Reolan Naidoo has loved the VW Golf 3 VR6 ever since he first saw his uncle’s years ago.
He decided then the VR6 was the car he wanted to own.
“I finally found a red Golf 3. By then I was well into the car scene, especially VDubs,” said Naidoo, a 29-year-old commissions administrator from Joburg.
Naidoo said he looked at about eight two-door Golfs before settling on one. What made his special was that it had the famous 16-valve ABF motor.
“Once I established that, it was a done deal. These two-door Golf 3s are fairly rare in South Africa – all those you do see being driven around were imported at some point,” said Naidoo.
After securing what he calls his Lady in Red, he started to think about what he could do to spruce her up.
“I pretty much made my dream a reality when I found her. What more could I ask for?”
He decided he would make it a one-of-a-kind.
“To start, she was resprayed a year after I bought her. I took a week off work just to be there with her, every step of the way.”
He saved for months beforehand to be able to pay for what he would need for the make-over.
“We stripped her down. I documented every day of the process with pictures of our journey together.”
It took five days to get the car to the beginning of where he wanted to take it.
“Last February, I was to marry the love of my life.
“We chose to get married in Durban and I wanted to use my car as the wedding car with my brother the lucky chauffeur on that special day.
“My car is part of my life. My wife knew this when she met me, and for some reason she still married me.”
He went on to turbocharge the car, undertaking this in his yard.
“Six months after starting, we were done – and what a beautiful creation. A MK3 two-door, 16-valve ABF turbo.
“Cars are not just a means of transport; to some of us, they’re a part of who we are and what we believe in. I’ll always be a car fanatic.” -Sunday Tribune