Thursday Throwback: Miller's Mk4 Jetta in NYC
If there is one thing anyone close to me knows, it's my love of black and white photography—and if there's another, it's my love of New York City...
Throwback Thursday: Jay's Hotrod-Inspired Vento
Well-before I began shooting and writing for Performance VW Magazine, I was of the most diehard readers and followers. There's no issue, and more specifically, no feature that has stuck in my mind like Jay's.
Thursday Throwback: Erik's E30 BMW on Borbet Type T's
To follow up Monday's More Focus article on Matt's TH-clad E30, we figured, what better than another E30 of nearly opposite style photographed by the opposite side of the company from the opposite coast of the country?!
Being the Throwback feature for the week, the priority is showcasing the photography and in some cases former trends and styling of the car and not so much the story, with less focus on the car itself.
It's not rust and it's not copper corrosion...
But don't worry, it's sterile...right Erik?
Throwback Thursday: Jeff's Mk3 VW GTI
It's going to become commonplace for the Thursday Throwback to showcase photos by my partner in crime, Anna Taylor. Jeff Werley's Mk3 GTI is going to be no exception.
But I'm the writer and Anna's the superstar legendary photographer so I'll do what I can to massage an overload of thoughts into something worth the read!
So first, let me tell you a quick little fairytale...
There once was a time when people attended shows and saw cars that they hadn't seen before. Not that they hadn't seen them before in person, but that they hadn't seen at all—ever. VWVortex was one of the only means of communicating with new people and showing off a current project, and the internet wasn't flooded with countless blogs regurgitating the same photos of the same overhyped cars that's "builds" consist almost entirely of airride and wheels. It was a time when those diehard Mk3 guys reveled at the opportunity to make it out to Cali to see "der Turtle" and visit Tuning Zubehor.
While nowadays the vast majority may only recognize Jeff's recent Mk5 (white GTI on lime Raderwerks Splits), it's safe to say that this Mk3 that he built back in 2003 was the real show stopper.
With what have now become the standard bits, Jeff's third-gen GTI was anything but that. Sourcing 16x9 WRD Mesh wheels with et13 front and et5 rear was just the beginning, and Jeff had no intention of just tossing them on the car. Lest we forget, this was an era that didn't rely on trendy wheel companies capable of producing wheels in the exact size and offset necessary to fit stock arches. In the case of this GTI, it all started with wheels that didn't fit—and making them. With some careful massaging, the arches were relieved of their creases creating the space needed to push the rare WRD closer to the body.
The addition of European-spec bumpers wasn't completely unheard-of, but not by any means typical. After sanding down the textured portions and adding the Projektzwo mirrors and Euro-spec hatch with CL glass, a Vento front with Sprinter vent in the fender completed the overall ensemble.
The modification doesn't just end with the exterior though—another defining factor when compared with its newer counterparts. A Momo wheel and knob compliment the 92 Vento dash mated to a Euro-spec center console , an array of parts that you see in just any Mk3 build these days.
While some people compared Jeff's GTI to the likes of Ryan Shaeffer's Vento back in the day, it's safe to say they each had their own impact on the community in a way that few cars do today. But who knows, maybe the community will eventually find its way back to its roots, and you'll be pleasantly surprised whilst walking the strip at H2O when you see a full-blown build drive by that your internet-savvyness hadn't already revealed!
Throwback Thursday: Charlie's Mk1 Scirocco
From time to time, Throwback Thursday may be just a photo or two. While reasons may vary, these photographs are still quite important and worth sharing to say the least!
In this case, the case of Charlie's Mk1 Scirocco, it was merely a matter of luck. In the fall of 2008 I began traveling to the Seattle area to hang out with VW people that met through VWVortex. Charlie and Brent came out with me to catch a couple rolling shots in the Tacoma area, and before we knew it the sun was completely down. With a little luck and little knowhow though, I still managed to capture just a couple rollers that turned out somewhat decent—despite being shot in JPG!
