A total attitude build-up rarely catches my attention these days. Not without a serious performance aspect, at least.
Before demon camber enthusiasts take up arms, consider that a change in my car tastes rather than a commentary on the 2024 stand scene.
It’s just that after years of exposure to some of the… most stylishmost gangster and the most excessive The attitude builds from there, my senses perhaps somewhat dulled by a car sitting on its ass with big shiny wheels sticking out from under the arches.
And yet Players Classic is still my favorite show on the British calendar. Partly because of the variety, but also because it has a habit of rekindling my love for show cars with some exceptional builds.
Builds like Alex Downs’ 1980 VW Golf GLS that I spent some time with this year’s event.
After his previous project car was hit by an uninsured driver and subsequently written off, Alex went back to the drawing board for a new build. This time he wanted to create a show car that could not only keep up with modern traffic, but also show off his skills as a classic car restorer.
Reduced to bare metal, Alex restored the Golf from the ground up with raised suspension domes to match a raised floor/body lowering. This allows the Golf to air as low as possible thanks to the custom-made air suspension; modified GAZ shock absorbers with airbags controlled by Air lift performance management.
The smooth engine compartment is clearly visible, but there are more subtle details, such as the custom dovetail-style rear end and subtly widened rear arches. The paint color is a custom mix that Alex came up with.
Under the arches is a set of custom split wheels, again to Alex’s design, machined from billet aluminum to accept 34-hole BBS lips and barrels. The rear wheels are particularly aggressive, with the rear suspension beam being narrowed by four inches to fit the four-inch lips in the bodywork.
The faces are left in their raw finish – a look I can really get behind – with custom center caps engraved with Alex’s car club: The Drivers Collection. A nice addition is the matching fifth wheel as part of the installation of the air suspension system in the trunk.
A standout feature of the Golf is the Air Ride system, which consists of four one-gallon air tanks suspended from hard lines on a plinth. No LED light shows or large acrylic panels reminiscent of gaming PC setups in sight…
…just a trunk floor trimmed to match the interior, and a stunning paint job by Jack Smith of Forged From Flake.
Speaking of which, the Golf’s interior features a mix of custom upholstery and some rare parts.
A pair of Recaro Rallye 3 seats, upholstered in chocolate leather with Harris tweed inserts and with their backs painted to match the bodywork, take center stage.
These rare chairs are best known for their folding mechanism, where you lift the backrest up and forward. When fitted as the OEM seat of the Fiat Ritmo 130 TC Abarth, this movement would cause the headrest to stick against the headliner, preventing anyone from easily getting into the back of the car.
The rear seat is suitably finished, with a dovetail dashboard, CAE shifter and Momo Heritage steering wheel, raising the cabin even higher. My favorite details are the tinted acrylic sun visors, the matching racing helmet, and the vintage tobacco tin that holds the Air Lift Performance controller, which belonged to Alex’s grandfather.
The Smiths fuel consumption (economy) gauge is always set to ‘good’, a cheeky nod to the VW PD130 diesel engine swap in the shaved area.
The PD130 not only ensures that Alex can drive his Mk1 silently and reliably, but he also regularly achieves more than 60mpg. All 318 stainless steel pie-cut pipes were made by Alex himself in six months, through trial and error in his parents’ garage.
“This car has enormous sentimental value for me,” says Alex. “I have built The Drivers Collection by traveling around Britain to shows covering more than 20,000 miles since the Golf was first built. I met some of my best friends and won over 50 awards with this car. I have been surprised at how well the car has been received, especially for something that is not the usual recipe for a show car!”
A five-door diesel Mk1 Golf is far from what I would describe if you asked me what I look for in a car. And yet here we are, and I think that’s exactly what makes this one so special.
Mario Christou
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