We’re car enthusiasts so it’s only natural for us to introduce here on Spina² what we drive… This is one of our two on-going “projects”.
Not long after we met, I was somehow able to convince Jamie (and her parents) the brand-new 2004 Honda Civic she was driving was the perfect trade-in candidate for this 2001 VW Golf 1.8T. Coincidentally she’s wanted a “white Golf” since high school so naturally the trade had to be done.
The appeal of owning a manual transmission, 1.8L turbo-charged, 4-door Golf was that it was only made the one year, limiting production numbers and making them a “rarity” of sorts. Oddly enough it feels as though the majority of these rare units were shipped to our region as it seems we see them more often then we think we should. Rare or not, and as with any vehicle we own, personalization and performance upgrades are necessary so over the years we’ve slowly brought a stock car to what you see here.
Due to wiring troubles (have had a good portion of the engine harness inspected/replaced), a home, wedding, and new car purchase (2010 CC 2.0T Sport), and the fact Jamie and I were able to carpool to work every day, the Golf has been stored in the garage for the better part of the last year and a half with the “to-do” list put off further and further. It’s time to bring it back out of hiding and (slowly) start giving it the attention it’s been lacking. As it sits now it has… (no, we don’t expect all our readers to recognize or understand these items =P)
* APR “chip”
* Samco DV
* Koni coil-overs
* 18×8 & 18×10 Hartmann HPO-367 wheels – 215/40 & 255/35 Falken FK452 tires
* H&R 30mm wheel adapters
* H&R 28mm rear anti-sway bar
* OEM HIDs
* 25th AE/Euro R stubby mirrors
* Euro R tail lights
* 20th AE hybrid gauge cluster
* Euroswitch
* GTI 3-spoke steering wheel
* Auto Meter Cobalt boost/vac gauge & steering column mount
* Brushed-aluminum center dash console, door lock pins, hood & trunk struts
* Double-din NAV/DVD
* W8 console
* Interior & license plate LED lighting
* Jetta dash vents
* Optima Red Top
* Rolled fenders
* 15% tint
* smoked bumper/fender markers
* Stebel Nautilus “ultra compact” air horn kit
Most recently we’ve had to replace the HELLA brand triple-trumpet air horn kit with the Stebel Nautilus “ultra compact” air horn kit stocked locally at Griot’s Garage. For some reason the compressors from the HELLA kits never held up over time. We’re hoping for the best with these new horns and are happy with Griot’s product guarantee.
And here is the new horn kit attached to the factory horn bracket behind the bumper.
The air horn kit replacement was the perfect little project to get the motivation going so we’ll see how much more of the remaining list we’ll be tackling soon. Speaking of that list…
To Do:
* Lower it
* Replace front windshield
* Tint front windshield
* Upgrade brakes
* Swap black emblems back to stock or…
* Install/paint badgeless grille & shave hatch
Wish List:
* R-line rear bumper
* 4-door R skirts
* R-line shift knob
* R seats
* R steering wheel
* Bora R fogs
* turbo-back exhaust w/ hidden tips
* k04 turbo
* sleepy boser
We’ll see what gets done… Then we’ll show ya!
