Sparkling candy paint doesn’t appeal to everybody, certainly not Jukka Nieminen, the creator of this matte camo Audi A3. With its multi-colored exterior, incredible interior, turbocharged V6 and military theme throughout, this army A3 really stands out from the bunch.
The owner, a 34 year-old graphic designer from Tampere in Finalnd, is no stranger to the VAG scene. Previous projects have included an Audi A4, RS4 Avant and VW Golf. For his next project, he heard about a special VW color code for a satin “Finnish Army Green” paint. So he duly placed an order for a new Golf R32 in this unique hue. However, the application was denied. The local VW dealer simply wouldn’t deliver the car in that color, so Jukka had to reconsider.
Eventually, the voice of reason led him to a stock Audi A3 3.2L V6 he bought from Germany. It was fully-equipped with S-Line extras but on the trip home the army green vision popped into his head again. “I thought the car would look great in flat green, but maybe it wouldn’t be enough to separate it from the rest,” he explained. “That’s when I came up with the camouflage scheme!”
A plan was conceived and, as soon as the autumn leaves fell, the A3 was disassembled in preparation for the long Finnish winter.
Alcantara-lined trunk houses two amps in walls, 12
Body
Parts were ordered from a multitude of styling companies, including an Oettinger front bumper that was widened to fit the Nothelle front fenders. The four Nothelle fender flares and side skirts were then molded to the body to create a cleaner look. “It took a whole lot of work to make the Nothelle parts line up with the Oettinger kit,” Jukka said, “but it was worth it to make the widebody harmonize with the lines of the stock car.”
The Oettinger front bumper was further modified to remove the license plate holder and add RS4-style matte black grilles into the intake ducts.
Recaro Sportster seats have cream-leather backs
In the rear, the license plate was relocated from the tailgate to the bumper by Jukka’s bodyshop, JP Autotuning. They did it by mutilating a Mk4 Golf rear bumper to rob its plate housing and lights.
The tailgate was repaired with sheetmetal before removing the handle at the same time. However, its opening function was restored by placing a button in the hole left by the deleted rear wiper.
They didn’t forget the rear. Notice alcantara carpet and diamond-stitched headliner
Camo
With its complex patterns, it was clear that the paint job would require a painful masking process to create a legit camo scheme. However, wrapping the car in vinyl wasn’t an option for Jukka. “I wanted a unique paint job and wouldn’t allow any cheating!” he laughed.
Therefore, it was important to find the right painter, so Pete “Big P” Pihlajamaan was chosen: famous in Finland for tattoos, airbrushing and some serious artwork.
First, the car was dusted in a beige paint. The body was then covered in masking tape and the camo pattern drawn by hand, tailored to suit the bodywork. Pete then grabbed a scalpel and revealed the parts of the pattern to be painted in an orange color. During this process, the doors were removed and the masking continued over the door sills and body gaps to ensure a flawless finish.
Once this was done, the entire car was masked for a second time to receive the darker brown camo color. Finally, a flat satin lacquer was applied over the military pattern to create a rough but refined look.
The 19" BBS LM wheels didn’t escape the spraygun either. Nor did the Porsche Cayenne six-piston front and Mov’It rear calipers. All were painted in the base beige color, with the center of the wheels painted black for contrast.
Diamond-stitched leather with alcantara accents and cream leather highlights are sublime
Interior
While the camo paint grabs all the headlines, nothing prepares you for the quality of the interior. Jukkas’ showpiece isn’t what you’d expect to find beneath the military exterior and it takes your breath away.
The deep brown Nappa leather is accented by diamond stitching on the four seats, door cards and floor mats. The rest of the interior is covered in alcantara suede, and lots of it!