RADTRAK… which is short for “Rad Alltrack.” Or could it be short for “Radek’s Alltrack?” I will leave the real meaning of that license plate to your imagination… As an Alltrack owner / driver myself, I love it when other owners get creative with their license plates for these wagons. After featuring Em’s Alltrack previously (Entry #44), I realized that Avantturous needs more Alltrack content! For this week’s Avantturous blog entry, we are featuring Radek’s 2017 Golf Alltrack.
Originally planned to be built as a show car, a set of wheels purchase quickly changed the whole direction that Radek went with the Alltrack. Those said wheels are a set of Apex SM-10. Paired with meaty tires, the combo created a mean looking stance’d Alltrack that is ready to be driven hard on the tarmac! While I chose the lifted life route on my Alltrack, Radek chose the lowered life by acquiring a set of Golf R suspension. It is also worth mentioning that Radek added a unique touch to those Apex wheels with floaty VW center caps (they stay leveled at all times!). Exterior of the MK7 Golf Alltrack is deemed good enough; the only addition / changes are a rear wing extension and BMP tuning headlights. The current goal is set to be building a clean, reliable and fun daily driver, therefore engine mods are also kept simple with ECU tune, Golf R downpipe and custom exhaust. Additional power upgrade is in the works for the near future in order to achieve Radek’s goal of owning a 400HP wagon!
It’s always an added bonus when the quality of the car lives up to its suggested license plate! In this case, Radek has built up a quality daily driver despite of the unfortunate event that totaled his previous MK7 Golf Sportwagen. So far, Radek has enjoyed the versatility of the Alltrack: from taking to go camping to going aggressive at the local canyon roads; it’s the wagon that can do both! Keeping his eyes on the prize of 400HP, this will soon be an even more badass daily driver!
Introduce Yourself:
I’m Radek, I’m from Southern California, in the United States.
I work in the Insurance Industry.
Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?
So, this is actually my second wagon. But before I bought either of these, I was a huge hatchback fan growing up, and always had wanted one. But ended up getting a wagon as my first car, and have loved wagons even more since then. I’ve always loved Audi and VW growing up as a kid, the RS6 being my absolute dream car, it just felt right getting into a VW Wagon. When my old wagon got totaled, I knew I had to get another wagon to replace it, and ended up with my Alltrack.
What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?
My objective originally was to build a clean show car.
That changed, when I got the Apex Wheels, and I’m actually really happy with the way the wagon sits at the moment. A cross between clean, and a track style build.
Eventually I do plan on going with some different wheels, and going on air.
What style would you say best describes your car?
OEM plus is what I would go with.
It looks stock under the hood, and looks (in my opinion) clean on the outside.
(Euro Headrest, MK7.5 Headlights, OEM Floating center caps, MK7.5 Nav Screen.)
Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?
I would like to give a special thanks to the following shops:
Matts A Plus Car Care
StreetLife.Performance
TireWerkz
I’d like to give a special thank you to my wallet also.
What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?
Its mine. I love my vanity plate, as it is partly me, and partly the wagon.
There is still much more work that I have planned to make it even more unique.
What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?
My favorite feature is the full panoramic roof.
Going camping, and being able to see the stars at night is really awesome.
Or driving down the coast, with the roof open, and the windows down is super cool.
If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?
I am not satisfied with the fact that there the sun roof can leak on the MK7, and MK7.5 wagons. I’m fortunate that mine has not leaked, but it does weigh on my mind when it rains in Southern California.
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?
The biggest obstacle I had when building this wagon so far was a locked ECU from the previous owner.
A shop and I spent about a week and a half trying to flash the ECU back to stock, until we decided to get a new ECU, and see if that worked. It did, and I was eventually able to re-tune the wagon. What should’ve taken 2 hours, took about two weeks.
What one word best describes your car?
Versatile. It’s a so fun to drive, but also super practical.
Just like a wagon should be!
What is your final goal with this car?
My final goal is to make around 400whp, and be on air suspension.
It’s a daily driver, so something clean, reliable, and fun.
