Garage - Project Corrado, VW MK2, VW GTI, BMW M3 - Eurotuner Magazine

Cory Caddy
Contributor flatfourvw.com The second update of Cory Sterling's '81 Caddy is nothing but good news. So far they haven't experienced any problems on the project. Work started on the motor in Cory's shop, Euro Auto Source in York, PA, where the 1.9 TDI motor is nearly ready to be fired up. Cory believes it should be running by the next month's update, once the wiring is sorted.

There's also been progress on the brakes, where Cory decided to use Mk1 GTI parts so he could run small 15" wheels. He also cut out the springs to see how low the truck will go and to make room for air ride suspension. Stay tuned for updates on the Recaro interior, pulled fenders, Porsche handles and a matching trailer.

Jacobson R32
Last month, we introduced Jeff Jacobson from Minneapolis, MN, who's in the process of building his "simple but effective" '04 R32. After debating between going naturally-aspirated, supercharger or turbo, Jeff was swayed by C2 Motorsports to use its new turbo kit. "The kits they developed are designed to be daily driven," he rationalized. "It isn't a system that's going to kick you in the back and throw you around but was developed to have a smooth delivery with lots of power backing it up." A hefty 400whp should now be at Jeff's right foot. Stay tuned for a dyno run.

Jeff also completed his air suspension installation. Although he's not the first R32 to run bags, he believes he is the first in the US. He opted for the Swedish-designed HPS Premium Series kit with pillow-mount upgrades. "The pillow-mounts allow me to go lower and pull the wheels in to give them some nice camber." An Easystreet Auto Pilot management system with 480 compressor and five-gallon polished tank will be used to control the suspension, and all the equipment should be hidden under a false floor when it's eventually done.

Finally, the R32 is undergoing some body and paint changes. With the help of Jeff's buddy Shane, the hatch will be shaved and the hood will receive a bser look. Front and rear Euro bumpers have also been sourced and painted for an OEM+ appearance.

Lasorsa GTI
After totaling his '04 R32, Sam Lasorsa is back on the scene with a new project Mk5 GTI 2.0T. Over the winter, Sam upgraded the engine with APR software, GHL 3" turbo-back exhaust, Carbonio intake and a handful of Neuspeed parts. H&R coilovers slam the car and improve handling. At the moment, Sam's building a custom six-point rollcage at Booze Brothers Racing. He also has a full Rieger body kit and an APR K04 turbo upgrade awaiting installation.

Correa M3
Widebody BMWs have become a relatively common sight but Michael Correa from Annapolis, MD has created a new style for his '04 M3 SMG using E30-style fender flares. We introduced his build in et 2/08 and showed several photos of the bodywork underway. After going back and forth, the plastic surgery is finally complete. "I wanted it to be wide but have the original lines for the side profile," he told us.

In fact, Michael's M3 looks fairly OE despite the degree of modifications. The front fenders remain stock but the rears have been widened to embrace 12" wide wheels. Michael also widened the rear bumper to improve the overall flow.

To put an exclamation mark on the rear, he molded the rear diffuser to the bumper. He then noticed the rear bumper needed to be wider. "I had to make it so the lines didn't dive into the wheels. So now the rear bumper covers the tires as close to OE as possible." The upper section of the arches were then smoothed to match the original E46 lines.

The side skirts were also reshaped to blend in better. Once done, the original grey paint was retained, although Michael eventually wants to paint the car white.

With no intention of stopping, Michael continued his modding into the interior. Sparco Milano seats were installed along with a Pioneer AVIC-Z1 touchscreen head unit, Vorsteiner center console, rollcage, aluminum trim and alcantara shifter boot.

From a performance perspective, the addition of a VF-Engineering superchargerincreases power in cooperation with a Magnaflow exhaust.

At Speed Motorsports from Hanover, MD fitted an upgraded Spec clutch, sway bars and control arm links to make the car ready for weekend track days. Stay tuned for a full feature.

McDermott Mk2
"With every project, nothing goes exactly as planned and sure enough, this one's no different," explained Andrew McDermott, in reference to the wheel and brake fitment on his '89 VW GTI 16v project car (et 10/06). He recently sourced a set of Compomotive wheels but when he went to upgrade the brakes to a bigger G60 setup, things didn't go quite as planned. "On paper, everything was fine for the G60 brakes, but when they arrived, the wheels didn't clear. I thought it was best to go back to the 9.4" brakes that were previously used on the track and never faded. On the plus side, we get to save more weight." Undeterred by this predicament, Andrew then installed EBC rotors and pads to ensure sufficient braking performance for future track events.

Next on Andrew's to-do list is the interior, which has also experienced minor delays. The tear down took a little longer than expected but Exotic Car Audio will now instill a minimal theme and paint it grey. A roll-bar will also be installed and copper-plated for a unique, antique look.