In the new testament of modifying the first verse of the first chapter clearly states that, “wheels maketh the ride,” but for James ‘Tosh’ Munro there’s a lot more to his awesome Mk2 than just fancy hoops...

Words & Pics: James Wallace

It all began in the wintery months of early 2011. We took a visit to the workshop of Studio In Car down near Portsmouth in the build up to Ultimate Dubs, and after being greeted with a range of partially built but so nearly there show cars, we were drawn to one particular corner of the workshop. The first port of call was an engine-less white Mk2 Golf that was tucked away in the corner with its wishbones virtually kissing the floor, even without the weight of a powerplant onboard. As we subconsciously drifted towards it we were informed in no uncertain terms, “Don’t put any photos of that anywhere for a little while will you, Tosh will be really miffed if you leak that before the show,” Studio In Car MD Carl ‘Shakey’ Shakespere explained. “It’ll be ready in a couple of weeks in time,” he affirmed.

Now, we’ve heard many promises like that in the past but something told us that Shakey wasn’t just blagging it because we’d popped down. Sure enough as UD arrived there it was rolling into the display hall on those incredible wheels with a fixed ride height that’d worry a few cars dropping in on air. 

It was like a breath of fresh air that the world and his dog wouldn’t get to see the entire build process online before the car was debuted with its new look. A return to the old days when cars amazed the first time they hit the showground and not via dodgy, out of focus online phone pictures.

Slippery slope
For the car’s owner, James ‘Tosh’ Munro, however, things weren’t always heading in such an award winning direction. “I bought the car back in July 2008 for 500 sheets and it was mechanically pretty sound. It used to be parked about half a mile from where my mum lived and I’d drive past and think, hmmmm... there’s a fairly tidy three-door valver there. A couple of weeks later it had a for sale sign in the window,” he explained. Considering it began life as a big bumper, ‘91 H-plate 16v GTI you’ll surely appreciate the amount of work that’s been invested since. Tosh began by snapping up a set of Porsche Design 90 rims before dispatching the car to the renowned sprayer at Southam Bodies, Mr Greg Howell. “There was a bit of rust here and there but nothing too major really, it just needed a basic mechanical overhaul and a touch of bodywork to make it usable again. But why a Mk2 Tosh? “This is actually my third Mk2 Golf GTi and because Greg had already sprayed one of them it all kind of fell into place really.”

OWNER PROFILE

Name:
James ‘Tosh’ Munro
Age:
35
Location:
Eco Construction industry
Occupation:
Plumber
Dream car:
356 Speedster
Fave mod on car:
The wheels
Top Choonz:
Tom Vek, James Blake, Bonobo, Burial

THE KNOWLEDGE

ENGINE:
2.0 1984cc (ABF) engine conversion, Digifant 3.2 wiring and ECU with immobiliser bypass, K&N induction kit, extended and hidden wiring loom in chassis legs, fully cleaned engine bay, scuttle cover removed and flushed, chassis leg lips removed and smoothed, washer and header tanks removed, heater matrix removed, top fill radiator, full stainless 2.75in exhaust system from downpipe back, 02Y 16v gearbox 
CHASSIS:
FK Highsport height adjustable coilovers, helper springs removed, black powdercaoted ARBs, wishbones, subframes, 280mm Black diamond G60 x-drilled front discs, Girling calipers, Votex 7x16in four spoke Porsche design wheels, Nankang 165/40 x 16in tyres
STYLING:
Refinished in Alpine White (L90E), 90 Spec GTi with small bumpers, quad lamp grille with Hella lamps, flushed wiper indents, new wings and rear arches, flushed side repeaters, debadged tailgate, rear wiper removed and smoothed
INTERIOR:
Electric Recaro front seats retrimmed with original Rainbow cloth and grey leather, matching rear bench, Mk3 Anniversary gearknob, Mk3 Golf leather steering wheel, furry dice, Wolfsburg edition mats
ICE:
Kenwood head unit, JL Audio 6.5in front door components, Audioscape door pods retrimmed in grey leather, JL Audio 4-channel amp and 12in subwoofer in custom Studio In Car boot build
 

Thanks:
My better half Lisa, after a couple of shows, she’s coming round to a campervan now, Becca for her awesome picnics, Shakey for dealing with my annoying perfectionism, Tom at Lemass for the incredible paint

To read the rest of this feature see the September 2011 issue of Golf+.
Back issues available here.