15000 members - 11/04

12000 members - 03/04

10000 members - 10/03

9,000 members - 07/03

7,000 members - 01/03

5,000 members - 06/02

3,000 members - 12/01

Regardless of engine choice or trim level, I can honestly say the VW Passat is one remarkable car.  And I should know because I have owned both a V6 and now a 1.8T. 

My first Passat was a ’99 Black Magic V6.  I was impressed by the looks and feel of the car from the very start.  The weight of the car felt like a heavy machine plowing through anything in its way.  The V6 engine was like a slingshot from gear to gear. 

I immediately had eyes for the new body style but I waited to payoff my ’99 Passat before taking the plunge.  I remember the initial negative reactions to the B5.5’s chrome, taillights, and bubbly nose but I envisioned something clean, classy, and tasteful. 

I traded in my ’99 for a 2002 Silverstone Gray 1.8T in March of 2002.  The very next day, I put the shoes from my old V6 on her as well as transferring all my other mods and began my new cosmetic journey. 

After finding ClubB5, I was intrigued by the modification potential of this car and before long, my plain and stock car was transformed into a sleek and sexy machine.  The only problem was that the bigger my eyes got, the smaller my wallet got! 

I continued my quest to improve both the looks and the performance of my new ride.  I lowered it immediately and then added a SuperSprint exhaust to give her a deep and throaty voice.  Next up was the addition of a Wett chip, which totally transformed the performance of my car. 

I continued forth and painted my front skirts and my grill to color match my Silverstone Gray for a proportionate look.  To take the look over the top, I added the Votex front spoiler, changed the grill, and added eyelids to her beautiful face.  These last mods radically redefined my car’s personality. 

My addiction would not allow me to stop and I quickly moved on to the interior.  I added a PlayStation2, 3 LCD screens, and a JL W7 12” subwoofer.  Still not content, I upgraded to a Pioneer 780 MP Premier head unit and XM radio. 

As for my future plans, I hope to pick up a few more sponsors and start showing my car.  I have setup a deal with a television network that wants to use my car as the ‘mascot’ of the show.  So you may be seeing more of her soon.

I would like to give some shout-outs to everyone at ClubB5 for all your support and assistance.  I never dreamed of accomplishing many of the things that you have helped me with without paying someone to do it for me.  The professional expertise on this site is exceptional and I have the greatest trust in this great community of passionate members. 

Special shouts to PassatRyde for his audio expertise, Zoom for being straight with sponsor information, gufi21 for beating me to the punch on a truly sick ride, and JonBoy for his incredible tint jobs.  And to all the peeps that sold me their goodies in the ClubB5 Classified’s forum! 

Anyway, look for a lot more tight mods from me down the road.  Things are only going to get better from here. 

-Morgan Phipps 

For a full list of modifications, please see my profile on ClubB5:

 This site is not affiliated with Volkswagen of America or its parent company VW AG.