After three back-to-back-to-back weeks of JDM wagons, we are back to featuring Euro wagons for this week’s Avantturous blog entry. The folks who are active in the Southern California car scene would immediately recognize the owner of this clean MK7.5 Golf Sportwagen! That’s right! It belongs to Brian; the brand ambassador of C-tek Battery Charger.

Purchased to serve as a daily driver to take on a lot of miles, Brian opted for the gas saving model offering from VW: 1.4T example mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. While its 147 HP is a bit on the low side by today’s standard, it serves Brian’s need perfectly! Maintaining realibility is key; therefore modification is kept limited to a set of H&R lowering springs (gotta get that lower / more aggressive stance) and a set of 19” Rotiform WGR wheels in black. A good look without sacrificing any comfort is a WIN in my book!

For those wondering if Brian had any cure for when the “Need For Speed” kicked in, he is also a proud owner of a restored 1970 SS Camaro: a pure V8 American Muscle!

Introduce Yourself

Hey! My name is Brian Dowdy (@brian_and_the_car), I’m originally from VA but now live in CA. I’m a

total car guy, always have been, and am lucky enough to work in the car industry on the

marketing/creative side of things.

WHY A WAGON?

I bought my VW new. It’s a 2019 Golf Sportwagen S with a 1.4t and 6 SPEED! Initially, I was looking for

something that could handle all my gear, was super basic (read cheap!), was fuel efficient (I’m not an EV

guy) and could be fun to drive once dialed in.

I worked with the Motoring Club, a rad car spot in LA, to get the project rolling with Rotiform WGR

wheels, Michelin tires, Bilstein shocks and H&R springs.

Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?

In a perfect world, I’d for sure want an Audi RS6 or Merc E63, but man, $$$!

What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?

When I bought my VW, I was looking for an affordable, fuel efficient car that I could put tons of miles on.

Thankfully my work duties took a change so I didn’t have to be on the road nearly as much. I still do take

it on long drives, just not as frequently, thus the 50k miles on a ‘19!

What style would you say best describes your car?

Is it ok to call an import wagon a Pro Touring car? I have a 1970 Camaro that IS a Pro Touring build, so it

sounds good to me.

Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?

The Motoring Club

What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?

A 6 speed turbo wagon built to handle! I love it!

What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?

I bought an S on purpose. Keep costs low, no frills. I mean, it has a/c and a good stereo, what else do you

need?!

If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?

More Power! I must say this spec was 100% focused on gas mileage, my main need at time of purchase,

but man it’d be nice to have a Golf R Sportwagen instead of an S.

What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?

Everything I’ve done is super simple. You could do everything I did in your backyard and it changes the

character of the car so much! My before and after pics are silly!

What one word best describes your car?

onecarsolution 😉

What is your final goal with this car?

It’s hard to imagine moving on from it, but I’m sure one day I will. I’ll enjoy it for now though!