but small things here and there are needed
i know it won't be everyones cup of team but i am very happy how it turned out.

the car started out as this

I bought this January 1st


then a few weeks later i bought this


and after a lot of hard work





i'm really just curious as to what the general car public things. I know people dont like air bags, and this is the first car i've built with them and really wanted to try something different for myself and have a new experience.

for a background of my car history

some of the old timers may remember my original car when i lived in NoVa back in the late 90's/early 00's.
Sequoia green 97 GTI VR6 with 6 point cage, sparco seats, z-engineering blower, custom stereo, projektzwo mirrors, ABT wheels, and euro arches and moldings....




since then i've had these
2003 20th AE GTI

Fourtitude.com project car and SEMA 2005 show car

2008 A3 2.0T with GT28RS big turbo

2004 R32 with VF Stage2 supercharger

and now i have this 2012 TT Coupe 2.0T quattro

a stock 1998 jetta glx
a stock 2008 Rabbit 3 door

[Klim18]

They all look great! Nice to see somebody sticking to VAG scene without having to go JDM.

[hinshu]

Looks good. VR6.. nom

[stascom]

Good cars
boosted R32

[20VT*J4]

digging the bitch basket

[Ziptied]

i love it, but im a vw guy

[Woodski]

love.

[VeeeDoubleU]

looks good. It doesnt look like the same car

[DustinM]

looks like the typical stanced out fgt mobile.
except the paint, i love me some rootbeer.

[mellbergVWfan]

I hate Mk3 Cabrio's but I like it. Work looks top notch. I'd like to seem more of the progress pictures and detailed interior shots.

Quite a lot of money into your cars over the years. Do you have sponsors? And out of curiousity do you do any of the work yourself or do you take it to a shop usually?

[YellowDieselGolf]

[DubNMiatafan]

Definitely the worst looking car out of the ones I see you've owned. Looks just like any other lowered VW with wheels. If you put that up at a VW show, I wouldn't cast a second look.

But that 20th though

[GRNWNV]

Looks great, I would rock that all day, and twice on Sunday.

Really digging the paint colour.

[mellbergVWfan]

Definitely the worst looking car out of the ones I see you've owned. Looks just like any other lowered VW with wheels. If you put that up at a VW show, I wouldn't cast a second look.

But that 20th though

The 20th looks stock. So I'm not sure why that would be more interesting than a very low, custom paint and interior Mk3.

[boner]

Mk3 cabby VRs are fun! I love driving the wife's!!! Yours is a little OTT for me but whatever, i am not into the scene at all anymore. Still, good stuff!

[A.Wilder]

So which one do you wish you never let go?

[VR6 NRG]

The one i wish i still had would be the 97 GTI VR6. that was my first real car and that is the one i was most devoted and dedicated to and the one with the most memories.

The 20th was fairly stock. I autocrossed that in ST class and couldnt do a chip, so it was on KW coilovers and had suspension mods.

the R32 i bought as is as a 3rd owner, then took off the HRE's and put on Kinesis K28s and KW V3's and a B&B exhaust and tracked it a few times, boy that car was fun

the Green A3 was the a project car between me and Fourtitude.com and went to SEMA in 2005 just 6 months after the A3 was released in the US, so to be that modded that quickly was sweet. This is the only car i had sponsors for.

The Red A3 replaced the R32. I owned the R32 and a 2008 Rabbit lease and the two car payments got too much when sales dropped. so i sold the R and traded the Rabbit for the A3 with no plans to mod it. Within 6 weeks it had the GT28RS on it.

here is the link to the Cabrio build up
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...6-build-thread

on this car i would say i did very very little of the work myself. I stripped out the interiors of both the Cabrio and GTI but that was about it. but i have done my own suspension installs and exhausts and intakes in the past. this Cabrio is the most intense project i've done where the other things were more or less all bolt-on type mods.

[mikegilbert]

That Cabrio is gorgeous!

[Tokyosmash]

Thought I was going to hate it, ended up liking it.

[VR6 NRG]

thanks all. i know TCL can be tough, but i'm surprised.

[taymk2]

Definitely the worst looking car out of the ones I see you've owned. Looks just like any other lowered VW with wheels. If you put that up at a VW show, I wouldn't cast a second look.

But that 20th though

i going to respect your opinion but dayum

[LindsayLowhan]

Love the Schmidts on the A3. Cabrio is real nice as well.

[DubNMiatafan]

The 20th looks stock. So I'm not sure why that would be more interesting than a very low, custom paint and interior Mk3.

Because lowering it to the point of it being nearly undriveable is not my taste?

I like to actually drive my cars. Function>Form.

[SlowMotion]

Definitely the worst looking car out of the ones I see you've owned. Looks just like any other lowered VW with wheels. If you put that up at a VW show, I wouldn't cast a second look.

But that 20th though

I don't know where you live, but euro bumper, custom painted, jetta front ,shaved engine bay, vr6 swapped is not like any lowered VW with wheels. Then again if you don't know what you're looking at you would missed those details.

[VR6 NRG]

Because lowering it to the point of it being nearly undriveable is not my taste?

I like to actually drive my cars. Function>Form.

you obviously have no clue what the concept of air suspension is. park it and make it low, drive it and make it a driveable height. encounter a bad bump ,uneven intersection or any higher surface and raise it up more.

if i want to drive fast and fun i'll hop in my Audi TT.

[PSU]

Very nice transformation.

I dig it.

[soviet]

Love the car, especially since Im an OG MK3 guy. But I cannot stand the wheels to be honest. Also Im a bit confused as to the whole smoked headlights but clear fogs/turns. That car is begging for some clean 17's and clear e-codes. Other than that, Congrats on a well built, functional car. I absolutely love the color.

[Rukh]

Your Cabrio went from "meh" to "wow" in a relatively short timeframe. Props.

[VR6 NRG]

i bought the fogs before i decided on headlights. i will get smoked fogs/turns soon to match the headlights.

[Wanganrunner]

Nice b*tch basket.

Realtalk though, I don't know euro shxt so I don't know those wheels, but me gusta.

[simple]

Wow that is a lot of work done in a half a year or so! Love the color. I've seen your cars over the years and you've got skills dude. props



Love that you kept all the exterior lines in place and didn't smooth the sides.

[VR6 NRG]

thanks yeah i didnt want to smooth any of the lines on the car as i think it takes away from the character of them.

the wheels are 16x9" Gotti's they are french wheels and this set were originally intended for a late 80s or early 90s Corvette. there are 25mm adapters/spacers on the rear and 15mm on the front and i have no clue what the offsets are.

[Aonarch]

Came in expecting highschool bondo and rattle can job.

Leaving happy.

[BltByKrmn]

Cabrio isn't my bag but you did an awesome job.

[Jedidub]

I Like this