Old school styling, modern performance

MAY seems to be Volkswagen month. First came a Polo. A hat-trick of Citigolfs followed. Now we end with a combination of old-school styling with modern performance tweaks.

The VW Golf I could well have served as the template for modern front-wheel-drive hot hatches.

This week features a 1980 Volkswagen Golf I owned by operations supervisor and Woodview resident Keagan Naidoo, 30.

He and his younger brother Paven built the car from a shell.

He says Paven put “endless hours” into the project. They refer to the VW as their “slow bunny”, a reference to the car’s American Rabbit badging.

The “slow” part came from their deciding not to invest too heavily in a performance build.

“This is our cruising or styling car,” said Naidoo.

But it’s no slouch. Impressive upgrades include boosting the 1.6-litre engine block with an MP9 fuel injection and engine management system.

The car also boasts a branch and 57mm performance exhaust system.

Aesthetically, aside from a paint job, this VW has flared wheel arches, new metal bumpers, underglow vehicle lighting and customised multifunction strobe headlights,

The low-slung car has a Technix lowered coilover suspension with customised 15-inch Steelie rims sprayed white, 7.5J in the front and 8.5J in the rear on 195/50/15 rubbers.

The interior features ox-blood hood lining, seats and door pads. The seats were customised to bear the car’s “bunny” signature logo.

A new set of blinds were fitted to the rear window.

It’s not known how much money was spent on this build.

Naidoo has entered his vehicle in two car shows so far and was awarded trophies at both.

One of the awards was in the show and shine category. SERVICE PROVIDERS: Golf Riders, Gerald Interior by Ashveer of Whitford Phoenix