In recent years we’ve seen more instances of neon colors utilized to bring a splash of fun to otherwise sober European cars. And Andy Crutcher is just one of the latest Dub devotees who broke up his silver sled with a tinge of lime green, ensuring the appearance didn’t sour the performance.
When Andy took ownership of your GTI he began to modify it quickly. And while he appreciated the effectiveness of its stock 1.8T motor, he yearned for further and swapped in an R32 VR6 which had been bored to 3.3L. And what’s more: Everything done to the automobilemade out of forged JE pistons, Integrated Engineering rods, plus a ported and polished head. Timing on this powerful motor is handled by stage 2 GIAC programming, ensuring the engine delivers without interruption to the swapped six-speed transmission with its Peloquin LSD.
During the time of writing, Andy didn’t possess dyno figures but showed impressive acceleration during our photo shoot. And as a bonus, the tunnel we were shooting in enable the GTI slice its way through traffic while the 2.5 pipe rang gloriously in our ears.
Once he’d gone ahead with the engine work its was reined in by an OEM big-brake conversion. Eibach Pro-Street coilovers and sway bars kept the auto flat through the kink after the tunnel. The Falken rubber wrapped around 18 Schmidt Revolution Space Line rims brought poise and style as being the GTI.
2003 volkswagen GTI euro 25th anniversary front lip 03
2003 volkswagen GTI euro 25th anniversary front lip 04
2003 volkswagen GTI euro rear bumper 05
Even with its bright green wheels, the VW was more memorable thanks to its color-matched Weicher’s four-point rollcage. It contrasts the bamboo floors, trunk and dash that give an appealing counterpoint. On the outside, Andy deleted the hood and bumper notch, rear wiper and emblem. He then added Euro bumpers, Hofele R32 side skirts and OEM Euro front lip.
Despite its look-at-me highlights, this GTI has some authentic engine mods and exterior enhancements that raise it above most cars that choose simple wheel and suspension upgrades. And with a lot done in his home garage, you have to respect Andy’s ability to create something he can be proud of.
Tech Spec
Andy Crutcher
2003 VW GTI
Engine
3.2L VR6 24v, bored to 3.3L with 84.5mm, 8.4: 1 forged JE pistons, Integrated Engineering rods, ARP head, main, rod bolts and ported, studs and polishedfront and back bumpers, Euro 25th Anniversary front lip and rear valance, JOM badgeless grille, shaved bumper and notch notch, Hofele R32 side skirts, shaved VW emblem, deleted rear wiper, Euro headlights, Hella R32 tail lights, smoked Hella side markers
Interior
custom carbon fiber seats, Sparco four-point harnesses with Schroth pads, 25th Anniversary shift knob, e and boot-brake, GLI gauge cluster, bamboo florin, trunk paneling and dashboard, suede covering pillars and headliner, painted trim pieces and Weichers four-point roll-bar
Audio/visual
Alpine DH900 head unit with 500GB hard-drive, 12 Boston Acoustics sub, clarion amp