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Well how
should I start. I
really knew nothing about VW’s until June of 1999 when my
wife and I went shopping for a new car.
We were already at the Toyota dealer where she worked
and had started the paperwork on a new Camry.
After waiting several hours my wife became upset that
they were still helping other customers and not us so she
decided to leave and drive around auto row here in San Jose.
That is
when we drove past the VW dealer that had what I considered to
be a very nice looking car.
It ended up being a 1999.5 Jetta 2.0!
I think it was the headlights and dash lighting that
really attracted me to it.
After driving it around I really started to admire the
German build quality as well. Unfortunately the driving experience was a little hampered by
the lowly 2PointSlow engine under the hood.
We fixed
the Jetta up with the usual add-ons: Neuspeed intake, JE
Design body kit, Eibach Springs, Konig Moonson 18” rims, and
a custom stereo. This
worked fine for us for about 9 months when it was decided that
our two kids were not working out in the small back seat.
I was tired of having feet poking through the seat into
my back while I was driving - any Jetta owner can relate to
that!
My friend
Chris Honig at Volk’s Café happened to own a 1998 Passat
wagon that was fixed up and I convinced the wife to go check
them out. After
the test drive it was all over.
I loved the look and the room and when I punched it the
turbo sealed the deal. We
ended up selling the Jetta to some lucky couple from
Sacramento and used the money as a down payment for a Passat.
Now that we knew what we wanted it was a real challenge
to find one for sale. We
had to have a 1.8T with a 5-speed and I had to make sure it
was a variant. I loved wagons and the look of the Passat variant really won
me over. The
sedans seemed to be a dime a dozen (no offense to the sedan
owners) and I had the intention of making this a show car so I
wanted something unique.
After
finally finding a dealer who didn’t want to charge me some
outrageous price for a variant it came down to 7 vehicles in
all of California. There
were 3 silver models which was what I was thinking of getting
but they were all in LA.
There was one floor model not too far away but it was
in Black Magic. I
wasn’t sure about this color but decided to look at it
anyway. The Jetta
we had was black and it was a real pain to keep clean.
Once it arrived I signed the paperwork.
It was gorgeous and the pearl effect in the paint did a
good job of hiding the swirl marks and small scratches that
always show up in black paint.
I started
off slow by adding Intrax springs and then my 17” rims.
I ended up meeting Thanasi at the New Dimensions car
show in 2000 and was introduced to Club B5.
The same stickers I received from Thanasi himself are
still on the car to this day.
I also had the pleasure of seeing a very nice Passat
owned by Passart that really showed the potential of the
variant. Once I was corrupted by the fellow Club B5 members, working
on the car became a disease with no cure!
Every show
I went to I studied the other Passats to get an idea of what I
could do different. I
really wanted to keep a factory look to it similar to the Audi
RS4 in Europe. This
became a real challenge as the after-market doesn’t offer as
much for our B5 as other VW models.
I considered this a benefit because that would mean
that fixing up a Passat wouldn’t be as easy as a Jetta or
Golf. I worked on
the stereo first as I have kept the same equipment since 1994
and just moved it from car to car.
The body
work was the hardest part.
I researched the web to come up with the parts that I
thought would give my car the look I wanted.
The first part was a simple Kamei grill and then a JMS
front spoiler. I
didn’t like the way most front spoilers looked bolted on to
the Passat so I had Ken’s Autobody in Santa Cruz work there
magic in molding the JMS front spoiler to the front of my
stock bumper to make it one piece.
It was a lot of work but the end result was perfect.
I now have a front end that will never be seen on
another Passat and looks factory.
The rest of
the kit was a little easier.
I decided a Votex Side Skirt would give me the factory
fit and finish I wanted and Dietrich Tuning happened to make a
full rear bumper replacement for the variant that also looked
factory. I custom
modified a set of Hagus mirrors from an A4 and added an
Oettinger wing to complete the look.
I really think I have captured the look of a true
European sports wagon without making my variant look like I
bolted a bunch of stuff to it like you see at some shows.
