2006 Volkswagen GTI

Originally, I never would have thought about owning a VW. However, after my 1st car, a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS was wrecked, I needed a new car. So i checked the internet and local listing for anybting within budget that was fun. Unfortunately, being young and stupid, I found a 2001 Lexus IS300 with a spotty past. But I wanted something with a 2J (even if it was just a 2JZ-GE), and the price was within my budget. After about a year of ownership, I started to notice the handling on the IS300 was weird, despite everything I could currently see seeming ok. After it nearly killed me with snap-oversteer when turning right a couple of times, I took off the driver side fender to see if there was anything hidden from the reports. Turns out the car was hit on the driver's front section of the frame & they filled the gap with whatever they could (foam, bonds, spackle, tape, etc...) and hit the frame rail enough so they could get a new fender on it & put it up for sale. Me, being a idiot kid, I didn't read on the sale contract that it was "as is," so there was no way for them to take it back. I had to either scrap it or sell it. So I began looking for other cars and see if I could either pass it off to a dealer or sell it to someone as a good parts car.

Browsing inexpensive & fun cars, the VW GLI & GTI MK5s & MK4s kept popping up on my search. I didn't like MK4s (except the R32 which was above my price range then), so I went to look at a dealer with a GLI MK5 that was black, manual, and had a few other engine mods. The GLI was a pile of garbage with a blown turbo and leaking more than a pasta strainer. So, I kept up my search. A few weeks later, I found someone selling 2 VWs, a Green VR6 manual MK4 GTI with 65k, and a Red DSG MK5 GTI with 80k. I liked the VR6 and color on the Mk4, but I pretty much hated everything else about it. The seller told me to romp on the car once we hit the main street, to take some corners, and to play a bit with the DSG transmission. I immediately fell in love with the GTI afterwards. The best part was that the seller was looking for a parts car for his IS300 back in NJ, where he was originally from. So he didn't care about the frame damage. We ended up doing a perfectly even trade, my 01 IS300 for his 06 GTI. That was back tword the end of 2011. I used my GTI, nicknamed "Red Baron", as my daily driver for about 9½ years. Until I picked up a new daily/project.

The original plans for the GTI were to build the motor to be able to hold around 550hp (healthily & safely), AWD swap it, possibly DQ500 swap the transmission (RS3 7speed DSG), and convert it into a Touring Car. However, over the years and the experiences that I've had in my GTI I've grown very attached to it. Also, with the addition of my other 2 Golfs (MK7 R & R32 MKV) means my plans have slightly changed for my GTI. It started out as a tribute build to the Edition 30 MK5 GTI (which the USA dose NOT get). Then it evolved into looking like the lovechild of an Edition 30 MK5 & R32 MK5 with a bunch of black & carbon fiber accents inside & out. I really like the "bastard lovechild of the Edition 30 & R32" look it currently has. I still will build the motor when the factory internals let go, and plans are still to AWD swap it, but I don't think I'm going to mess with the exterior of the car too much. I want to shave the engine bay and clean up its look more after it's built, and I want to delete the sunroof with a metal panel welded in and then have a layer of carbon fiber skinned over the whole roof to give the appearance of a full carbon fiber roof (and it will flow with the rest of the carbon fiber on the exterior). I haven't built the motor yet, despite having ALL the parts ready to go because the GTI currently has 209K on its original engine & internals. I made a joke with a friend which eventually turned into a decision that I'll build the engine when 1 of 2 things happen; 1, the car hits 238K (the distance earth is from the moon). Or 2, the engine blows before 238K.

Red Baron started with just an intake, wheels, and that's it...making maybe 200hp. Now, it has a GTX2867R Garret Turbo, had the ability to turn the meth on & off,

