Want your car featured in a VWvortex AUTObiography? Tell us what it means to be a Volkswagen enthusiast, and show us how you and your car demonstrate those ideals! Send this completed form with pictures to sbell@verticalscope.com.
This time, we’re featuring Sean Hickey’s Tornado Red R32. This bagged beauty is a sight to behold and Sean only bought it a year ago, so all the details are still fresh in his mind.
How long have you owned this car? Exactly one year this August. (2016)
Is there anything unique about the history of this car? I think the exhaust setup is sorta unique. It’s fully stock with the resonator delete and slightly bigger tips… It originally came with a Magnaflow sport that wasn’t on the car when I bought it. I put it on after a few weeks and I was disappointed. I feel like everyone tries to run crazy set ups which are cool and sound mean, but the stock with the res delete is the true wookie sound in my opinion. I ended up putting the stock set up back on and selling the Magnaflow.
What drew you to this specific car? I tend to “jones” on things that I think are cool… I originally had a MK6 Jetta 2.slow that was bagged and wheel’d. It was a cool car but it got boring. One of my buddies had a MK4 R32 on 3pc Tarmac TR’s that I admired and then when I went to sowo the following year, I saw Clay Mcfarren’s with the peanut butter interior and I was sold. I decided that I’d feel out the market for a mk4 and then over the winter the following year, I’d try and pick one up. At the time I wasn’t really seeing any low mileage stock examples that were reasonably priced. I had another friend with a MKV who let me test drive his and who convinced me to look at those as well. There were plenty of MKV’s in the vortex classifieds that fit my criteria. Then one day in July while looking on break at work, I found a TR MKV with 48k that was posted dirt cheap. I texted the guy, got the details, and bounced back and fourth on pulling the trigger. Sure enough the following week, I made the 8hr commute to NYC, bought the car and drove it home on the PO’s plates. I was exhausted from the drive there and the time spent in the city but ripping on it driving home kept a smile on my face.
What other cars did you consider? I also looked at e90’s and e92’s but I wasn’t ready to leave the VW community.
What was your objective with this car? I don’t really have one. I just want to enjoy it and preserve it for as long as possible. Although it’s not a MKIV, it’s still an icon in my eyes and it’s a great car right out of the box.
What tuning style would you describe this car as? Right now, bagged and wheel’d since my air kit from my jetta transferred right over, but I think I may go back to coilovers soon. I tell all of my friends who give me crap for air on an R32 that it’s gonna go through many stages. Maybe coils next, then back to air, then stock, then air? Who knows? I’m not one to sit on a certain style for a long time.
Who helped you build this car? I had a few local friends who helped me bring it back to where it needed to be when I first got it. We replaced the oil pan, serviced the DSG and Haldex and basically did an overall check up on the car. I installed the air myself.
What makes your car special? In my eyes, the fact that it’s an R32 makes it special. It’s a special production car and there’s something magical about it. Plus the fact that it’s one of 639 (I think that’s the exact number) in Tornado Red.
What is your favorite part/feature/function? The number plate on the steering wheel. When I explain the car to non VW enthusiasts, everyone gets a kick out of the number plate.
Who or what inspired the direction of modifications on this car? I’ve always loved bagged cars, so I kept my air kit from my Jetta and transferred it over. Then as far as the wheels, I really wanted to keep it simple so what better choice than Fifteen52 tarmacs.
What don’t you like about this car? I came from a Mk6 and I think that was the biggest change. There’s a lot of things that VW fixed/did differently on the Mk6 that I notice on the Mk5. The doors close differently on a Mk6, I don’t really know how else to put it… So yeah I think certain Mk5 flaws that go beyond the R32 itself and to the platform as a whole kinda bug me.
What was your biggest obstacle in building this car? Probably money. My friends told me that there would be a premium on R32 parts and I took it lightly since it’s still a VW. They weren’t lying…
How did you overcome the issue? One thing at a time… By not rushing to get the car where I want it to be and by enjoying it for what it is.
