We check out Jacob Gardiner-Moon’s tuned VW Mk7 Golf R on genuine Ferrari FF wheels…
One of the first things you notice about Jacob Gardiner-Moon’s Mk7 Golf R is the wheels – not just the extraordinary diameter of the things, but the prancing horses in the centres. They are, in fact, genuine Ferrari FF wheels, and they’re just one of a number of supercar touches this raucous Golf enjoys. Amusingly, you can see 8-pot Lamborghini brakes hiding behind the front spokes, the juxtaposition of which serves as a pretty tidy metaphor for the 2018 tuning scene as a whole.
Just like the magazine you’re holding in your hands, Jacob himself has been on quite a modding odyssey over the years. “I previously I had a VW Polo 1.2 which I ended up modifying with coilovers, wheels, and I also converted the bumpers to the R Line WRC parts,” he explains, “although I’d say it all started when I went in a Jap-imported Toyota MR2. I always wanted to start modifying cars after that experience. Not forgetting the Fast and Furious franchise of course, which influenced me and thousands of others on this journey.”
So why a Mk7 Golf R, how did that decision come about? “There’s just something about the Golf R,” he ponders. “While I had my Polo I’d always see these in the dealership so I always aspired to have one. I worked hard and I made it happen! They were rarer to see on the roads back then compared to now, and when I’d saved up the cash I looked on the Volkswagen Approved Used website and found the right car; I wasn’t searching for the highest spec as I always wanted the car for the engine and tunability so the options didn’t really bother me – I knew that even though I said I wouldn’t modify it, I probably would!”
And lo, it came to pass. He modified it. He modified it good. It helped that a family member is in the garage trade, which allowed a certain freedom of spanner-time, and also that Jacob’s mate Guy has a 560bhp Golf R, acting like a red rag to the proverbial bull when Jacob first clapped eyes on it. His own R didn’t stand a chance. A set of lowering springs were the first toe-dip in the modifying waters, followed by the Lambo 8-pots which were sourced by Guy.
It all sort of snowballed from there, as the vast discs wouldn’t fit under the stock Golf R alloys, so going bigger was the only option… and Guy mentioned that he just so happened to have seen a set of Ferrari FF wheels for sale on Instagram. The hoops were duly snaffled, and with great rims comes great responsibility, so Jacob knew he couldn’t keep running a set of springs and let the stance take care of itself; he did things properly and got on the blower to Air Lift to sort out a full-on air-ride install with 3H management.
“This was around the time I started working for Car Culture UK – a diverse car community for everyone,” says Jacob. “We came up with the idea between me and Guy that we would have a race-spec Golf R and a show Golf R – his and mine – and this way we’d have the best of both worlds to promote the brand. This has so far been successful and both cars get their own love! I’ve made loads of modifications and I’m still just getting started! Various companies have worked on this car but the most notable would be VRS Performance, MRC Tuning, Car Culture UK, and Richard – our in-house mechanic, as we call him.”
It’s worth noting that while Jacob’s is the show Golf rather than the race-spec one, it’s still pretty bloody fast. Even in stock form, the Golf R kicks out 296bhp, which is a recipe for GTI-spanking hilarity, but our fella here has cranked it up a notch or two to 410bhp. This has been achieved by the application of a Scorpion downpipe and Milltek cat-back, Racingline R600 intake, turbo inlet pipe and muffler delete, and a sodding great Wagner intercooler. Combine all of this with the DSG ’box and you’ll find him dominating the quarter-mile before most opponents realise the lights have changed.
The body’s been subtly muscularised as well. The wheels may steal the show, but cast your gaze a little northwards and you’ll find the SRS-Tec wide wings, which add an extra couple of centimetres or so of girth to accommodate all the hugeness within – wide arches are bang on-trend for 2018, as you will have spotted, and this guy’s rolling them with total class.
He’s also fused them with another so-hot-right-now addition: carbon fibre. Frickin’ loads of it. The rear diffuser, front splitter and side skirts are all carbon items from Xenonz UK, while the mad scientists at RS Carbon have been tapped up for their bumper vent inserts, mirror caps and custom steering wheel. Even the VW badges are carbon fibre. And there’s an Oettinger roof spoiler and some smoked taillights too, because some 1980s ideas never go out of style. For all the advancements we’ve made over the last 400 issues, we’re still playing the same game.
And while it may be a show build, this Golf is no tart. “I take the car everywhere, all the time,” Jacob assures us. “I’ve had mixed reviews, as not everyone agrees with putting the Ferrari wheels on a Golf R, but it’s been modified it to exactly how I wanted it to look.” Which, fundamentally, is the point. Modifying is a personal thing and, while there’s value in dressing to impress and respect and kudos in winning trophies, you have to build your car for you. You’re the one driving it. After all these years, that principle remains the same: your ride, your way. There are countless thousands of Golf modifiers who’d agree with that.
TECH SPEC MK7 VW GOLF
Styling:
SRS-Tec wide wings, Xenonz UK carbon fibre rear diffuser, Xenonz UK carbon front splitter, Xenonz UK carbon side skirts, Oettinger roof spoiler, smoked taillights, RS Carbon bumper vent inserts, RS Carbon front grille inc. VW badge, RS Carbon mirror caps, Premium DeutschCarbon rear VW badge, full front end PPF and ceramic coating.
Tuning:
EA888 2.0-litre turbo, Stage 2 (410bhp), Racingline R600 intake, Racingline turbo inlet pipe, Racingline muffler delete, GFB diverter valve, Scorpion downpipe, Milltek cat-back system with black tips, Wagner Competition intercooler.
Chassis:
8.5×20” Ferrari FF wheels, 235/35 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, Air Lift Performance suspension with 3H management, Lamborghini 8-pot front calipers with Audi RS4 365mm wavy discs, RS4 324mm rear discs.
Interior:
RS Carbon custom steering wheel trimmed in Alcantara.
Thanks:
“Thank you to Richard, our in-house mechanic! VRS Performance, MRC, Car Culture UK (IG: @car_culture_uk) and my friends and family for helping with the build. I owe you all favours. Last but not least I’d like to thank to Fast Car magazine for giving me this opportunity to showcase my creation! Please follow me on Instagram @jacob7r to stay tuned…”
Words Dan Bevis Photos Dan Pullen
