A modified masterclass

It’s fair to say that the Volkswagen Golf is one of the most iconic cars in automotive history. Over 35 million Golf’s have been sold since its introduction in 1974 when it had a 1.5L pushing out a massive 70hp. Fortunately the Golf has come a long way since the 0-60 in 13 seconds days... Enter Adam, with a flawless Golf R that will demand your attention as it cruises past.

Clearly Adam has skills and taste in the ‘modifying car department’ - after all his Instagram is @modifiedmasterclass - and it’s a family tradition. From a young age his old man was a man of culture too, “growing up it was very rare for the car parked on the driveway to be as it came from the factory”. It was only a matter of time before Adam followed in his father’s footsteps and started modifying cars himself. As you can probably tell, this isn’t Adam’s first rodeo - at 17 he picked up a 2005 Vauxhall Corsa SXI+ “With half leather interior and a beefy 75bhp I was living the dream”. Like most of us who grow up dreaming of modifying cars, flicking through the product pages in Banzai and Fast Car, the car was standard for all of 5 minutes and ended up being voted one of the best Corsa’s in the UK on the Corca C forum.

“I always preferred Japanese cars so naturally I moved on to a Toyota Celica from the Corsa, this also got the full treatment. Over the years I owned many cars but never really finishing a project. Until the Golf that is.”

Roll on to June 2018 where Adam picked up a 2010 Golf R “I had originally wanted a GTi but an unexpected pay rise and the fact that my dad bought a GTi before I could, meant I had to go one better”. You cannot get better than a Golf R (this Golf is also rarer than you think, with only 500 examples of the first R line left in the UK - pub quiz knowledge for you). From here the next steps were quite simple:

1. Build a car capable of being a practical daily.
2. Build a car capable of embarrassing everyone on the track.
3. Build a car capable of winning at car shows.

Too much to ask? Evidently not, as that’s exactly what Adam did, and boy did he do it well.

Let’s break down the build. “The first things I think should be done to any car are the wheels, exhaust and lowering” so instead of going on eBay and buying the cheapest bolt on backbox you can find, Adam sourced out an exceedingly rare exhaust system from a Canadian company called HPA Motorsports. Canadian? You read that right. “They had come over to the UK in 2012 to try and gain a foothold in the UK market” - in short, they failed, they also failed to take the demo car back with them which played in Adam’s favour as he now has the same exhaust system from that demo car, fitted to his Golf. So, a shiny wonderful, ex demo super rare exhaust system to start off this mega build, what’s next? Chop the wonderful super rare exhaust system up (yes he really did that - but this is no amateur car builder we're talking about) and add full titanium tips with a bead blasted satin finish “for added class” - herby demonstrating Adam’s philosophy of “no compromise modifying”, a theme that would continue throughout this amazing build.

Wheels, exhaust and lowering - check. What’s next on the list? More POWAH. The cream of the crop in performance parts would only suit; front mounted intercooler, clutch upgrades, intake, fuelling, etc, all done by the top dogs at AKS Tuning “who just so happen to be 5 minutes from my house, happy days!” - no expense spared. After some extensive tuning and power upgrades, the car made a very modest 380.1BHP with 430lbft of torque - which is more than enough power to send the shopping to the back of the car and create a big mess as you leave Tesco car park. 2 weeks after tuning though, disaster strikes and sends Adam back to the drawing board…

“I had catastrophic engine failure when a shard of metal from the runner flaps found its way into the cylinder head and caused unrepairable damage to my freshly tuned engine”. Now this is where most people would give up, sell the car for spares, move on and try to forget - not Adam. Having faced this dilemma, and keeping in mind that there were less than 500 of these on the roads, Adam bit the bullet, gritted his teeth, and found a new engine to drop in (after 4 months of searching, but it was definitely worth it), with only 29k on the clock!

We’re back on track, the engine has been rebuilt (after much time and effort) and R-TECH even retuned the car free of charge, “it’s at this point I went all out on the modifications.” To complete the build Adam installed Airlift 3P Performance Suspension, wider carbon fibre front wings, custom carbon fibre diffuser, Corbeau bucket seats, FIA spec roll cage, retrimmed steering wheel, Coolerworx gear shift assembly, carbon interior trims (if there’s not enough on the outside) and recently an audio overhaul including an Alpine head unit and a boot build. “No part of this car has been left untouched” - you don’t say?

There’s already so much work on the exterior, but what we really want to know (and I’m sure you do too), is where we can get some brake calipers with a box of a dozen glazed doughnuts? Yes, we’re referring to the one-of-a-kind, truly special, fully custom, Krispy Kreme’s behind the wheels. “I set out to create something completely unique and take things to the next level”. Unfortunately, you can’t go to Krispy Kreme and pick up some bespoke Audi TTRS calipers, but you can speak with Chris at Custom Calipers LTD and he’ll be sure to sort you out with some amazing work and craftsmanship as seen here, “Each dot on these is individually hand applied as is the logo. The calipers are painted white and are more than capable of handling high temperatures without the finish being affected”. It’s Adam’s favourite part of the car, it’s our favourite part of the car and it’s probably yours too. It truly makes this Golf R stand out from the rest.

Make sure to head over to the Custom Calipers LTD Instagram page and check them out, give them so love - you know the deal - and do the same to Adam too, a top bloke and a top car. “I feel this modification really embodies the spirit behind the car, it is built for me by me, with absolutely no compromising”.

What’s left to do for this build? With a few extra modifications planned such as a carbon fibre bonnet, new wings and some paint touch ups to help bring the car up to show ‘standard’ - it’s there already surely? - Adam feels like this project is coming towards its end. He still has goals of getting in a few of the big automotive publications like Fast Car magazine and is looking to make a big impact in setting the standard for a flawless build in the upcoming show season, he’s even looking at getting some more track action, “The car was built to be used, I feel it would be a waste to only ever drive the car to shows and keep it locked away in a garage the rest of the time.”. As the car edges closer to being completed, it might not be long before we see it up for sale and perhaps replaced, with the dream being an Evo 9, “They have been my dream car for as long as I can remember. Keep your eyes peeled in the coming years you might just see one popping up on my driveway!”.

Where can I see those tasty calipers in person you ask? Make sure to keep an eye out for Adam and this mega build at the biggest shows across the UK like Gravity, Ultimate Stance, Edition 38, Players Classic, Tucked on the green and (Adam’s personal favourite) Fitted UK - maybe even a few TLNTDmedia events/meets here and there too..?

“I will likely be attending other shows without being on show and shine as I like to attend with the MK6 owners club. Going to shows with the MK6 owners club means that me and my dad get to attend together, and I think there’s something special about sharing that with the guy who really started it all for me.”

The modified car scene can be extremely competitive and it’s a place where we often see a lot of criticism and copycats, but as stated by Adam “There’s a minority of people out there looking to put others build down to prop themselves up but equally there’s a lot of people who are in it for the love of cars”. It’s clear to see that Adam is passionate about cars, and it’s been a pleasure to learn more about the project and we thank you once again for giving us your time to share your build with us.

“If you want to stand out you have to do something special”.

Make sure that you head over to Adam’s Instagram and go follow his build and check out the awesome work from Chris at Custom Calipers LTD. Thanks to the incredible photographers @louismorrismedia, @connorphotouk, @modifiedmasterclass & @capturedmedia for getting these shots together and a final thanks to everyone who has supported TLNTDmedia through our social media and by purchasing our products, sharing our articles, and using our hashtag, #TLNTDmedia. Hopefully it won't be long before we can organise a big ol' meet 😉

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