It's Often Said, Less Is More, And Frank Rivera Upholds This Philosophy With His Clean GTI
Two years ago I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for the second time," Frank Rivera began. "I basically had to leave work and receive medical treatment. While I was recovering, I'd often read magazines like eurotuner - it was almost like a secondary treatment. I had cancer for the first time three years ago and came out good, which is why it was shocking when I got it again. These kinds of things make you look at life differently. At that point I had a good job and planned to marry my girlfriend. And yet you never know when you're going to go. I needed to do something positive so thought about investing in a car. I wanted to get one that was right for me, so started looking at VWs."
It's quite astonishing to survive cancer, and in Frank's case we're especially happy he fought it so he could enhance this '06 VW GTI.
In his youth he shared a passion for cars with his family. "My dad is into hot rods," Frank mentioned. "I got it from him. He had every VW including Mk1 through Mk4 and five Beetles. When I was little he even had an old VW Bus. He's building a '34 Ford hot rod right now.
"In high school my first car was an MG convertible. I then went to a Toyota pickup during the whole mini-truck craze. I eventually tired of it and got into European cars when I moved to California," he continued.
As a graphic designer for Reebok and Adidas, Frank was compelled to move from his home in Puerto Rico. He landed himself in sunny California and purchased an Audi Avant. With plans to update this daily driver, he fitted an S4 body kit along with wheels and H&R suspension. Unfortunately, work then took him to Massachusetts and it became harder to modify the wagon because of the stormy winters. But after battling cancer for the second time and saving enough money, he decided to splurge on a new car.
"In '05, my brother and I went to the Essen Motor Show for inspiration," Frank remembered. "We went to the Abt booth and saw its Mk5 (et 8/05). That was the moment! I'd seen the car in photos but when we saw it in the flesh my brother and I stopped and said 'this is the car!' We came back to the US and waited until the Mk5 was launched in 2/06."
Frank and his brother both bought GTIs. But while his brother's project was to remain a daily driver, Frank was more ambitious.
"From the start, I wanted to modify it," he explained. "It was going to be my summer car I could take to shows and drive around - not a car for hauling people around. My vision was to have it stripped down and race-inspired. From the dealer, I wanted package zero with no sunroof and the least amount of accessories. If VW had a program where I could pick whatever I needed, that would've been the perfect setup."
Once Frank started he found it difficult to obtain several parts because the Mk5 was still brand new in North America and not many tuners had parts available. "Wheels were the first thing." Frank noted. "I always wanted the combination of the white and gold, like the Porsche GT. That's my dream car, so I decided to recreate the color scheme on my GTI."