Old Jetta New "R32" Face

I can proudly say I have owned 15 in the past 10 years! Sounds impressive doesn't it!? 1.5 a year! the stuff of dreams! It matters not that the majority of my jalopies weren't road worthy, nor that I may have fibre glassed an aluminium sign to the sill of a particularly rotten to pass it's safety inspection! or, that the said Talbot lost its 'modified' exhaust during the aforementioned inspection. No, the fact I have owned more in the past 10 years, than most will in a lifetime shows. Nay! Proves I know more about and modification than anyone else of a similar age! Think I'm full of it!? Want to prove me wrong? Then replace the engine in a in under 30 minutes on a rainy day with a hangover!

As my status of all knowing mentor of automotive tuning is now indisputably confirmed I would like to introduce you to this, my weekly post on Chinese car tuning. Every week or so, I will post the best of what China's young street racers have to offer.

For my first post I hopped to have pictures of a particular well styled Tianjin Saloon, which has been doing the rounds in Qingdao. Unfortunately, I was unable to get pictures of the 1 liter matt grey beasty, so you will have to make do with Ji Gang's heavily modified (大众) Volkswagen Jetta!

Pictures after the jump!

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Yes, under that mountain of fibre glass and filler is a standard Jetta saloon with an R32 inspired makeover.

The Jetta's shell has undergone a huge amount of cosmetic work starting at the front, the original grill has been replaced with a unit from a VW Sagatar, and the lights are custom Magotan style models. As you work your way around the sides you will notice the side exit quad exhaust! You may also have noticed that the rear doors have been sealed up to give the old Jetta a 3 door sporty feel. The rear end hasn't escaped the surgeons knife either, here you will find yourselves greeted with a pair of R32 tail-lights, and an oddly shaped (pre-dented?) trunk lid.

The inside has been fitted out with racing style bucket seats, the steering wheel and center console from a VW Bora, and enough leather to re-skin the entire buffalo population of Texas, if you wanted them all to be bright red that is.

I'd like to applaud Ji Gang and his amalgamation of VW spares for stepping away from the normal Soueast Lioncel modification route, although it would be interesting to see what he would make of the faux Lancer!

More in next week!