What would you change if you could? Anything can be changed on the car with a little bit of ingenuity and money of course… If I could change anything from the factory, I would’ve given the US spec Mk5 the Euro R32 seats. I feel like the Mk4 R32 was more set apart from the GTI, the Mk5 not so much.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the outcome of this project? So far, about a 6-7. It’s still fairly new and I don’t think that I’ll ever consider it done.
What would you do to the car if money were no object?
-Full Respray
-Euro .:R Seats
-Complete interior redo with a peanut butter theme
-Turbo kit
-Garage it over the winter!
Who has been your biggest critic of this project? Myself. I tend to be a perfectionist and I feel as if I never give the car enough credit.
But other than me, I think my dad is my biggest critic. I recently had to get the car towed and it was too low to get on the flatbed so of course he was like “ya know, you gotta make your cars all low where they can’t do normal things like get on a tow truck!!!! super reliable!!!”
What do your family and friends say about this car? “Is it on hydraulics?! Make it bounce”
^^^^^^^ lol
but friends who know what it is love it, and people who don’t know who I explain it to seem to think it’s cool.
What is your most memorable/humorous/embarrassing moment with this car? Probably getting it towed last week… I was parked downtown in a bar district and right as we were loading it on the tow truck, people were pouring out of the bars watching us struggle and use boards cause it was too low.
What is your favorite story about this car? Buying it… I live in the most western point of NY and the car was down in NYC (about an 8 hour drive). The decision to even go look at the car was made so quickly. I still had my Mk6 at the time and I was still making payments on it so I wasn’t really in a position to buy a car. We left Buffalo around 5 am, got to NYC around 2, went into Manhattan to get lunch, and went to leave around 4, got caught in traffic and didn’t get to the guy’s house until 4:50. I didn’t bring a cashier’s check, we set it up to where my credit union would wire the money into his account but the catch was that it had to be done before 5:00 PM. He lived about 10 minutes from Manhattan so we didn’t account for traffic. We got there at 4:50, I took the shortest, most aggressive test drive ever, and called my credit union at 4:57 PM to make the deal. It was such a quick decision but it felt so right.
Has this car competed in any events? Not yet, hopefully soon!
What is your favorite place to drive this car? On freshly paved roads. A rarity in NY…
What is your ideal day with this car? Washing and waxing it, getting a beer downtown with it parked out front, and then taking a leisurely stroll home.
Who gets to drive this car? It’s not so much the car as it is the tires/wheels. I let my girlfriend drive it and then myself. There are a ton of potholes in NY so being aware of the road and avoiding them is key. My girlfriend also has a lowered car with small tires so she gets it.
What was your previous project? A Mk6 Jetta! Bagged, IRS swapped, SEL swapped
What is your next project? A Mk4 R32, or a wagon of some sort. Maybe an Allroad but a newer one, or an e91.
What one word best describes your car? stancegameseanhickey <— that’s what my anti bag friends refer to it as lol
Any regrets? Tell us about it. I broke both front axles a month after I got it from being too low on coilovers. That was expensive, I regret it.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Owner Information
Name- Sean Hickey
Address- Buffalo NY
VWvortex Username- sean_hickey
Instagram Username- @mndgmes
Occupation-
Club Affiliations- dubs in the buff
Vehicle Information
Year- 2008
Make- VW
Model- R32
Mileage- 56,000
Color (Include original if applicable)- Tornado Red
Engine- 3.2l VR6
Engine Modifications- n/a
Exhaust Modifications- Stock with res delete
Transmission Modifications- n/a
Suspension Modifications- Bagged, H&R Front/Rear Sway Bars
Brake Modifications- n/a
Wheels and Tires- Fifteen52 Tarmacs, 18x 8.5/9.5 205/40 , 215/40
Exterior/Body Modifications- Shaved rear hatch
Interior Modifications- Euro dash cubby, euro switch,
Audio/Video-
Thanks/Props-
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