Aug 22, 2012

So Gyro: Andrew Rasmussen’s 3.0L Volkswagen MK3 GTI

Andrew Rasmussen’s MK3 fits the definition of proper to a tee. It’s distinctive, fitted, and adapts to any circumstance.

This mk3 is not all about form however, it’s got plenty of function. Going from blown to bored out, this MK3 has a little bite under the hood.

With a completely blown engine and arriving on a flat bed truck, it was a perfect birthday project for Andrew. Within the next two weeks Andrew and his friend Logan Eric had the engine out, tore down and ready to be sent out to a machine shop. After a few months of anticipation the engine arrived back in its bits, only this time it was bored out to a 3.0 liter. Talk about making moves quick!

During the time the engine was away, Andrew focused on the cosmetic side of things. He spent time gathering together his Jetta front end, shaved hatch, hood and Vento bladeless front grille.

While the body work was underway, so was his suspension. All tucked away and hidden, his system is subtle and perfect. A huge thank you goes out to Drew Dorbritz for help with the bag build. He also hunted down interior bits throwing together a simple and classy blacked out theme to flow with the rest of the GTI.

With the countdown to Southern Worthersee, pressure was on to get the mk3 finished up. In late April, Logan and Andrew put a solid week into the engine, starting with a bare block Saturday morning and ending with a put together and fully functioning engine by 2pm on Sunday. Andrew immediately started breaking in the engine for his trip down south for SoWo. The trip down to Helen, show, and trip back to Chicago was a success.

Andrew Rasmussen’s GTI is on point cosmetically. His M-Technica Turbos by Memory Fab work perfect on the black GTI and give it a beautiful retro feel. Like most project cars though, this MK3 still has a lot in store. Prepared to spit out an insane 800hp, Performance wise Andrew has big plans when his engine is fully broke in.