The group
buys at Club B5 have been really a problem as they usually
happen when I don’t have any money!
So far I have bought my KW Coilovers, Kamei grill, HID
headlights, crystal clear side markers, brake pads, and clear
corners all from Club B5 group buys.
I need to thank Jason (Autobahn96) for helping me get
the Fiber Images carbon fiber hood in time for the Hot Import
Nights. It ended
up being a real conversation piece throughout the show. The car is still a work in progress for me but at least I can
see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The
performance part is currently handled by an APR chip and HKS
intake. George at
ATP has done a great job at modifying an Apexi front mount
intercooler from a 1995 Eclipse to fit my car with no bumper
trimming and we are now looking into their T3/T04 turbo
upgrade. I am
also a BIRA member just like Herman H so I will be adding the
system 2 brake kit with the Porsche Boxster type S front
brakes. The
stereo system is being upgraded as we speak with a new
audio/video system featuring an Eclipse 7301 in dash monitor
and flip down screen for the rear.
I have already ordered 18” rims to replace the 17”s
for the next show season.
The last thing I want to do is some interior upgrades
that I am keeping a secret until show time! ;)
So far this
past show season has been very kind to me as I have placed at
three out of four shows with two 1st place finishes and one
2nd second place finish.
I love car shows and go to as many as possible.
I think its great to talk about your car while meeting
new people and hanging out.
My wife is still debating that with me though as she
prefers shopping.
Being a
part of Club B5 has been the best part of my Passat ownership.
I have been a member of several clubs in my life but
none as close as the members here.
Even when I attend shows out of town I always run into
other Club B5 members who are friendly and nice to talk to.
I especially wanted to thank my local group of Bay Area
B5 guys and girls for being the kind of friends a car nut like
me really needs.
I am
honored to have my car featured as the B5 of the Month and I
look forward to representing Club B5 in the upcoming year. Hopefully,
I will get to meet more of you in the process.
Thanks again.
David
“Wunder
Wagen”
(2000
Passat Variant)
Modifications:
Exterior:
*Custom
molded front bumper with lower JMS front spoiler and shaved
front plate
*Oettinger
rear roof spoiler
*Dietrich
Tuning rear bumper
*Modified
Votex side skirts
*Vault
Nemesis 17” Rims
*Kumho
225/45/17 tires
*Kamei
sport grill
*Hella HID
headlights with blue city lights
*IPF 210
fog lights custom mounted behind grill
*In-Pro
clear corner lenses
*2001 Jetta
clear side markers
*In-Pro
smoked rear taillights
*Honda
S2000 roof antennae
*Hagus
Sport side view mirrors modified from Audi A4
*European
rear fog light with in dash icon
*Red
painted factory brake calipers (Better than rust!)
*Fiber
Images carbon fiber hood
Interior:
*Eclipse
ECD-415 CD Player
*Eclipse
EQS-1000 digital sound processor with custom center channel
speaker in dash
*Clif
designs 6.5” and 1” separates in factory speaker locations
*Soundstream
Reference 405 amplifier custom mounted in rear
passenger side compartment
*Lightning
Audio 1 farad capacitor custom mounted in rear driver side
compartment
*3 Kicker
10” competition subwoofers in custom made box in rear hatch
*Alien tech
window controller custom mounted in driver door
*European
headlight switch with both front and rear fog light option
*Autometer
2-guage pod mounted on A-pillar
*VDO boost
and oil temperature gauges mounted on A-pillar with factory
red lighting
*Custom
dash mounted switch for city lights
*2001
Beetle sunglass holder
*Momo shift
knob with Momo leather shift boot
*Zender
Concepts pedal set
*Carbon
Fiber dash kit
Performance:
*APR
computer upgrade with EMCS flipchip
module (200 Horsepower 247 Torque)
*HKS intake
system
*Custom
cold air system routed to intake
*KW Variant
1 coilover suspension system
*Mintex
brake pads
*P&P
Motorsports front strut brace
*Modified
Apexi front mount intercooler / custom polished with piping
*Greddy
Type-S blow off valve |
