RichP (Rich)

The story begins in the summer of 2001 when my wife and I were simply looking for a new car for her that would have safety features to protect our newborn son, in case. I picked a manual transmission because it is more economical, and I miss driving a stick shift. She picked the color. I ended up driving it.

I never had a chance to modify any of my previous rides for the simple fact that they were never parked in even a driveway at least, and in busy streets nonetheless. I thought to myself that a beautifully modified car does not deserve to be left out in the street all the time. Since we moved in to a newly purchased house with a garage, I could finally do so, although it never started happening until more than a year later.

One of my goals in modding my ride was to not make it look way too different from its original design to make others not recognize it. But I also wanted it to look slightly different from stock so that others would see it, recognize it as (in this case) a Passat, but find something unusual about it. Practicality was and is always a priority.

Minor and less obvious mods came first, such as a Blaupunkt New Orleans Minidisc receiver, a New Beetle sunglass holder, blue-tinted side mirrors, and Monster Mats.

The first major modification was a set of 17" Borbet Type R wheels and Sumitomo Htr+ tires. Although there were better looking wheels out there, I didn't want to spend too much since I had two mouths to feed. The Borbet Type R was relatively inexpensive, and it was not common.

The good thing about modding the wheels and tires first is that you are almost forced to drop it and go with sport suspensions. The stock height and ride simply does not do it justice. Since I had a toddler and a newborn daughter at that time, I had to compromise and sacrificed some ride firmness and height. The Eibach Pro-Kit and Pro-Dampers seemed to be the best option given the circumstances, and so with the help of the famous Bel, they were installed months later. This so far is the best mod I've done on the Passat. It has greatly improved handling, ride, and appearance.

One mod I'm quite proud of is the Neuspeed short shifter. What makes me proud of it? Well, I did it myself. It may not sound like a big deal to most of you auto enthusiasts out there, but I always found work concerning a car's transmission intimidating. But I took the challenge. In the process, I also got rid of the stock shift knob and replaced it with a Momo Race Air leather shift knob.

That was pretty much it as far as major mods. Other minor mods were the Euroswitch, upgrading the headlight and foglight bulbs, and having a LATCH system installed.

I never wanted or expected my ride or myself to stand out. My modifications were never done to satisfy anyone else. Which was why I was surprised when I got a PM from Bryan about being selected oneB5. My first reaction was, "I'm not worthy." I was flattered that others, not just myself, were recognizing my work. So I thank Bryan, the moderators of B5one, and the rest of the B5one community.

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