Taaffe TDI
We introduced this Caddy TDI project back in et 10/07 and since then, owner Seamus Taaffe has been fabricating. He's added a rear sway bar but rather than bolt on the kit, he welded it in place to make it stronger and look cleaner. He also added strengthening gussets to ensure it won't crack the frame when the truck is lowered and fitted with Koni coilovers.
The front of the truck has seen quite a bit of change, too. As the Caddy is going to ride on coilovers front and rear, he wanted to eliminate flex in the bodyshell, so many holes in the frame that are usually covered with tape and sealer have been welded over. The shell was then stripped of unused brackets, while a new bracket was added for the oil cooler.
Under the hood, the inner fender was reshaped to make room for the fuel filter once he completes the TDI tuning and gets the oil-burner running.
McDermott Mk2
Last January, we previewed the next stage of Andrew McDermott's '89 GTI 16v (et 10/06) with a digital rendering. His plan is to apply a vintage theme to the car and make it more track-friendly instead of pure show.
Work is now under way, as Andrew has sourced the appropriate tuners and companies to help with the project. Tomas Sport Tuning will be performing a tricky in-cabin side-exit exhaust. Andrew also got his Compomotive HB wheels, which will be matched with Nitto's latest NT01 R compound tires.
By the next update, you should see a new interior transformed by Exotic Car Audio. Andrew wants to make the cockpit as motorsport functional as possible with the addition of Corbeau seats and Boston Acoustic audio components.
Molina 335i
This '07 BMW 335i being built by Carlos Molina traveled to the SEMA show for the Konig/Privat wheel booth (et 1/07). But much more work is left until completion. It took seven years for Carlos to finish his E46 show car (et 8/07), but he hopes to make this E92 a much faster project. The stereo is nearing completion using a silver carbon and blue suede box with MTX Audio subwoofers and amplifiers. Carlos has also fitted an Active Autowerke exhaust and 19" Privat wheels in black. Stay tuned for more updates next month.
Cory Caddy
Contributor flatfourvw.com
Cory Sterling, owner of Euro Auto Source in York, PA and of the supercharged Mk3 Jetta from et 1/08 has begun his next extravagant project - this time with green in mind. "I want to do something not a lot of people have done," he explained. "Put a new spin on old car. "Everyone builds a car with big power, turbo, this and that. With price of gas at $4 a gallon, people need to start thinking of other ways." Say hello to this '81 Caddy. Cory has sourced a 1.9 TDI motor and 02A five-speed gearbox from a Mk3. The Caddy will be completely functional with air ride suspension, Recaro interior, Jetta dash, 15" wheels and more. The exterior will feature pulled arches, Porsche door handles, smoked tail lights, new tailgate and bumpers. Cory also plans to smooth and rhino-line the engine bay.
Just in case you still think this Caddy is ordinary, Cory bought another truck to build a trailer. In the trailer, there will be two deep fryers, a propane tank and barbecue grill. He plans to use modern technology to recycle the oils used from cooking to fuel the motor. The trailer will also run in tandem with the Caddy on air bags and feature a quick release disconnect so Cory can park it or reconnect it with ease.
Correa M3
Michael Correa from Annapolis, MD sent us build photos of the custom widebody he's creating for his E46 M3. "The design was an idea that had been floating around on the forums but none of the widebody conversions available came close to what we wanted. The idea was to create a fender flare in the style of the E30 M3 for the later E46 M3," Michael explained.