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Modified Cars VW Beetle 1.8T 2000

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CAR MAKE & CAR MODEL:
Modified Cars VW Beetle 1.8T 2000

CAR COLOUR:
Custom Orange

EXTERIOR MODS:
Beetle Cup body kit, Beetle Cup rear wing, shaved door handles, custom carbon fibre wing end caps, windscreen cowling, custom carbon fibre-surround LED signal lights, clear rear bumper lights and side repeaters, aluminium antennae, custom carbon fibre door trim, custom carbon fibre roof spoiler, custom carbon fibre wheel liner cover, custom third brake light, front fog lights, BASF custom orange paint with roof painted black

INTERIOR MODS:
Custom carbon fibre dashboard kit, painted orange glass fibre and carbon fibre dashboard, custom glass fibre door panels, door cards, centre console and rear amp and sub enclosure, custom headliner and carpets, custom lighted carbon fibre floor mats, aluminium handbrake handle, aluminium door lock knob, Razo Racing pedal kit, carbon fibre gear knob, Folia Tec metal step, carbon fibre door sill, centre console gauge pod, custom dashboard gauge cluster, custom seats with grey Alcantara and black and orange leather, custom neon lighting

ICE (In Car Entertainment, Audio & Security):
Onboard personal computer with DVD, Pioneer 7" in-dash LCD monitor with CD, Pioneer XP 9000 audio/video control unit, two 7.2 monitor screens in rear console, Pioneer GMX 942 amp 400 Watts, two Polk MOMO motorised amps, two lighted Polk MOMO 12" subwoofers, four lighted Polk MOMO components speakers, two Polk EX351A coaxials, custom installed motorised 15” flat monitor with TV tuner, custom install motorised keyboard, custom install Sony PS2, fibre glass enclosure for all hardware, custom rear passenger console with two monitors, custom 3.5” speaker grilles SPONSORS: Aristocrat VW, Dunlop Tires, Exotic Rides, Meguiar`s, Motegi Racing, Polk Audio, RZ Motorsport, Steward Wagner, Streetglow, Super Stylings, Universal Auto Upholstery, Valvoline

ENGINE MODS:
1.8-litre, DOHC, 20-valve turbocharged four-cylinder, custom Beetle Cup exhaust system, PRM intake, Neuspeed turbo intake pipe, ABD Racing intercooler pipe, ABD Racing intercooler pipe, carbon fibre and fibre glass colour-coded engine cover, carbon fibre oil cap, carbon fibre water reservoir cap, carbon fibre battery cover, chrome bolts and washers, chrome valve cover, Forge diverter valve, engine bay neon lighting

SUSPENSION MODS:
Air suspension, Eurosport front strut brace

WHEELS:
8x19” Motegi Racing wheels shod in 225/35ZR19

TIRES / TYRES:
Dunlop SP Sport FM901 tyres

BRAKE CONVERSION:
Standard VW brake discs, Mintex brake pads, painted red brake callipers

OTHER INFO:
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT

Felipe Zepeda, a notorious Beetles fan, now in his Fifties endured plenty of long hard days to transform this Florida Bug in to a ride fit enough for his lovely daughter, Angelie

This voluptuous orange creation now fits right in on Daytona Beach with all those generously sun-kissed hot bods on parade. However Felipe spends most of his time at car shows where he is known by all his younger mod-enthusiasts as ‘Uncle Phil.’ Although it was his daughter Angelie who originally wanted it tricked-out she has since giving it back to her old man because it attracted too much attention. Poor Mr Zepeda couldn’t really win, she said she wanted the car to be as high a standard as the Jade Crew since meeting them at a car event but when the Orlando Beetle became a permanent show attraction, it was all too much. That wasn’t to stop Uncle Phil from continuing with the modifications though, having just discovered the art of modifying in his Fifties, the Audio Systems Analyst was enjoying his second wind of creative expertise.

