Feature: Daily Static - Juiceboxforyou

One of the best parts of taking photos for a website like this is the variety of cars that you to feature. I remember seeing this Golf Variant at the Portlaoise meet at the start of 2011, amongst many of the cars that attended the meet this white wagon stuck out like a sore thumb. The owner of this car decided after having one of the nicest mk5’s in the country to go ahead and try something different. His canvas of choice was a 1.9 diesel MK4 Golf variant estate.

I remember seeing this Golf Variant at the Portlaoise meet at the start of 2011, amongst many of the cars that attended the meet this white wagon stuck out like a sore thumb. The owner of this car decided after having one of the nicest mk5’s in the country to go ahead and try something different. His canvas of choice was 2000 1.9 diesel Golf variant estate.

The most obvious and most interesting feature is the A4 Bora/Jetta front end, which really gets heads turning. The MK4 Bora/ Jetta front end on the Variant chassis was never released Ireland.

Tommy toyed with the idea for awhile and decided to go ahead with the front-end conversion but wanted it to be different from the standard on Volkswagen had released in other countries. The vision Tommy had in mind would be the use of an R-line front bumper combined with Oem r32 grills. A badge-less black grill was added into the mix to keep with the overall simplicity of the conversion but break up the front end.

Following around to the back of this Magic Wagon Tommy wanted the rest of the car to have a smooth flow and simplistic look. The Variant was treated to some R32 side skirts and an r-line rear bumper. The r-line rear bumper looks so good on the estate and really breaks up the otherwise standard rear end. Tommy handed the car over to John Peden who many will know owns one of the coolest Porsche’s in the country.

Peden is gifted at turning out amazing cars and got to work on getting the car to look right. The boot lid plate recess was modified to USDM specifications and looks much cleaner then the euro variant.

This worked out perfect for the clean simple style Tommy was hoping to achieve. Some tidy looking Lupo stubby Mirrors replaced the originals. The exhaust recess was filled and some Crystal rear taillights were sourced to freshen up the rear end. To be honest, as much as the front end looks impressive, the rear looks as equally good. The car was re badged as a Jetta wagon respectively as it now resembles a look just like its Jetta brother in the United States.

The interior remains more or less standard but has been fitted out with Black leather Passat highline seats up front with a suede arm rest and Recaro leather seats at the rear, the car is a daily driver and comfort was a major factor in the cockpit so modifications were kept very minimal. The style of the interior was to compliment the simplicity of the outside. As things were improved in the seating department, Tommy decided to spice up the audio by swapping out the stereo unit for a Pioneer double din Nav DVD headunit. Making use of the new head unit the standard speakers were swapped out for some JL audios.

The choice of wheels on this car really brings the entire look together. A set of very awesome Rotiform BLQ’s in 18x 8 sit under the Variant’s arches. This wheel is amazing and somewhat rare in the south of Ireland, based on the Lamborghini Gallardo-LP560’s factory wheel it looks right at home finished in black with a polished face. It’s great to see such a serious set of wheels a daily driver such as this.

The arches had to be rolled to accommodate the Rotiforms’s. A KW coilover and suspension kit was chosen for the 100mm static drop. The anti roll bars had to be removed and a shallow sump replaced the original for better clearance on the bottom end to ensure some happy driving and making sure the car could retain the lowness especially for daily driving. You will agree this MK4 has an impressive stance for a daily driver wagon.

This car was intended to be a side project daily driver but ended up coming out just that little bit better than expected. Tommy certainly succeeded when he took a chance and went a different route building a USDM trimmed Jetta Variant with an R-line kit. Something that sounded like a venture at the start ended up becoming one of the most original looking Volkswagens in the country. From the clean lines of the body kit to the superb choice of Rotiform wheels right down to the Stubby Mirror’s it’s such a great example of an Irish built car that stands out for all the right reasons.