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I think it is every car enthusiasts’ dream to have a car that drives fast, handles well, and looks great.  Therefore being a car enthusiast myself, that is my dream also.  Many of my friends ask me “Why the Passat?”  I often smile and reply, “What midsize family sedan come with 5 speed and turbo?” 

I originally chose the Passat because of its modification potential.  I also wanted a nice big car because I simply don’t fit in a Golf, Jetta, or GTI.  I knew my Passat looked nice stock, but after seeing pictures of some nicely modified Passats, I knew how much nicer my Passat could look.  After that, pure insanity kicked in and the rest is history! 

When the B5.5 was released, I loved the look of the new front-end but the taillight and the chrome trim of the B5.5 failed to grow on me.  After VW released the Votex body kit, I decided to integrate all of the components that I liked from the B5 and the B5.25 and create my unique ‘B5.25’!  While the B5.5 front-end conversion is the most noticeable modification to my Passat, there are plenty more modifications to mention here.

 Once the front-end conversion was on, it was time to add the body styling that I wanted.  The front end uses the Votex front lip, complimented by the Hella Bi-Xenon HID housing to finish the sporty, yet elegant look.  The side of the car is made more aggressive by using the Votex side skirt designed for the B5.5, in case anyone wants to know, it fits perfectly.  The clean character line and the square taillight of the B5 rear end is fitted with the Zender deck spoiler and the Oettinger rear valance.  The wheels are 18x8.5 BBS RC’s that are painted gunmetal gray with a custom machine polished face.

The engine was quickly modified since that was the main reason why I purchased the Passat in the first place.  An HKS Super Mega Flow Air intake was added to give the car the blow off valve noise that every turbo car deserves.  An APR v3.0 chip with optional ECMS program tunes the ECU of the B5.25.  The factory K-03 turbo was taken out and replaced by a larger and more efficient K-04 turbo.  A Neuspeed cat-back exhaust system was installed to give the car the low rumble exhaust noise and also help the turbo flow more air.  For show purposes, two NOS nitrous systems were installed – a 50 shot wet system that will shoot into the engine, and a 30 shot dry system that will freeze the intercooler by shooting on it.  And finally, the entire engine bay was painted by Wetworks Garage. 

With all the power that the engine could now produce, the suspension had to be modified to handle it.  The suspension was modified using Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Bilstein Sport shocks, an O-Bar rear sway bar, and a P&P Motorsport strut tower bar.  These changes provided ample stiffness needed to handle the additional power but still provided a comfortable ride during normal driving conditions.

Finally, now that the car drove fast, handled well, and looked great, the only thing left was to complete the car with ICE.  The In-Car-Entertainment system is composed of Aura Reference speakers in the front and rear door panels.  Three JL Audio 10 W3 speakers enclosed in a custom enclosure that is ported through the rear deck give the boom for the car.  Power is provided by a Soundstream Reference 700S and a Precision Power PC450 amplifiers.  Stingers wires and fuses run throughout the car and an extra SVR seal battery was added in the trunk for extra juice.  To complete the system, two 5” LCD monitor were placed into the sun visor and both are controlled by a Sony AM/FM CD/VCD/MP3 Multimedia Head Unit and a Kenwood 1/4 Din 5 band Equalizer. 

Now, do I love what I have done to my car?  Absolutely.  Am I happy with what I had done?  Yes – I do get a lot of compliments from other drivers and car enthusiasts which are greatly appreciated.  It is nice to know that others can appreciate the effort that went into it and the compliments reassure me that I have done a good job. 

However, no matter how much you do to a Passat, there’s always the inevitable “Hey, nice Jetta.  What have you done to it?”  ;-) 

-Drake

For more pictures of my car, please visit my photo page:
http://community.webshots.com/album/21005910bYCyFClrLX

Full Modifications List: 

Engine:
APR v3.0 ECU chip with ECMS
K-04 Turbo
30 Shot "Dry" NOS Nitrous Shot at Intercooler
50 Shot "Wet" NOS Nitrous Shot in Engine
HKS Super Mega Flow Intake
Painted Engine Bay
Match Painted P&P Strut Tower Bar
UUC Motorworks Short Shifter
Neuspeed 2.5" Cat-Back Exhaust with DTM Tip 

Suspension:
Eibach Pro-Kit Lowering Springs
Bilstein Sport Shocks with Custom Groove Cut in the Front
18x8.5 Custom Machine Polished face with Painted GunMetal Grey window BBS RC (32mm Offset)
235/40 ZR 18 Sumitomo HTR Z II

Exterior:
B5.5 Front End Conversion
B5.5 Votex Front Lip
B5.5 Votex Side Skirt
B5.5 Hella OEM Bi-Xenon
B5 Oettinger Rear Valance
B5 Zender Trunk Spoiler
Solar Guard Titianium Tint all around
S2000 antenna

Interior:
Real Brushed Aluminum Dash Kit
Katzkin Custom 2-Tone Leather (Dove Grey/Black)
AutoMeter Pro-Comp Boost Guage (20 psi)
AutoMeter Pro-Comp Air/Fuel Ratio Meter Guage
AutoMeter Pro-Comp Nitrous Pressure Guage
AutoMeter Duel A-Pillar Guage Pod 

I.C.E.
Sony AM/FM CD/VCD/MP3 Multimedia Head Unit
Kenwood 1/4 Din 5 band EQ
Aura Reference Component Speakers in Front
Aura Reference 2-Way Speakers in the Rear
PPI PC 450 Amplifier
SoundStream Reference 700S Amplifier

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