In fact for him, it was a case of the more drooling crowds the better the excuse to spend all those evenings honing the car in his garage. Of course, being a Beetle it was always going to stand out among the hoards of Bimma’s, Honda’s and Vee-Dubs but due to being done up to such a high standard the orange Bug even landed itself a scene in the film ‘2 Fast 2 Furious.’

The role however was largely due to the car’s looks rather than its outrageous performance. Although it does house a 1.8t turbocharged engine which can muster up a healthy 150bhp so when the need arises there’s enough punch to satisfy it. To further aid the turbo is an upgraded exhaust system, PRM intake, Neuspeed turbo intake pipe and an ABD Racing intercooler pipe. The carbon fibre oil and water caps, as well as a carbon fibre battery cover, chrome detailing and blue neon lights surrounding the engine are all obviously for show but never-the-less help to set it off nicely.

Modding with fibre glass and carbon fibre was one of the first things our Orlando enthusiast had taught himself. Phil decided to do the majority of the work on the car himself because he didn’t fancy the long wait at the bodyshop or the risk that he might get stung by some unreliable companies. It also allowed him to customise parts and make them to his own exact requirements.

Inspired by the Jade Crew who are always winning trophies at shows like Hot Import Nights; Phil put his ICE expertise to work. In the dimly lit setting of After dark shows, the Beetle’s best assets are dramatically accentuated. Take the dashboard-mounted gauges and door cards that are lit up by Blue neons for example. There’s also the same blue hue used to light the rear subs and engine bay. Even the custom floor mats are illuminated.

As the car is mainly used for cruising around the various shows, Phil rarely needs to take much luggage with him so instead he’s used the boot space for anorange glass fibre custom build. This contains a motorised keyboard, two Polk MOMO 12” subs, a pair of component speakers and a decadent 15” widescreen monitor complete with a TV tuner. The build also incorporates a Sony Play Station 2 and an onboard PC that can play DVD’s.

The 7” in-dash DVD monitor takes pride of place in the cockpit while the back seat passengers also have their own pair of 7.2” monitors which are flaunted from within a custom glass fibre rear console. The back seat floor is equipped with a Pioneer 400 watt
Amp and two Polk MOMO motorised amps. Then there’s some additional speakers incorporated in to the orange glass fibre door builds which help maximise the sounds.

In keeping with the very eccentric colour scheme the seats of Phil’s Beetle have been re-trimmed in grey Alcantara and finished with black and orange leather inserts. There’s also quite a bit of aluminium adorning the door handles, switches and knobs. The interior was certainly Phil’s forte but if he was going to achieve the same level of craftsmanship for the exterior then he knew he’d have to bring in the experts.

The Audio Analyst had set his heart on a body kit based on the Beetle Cup Racers and had heard of a company in California that stocked it. Phil’s main agenda was injecting a bit of muscle in to the Beetle and the kit supplied by www.beetlecupconnection.com promised just that. With his new front and rear bumpers, side skirts and aero-tastic rear wing, the Bug was looking much less cute than its standard siblings. To assert its tough image yet further, mesh and piercing fog lights have been incorporated in to the front bumper.

At the rear the Bug dons a Beetle Cup stainless steel exhaust system and clear lights. The clear variety were also chosen for the side lights and carbon fibre adds a sporty touch to the door trims, roof spoiler and the ends of the rear wings. The sides of the Beetle were then smoothed down by Aristocrat Volkswagen in Orlando who shaved off the door handles for a cleaner look. The paintwork is the real crowd-puller though, its bright orange custom shade was mixed up by BASF and Phil decided to give the roof a contrasting black colour which takes on the façade of glass.

The show-going Beetle has also exchanged its standard wheels for a set of 19” Motegi Racing creations. The rims are complimented by the air suspension which can drop them pretty low. The mechanism for the suspension as well as the bottle have been incorporated in to the boot build and a tidy job he’s made of it too.

According to Phil every hour he’s slogged over this project and all the money its cost him is all worth it when he walks away from shows with arms full of trophies. He’s certainly an inspiration to all of us considering this is his first attempt at modifying. Being a bit of a techy also means that he never loses touch with the latest trends like many people his age.