Now that you've examined Tein's creation, here's another flavor of Mk5 styling to sweeten your palette. This '06 GTI 2.0T, conceived by Extreme Dimensions and Hot Wheels, was first introduced In The Garage in the 11/06 issue. We've included the original rendering from that issue to show how closely it resembles the real thing.
The GTI actually belongs to enthusiast Fausto Merida. Born in Guatemala, he's a programs analyst raised in San Dimas, CA, and the proud owner of this superstar car.
He used to run an automotive e-zine for several years, covering the entire import community, but he's still fairly new to the Euro community: "I got into the Euro scene when I bought my '02 Audi A4," he explained. "I met Brian Joe of TWC (et 7/06) and he helped me start modding the A4. I had some Oettinger RZ wheels, an Abt body kit, GIAC chip, exhaust and intake. I did everything when I first got it but then stopped. Most of my friends kept going but the A4 remained my daily driver.
"After some time, I sold the Audi and got a Honda S2000, but it was too small so I bought the GTI. At first, I didn't want to modify anything except maybe wheels and suspension, and that was supposed to be it! Then I started talking to Leigh Guarnieri at Extreme Dimensions and discovered he needed a GTI for Hot Wheels and SEMA."
Leigh is the marketing director, sponsorship coordinator and special projects manager for Extreme Dimensions (ED) - a manufacturer and distributor of aerodynamics for all types of vehicles including Japanese imports, trucks and now Euros. Because Leigh's responsible for project cars and prototype products, the outcome for Fausto's GTI was inevitable: "We've worked with Hot Wheels before, building a Mustang, Civic and other cars that eventually become Hot Wheels toys," Leigh stated. "What usually happens is Hot Wheels approaches us with a drawing, I make the final decision on the design, we build the car and it becomes a toy six to eight months later. In this case, I came up with a rendering for the GTI because the Mk5 was a new, upcoming car. Hot Wheels gave the okay and came back with sketches from its design studio."
With the design finalized, Leigh had to decide whether the kit would be fabricated from carbon or fiberglass. "The widebody was originally going to be carbon to promote our other company, Carbon Creations," he explained. "However, we were already showcasing a Honda Fit with a full carbon body at SEMA. We realized we didn't have anything to represent our fiberglass product lines, so at the last minute we built the GTI in fiberglass."
When it was time to build the prototype on Fausto's car, Leigh handed the designs to the ED bodyshop and the crew began work. Unexpectedly, it looked nothing like the renderings. "It was a disaster!" Leigh remembered. "I saw the progress on the car the next day. There were only three weeks before SEMA and we had to finish it. I started removing all the bondo and laid cardboard over the entire car, then poured foam over it. I then used sandpaper to shape it like a sculpture. It took me 18 hours of sanding to get the shape right. We then laid fiberglass over it to make molds."
The molds were used to construct the eight-piece fiberglass kit, including the front and rear bumpers, side skirts, front fenders and rear quarter panels. The fenders were an impressive 5" wider on all four corners.
The final production pieces arrived only ten days before SEMA, at which time the GTI went to Sleeprz Custom Car for the molding work and paint. Sleeprz took the opportunity to shave the door handles. BASF white paint was then applied, with the roof and mirrors finished in black.