AGU 1.8T-engined 200bhp 1979 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Mk1

US Navy man, Rafael ‘Ralphie’ Cabrera Jr. is used to directing military aircraft in his role as a Chief Air Traffic Controller. It makes sense that his Mk1 Cabriolet is both ready for inspection and, with 1.8T power, a flying machine…

Words: Graham Leigh

Photos: Jonathan DeHate

PERMISSION FOR TAKE OFF

Forty-year-old Ralphie originally hails from the Big Apple but now resides in the Sunshine State of Florida with his young family. “I have been interested in VWs since I was four or five. My uncle Myron had a triple white 1974 Beetle. I have very fond memories of cruising around in that car with him and I started to naturally gravitate to Volkswagens.” Ralphie’s first car was a 1985 Buick Regal that was gifted to him by his uncle Myron. He made the move to VWs when he bought a 1984 Rabbit GTI back in 1997. This had been modified by its previous owner and sported a tuned 8V motor, Koni Cup suspension, Neuspeed strut bar and exhaust and, if you hadn’t already clocked the upgrades, an oh-so-nineties huge Nuespeed decal across the bonnet to remind you. A 1993 Corrado SLC followed that and received an aftermarket intake, exhaust, and suspension but met a sorry ending in a snowstorm as Ralphie was driving back to his then-duty station of Maryland. A sensible spell in a Toyota Camry followed and in 2006 he purchased a trusty Chevy Avalanche that he still daily drives. Other highlights along the way have included a Mk3 VR6 that he and his wife, Bernice (also a Chief Air Traffic Controller in the US Navy) were going to build before their children, Gabriel and Kataleya came along and a supercharged VR6 Mk1 Rabbit that he won in the 2021 S&P Automotive raffle for the Grayson’s Ladder Charity. That’s our kind of raffle.

So, where does this gorgeous cabriolet fit into Ralphie’s impressive VW story? “I bought the cabby because my best friend, who is more like a brother, had it sitting on his grandparents' driveway in New York.

“From the first time I saw the Recaro Gradient seats, I knew I had to have them"

Ralphie (yes, we have the same name) had other priorities at the time and was looking to sell the car on. A deal was done. This was 13 years ago.” Despite being parked up for a period, the Mk1 represented a solid starting place. It was originally a Star Blue Wolfsburg Edition with Helios print interior. It had been fitted with an ABA motor at some stage but Ralphie had forced induction in his crosshairs.

The car was duly stripped and taken for paint and bodywork at Eric Shivley’s. The flawless paint is an ode to the aforementioned Corrado that sported the same hue. It’s actually a Chevy green from their 2001 palette but it suits the classy little dub perfectly. After a slow and clueless false start at a garage that shall remain nameless, the Mk1 was rescued and taken to Matt Morrison of EuroKraft Performance. He worked his magic rewiring the 1.8T and re-routing the air lines.

"Ralphie achieves that shipshape stance with Airlift bags and V2 management"

A stock AGU block is paired with a ported and polished head and fitted with Audi TT 386cc injectors, FTG K04XL turbo, Forge 008 diverter valve, Forge carbon fibre engine cover, CPH carbon fibre timing belt cover, a shaved and polished throttle body and intake manifold, custom boost pipes by Haggard Fab, 3” downpipe, 2.5” Techtonics Tuning exhaust and a Borla muffler. Dedication to the minimal bay cause is evidenced by the deletion of both air conditioning and power steering.

iABED Industries were hit up for their alternator relocation bracket and billet oil filter housing. Tech 53 ensures everything remains in situ with their engine and transmission mounts. A well-thought-out transmission setup consists of an 02A gearbox from a G60 Corrado with an 02J shift tower and Mk4 VR6 gearset, Peloquin LSD, Clutch Master stage 3 clutch, Fast Bunny Metalwerks hydraulic clutch kit, Coolerworx Motorsport shifter and Diesel Geek Sigma 5 short shift kit.

Ralphie achieves that shipshape stance with Airlift Performance Series bags with V2 management. The frame is c notched and a tie rod flip kit and ball extenders have been fitted. It appears our man has a leaning towards a certain brand of rolling stock: “I’ve always been a mesh or basket weave wheel fan and nobody does it better than BBS. At first, I ran RM12s on the car but the opportunity came up to buy a set of RS047s. These were purchased from Frank Clarci at Shore Polishing who built them to my spec and ceramic polished them. Every time I try to think of another wheel to put on, I always come back to RSs.”

The styling direction of the Mk1 was heavily influenced by titles such as Eurotuner, VW Trend, Hot VWs and, yep, Performance VW. Ralphie loves the Euro look as the ‘less is more’ vibe of his Mk1 testifies. Shaved side markers, emblems, third brake light, wipers, antenna hole and, of course, that epic engine bay evidence the clean look. Custom-fitted Mk3 VR6 lip, Postal taillights, Hella rear fog light and custom retrofit HID projector headlights all work well together.

