The end of summer has come around leaving us with fond memories of flip flops, popsicles, and short skirts 😛 As fall approaches I figured id get a few guys together for a bunch of photos before the cars get put away for the winter. I grabbed my camera and gear and our first stop leads us to this Suzuka Blue S2000, mildly modified to specific regulations for competitive racing. Then we head out into the night with a new Audi S4 and a couple of Japanese favorites! We even stopped by the local car meet for a bit of eye candy!
One of my major goals while writing for illmotion was to bring as much euro content to the website as possible. It wasn’t long ago that I shot this beautiful example of a properly done Mk4 Jetta. One of the coolest features of this car is the completely original Votex body kit from VW. If any of you are familiar with Votex, you know how hard it is to find a clean example. Another cool feature about the car is that it was featured on Euro Tuner some years ago. While the car has remained virtually the same since the feature, Lani has many plans to build upon an already excellent example in the future.
Footwork
14.5″ Audi RS6/Lamborghini Gallardo Front Brakes
Porsche Cayenne Turbo Front Calipers
Audi TT Rear Brakes
Upper and Lower ABD Stress Bars
Rear Lower Sway Bar
Bilstein PSS Coileys
19” BBS CH Wheels
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
On Sunday August 19, 2012, A few of us from the crew made it out to Red Deer, Alberta to check out the Auto Union 2012 Show. Luckily, we were able to catch the last little bit of the show and from what we saw, the cars that attended were definitely suited up for the event. The Auto Union show attracted a pretty decent turn out with some top notch cars of various makes and models. We hope this show happens and again next year and hopefully we are there to participate at the event and of course stay for a longer period of time!
We hope you enjoy a few snaps that we managed to get JUST before the show ended!
Waterwerks has always been one of the main shows I choose to book off every year. This year the show went a different route from previous years which was located in a baseball stadium parking lot near Tacoma WA. For 2012 the organizers decided to host two events, one in North Bend WA located on a beautiful 230 acre polo field while the other on the California coast line. Usually this event features cars from all over the PNW and California. The two events this year had separated the crowds to mainly PNW cars at this venue. It was great to see how many local cars from the Vancouver scene showed up while many won awards. It was also nice to see what the rest of the PNW had to offer.
With Driven 2012 coming up quickly, we thought it’d be a good idea to look back and see what everyone had to offer in 2010 and what we can look forward to for this year. Since Driven was skipped for us in 2011 – there has been a significant amount of time for everybody to get their whips refreshed. From new cars, to new parts, complete overhauls or tweaks to an already existing minty car, we think this will be the best Driven yet. We have a handful of fresh new faces joining us this year and it’s only a matter of time before we all gather at the Olympic Oval once again.
Looking back – many cars are now gone and have been passed on to new owners and some remain alive and well and will be joining us once again. Let’s take a look…
Dal’s K20 Type R – this was a long-time build for Dal and it was pristine. Reggie now has possession of it and stripped it apart with new plans. From what I’ve seen, he’s doing a great job and going from the ground up with new parts left right and center. It should be at the show this year, so look forward to that!
Alan’s JDM conversion CSX Type-S. So clean and one of the first (and probably still only) to do the conversion with legit OEM parts and tastefully IMO. This is out of his possession now.
Jackie’s infamous S2000. Jackie has some plans for the upcoming year and he won’t be showing in Driven, but he’ll be coming out for our show & shine with new toys to boot.
Hoang’s K20 Civic. One of the most unique and cleanest builds I got to see in 2010. Everything from the J’s wing to the custom splitter and canards and his I.C.E. set up. Not to mention the K20 under the hood.
Steve Poyntz’s 2JZ swap Cressida on 350Z wheels. Super simple and clean build with a whole lotta power.
Chris’s Triumph TR7. Funny story with Chris and his placement in our booth. We had just finished setting everyone up and cleaning our cars and we were just about to leave the place when we were told that there was one more guy in our group. None of us knew of anyone extra and we had placed everyone on our list. We agreed to see the car and the first thing we said was “fuck yeah, we’ll take it”. Chris and his triumph are one of his kind – nothing you’d ever really see on the streets and it’s powered by an SR20. Definitely a keeper.
JC’s Corolla. This is also going through a nice change for 2012 and I’m looking forward to see it. It’s gone from simple and conservative to… well… you’ll have to see.
Jamie’s S2000 – this thing is beat on the track like no tomorrow. Jamie drives it hard and rightfully so. He had got his wheels powdercoated that day or the day before the show too so they were clean as hell.
Punit’s Integra. I remember this was the year that he did the K24 swap and it took weeks on end to get it done. One problem would come up after another and the show came up super quick. Luckily he got it running and entered. Wait till you guys see what he has in store this year.
Gopesh’s GTI – this is also going through a nice overhaul for this year as well.
Terence Wah’s S2000. Another S2000 that saw the track often and built with function in mind. Also another that is no longer in Terence’s possession. He now has a new toy…
Derrek Poyntz’s recently finished Integra RS. This was finished hours before roll-in and ready to go. All the graffiti on this was done by hand! The Calgary skyline is also on the valve cover.
Terence Ng’s Merc. More plans for this later on as well…
Waterwerks first kicked off a few years ago, when one of the major PNW Audi/Volkswagen events was cancelled. Local enthusiasts then came together to organize what is now the PNW’s largest European car show. Chaney Stadium has been the venue since the first event in 2008. While there were only 300 cars, there was room for growth in the rather large venue. Over the years this event has done nothing but grow. For 2011 there were over 700 cars, while at least 3000+ people walked through the gates to come and witness this event. In the years Waterfest NW has been able to pick up some huge tittle sponsors including Rotiform Wheels, Podi Gauges, Air Lift, Fine Tuning, and many more.
When you come to Waterfest, you want to come for the whole weekend. With events starting on Friday, there are endless activities to not only to partake in, but to spectate as well. They include Auto-x, Kart-x, Dyno, Teeter Totter, and the Air Ride Limbo. You want to make sure you don’t miss out on anything. Though Sunday is the climax for the whole weekend, with over 20 vendors showing their latest products. And lets not forget the the main show. Overall Waterwerks NW is a must attend event if you live in the PNW or anywhere near. Its events like these that redefine the European scene, and make it what it is today. Here are only a small amount of the photos from this event.
Additional photos from the event can be found HERE
Another nice weather Wednesday equals another 403 Honda/Beyond.ca Chinook meet. Hopefully the weather keeps getting better. If you try to make it out, then we promise try our best to get out there each week to take pics. Who knows, maybe we’ll find cars that are worthy to be featured on the site!
Here’s a video a video I found today and thought it deserved to be posted up. With H20 International one of the biggest Euro meet’s in Maryland and 100 hundreds of cars your in for a great time. Video was shot by Eric Shell and is 34 minutes long!
