TheBlackGT's MK7 – a ridiculous looking daily driver

[theblackgt]

I've been on here for a while, but forums took a back seat for me once IG and the likes made its place in the car world. Figured it's time to make a thread since I'm already on look V2 without ever posting up V1 Better late than never though.

As a kid I was a BMW fanboy, which led my first real "show" car to be the unpopular and rather ugly BMW 550i GT, hence my username. That's a story for another day and another forum probably, but TL;DR that car led me to my IG heyday being one of the only GTs someone wasted money/time modidying. Controversial it still is, that car also led me to doing something somewhat controversial for work –– designing vehicle wraps/liveries. In comes 2018, and I needed a new daily driver. I liked VW but never actively thought about them, until a friend mentioned I should drive a GTI. A few listing searches/visits later I landed in a 15' Tornado Red GTI.

I learned about the MK7 platform as I went along, and coming from a car that had very little platform support both performance/aesthetic-wise, it felt like a whole new world seeing the number of ways/things you could upgrade. I promised myself I wouldn't go too crazy on power (although that's waning), but with what I do the GTI was a great candidate for me to 'rice' out. By no means is this the craziest build around, the main goal was to have something that looked ridiculous but was surprisingly easy to daily. I've probably forgotten a good chunk of the timeline, but i'll recap from stock to V1 to V2 in the following posts.

Also a big THANK YOU to all the companies who helped with V1 & V2, including:
APR, Badgeskins, Blackvue, Ceramic Pro, Circuit Demon, Diode Dynamics, Drive Auto Works, ECS Tuning, Empire Vinyl Co, Galvez Customs, Integrated Engineering, Luxe Light Wrap, Rotiform, TSW, Solowerks, Stanceparts, USA Turbofans, XK Glow, 506 Wraps and 914 Customs.

You can find me on IG at @theblackgt & @corsaautodesign (my design work). Thanks for reading!

V2 Modifcations (probably forgotten some small ones)

Visual (exterior/interior)

• Custom wrap & reflective livery (V2 installed by Empire Vinyl Co, V1 by MoeModz)
• R400 Bodykit by ECS Tuning
• Custom aero kit by Galvez Customs (chassis-mount front lip, canards, sideskirt extensions, fender vents, rear winglets)
• Custom Mugen-inspired wing by Galvez Customs
• Varis-style CF Hood by Manspeed (w/ Sparco hood pins)
• Custom blackout headlight/grill setup by 914 Customz (demon eyes, unibar DRL inspired by Kyza, not the MK8 funny enough)
• Euro MK7R Dark Cherry Tails
• XK Glow Underglow Light Carpet
• TSW Rotary Forged Watkins on Michelin PS4S 245/40/28 (refinished in Gonze)
• Rotiform TUF-R on Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (winter setup)
• M1-inspired turbofans by USA Turbofans
• Blackvue dashcam (w/ external 24/7 battery)

Performance (engine/suspension/etc)

• ST Suspensions XTA w/ camber plates
• Stanceparts Air Cup kit (front lift)
• Integrated Engineering V2 CF Intake
• APR S2 tune
• APR DSG tune
• APR Rear Sway
• APR DP (catless)
• APR Catback exhaust
• Custom R400-center exit axle back exhaust by SOUL Performance
• CTS Turbo Intercooler
• CTS Turbo Inlet
• CTS Turbo Dogbone Mounts
• MK5 R32 front brake swap

Past Modifications on V1 (taken off/swapped)

• ECS CF rear spoiler
• Badgeskin Overlays (all-around)
• Regen R35 on Michelin PSS 235/40/18
• Solowerks S1

 

[theblackgt]

Phase 1. When first looking at the GTI, I visited a local dealer to test drive one. I ended up with a very strange sales guy who did not like me trying to use using manual mode (it was DSG). When I tried the shifter in sequential, he pushed it back into drive. When I tried the paddles, he thought pushing it into neutral would put me back into drive, not realizing I was already in drive. Mind you I wasn't even on full throttle or hitting redline, I just wanted to see how responsive the shifts are. But even in that terrible test drive, the car grew on me quick. After looking at a few local listings, in June 18' landed in a 15' Tornado Red for a solid deal (in today's pricing, a steal).

I already knew the car would be getting modded from the start, but ironically didn't plan any mods in advance. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with ECS Tuning from the get go, and they got me the thing I had stuck in my mind since I first saw it –– the R400 Concept bodykit. Now I know there's many opinions on ECS, but I only have good things to say about them. Never had any issues with orders coming on time or part quality concerns. The R400 kit was actually better quality than I expected, being PU versus fiberglass especially the bumpers didn't feel flimsy. And no they didn't pay me to say this, just my honest thoughts. Along with the kit, a bunch of other goodies came along, like the street shield, carbon wing, etc.

Then APR set me up with their ecu/tcu tunes and full turbo back exhaust. I've heard a lot of exhausts on here but never many APR setups. I'm a big fan of loud but also with a good note, and while I would a bit more rumble on idle, I really like the tone of the APR setup –– not too raspy, and past 3k it gives me a rallycar vibe somewhat. With the R400 kit having the center exit diffuser, my friends at SOUL Performance built me a custom axleback and cat delete to fit the APR system. The center exit is probably one of the things I get complimented most for at shows, I love it. While there are may be more aggressive tunes out there, the APR has treated me well. Big thanks to Dion and Dave at Drive Auto Works for getting the car all set up as well.

I ended up talking with Solowerks who told me to try their coilovers and sent a set. Again another brand with mixed feelings I've seen, but I was pretty happy with the Solos. While neither they nor I would recommend the setup for a track-focused or aggressive auto-x build, for a daily driver setup that sees backroads and an occasional auto-x, it's a solid choice. I prefer the height adjustability of coilovers that you don't get with springs (MSS-excluded). Also their customer service is solid, big shoutout to Jeremy over there.

