VW Parts International Blog
VW Parts International Customer Cars – Rob’s Golf Mk3 VR6 with a difference!

So what a brilliant feedback we’ve had from the first of our featured cars! Safe to say you guys & girls love to see how other people build their cars and hear their stories, so I’ll go ahead and treat you to another one here and now! This time round is another Mk3 VR6, owned by a keen member of UKMK3s and frequent customer to VWPI, Mr Rob Palmer himself. So take a seat, buckle up and listen hard, this one is well worth your time!

When Rob bought his ’97 VR6 in August of 2012, it was a clean, totally stock example. It was the perfect canvas for making something special. It was found on eBay, being sold by the neighbour of a 75 year old gent who’d bought it new back in 1997, and because he no longer drove it, he had kept it in a garage covered in boxes for the previous 7 years! From the outset, Rob had a specific point in his mind that he wanted the Golf to reach. Show car was always the goal. However a few bits and pieces naturally on a car of this age had to be taken care of from the outset, starting with the common rusty front wings. Rob got online and purchased a pair of OEM Replacement Wings/Fenders for both the Near Side and the Off Side from us here at VWPI. Given he was changing the wings, he decided to change to some smoked side repeaters which are far more stylish and in-keeping with the look.

Given the car had been sat for so long, naturally a few of the rubber bushings around the car had begun to perish which is totally normal over time. While Rob was treating the car to new parts, he saw it fit to upgrade everything. If you are going to do some of it, you may as well do all of it. So Rob got back onto us here at VW Parts International and picked up a Powerflex Complete Upgrade Bush Kit. Air ride was always on the list of upgrades from the get-go, so Rob had a chassis notch cut into the front chassis legs to cater for some serious lows! This was initially tied in with a set of lovely 16 inch Schmidt Modernline alloy wheels, and a Ravern 2 way air ride kit. Given the Chassis was having work done, Rob being Rob, the decision was made to have all the sills replaced and skirts where needed. This sure was turning into one heck of a future proofed car!

By this point, a substantial amount of effort had been poured into both the chassis and exterior styling, but the interior was still stock. This was about to change massively. Firstly, Rob bought himself a pair of Recaro CS front seats, which he had re-trimmed in blood red by Transcal Scotland. The OEM bench seat was then matched in the same red leather. The same was said for the door cards and the parcel shelf. The dashboard was also matched to the red interior by Trim Deluxe. Grey plastics and roof lining were now looking tired in the car in comparison with the new OEM+ leather, so a black headliner was swapped in. Black sunroof switches, sun visors, roof handles and A/B/C pillars were also fitted in black to complete the red/black combo. Phew, what a lot of work! Of course it doesn’t stop there though. Air ride switches and controls were built into the centre console with LED lights to portray a more OEM+ appearance. In the back, a full boot build was fashioned with the air tank centred and LED illumination from under a false floor. To complete the interior, a full Alpine audio system including a V12 amp and sub was installed. So styling, comfort, ergonomics and audio by this point were covered, along with the chassis and bodywork outside. It was at this point that Rob realised he was legitimately entering the “Show And Shine” sector of the show car scene, and rightly so!

So, what remained for this beautiful MK3? Well naturally after this much work, you can’t just leave a bone stock VR6 under the bonnet can you?! Rob definitely had ambition, and in this case, naturally aspirated power was the focus. But first of all, as with the rest of the car, a few parts around the engine bay needed replacing to freshen up the appearance. This started with a new Coolant Bottle Reservoir from us at VWPI. While he was on our site, he found more to his liking, so the engine was then lifted by a 10mm raise kit, and all fittings and fixtures were replaced for brand new ones. The oil sump was then fitted with a sump guard for protection, which was a sensible idea given how low this MK3 was capable of going! Clean air flow was taken car of by a RAM air filter, heading into a hugely sought after Shrick intake manifold. I can safely say I’m very jealous on this mod alone, as no doubt almost all VR6 owners would be! Chasing after every spare horse he could get, Rob then deleted his air conditioning, which rumour has it can release a further 1-2hp. The head was rebuilt with Newman Race cams, and the exhaust was swapped out for a sports cat fabricated with a pair of 3in outlets mated to a custom made exhaust system by Infinity. The front wiring looms were then tucked to finish the bay with a functional but clean appearance. To finish off the brain received a remap, estimating the total peak power now at 200hp!

The final touch after many hours of paint work and polishing, and the most noticeable and recent modification was the switch from Schmidt over to BBS wheels. This beautiful VR6 now rolls on a set of 16inch 8j BBS RS alloys which were refurbished by Felgenwerkes with a 1 inch lip up front, and a 1.25 inch lip on the rear.

Well Rob, what can we say? This was a huge undertaking, and more than anything I’d like to congratulate you from the team here at VW Parts International on a fantastically re-finished and restored MK3. For us at VWPI, the MK3 is the special one and to see someone not only change the styling so beautifully, but also to so thoroughly future proof the car for many more years to come, we can give nothing but huge respect! And massive praise!  Because of the choices made by Rob from the outset, we are sure that this Golf can be enjoyed by both himself, and by the masses for years to come! In short, 10/10. Fabulous!