Once the body was complete, the GTI was rejuvenated with several coats of Glasurit Cerulean Midnight paint. Not just any black, it has a blue and purple pearl emitted in certain lights to make the car more striking.
The widened fenders would prove beneficial when the wheel decision-making process arrived. Opting for 19" diameter, he had iForged build five-spoke Aero wheels to fit. The 10" rears feature polished lips a hungry man could feast from, while the fronts have a more subtle profile in order to accommodate the Brembo GT big brakes.
To gain the most performance, Yih began chassis tuning. Running 19" wheels made the car look higher than desired, so he lowered it using KW coilovers. To reduce body roll, Neuspeed sway bars were installed along with a Tomas Sport Tuning rear strut brace, plus APR and WRD front braces to reduce chassis flex.
Appetizing 1.8T engine bay...
Appetizing 1.8T engine bay with plenty of carbon and polish
The turbocharged 1.8 liter motor received minor upgrades. Yih's goal wasn't to attract the police after his painful experiences, so he kept things simple. An APR chip gives the power increase with the addition of a Carbonio cold-air intake, GHL cat-back exhaust and HKS blow-off valve. Of course, performance also contributes to the overall appearance of the car, so an ATP front-mount intercooler was squeezed behind the Rieger bumper and polished plumbing was added. Yih was concerned about the engine bay's appearance for shows, so he added a carbon fiber engine cover from ECS Tuning along with some polished Neuspeed caps and Osir Design carbon strut caps.
The cabin was next to receive nourishment. Yih started by installing budget-friendly mods such as a Momo steering wheel and shift knob, Audi TT pedals and gauges. Friend Jeremie recommended Knig SK5000 seats he once used. The German company is renowned for the factory seats in the Mk4 R32 but sourcing a pair of original Knig's was difficult. "The seats are my pride and joy," he told us. "They're handmade and I was sold on them despite the high price. They're truly the Rolls Royce of seats and the centerpiece of my interior." Yih picked out black leather and blue alcantara centers before selecting Sparco harnesses for added security.
Ear-bleeding trunk setup built...
Ear-bleeding trunk setup built by Tuan Dang of KustomWerkz Audio
The icing on the cake is Yih's extraordinary audio setup. "The trunk design was mostly my friend Tuan Dang's idea," he explained. "My only requirement was a bridge with TVs, a floating amp section and subs in the lower half of the setup." Not an overnight task, the display was finished in Tuan's garage and was award-winning. Xetec equipment from Tuner Shop was used, with two five-channel amps powering component sets and a pair of JL Audio subs in the trunk. A pair of 7" monitors are used for the video output on the bridge, while a touchscreen head unit controls the system. The side trim pieces and bridge in the trunk were color-matched to the car and the sub box was painted Porsche Cobalt blue for contrast. Then the side panels and sub surround were wrapped in black suede for a luxurious finish.
Although several of Yih's modifications are a flashback from California's Mk4 scene from several years ago, his GTI still manages to look stunning today. Yih concluded, "I admit my taste has evolved toward a Euro aesthetic since I started the project, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out." Long live Cali-style!
Tech Spec
2003 VW Golf GTI 1.8T
Owner: Yih Liang
Location: San Jose, CA
Occupation: Graphic Designer
Engine: 1.8 liter four cylinder 20v turbo with Carbonio cold-air intake, ATP front-mount intercooler, GHL 3" cat-back exhaust, APR chip, HKS SSQV blow-off valve, ECS Tuning carbon engine cover, Optima Yellow Top battery, Neuspeed billet aluminum accents
Drivetrain: five-speed manual transmission with ACT clutch and flywheel, short shifter
Brakes: Brembo GT front brake kit, Eurospec rear rotors, Mintex Red Box pads, ATE Super Race Blue
Suspension: KW V2 coilovers, 25mm front and 28mm rear Neuspeed sway bars, Tomas Sport Tuning rear strut brace, APR carbon fiber front upper strut bar, Osir carbon strut caps, WRD lower front bar
Wheels & Tires: 19x8.5" front, 19x10" rear iForged Aero wheels, 225/35-19 front and 245/30-19 rear Dunlop Direzza DZ101 tires, Powertech 5mm front spacers
Exterior: Rieger RS4 body kit and rear rebar support, shaved side moldings, side markers, front plate recess, driver's door lock and hatch, molded Rieger front bumper gills, Audi TT fuel door, Caractere hatch blend, pulled fenders and bumpers, Vorsteiner carbon bser hood and carbon hatch spoiler, Sparco hood pins, Enfig Motorsports antenna, deleted rear wiper, Hella Celis head- and tail lights, car painted Cerulean Midnight
Interior: Knig SK5000G front seats, Sparco Clubman 3 harnesses with R2 pads, Momo Jet steering wheel with quick-release hub, Momo Shot carbon shift knob and alcantara shift boot, OE Audi TT pedals and Beetle Turbo S dead pedal, Auto Meter gauge pod with Cobalt air/fuel gauge and Blitz BLM boost gauge, Polarg interior bulbs, New Dimensions carbon trim pieces, JOM door pins
Audio/Visual: Kenwood double-DIN 7" touchscreen head unit, DVD navigation and Sirius radio controller, Xetec P-5 Evo amplifiers, T-28 tweeters, T-26 tweeters, G-6 subwoofers, G-5 subwoofers, Savv 7" monitors, JL Audio 10" W6 subwoofers, Ungo two-way security system
Thanks: God, my family, Gloria, Bernie Chacon (et 7/06), Carlo, Casey, Claude, Drew Karhrimanian (et 12/06), Ivan, James Park (et 3/08), John, Lawrence, Lisa, Matt Demetria (et 6/07), Nick, Wendell Willkom (et 10/04) and the rest of the NFJ Family, Tuan Dang at KustomWerkz Audio, Tomas Sport Tuning, Steve at Fog City Performance, Darwin and crew at Sonic MS, Jeremie Habib (et 3/04) and Roque at Vitesse Auto Sport, Meguiar's, Tuner Shop, ACT, Exact Motorsports, Shiro's Auto Body, Valan Motorsports
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