We've featured our share of cars from the East and West Coasts, even a good assortment of Europe-based cars, but we must admit there hasn't been a great deal of coverage south of the border. Part of the reason is the language barrier, but another is because it's more difficult to modify cars there.
Max Chinolla from Tijuana had to work twice as hard as most American enthusiasts. And although he shares the same passion as all of us, the road to building his VW project has been more difficult because of his location. He didn't have the luxury of credit cards, numerous tuner shops and dependable online part stores. He also never approached companies for sponsorships or discounts. Max orchestrated the build of his '90 GLI by himself, with only a little help from his close friends.
Our Spanish comprehension isn't perfect but we were able to translate the essence of Max's build. He began his love affair with VWs in '93 when he purchased an '86 Jetta. Although he left the Mk2 stock, it led to his second VW - this GLI, which became his first project. "When they were introduced to Mexico, I loved the Mk2 Jetta even more than the Golf," Max clarified. "Unfortunately, the GLI 16v was never sold here, and this made me want it even more. I searched for the right car and eventually found an old lady selling one, so I bought it in '99. My goal was to build one of the best Mk2s in Mexico." In our opinion, Max achieved this goal and it rivals some the cleanest in North America.
The first step for Max was bringing the car down from its granny ride height. He installed H&R springs with Bilstein shocks to lower the center of gravity and give the desired stance. He continued to improve the handling by lessening body roll with Neuspeed sway bars.
To upgrade the exterior he installed European headlamps, Hella smoked tail lights, G60 arches and a VR6 chin spoiler. He changed the sunroof to a three position Scirocco version for its added functionality, and a Bonrath single wiper conversion gave the Jetta some motorsport flare.
Wheels and tires were next on the list. When Max acquired the car, it had stock hub caps and he went through two sets of wheels before settling on this batch of 15" BBS RS, sourced from his friend, David Pulp. Originally 7" and 8" wide front and rear, Max disassembled them and had them rebuilt and refinished with wider barrels measuring 8" and 9" respectively, to achieve those incredible lips. As a finishing touch, he traded the original hardware for chrome bolts and Porsche center caps. He then stretched 215/40-15 Dunlop SP9000 tires over the rims for the classic Euro-look.
Since the car had several miles on the odometer, the factory brakes needed replacing. The front units were swapped for Audi 5000 Turbo dual-piston calipers with 11" Corrado G60 rotors.