For the past few years, the cool kids in the VW scene have been preaching shaved bodywork, flat colors and air suspension. But forget that notion for the next five minutes because Derick McCoy's '08 GTI embodies a proven style that looks stunning time after time.The overall package is eye-catching, gaining respect from not just European car enthusiasts but thumbs up from the domestic and import guys, too. Derick's Volkswagen is an all-round show-stopper with a daily driving personality. We can't help but admire its simplicity.
Now why would we call this Mk5 GTI simple? Because the recipe uses a handful of ingredients - classic rims, big brakes, matching body kit, carbon accents, et voila! Anything else would make the car too flashy for the road and too heavy on the pocketbook.
Sitting down with Derick, we quickly learned how down-to-earth he is. Currently residing in Santa Clarita, CA, Mr McCoy works as a retail manager during the day. Outside work, he spends lots of time with family and friends. How about his hobby? You guessed it; he's an old-school VW enthusiast since before his foot could reach the gas pedal.
His first car was a '74 Bug. Apparently, owning an air-cooled wasn't life's most enjoyable pleasure, since it deteriorated with each day that passed. "Typical Volkswagen," Derick laughed.
After that, he graduated to water-cooled platforms with a Mk2 GTI, Corrado, Mk5 Jetta and B6 Audi A4. However, he must have had a brain fart when he left the Euro family for a Toyota truck a few years ago!
"I never owned a truck before and I liked the way the Toyota looked. But after owning and even modifying it, it was still a truck."
Eager to get back into a Dub, Derick wasn't convinced when the Mk5 GTI hit US dealers in '06. But after tuners and enthusiasts got to work, Derick saw its potential and knew the GTI was his perfect match.
He drove home his Tornado red GTI in late '07 and already knew what he wanted to change. From the wheels, body kit and suspension, it was all crystal-clear. Talk about a guy who knows what he wants...
To begin, he enlisted the help of a few good companies and friends. Supreme Power Parts sourced almost all the parts. All the carbon is from ZMax Autosport. And, good friend Lou Kourounian, was responsible for all the installation at his VW repair shop.
Wheels ultimately make or break a car, so that's where Derick jumped in. "My first wheels were BBS LM replicas. I think it's the best looking wheel out there, but I wasn't a big fan of reps. I then found some photos of the AutoArt wheels online and liked them," he admitted.
The AutoArt wheels were similar to the LM but with a step lip. AutoArt also offered custom offsets, so Derick could configure the amount of poke and lip he wanted.
A staggered set of 19x8.5" and 19x10" wheels arrived with 1.5" lip in the front and 3" rear. He then added stretched 215/35-19 front and 225/35-19 rear Falken FK-452 tires which grasped for dear life. "It rubs on all four corners but I don't mind," he chuckled.
The conservative body had to be changed next. Yet Derick wasn't going to spend all his pennies shaving the car or going widebody. A straightforward add-on kit would be sufficient. "I've kitted every single car with the exception of the air-cooled," he told us. "There weren't a whole lot of kits made for the Mk5 GTI but I liked the Rieger best."
Ordered directly from North American Motorsport, the front and sides gave the car a speed-hungry look. For the rear, Derick stayed OE, opting for a R32 valance. But that brought a new predicament with the R32's center-exhaust cutout. Luckly, Eurojet Racing makes a turbo-back exhaust with downpipe intended for this bumper conversion, so everything came together seamlessly.