What I especially love about the MK7 is how it can pull off all different kinds of wheels. After some IG browsing I came across Regen5 (a Rohana brand) and the R35 had me hooked. It reminds me heavily of the Lamborghini Veneno wheel; it's definitely not for everyone with how aggressive it looks. While it's not a performance-focused wheel it was still lighter than OEM and never had any bends/cracks while they were on, despite seeing some awful NY roads. Still a big fan of those wheels, bummed than Regen seems to be no more.

The biggest visual change was probably the wrap (not that I'm biased or anything ). Having worked with all different body styles, it's not about how sleek the car is, but rather how well the body lines can work with artwork. The MK7 is definitely one of my favorite bases to work on –– while it has simple/clean lines overall, the shape of the car doesn't get entirely lost within complex art/livery, unlike some cars. I wanted a motorsport/rally style livery for this one. This design gave me the opportunity to work with a longtime friend in the wrap industry, MoeModz. Big shoutout to Badgeskins as well for sending their overlay kits to compliment the design, Ceramic Pro for the ceramic coating.

Originally I wanted to get ready before Waterfest, but things didn't go to schedule (which has become a recurring theme in my life apparently). So for a while, I was driving with primer grey R400 bumpers and a license plate 3M'd to the trunk, it was hilarious. sBut in a way it worked for the better, as later that year I was able to host Kars & Karts, a charity cars & coffee style show in which the GTI was revealed at the go-kart facility RPM Raceway. That event deserves its own thread, but in short it was the perfect spot to debut the car. A few more things got done later on, but for now I'll pause here. Pics below.

 

[theblackgt]

Phase 2. Being able to design for all sorts of vehicles has been a joy overall, but one consequence is my own cars are always sitting on the back burner. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to design one of the winning entries for Wrap Like a King, a contest for wrap shops worldwide to showcase their wildest creations. When the competition resurfaced in 2021, I finally had an excuse to become my own client again. With the rise of more extreme builds (both real and rendered), I wanted to create something that looked like it should be packaged in a hot wheels box versus parked on a real-life street.

This timeline is more recent and more in-depth, so I'll have the real write-up posted shortly. To"cliff notes" it –– I wanted to create some 'firsts' for the MK7 platform, while also imposing some limitations on myself (no widebody cutting yet). While this phase also had its share of delays, it all became worthwhile the day I brought it home. I knew the car would be pretty over the top for most, and I respect those who aren't a fan of crazy wraps or aggressive aero. To my surprise though, this version seems to be even better received than V1, which while also wild was definitely was more conventional to the motorsports-esque look.

Some pics for now though, enjoy

 

[Daks]

Acid trip

 

[DSC808]

Not gonna lie I kinda like the wrap. I don't like the gold on the foglight/rear bumper.

 

[theblackgt]

Acid trip

if I had a dollar for every time someone asked what drugs I took when designing this, I could probably pay for the mods once over again.

Not gonna lie I kinda like the wrap. I don't like the gold on the foglight/rear bumper.

thanks! those accents are a pearl yellow/gold that matches the wheels better IRL, but some pics can make it look a bit flat.

 

[Acadia18]

I like it. It's not something I'd ever rock myself, but it's not my car. Giving off some Need For Speed vibes.

 

[zwalk]

Man, this is creative AF. I’m more of a OEM plus guy myself but this is like some shit from Tron. Way to make your vision a reality. 100% authentic thought, one of a kind.

 

[DSC808]

Is there a a smaller scale version? I think it’d look sick on a drone racer. Imagine it going thru the glowing lights.

 

[Treadup]

That shot at night at the gas station is wild. I’d love to see it in person.

 

[wascally wabbitt]

You might have the visually craziest Mk7 out there. Thing is, while it's over the top, you can tell someone thought things out. It's not my style, HOWEVER I think it looks cool, if that makes any sense. I want to a Hot Wheels version of it haha

 

[theblackgt]

I like it. It's not something I'd ever rock myself, but it's not my car. Giving off some Need For Speed vibes.

thank you. the funny thing is as a kid I don't think I ever used the vinyl editor much in NFS/other car games. Yet here we are.

Man, this is creative AF. I’m more of a OEM plus guy myself but this is like some shit from Tron. Way to make your vision a reality. 100% authentic thought, one of a kind.

You really can't beat OEM+ honestly. Tron was actually one of the underlying inspirations behind this –– I was tired of seeing 'tron' wraps where every body panel on a car is outlined in reflective, when in actuality the illuminated lines in the outfits/bikes/etc. give them all a distinct shape separate from the shape of the object itself. I kept that same idea in mind with this. Peep the crappy screenshot from a video I got while rolling.

Is there a a smaller scale version? I think it’d look sick on a drone racer. Imagine it going thru the glowing lights.

smaller scale of the car or the wrap?

That shot at night at the gas station is wild. I’d love to see it in person.

The sky was really that purple too, that pic's only mildly edited. Hopefully one day you will

You might have the visually craziest Mk7 out there. Thing is, while it's over the top, you can tell someone thought things out. It's not my style, HOWEVER I think it looks cool, if that makes any sense. I want to a Hot Wheels version of it haha

I know exactly what you mean, I said something similar the other day. This is a love/hate car; you can say its hideous or beautiful but my goal was that you can't say it looks incomplete or not thought out. Within its craziness I wanted to make everything cohesive, from the aero to the wrap to all else. Thanks for the love.

 

[timmyturbo]

The picture in the first post is giving me some "when this baby hits 88mph, you're going to see some serious shit" vibes. Good on you for following through on your vision.

 

[Kdubya]

How much did that custom wrap run?