I’m gearing up for an autocross and a track day in the same week, so I figure its a great time to talk car stuff. I started wrenching on cars with my Dad as a kid and have been into it ever since. I caught the motorsport bug with my first autocross when I was in college and that really fueled the fire.

When I think about it, I’m not into fancy cars or super cars. I’m not into old cars or show cars. What I’m into is figuring how the cars i have work and how to make them better. The test bed for these improvements is then autocross, track days, time trials, and hopefully someday club racing.

In the past I’ve had a few projects, an ’04 VW R32, ’97 BMW M3, ’98 BMW 540i/6…

2004 VW R32

1997 BMW M3

Probably my favorite was the 1987 BMW 325is that i built to SpecE30 specs as a dedicated track car. Simple and easy to work on, great community, and a blast to drive. Oddly, I can’t find any good pics of this car… guess I was too busy driving.

1987 BMW 325is

Things changed a little a few years ago when I moved to Boston in 2009. I live in the city and have to be pretty grateful for even the driveway i have. No garage, no space for projects. 🙁

I needed a car that could wear a lot of hats. My commute is up to 2 hours a day and I take lots of road trips so I wanted something comfy, nice, good stereo, etc. Since I didn’t have easy access to a garage or tools it needed to be pretty reliable, preferably with a warranty. AND it had to be fairly sporty, fun to drive, and capable of the occasional autocross and track. I decided to buy a new 2010 Volkswagen GTI and its been making me very happy ever since.

On to the Project GTI!