Allow us to introduce Anthony Noel's 1998 Jetta. It's equipped with a 2.0 8v and automatic transmission. Take a moment to chuckle at his expense - he's used to it. But don't chuckle too much - one of Anthony's biceps is thicker than your neck.
Back in '98, Ant (to his friends) didn't know anything about VWs. He'd just graduated college with an accounting degree and needed a new car. He thought the Mk3 Jetta was a good-looking, clean-styled sedan priced about right. With Philadelphia traffic being a real nightmare, when he saw a white 2.0 auto, our young accountant made a college-educated decision and bought it. Nobody was laughing back then.A year later Anthony happened upon an article in a VW tuning mag on Steve Beheler's Candy white Abt-equipped Mk3 Jetta VR6. It was an epiphany for Ant because until then he thought of his Jetta only as transportation. Those days were officially over.
Over the next year, Anthony spent lots of time and money doing his best to emulate Steve's ride. "I saw my car in a whole new light and was enjoying the process of turning it into something more satisfying," he says, adding, "I really like the clean lines of the Jetta; its boxy shape set it apart from every other car on the road. I've tried to add parts or make changes that complement the basic shape, without overpowering the factory lines."
Ant was fully underway with his Abt Jetta when something bigger forced the process to a grinding halt. That something was called life. Anthony and his girlfriend decided to marry and buy a house. And as any accountant will tell you, such big-time, grownup moves require capital. A peek out of the window revealed capital in the form of a white Jetta. The de-tuning soon began with Anthony parting out everything he could in a bid to raise cash.
The Noels kept the Jetta because it was a reliable form of transport, but it now looked pretty sad with the Abt goodies missing. So the couple agreed that once finances allowed, he'd build up the Jetta again. Sure enough, that day came and the project was back on track, but with a new twist. "One day I was browsing some German VW tuning site," Anthony told us, "and noticed I no longer identified with the tuner look I'd originally adopted. I really liked some of the German cars with smaller wheels poking just outside their pulled arches. Right then I knew I wanted to change direction."
Anthony began searching for OEM Euro parts such as Vento bumpers, a front lip, rear plate tub, lighting and radiator support. He even sourced a rare '92 Vento dash. "I was less concerned about making obvious changes and focused more on the type of things only hardcore VW geeks would notice." With money still prioritized toward household necessities it took a while to gather the parts, but once all were in hand he took them to his friend Justin Brunner of Bent Metal Customs. While at BMC, Ant had Justin pull and smooth the four fenders, shave the windshield jets, rear emblem and trunk holes from the deleted wing. He also smoothed the seams under the tail lights. When all was done, Justin resprayed the car the original Cool white. Over the next two years, Ant put his time and money into sorting the interior and finding the perfect set of wheels.
Sure enough, when it came to choosing wheels, Anthony went with something so Euro they took eight months to arrive. According to him, "they were worth the wait. They're the defining mod on this car and are the one in-yer-face indulgence I've allowed myself. While everything else is subtle and low key, the WRD wheels get lots of attention." Sized 16x8.5" front and 16x9" in the rear, these beauties are (barely) wrapped in Toyo T1S stretched tires. H&R coilovers provide a perfect stance and Anthony is content with the look: "Some guys give me a hard time because with the big-money wheels it's obvious I've built this car more for looks than performance. But hell, it's a 2.0 automatic and I know as well as anybody I'm not going to win any races. Plus, I've got a 2 year-old son now, and I'd like to think I'll be handing this Jetta off to him in about 14 years, so a slow, good-looking car fits the bill perfectly!"
Yes, Ant's car is slow but he enjoys driving it nonetheless. Inside he's swapped the cloth seats for GLX leathers, and his headliner is wrapped in black suede. Some simple audio components have been added, but an earlier break-in means most of the goodies are hidden beneath a false floor in the trunk.
By now you've gathered Anthony takes plenty of ribbing from his friends over his engine and transmission. He tells us, "at one point I had a complex about it because I was getting so much crap. Even though I was happy with the car, I was wondering if I'd made some sort of tragic mistake buying it. Everybody keeps asking when I'm going to swap in a VR6 or 1.8T with a manual gearbox. But since the engine and trans still work flawlessly, I don't see the point. As a matter of fact, if either do need replacing, I might just keep the same spec - you know, just to piss everybody off."Attaboy, Ant. Going slow and looking good never killed anybody.
Anthony Noel
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Accountant
1998 Jetta GT
Engine: 2.0 8v with Eurosport Cool-Flo, Neuspeed P-Chip, Neuspeed 260 cam, Techtonics exhaust, Supersprint muffler
Driveline: Stock four-speed automatic
Suspension: H&R coilovers, Neuspeed upper front strut bar, Eurosport upper rear strut bar, Neuspeed rear sway bar
Brakes: ECS Tuning slotted front and rear rotors, Mintex pads, Goodridge stainless steel lines
Wheels & Tires: 16x8.5" front, 16x9" rear WRD Mesh wheels, 195/45-16 front, 215/40-16 rear Toyo T1-S tires
Exterior: Pulled and smoothed fenders, OEM Vento front and rear bumpers, front lip spoiler, rear license plate tub and turn signals, OEM European radiator support, front bumper rebar and aspherical mirror glass, badgeless grille, Hella Vento headlights, ZKW foglights, shaved wiper jets, smoothed rear seams, shaved rear emblem, shaved rear wing
Interior: '92 Vento dash with upper glovebox, passenger-side lower-dash parcel shelf, OEM Euro headlight switch, black suede headliner, black Cabrio sun visors, black Passat B3 interior grab handles, black-dyed pillars, GLX leather seats, leather door panels, Euro center console (no cupholders), Fischer CD box, Momo Race steering wheel
Audio/Visual: Alpine head unit, MB Quart front and rear components, JL Audio 12w3 sub and 500/5 amplifier
Thanks: Justin Brunner at Bent Metal Customs, The Potters, Dave at Oldskool Industries, Steve at Design Tech, Matt at Tuning Zubehor, Mom, Dad, wife Melissa and son Matthew, Pete, Lunchbox, Joe K, Terror, Gary, Matt, Justin, Joe