In the Beginning...
The only car I can remember ever really wanting, was a white convertible Volkswagen Cabriolet. It was back in the 80's when the movie "Dream a Little Dream" came out, and I knew as a kid, that was the car I wanted someday. I didn't end up getting it until the summer of 2001, when I spotted it in the parking lot of an auto bodyshop while on a road trip in Montana. (click image on the right to enlarge)

The owners weren't looking to sell it, but after paying a way overpriced tag of $2,500 for it, I ended up towing it home with me. I didn't feel too badly about the price, because they weren't even selling it, and I asked what it would take for me to take the car home. I suspect they didn't think anybody in their right mind would actually pay that much for a car that was in such rough shape. They were wrong.

So I towed it home, and she became the first Cabriolet I had the pleasure of owning. She became "Kitty" as I began to envision how I wanted her to be customized, and "Kitty" just seemed to fit.

Kitty is a 1988 Boutique Edition, and was a serious mess when I first got her. She was in such a dilapidated state, that I knew a full restoration and customization would be in order. She sat in my garage for about 2 years, aside from an occasional summer drive here and there, but then I had her taken to a shop in Rapid City (about 8 hours away from my home at the time), to be completely overhauled and customized.

As she sat, everything was stock, the interior was a mess, the wiring was most likely a fire hazard, and the front seats were from another car altogether. (But she actually ran pretty decent!) Aside from any mechanical stuff, I had all the interior customized, carpet, seats, door panels, etc. And while the top and paint were actually in pretty decent shape, I got a brand new top, and since my color choices had changed a bit, I got a new paint job as well.

Disappointment, and unrealized dreams...
I went to pick her up the first week of July 2004, and while I was excited to see my car after so long, I was way pissed off to see they didn't even do HALF of the mechanical stuff I had specified that needed done. And the $4,000 paint job didn't look like a $4,000 paint job to me. After that summer, Kitty went back to South Dakota (I had since moved to Montana), and a respray was supposed to be done.

Unfortunately, the guy wasn't as much of a stand-up guy as I had previously thought, and he not only didn't fix the paint properly, but the trip to take her there, and pick her up, left me out another few grand. Needless to say, he lost all my future business, and I wouldn't send a friend or even an enemy to him to have work done.

Since getting her back from the "respray" (*eyeroll*), I have done a motor swap, giving her a little more power with a 2.0 ABA out of a 95 Golf, and she's also gotten several various cosmetic and styling changes.

So there's the beginning story of Kitty, my first (and favorite!) Volkswagen Cabriolet.

Here are some "before" pictures of the car after it was painted, but before any interior work was done on it.
(click to enlarge images)

Updates...
Since being initially customized, Kitty has undergone many cosmetic and mechanical changes.

Performance Mods
    • Complete 2.0 ABA motor swap [IMG]
    • V-Maxx coilover suspension [IMG]
    • New Transmission [IMG]
    • Added missing fuel filter
    • New Tires
    • Countless radiators. :-|

Cosmetic Mods
    • Pink under-body neon lighting [IMG]
    • Various cutesy Hello Kitty crap [IMG]
    • New Mille Miglia Daisy wheels with body-matched painted center caps [IMG]
    • New tailights - first red/clear [IMG], now all clear [IMG]
    • Vinyl-dyed the various ugly red parts of the interior [IMG]
    • Custom gauge faces [IMG]
    • Custom clear side markers [IMG]
    • License plate tub delete [IMG]
    • Swapped to early dual chrome trimmed grille [IMG]
    • Chrome air-cooled style "eyelids" [IMG]
    • Early style chrome side trim [IMG]
    • Various additions of chrome bits here and there [IMG]
    • FINALLY! Hello Kitty Exhaust Tip!! [IMG]

---

• May 2010 - Blown head gasket. So not cool. :-|

Hopes and Plans...
One thing I've learned in my Mk1 experience, is that there will always be more I'd like to do.

Performance...
    • Install proper gear for transmission / cluster Done!
    • New muffler (with Hello Kitty tip) Done!
    • Bigger brakes
    • Fix cruise control
    • Get her running to optimal performance Fix blown head gasket :-|

Cosmetic...
    • Replace f***ed up core support
    • Shave side markers and 3rd brake light
    • Pimp out the junk in my trunk
    • Install proper chrome fuel cap
    • Total respray (Yeah, I dream big.)
    • More chrome bits....of course.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Kitty...