What is it with Passats? I’d like to think our famed budget B5 buildup started the Passat-modifying trend, but somehow I doubt it. What probably created the movement toward improving the B5s and B5.5s is their solid chassis, their energetic engines, their cheap buy-in, and, most of all, their European good looks.
By far, the most popular engine within the modern-day VW-modifying world is the 20v 1.8T. The block has been around since the ’70s, and today, the engine is mounted both transversely and longitudinally in five different platforms and boosted to over 20 psi with the stock turbo and internals. When the 20v was combined with the B5 platform, the public became excited and enthusiasts began to buy.
Edsel Labao is one of those enthusiasts. He knew he wanted a family sedan and he knew he wanted a European car. Once he’d researched the gamut of available Euros, the new (at the time) ’99 Passat offered the best bang for the buck. Soon after he purchased the car, he began the process of upgrading virtually every component bolted to the chassis.
Under the hood, there is equally as much show as there is go. The engine covers were custom-painted by Wet Works Garage, and custom engine grilles were installed, allowing people to view the Ignition Solutions Plasma Booster ignition coils. On the opposite side of the engine bay is something equally as unique: a maze of a Nitrous Express direct-port system. Aside from looking awesome, the nitrous kit adds power, too—to the tune of 100 extra ponies. Those horses are in addition to the added power of the custom GIAC chip, Matrix Engineering K04 upgrade, and prototype 2.5-inch Magnaflow after-cat exhaust system.
Inside the car, Edsel kept the design a little more straightforward then the engine layout, although it is equally as custom. Cobra Daytona seats are in place of the factory driver and passenger seats, and a complete Exotic Wood dash kit sits atop the factory plastic. Other additions include a MOMO shift knob, a handful of Autometer gauges, an APC fire extinguisher, and even a sunglasses holder from a New Beetle.
The stereo isn’t quite as simple. Two monitors are found in the cockpit, one in the form of a Clarion in-dash head unit and the other as a rear-mounted Pyle monitor. The Pyle monitor is a 5.6-inch LCD screen that attaches to the rear ashtray and, if the need arises, can easily be removed. Housed behind the rear seats sits the heart of the stereo setup: twin 12-inch USD Audio Pro 12 woofers and a Rockford Fosgate Punch amp. The stereo setup spills over into the trunk where the Nitrous Express bottle is secured. Next to the bottle is a neon-lit custom CD holder and, oddly enough, a Lexus first aid kit…don’t ask why. We didn’t. One of the slickest installs in the car, however, is in the front passenger area. Concealed beneath the factory glove compartment is a Sony Play- Station 2.
The exterior of the car is the reason most people buy the Passat, and it was because of this that Edsel kept the lines as true to the original concept as possible. A front Vortex spoiler and a Zender rear wing as well as a Wet Works diffuser, custom grilles, and smoked lights are just a few of the modifications made to the black Passat—not to mention the custom-painted 19-inch Xenex Muse wheels. The finished car is quite an eyeful, while at the same time remaining understated and true to the original German design—which is probably the reason the eurotuner staff likes this car so much.