Table of contents for Autumn 2023 in Performance VW

We’re probably preaching to the choir when we say this, but there’s a lot more to cars than metalwork. From well-worn dailies to long-term projects, the machines that move us, our families and our friends often play a role in life-long memories and even the most ordinary cars can take on their own personality as a result. For those of us who live and breathe all things automotive, building a project car is as much a social process as it is an exercise in re-engineering – especially when your mates are usually hundreds, or thousands, of miles away. “I work as an engineering officer on private yachts, mostly in the Med or the Caribbean, so I’m only in the country for a couple of months at a time,” explains Ryan…

Ot’s funny how influences that we pick up in life tend to stick with us; we tend to park them in a long-forgotten dusty part of our minds, like a car project that we figuratively put under a cover in the corner of a dark storage unit for some indeterminable point in the distant future. Of course, many people do this with actual cars too, only to somehow return to them years or decades down the line. I always think it’s great how diverse we are as humans and how one particular influence might hit a bullseye with one person, whereas the same influence will go over the heads of countless others. I love how diverse the human race is, which makes it really puzzling when people don’t embrace diversity…

TO SUBSCRIBE: GO TO SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/VWT OR USE THIS QR CODE TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR WEBSITE TERMS & CONDITIONS: *UK DIRECT DEBIT OFFER ONLY. YOU WILL PAY £51.90 EVERY 12 MONTHS. SAVINGS ARE BASED ON THE YEARLY COVER PRICE (£4.99 PER ISSUE) PLUS POSTAGE. OFFER ENDS 31ST DECEMBER 2023. YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL START WITH THE NEXT AVAILABLE ISSUE, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE 13 ISSUES IN A YEAR. PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/TERMS. DATA PROTECTION: WE TAKE GREAT CARE IN HANDLING YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS AND THESE WILL ONLY EVER BE USED AS SET OUT IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY WHICH CAN BE VIEWED AT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/PRIVACY-POLICY. YOU MAY UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME…

For some people, toeing the line and going along with the crowd just isn’t part of their DNA. They prefer to forge their own path, and stick two fingers up to anyone that might question their unique vision. The truth is, they don’t really care what anyone else thinks, and live their lives on their own terms, even if that means going completely against the accepted grain. To some it might sound like madness, but to others, forgoing the norm can be the perfect way to not only liberate your life, but also stand out from the crowd. One man well versed in the art of not giving a f*ck is Simon Andrzejewski. Simon is the operations manager for detailing gurus Auto Finesse. This means his very livelihood revolves around…

There’s no other way to describe Lloyd - he’s a petrolhead. He’s the kind of guy who puts Four Star on his cornflakes in the morning - that’s leaded petrol to any of the younger readers reaching for Google! “I've always been interested in cars and motorbikes,” he says. “Over the years I've had my share of both. My first car was a Vauxhall Nova SR and since then I’ve worked my way through several modified Vauxhalls, Fords and VWs.” In the same way you can gauge a person’s age by the first single or album they bought, the mention of a Nova SR puts Lloyd quite firmly in the early ‘80s baby group. In May 2020 he found his way to Transporter life having sold his Aprilia Tuono motorcycle…

There is a saying in New England, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t true at the start of show season on America’s East coast - all we saw was rain, rain and more rain. This was particularly concerning as the first Eurobuilt Spring Show & Shine in Greenfield, MA approached. This new show, in a new state, at a new venue, already posed some challenges to organise, adding rain in the forecast had us questioning if an additional show was a good idea. As the weekend approached the weather forecast changed and it appeared that it was going to be a beautiful weekend for a car show. Eurobuilt Spring Show & Shine was created after requests from those who attend…

Last month we went into a little bit more detail about the Rennsport T1 theme we had planned for our project and how we intended to change the van’s colour from red to white. While wrapping our Caddy red - to tie in with Teng Tools colour scheme - would be cheaper than a full red respray, it still meant quite a bit of prep work. More about that later, though. Firstly, we needed to work out how we were going to get our van, which was currently up in the clouds, considerably closer to terra firma. There was only one solution, in our minds… IN ASSOCIATION WITHWWW.TENGTOOLSCOM AIR SUSPENSION So, this month, while Kwok pressed on with bodywork preparation, we got back on the blower to order up a…

