2002 Volkswagen Passat b5.5 Variant 2.0 20V

W8 interior,
heated steering wheel,
W8 exterior,
US W8 headlights,
US-spec mirrors,
US W8 front bumper
Coil overs,
18 by 7.5inch wide wheels of a 2015 Seat Alhambra,
LPG-system,
Big brake kit of Passat b5.5 V6

I bought my Passat 5.5 years ago (last picture is from the for sale add). It was a neglected workhorse wagon featuring the lowest trim level and only the bare essentials concerning the options. The first stage was cleaning and repairing some optical and technical things, in and out. I removed the broken head unit and replaced it with a factory satnav. Then the mods began. Since my Passat b5.5 Variant (wagon) is pretty similar to the W8 I tried to fit as many parts of this car as possible. I swapped the entire interior, which from factory was cloth seats with only the driver seat being hight adjustable, out for a leather W8 interieur with power adjustable seats, heated seats front and rear, the W8 only chrome trim, the W8 walnut wood trim and armrests front and rear. To further add to the list of luxury options I fitted a heated steering wheel form a 2005 VW Sharan. The outside got a similar treatment with chrome roof rails, chrome front, side and rear trims, US-spec mirrors (both sides the same size), US W8 headlights and W8 taillights. To clean up the front end of the Passat I exchanged the EU-spec bumper for a US W8 one which comes without a licence plate frame form factory. With the new bumper needing paint the grill got som body colour as well to incorporate the styling form the 2005 VW Sharan Exclusive Edition. Since this was mostly mixing and matching parts the car needed some personality. I chose a coil over kit lowering the car about 60mm (2.3inch), mounted bigger brakes in the front of a V6 model and fitted 18 by 7.5 wide rims of a Seat Alhambra. In the interior I added my personal touch in form of a custom instrument cluster, mixed together with parts from various vag cars. Since I use my Passat mostly for longer trips, I got an LPG-system fitted to its I4 2.0 engine. Since gas is pricy in Germany and LPG has got lower tax rates this mod is ideal for long trips.

As no project car is ever finished there are some plans for future mods.