1998 Volkswagen Passat

There is something about a VW Passat that doesn't quite fit the European tuner scene. Unfortunately, it seems to be targeted towards middle-class families with budget and practicality in mind. Its styling wasn't inspiring or sexy, but that was actually one of the reasons why Jordan Hoke from Lebanon, PA took on this '98 1.8T sedan as a project car.

"There aren't many modified Passats out there, but you're going to see a bunch coming up soon on the Passatworld website. It's a totally different crowd from the regular VW crowd. We're a family, and there aren't many of us," he began.

If you consider yourself to be thoroughly versed in Volkswagens, you should know a Passat isn't much different from an Audi A4. In fact, they shared the same chassis codes, Jordan's model being a B5. The engines were practically the same, using a longitudinally mounted 1.8 liter 20v turbo in front-wheel drive configuration.

Unfortunately, the nose-heavy car suffered from oil sludge problems because it used 0.3 quarts less oil than transverse 1.8Ts. So unless Passat owners performed frequent oil changes, sludge couldn't be avoided. This became a common problem and one Jordan experienced first-hand. "A friend at a dealership had a Passat with the sludge problem. It was too much for the owner to repair, so I bought it and sourced the same engine with lower mileage. Within two weeks, the car was running again," he told us.

The Passat earned a bad reputation but as long as you maintain the motor, it will run reliably, as Jordan's did for the next four years of his build. He wanted a reliable daily-driven show car, which was something he couldn't get from his other garage project, a Mk2 VR6 swap. So he eventually sold the Mk2 to fund the Passat's progression. "At first I liked the Audi look. I wanted to make it more like an A4, but then I started getting into European style," he explained. "I started doing Euro stuff and got rare Abt parts."

Starting with the OE European catalog, the exterior received textured side moldings and Hella projector headlights. To eliminate the amber lights, clear Euro corners and side marker lenses arrived.

The OE parts could only make a partial difference, so Jordan took it up a notch. The factory Satin silver paint looked drab, so he made the decision to repaint the shell himself. Thanks to his girlfriend's father, David Daniels, the duo built a paint booth in a two-bay garage to work on different projects like Jordan's Passat.

"The colors I liked the most were Aviator and Nimbus greys," Jordan told us. "Both were from the Audi TT and since I painted my previous car Nimbus, it meant Aviator was an easy choice for the Passat."

Six months passed and then the body received a wet-sand, buff and respray, without overlooking tight areas like the door jambs. The engine bay was left factory silver because the owner plans to modify it, but contrast was provided by satin black on the roof, mirrors, roof rack and badgeless grille. The trunk wasn't spared either, with Jordan filling the rear emblem to look seamless.

The Passat was quickly losing its "family car" charisma, and an aggressive set of wheels would seal the deal. After running on Compomotives, he negotiated online to obtain a set of BBS RS wheels. Bundled with an extra pair of lips, Jordan rebuilt the three-piece 17x7.5" front and 17x9" rear wheels with chrome lips, gold bolts and satin black barrels and centers. Unfortunately, a 5x114 Japanese bolt pattern meant the wheels weren't a direct fit, but 15mm adapters were fabricated for the 5x112 VW hubs.

A comfortable pair of 195/40-17 Continental ContiSportContact 2 tires wrapped the front wheels, while the rears were stretched with 205/40s for that signature Euro look.

Completing the Euro treatment would involve lowering the Passat on D2 coilovers, which provided 3" of height reduction. "The A-arm frame is beat to hell," Jordan chuckled. "The chassis is an inch from the ground!"