TO SUBSCRIBE: GO TO SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/PVW OR USE THIS QR CODE TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR WEBSITE TERMS & CONDITIONS: *UK DIRECT DEBIT OFFER ONLY. YOU WILL PAY £59.80 EVERY 12 MONTHS. SAVINGS ARE BASED ON THE YEARLY COVER PRICE (£5.75 PER ISSUE) PLUS POSTAGE. OFFER ENDS 31ST DECEMBER 2023. YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL START WITH THE NEXT AVAILABLE ISSUE, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE 13 ISSUES IN A YEAR. PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/TERMS. DATA PROTECTION: WE TAKE GREAT CARE IN HANDLING YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS AND THESE WILL ONLY EVER BE USED AS SET OUT IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY WHICH CAN BE VIEWED AT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/PRIVACY-POLICY. YOU MAY UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME…

Got a product, service or offer you want our readers to know about? Email: pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with all the details and we’ll make it happen The team at Only Charged Dubs (OCD) have been working on what it considers could well be the ultimate complete air ride system for the Caddy 2K. Not only does it incorporate the company’s very own BAGS air ride suspension, but OCD have also designed and developed an all-new, custom rear axle using CDS steel tube that it claims is actually stronger than OEM. Designed by utilising a triangulated 4-link set up, OCD reckon this over engineered product has allowed them to drop the spindle and add-1.5˚ negative camber, plus it’s narrowed the track by 20mm (allowing more room for larger wheels). The design erases the…

As we all know, family is important. Whether it’s your tight-knit Italian family or the people we meet and build bonds with within the car community. Luckily for 29-year-old Alex and Sydney Pappas, they have both! Growing up in a small town in Northwestern New Jersey, Alex had Grandfathers who helped to influence, shape and develop his hobbies, even his career path as an automotive painter at a local body shop, into something so great that it shows not only in this 1999.5 Volkswagen Jetta GLX but also in how he and his family bring their car to shows stretching from Maine to Pennsylvania towed behind restored Bluebird Wanderlodge motor coaches, quite a sight to see. With one grandfather having an interest in fine automobiles such as an imported '72…

The fact of the matter is modern cars are complicated and without fettling the electronics controlling all their systems you won’t be making the most of all those he bolt-on mods. Now, we’re the first to understand it’s hard to justify shelling out for something you can’t actually see. Getting a remap is nothing like spending a few quid on a spanky exhaust that you can hold and caress. The point is though, getting all those electronically controlled settings spot on is essential. Not just for wringing out more power, but for the general wellbeing of your engine – it all becomes obvious when you get in and drive. THE BRAIN All electronic ignition cars (that’s all ones that don’t have an old-skool carburettor) use an ECU or Engine Control…

The VW Golf Challenge, set in and around Morocco, has always looked like a whole lot of fun. What’s not to like about driving with a bunch of mates in Golfs across some of the most challenging terrain in the world, especially when you consider it’s not a race but more an adventure where everybody looks out for one another? “On that fi rst event back in 2012 we had just six Golfs driving on that twisty road you see in the photos. There, 11 years ago, I promised myself one day I would fill that entire road with Golfs and this year we did just that, with the 75 cars driving like a massive snake, sounding their horns and celebrating. Yes, I did cry. It was really emotional, and…

SEPTEMBER 15-17th DUBS AT THE GAP Flintstone, Maryland, USA www.dubsatthegap.com 23rd EAST COAST MK3 MEET Clifton, NJ, USA IG: @eastcoastmk3 24th NORTHEAST UNITY Turners Falls, MA, USA IG: @northeast_unity www.northeastunity.com 24th WESTSIDE SHOW & SHINE Chalfont Park, Chalfont St Peter www.westside.org.uk 30th DEUTSCH COLLECTION Scarvagh House, BT63 6NS www.gtini.com 30th BIG SOCAL EURO 2023 Irwindale Speedway, CA, USA www.big-euro.com OCTOBER 1st DAS GTI AUTO SHOW Santa Pod Raceway www.santapod.co.uk 7th EURO DISTRICT Jeffersonville, IN, USA FB: Euro District 8th WATERDAYS Nagano Prefecture, Japan IG: @_waterdays 31st-Nov 3rd SEMA SHOW Las Vegas Convention Center, USA www.semashow.com NOVEMBER 5th ULTIMATE STANCE Telford International Centre www.ultimate-stance.co.uk 2024 APRIL 14th AUTO CULTURE ’24 Doncaster Racecourse FB: Elsecar at the Races got an event? Let us know! Email us at: pvw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with the date, location…