Photo: miketheday/Instagram
In the past, we've argued that the Mk3 Volkswagen Golf doesn't get the love it deserves and how it somehow looks a little like the E30 BMW 3 Series. This was in the context of a face swap rendering, but there's actually a custom build that takes things a lot further.
Mike Day and his friends at ECS Tuning in Wadsworth, Ohio are responsible for what's probably the coolest Mk3 Golf in the world. Where some see a rusty old economy car, these guys decided to create a drift car.
Like any interesting creation built on a budget, the drift Golf has been built in several stages and feels like it's never going to be finished. But unless we're mistaken, the build started about three years ago, when the crew spent 3 months on the initial engine swap and chassis transformation.
The old Vdub now sports a custom tubular front end and has a substantial C-notch all the way to the rear of the frame. The under-hood area was somehow big enough for the mother of all engine transplants, featuring an M62 BMW powertrain, aka the 4.4-liter non-VANOS engine from an old 5 Series.
But it really doesn't end there, as the Golf sports a rear radiator setup, cooling fans inside the quarter panels, Nissan S13 steering rack and custom 4-link rear suspension. They say it's a drift car, but it somehow looks like a rally legend too.
Speaking of which, the latest mods to the car, done only a few days ago, are some widebody fenders. For the past few years, the Golf has been rocking a set of universal fender flairs, but Mike hates how the look and they also rub on the tires.
But through a lot of grinding and welding, he was able to flare out the body and get a look that somehow resembles both the boxy E30 M3 and VW's rare widebody car, the Rallye homologation special.
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