• CTS-Turbo BOSS 500 Garrett GTX2867R Turbo
• Revo 2.0TFSI 3.5in Intake
• Integrated Engineering 2.0TFSI Billet Valve Cover & Catchcan
• Integrated Engineering 2.0TFSI Intake Manifold
• Integrated Engineering 2.0TFSI Billet Adjustable Cam Gear
• Fluidampr 2.0TFSI EA113 Harmonic Damper Pulley
• Rennline PC925 Battery Harness & Odyssey PC925 Battery + KillSwitch
• PTP TurboBlankets MK5 Firewall Heat Shroud
• BCS PowerValve MK5 GTI 3in Catless Boost-Actuated Valved Exhaust with Electric Dump
• WeichersSport MK5 Carbon Fiber Strut Brace
• UniBrace MK5/MK6 RB
• UniBrace MK5/MK6 XB
• Racingline MK5/MK6 StreetSportPlus Adjustable Coilovers
• SuperPro Aluminium Front Lower Control Arms
• SuperPro Roll-Control Ball-Joints
• Rennline MK5 Street Shield
• Luft-Technik Rear Seat Delete
• PagParts MK5/MK6 Billet Fuel Pump Basket with Walbro 450Lpfp
• Torqbyte PM4 LpFp Controller
• Loba 2.0TFSI Upgraded Hpfp
• Wavetrac MK5 GTI Limited Slip Diffirential (DSG)
• Neuspeed 28mm Race-Spec Rear Anti-Sway Bar
• Neuspeed Billet Solid Rear Anti-Sway Bar Endlinks
• 034 Motorsports Adjustable Front Anti-Sway Endlinks
• OEM Audi TT-RS 8J/RS3 8P Master Cylinder
• TyrolSport MK5 Dead-Set Front & Rear Subframe Collar Kit
• APR Tuning Billet Pendulum Arm Mount
• 034 Motorsports Density Line MK5/MK6 Subframe Bushings
• Brembo 18z Front Brakes & Dual Rear Calipers
• Tarox F2000 Semi-Floating 345mm Front Rotors & 310mm Rear Rotors
• 034 Motorsports Adjustable Rear Camber Arms
• Iabed Industries 2.0TFSI Cam Roller Conversion Kit
• OEM Audi RS4 B7 Fuel Rail Valve
• OEM Golf R Mk6/S3 8P/TT-S 8J Injectors
• DevilsOwn 5 Nozzle [D01] Methanol Injection System, 4 Nozzles Port Injected & 1 Pre-MAP Sensor with 4 Pro-Meth 4.2Gallon Meth Tank
• Forge Motorsport MK5 GTI Silicone Coolant Hoses
• Forge Motorsport 2.0TFSI EA113 Aluminium Upgraded Radiator
• USP Motorsports Billet Cool-Flow Aluminium Oil Filter Housing
• CTS-Turbo Billet B-Cool DSG Filter Housing
• R-Tech Tuning MK5/MK6 Twin Plate Heat Shield
• TyrolSport MK5 Master Cylinder Brace
• Gruvenparts MK5 Metal Coolant Flange
• RareFab MK5 Metal Coolant Flange
• Neuspeed MK5/MK6 Factory Intercooler Delete Brackets
• Luft-Technik 800hp Front-Mount Intercooler with Vibrant Performance V-Band Clamps & 800hp Intercooler Core
• Forge Motorsport 2.0TFSI EA113 Silicone Coolant Hoses [red]
• Modified OEM S3 8p/TT-S 8J/Golf R MK6 Injectors

• OEM R32 MK5 Front Bumper
• OEM R32 MK5 Rear Bumper
• SRS-Tec R32 MK5 Foglight Grilles
• SRS-Tec G5 Wide Fenders
• SRS-Tec R32 G5 MK5 Rear Diffuser (GTI Style Single Exit)
• OSIR Designs R32 MK5 Carbon Fiber Front Lip & Syphrinas
• OSIR Designs MK5 GTI/R32 Sideskirts with Carbon Fiber Inserts
• Seibon Carbon Fiber MK5 GTI/R32 Hatch
• Celtemp Engineering 2.0TFSI Hpfp Shield
• OEM MK5 Headlights Modified with OSIR Designs Carbon Fiber Inserts & Black/Red Housing
• ECS Tuning MK5 Carbon Fiber Eyelids
• Karbonious R32 MK5 Front Grille
• OSIR Designs MK5 Carbon Fiber Coolant Reservoir Cover
• Carbon Fiber MK5 Fusebox Cover
• OEM European MK5 R32/GTI LED Taillights with "Skyline" Mod
• OEM "Edition 30" GTI Hatch Badge
• OEM European MK5 GTI Edition 30 DSG Shifter Assembly
• OSIR Designs MK5 Carbon Fiber Gauge Cluster Panel
• OSIR Designs MK5 Aluminium Turn Signal Caps
• OEM European Recaro MK5 GTI Wingback Seats customized to match OEM European MK5 Edition 30 GTI Seats (Half Cloth Plaid & Half Black Nappa Leather with Red stitching)
• BAK Performance Custom-Made Carbon Fiber MK5 GTI Steering Wheel (DSG)
• OSIR Designs Aluminium DSG Paddles
• OSIR Designs Carbon Fiber MK5 Shifter Bezel Overlay (LHD)
• Custom Black Nappa Leather & Red Stitched Door Cards/Interior Panels with Custom made Hertz Speaker Panels for the rear speakers
• OEM MK5 2Door Aluminium Trimmed Window Switches, Mirrior Adjuster Switch, & Fuel Door/Hatch Switch
• OEM European MK5 Aluminium Trimmed Headlight Switch with Front & Rear Foglights
• OEM European MK5 BlueGlass Blind-Spot Eliminating Mirriors +Carbon Fiber Mirror Caps
• MK5 LED Door Warning Lights/Puddle Lights
• Depo Smoked Sidemarkers + LED Bulbs
• Rennline MK5 RennSport Style Door Pulls (Red)
• DeAutoLED D2S 5500k HID Bulbs
• Inbay MK5 Wireless Phone Charger
• MG Line Centerlock Style Center Caps (OZ Ultraleggera)
• OZ Racing Ultraleggera 18x8 ET45
• Edition 30 Build Number Interior Plaque (42/1200
• AutoPolar FIS+
• OSIR Designs MK5 Air Vent Gauge Pod [LHD]
• Innovate Motorsports PSB-1 Boost Guage/AFR
• CJM Industries MK5 Defroster Vent Single Gauge Pod
• Innovate Motorsports
• OEM European MK5 Cupholder & Bottle Opener
• Rennline E-Z Adjust Fire Extinguisher Mounting Bracket with Element Fore Extinguisher Mounting Bracket +E50 Fire Extinguisher
• Replica Edition 30 GTI Floor Mats
• OSIR Designs Aluminium Floor Mat Carpet Locks
• OEM MK5 GTI Rubber Floor Mats "Monster Mats"