This car had come from a line of people, some of which were mechanics and some who probably thought they were; and we all know how that goes. Lucky for owner Matt Wilson he picked up his MKII Jetta Coupe at a great price and with only a few electrical issues.

Photos by: Arlen Liverman & Words by: Paul Garno

When buying an older car it is expected to see some dings, dents, and maybe some rust; but nothing is worse than electrical issues! To most it’s the indefinite end to a build and the beginning of a sempiternal sleep for the car. Fortunately Matt held out and had the patients to see someone else’s given up project through; for that we thank you and hold much respect for Matt and those like him.

Getting a car with electrical issues on the straight and narrow is one hell of a job; ask anyone who has been down that road. To not only recover from something like that, but to also transform the aesthetics to a perfectly fitted German driving machine is just down right impressive.

From the beautifully blended paints to the soft tone of the wood grain wheel, this car is put together well. Looking at this car as a whole it is easy to believe it. I genuinely am convinced that this is how the car was meant to look fresh of the showroom floor. It really is amazing to see art like this come together so well.

Future Plans:  Matt’s plan is to do the following all before SOWO in May of 2014. Polish and install OBD2 2.9 Clone intake manifold -Install Kent Cams VR602 264 cams HD Lifters and a Euro Sport under drive crank pulley. Also retune the car, Cut and re-weld the rear arches , Lower the rear and set camber to -2. Color match front bumper, Polish Strut bar, delete coolant bottle, and clean up engine bay.

Modification List:

-Custom blended paint (Purple/Gray)
-OEM 16v Front Valence
-G60 front fender flares
-16v side skirts and rear flares
-GLI hard plastic spoiler
-Westmoreland ‘westy’ headlight and grille set up
-GLI side badges
-MK3 door handles
-OEM Passenger side mirror delete panel
-OEM Euro fenders
-Smoked big bumper indicators and euro side indicators
-Smoked Clear/Red Tail lights
-Shaved trunk w/plate relocated to bumper
-Dark Purple 20% tint

ENGINE
-OBD2 12v VR6 swap w/ 5-lug conversion from MK3
-Solid Front motor mount
-Polished intake manifold
-Eibach Front Strut Brace
-Eurosport air diversion panel.
-NGP Plug wires
-Engine bay sprayed black
-Full custom exhaust down pipe – back.

INTERIOR
-Corrado VR6 SLC RedDot seats
-MK3 silver face cluster retrofitted in MK2 dash
-Euro under-dash parcel tray
-Recaro Red Stripe door cards
-OEM Radio Delete Panel
-MK3 headlight switch retrofit in vent
-Autopower Bolt-in 4pt Roll bar with cross bar. Modified to fit Jetta Coupe.
-Momo Floor mats
-Momo seat belt pads
-Momo woodgrain 4 spoke steering wheel. Manufactured 11-82.
-Sparco Aluminum pedals

SUSPENSION
-Full MK3 5-lug conversion.
-Weitec Height Adjustable coilovers
-1.5* rear camber shims
-H&R front camber bolts adjusted to -1.5*
-MK4 rear caliper conversion
-BPT Skid-Plate

WHEELS
-OZ Vega 3-piece wheels
-16×7.5 w/ 25mm H&R 5×130-5×100 adapters, 1.5″ polished lips, and 165/45r16 Nankang NS-2’s
-16×8.5 w/ 15mm H&R 5×130-5×100 adapters, 2.5″ polished lips, and 195/40r16 Yokohama S-Drive’s.