Half of you are probably thinking that this is another old MKII GTI, and that I should just cut to the chase and get onto the photos. While the other half of you may have jumped to the conclusion that the ‘VR5’ in the title is a typo and I really meant ‘VR6’. To make a long story short, this is one MKII GTI that packs a punch, which is something you rarely see in any MKIIs that are still out there, alive and well.

Alex is like most of you, strives to continue to modify and perfect his own car over the years of ownership. While many work hard to afford modifications for their cars, this beautiful GTI was home built, on a budget. Prior to the initial build, Alex found himself practically on the verge of losing his job. While that can be very devastating to some, Alex took it another way, and found himself inspired to take the time to build his car.

The next 83 days soon after, Alex found himself outside in the back of his house working in a car tent non-stop, night and day. On a random craigslist find, Alex stumbled upon a 2.3L VR5 engine imported from Europe. From there, Alex’s deep interest in the VR5 led to hours upon hours of research, just to see if it was possible to swap into a MKII chassis. While finding no information at all, Alex took the plunge and bought the engine anyway, with no real knowledge of how difficult the task would be to perform the swap. After running into constant issues, Alex finally smoothed everything out and found himself to be at peace, and complete with his MKII GTI VR5 project.

This VR5 MKII is said to be the only VR5 MKII in North America. The only other known VR5 on this continent, is supposedly a 20 Valve VR5 as opposed to Alex’s 10 Valve VR5. It is also said that this is the only VR5 MKII that is turbocharged in the world.

To date, Alex’s VR5 MKII has been primarily untouched over the last few years, other than a few minor aesthetic changes such as the wheels and seats. With the completion of this MKII project, Alex has already found inspiration for his next project car. While I do not want to ruin the surprise, rumor has it that there is an E30 drivetrain sitting somewhere in his garage.

In the mean time, let’s focus on what Alex has already accomplished…

Engine
Shaved Engine Bay
2.3L VR5
Custom Built T04BE/.48 AR T3 Turbo
Kinetic FMIC
1.8t Diverter Valve
38mm Wastegate
Custom Built Turbo Manifold
O2A Hydro Clutch
Mk3 Rad Fans

Footwork
FK Silverline Coileys
11″ Corrado Front Brake Conversion
Rear Disc Conversion
G60 Sway Bar
Prothane Bushings
VR6 Upper Strut Mounts

Wheels
ARE Wheels
Two Piece
16×7

Exterior
G60 Flairs
Stubby Antenna
Smoked Aero Ecodes
Shaved Banana’s
Audi Door Handles
Rear Wiper Delete

Interior
Trophy Recaro’s
Mk1 Golf ball Shift Knob
Momo Corse Wheel
Stewart Warner Boost Gauge
Autometer EGT Gauge
Cobalt AFR Gauge
260 Speedometer