Ralphie’s classy approach to modifying continues into the interior and the car flows nicely as a result. “From the first time I ever saw the Recaro Gradient seats, I knew I had to have them. It took me a while to source the authentic material for the door cards and rear bench but the search was worth it. I commissioned Nick’s upholstery in Virginia Beach, VA to carry out the interior work. He’s a hot rod guy and this was the first VW he had worked on. He did a fantastic job.”

The boot houses a stealthy boxed-out build that conceals the air ride management, 10” shallow mount subwoofer, amp and battery. The build took two years and four months before it was ‘done’. The first show outing for the car was Alpine Volks Fair 2018. “I was standing by the car talking to a couple of people when I saw these two gentlemen walk over with a clipboard and they were looking over the Mk1 very thoroughly. They asked who owned the car so I walked over and introduced myself. One of the chaps was called Emiel. When they explained that they were from the Netherlands, I worked out that it was Emiel from MIVW. He handed me a Mutt’s Nuts sticker. I was beyond pumped to get the nod of approval from him.” Praise indeed.

As with most projects, the Rabbit has continued to evolve. Since our photoshoot, Ralphie has swapped out the US rear plate tub for a Euro item and added a Coolerworx Motorsport shifter. Future plans include a big turbo setup, aftermarket intake manifold, AGN valve cover, standalone engine management and 16s. Yes, of course, BBS RSs. With talk of a DAZA-swapped Golf R in the future too, we’re pretty sure this won’t be the last we see of him. Ralphie will have more time on his hands to carry out the next chapter of the build soon as he is due to leave the US Navy in August after an impressive 23 years. Thanks for your Service.

"I worked out it was Emiel from MIVW. He handed me a Mutt’s Nuts sticker"

DUB DETAILS

ENGINE: AGU code 1.8T, polished and ported head, Audi TT 386cc injectors, Forge 008 diverter valve, Forge carbon fibre engine cover, K04XL turbo, custom intercooler piping by Haggard Fab, 3” downpipe, 2.5” catless Techtonics Tuning exhaust with Borla Muffler, power steering and A/C delete, Fluidampr harmonic balancer, Denso Racing alternator with iAEBD Industries relocation bracket, Tech 53 engine mounts, iAEBD Industries billet oil filter housing, transmission: 02A gearbox from a G60 Corrado with an 02J shift tower and Mk4 VR6 gearset, Peloquin LSD, Clutch Master Stage 3 clutch, Fast Bunny Metalwerks hydraulic clutch kit, Coolerworx Motorsport shifter, Diesel Geek Sigma 5 short shift kitCHASSIS: Fully polished BBS RS047s (7” front, ET38 and 8” rear, ET25), Achilles ATR-K tyres (165/45/15 front and 165/50/15 rear), Air Lift Performance struts front and rear with V2 management, G60 front disc brakes with Zimmerman crossed drilled rotors, Scirocco 16V rear disc brakes with Mk4 callipers and Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors, Autotech polished strut bar, Neuspeed front sway barEXTERIOR: Painted GM Green metallic, shaved side markers, emblems, and third brake light on boot lid, shaved wipers, shaved antenna hole, shaved engine bay, custom fitted Mk3 VR6 lip, Postal taillights, Hella rear fog light, custom retrofit HID projector headlights, Euro license plate tub with carshowplate.com license plate, rear fenders rolled and pulledINTERIOR: Recaro Gradient LXB front seats, custom Recaro Gradient trimmed rear seats, custom Recaro Gradient trimmed front and rear door cards, BBS three-spoke steering wheel with Recaro Gradient trimmed insert, custom VDO gauge panel and HVAC panel delete, custom fibreglass 10” JL sub enclosure in spare wheel well, Kicker door speakers front and rear, one-off P3 OBD2 vent multi-gaugeSHOUT: Thank you to my son, Gabriel for letting me drive and modify his car, my beautiful wife for putting up with me during the ups and downs with this car, my best friend and brother, Ralphie for selling me the car, Russ Davenport for being a great friend and helping so much with the build, Eric Shivley for the paint and bodywork, Nick for the outstanding interior work, Frank Clarici at Shore Polishing and Finishing for building the wheels and and polishing a bunch of parts, Nick Ponterio from NBP for also polishing and chroming parts, John Jumalon for helping me install my freshly chromed triangle windows without damaging them and pulling and rolling my rear fenders to fit the rear wheels, Connor McCann and Brock Bickford for being great friends and providing guidance, Josh Hannabass from Altered Components, Matt Morrison (owner of Eurokraft Performance) for being an absolute stand-up guy and master of his craft because this car wouldn’t be what it is without him, and lastly to everyone in the community that continue to strive to make it the best it can be. Thank you!