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Photos + Words by: Mr James Wallace

Wheels can make or break your modified ride, right? Edwin Steenbruggen’s Polo 6N GTi proves beyond all doubt that’s the case.

As we greet 38-year-old Edwin Steenbruggen we’re massively surprised that he’s a proper mellow fella without a desire for the relentless inhalation of exotic tobacco. Yet his drug of choice doesn’t need to be popped in a pill, inhaled through a haze or mainlined through a vein, but you can just tell that he’s equally hooked. There’s no skittish paranoia, his eyes aren’t drawn and his skin isn’t pale, but his addiction is no less intoxicating, “Hello, my name’s Eddie and I’m addicted to… my Polo,”

We first spotted the ‘Face from the A-team’ lookalike and his motor at the rather dodgy sounding Men In Volkswagen show, and wasted no time getting some snaps in the bag. “I wanted to create a car unlike any other Polo I’d ever seen,” confessed Eddie. As a mechanic at a local VW specialist he got to work straightaway. Starting with a 1.6 16v Polo 6n GTI, a car that only ever went on sale in Germany helped a lot.

FK Angel eye lights, smoothed front bumper with a VW Caddy lower splitter, bad boy bonnet and Mk5 Polo mirrors start things in the styling stakes. But he also flushed off the front indicators, side repeaters and sideskirts, while smoothing the roof gutters and disposing of the windscreen washer jets – less is evidently more with this dub, as it prescribes to the perfect Euro / OEM+ philosophy using stock parts to awesome effect.

That approach continues round the back as well, with the gutters beneath the rear lights smoothed over, the rear bumper flushed and later spec 6N2 rear lights for a shaved arse that’s as clutter free as one of our FC babes backsides!

Styling sorted he bolted a Supersprint 4-2-1 exhaust manifold on and uprated the brakes all round using Mk2 Golf 280mm G60 items. But rather than keep the stock 4×100 PCD he welded them up and re-drilled the hubs and discs to accept 5x100mm PCD pattern. Wheel adapters allow those stunning Lincoln Town car rims to sit high within those arches courtesy of a single compressor G.A.S (German Air Ride) setup He’s clearly a sucker for detail and keeps his posterior pleased thanks to Audi TT pews with the love it or loathe it Baseball stitching. “I liked it so much I had to head down to the local market and buy shitloads of show laces to get a matching effect on the re-trimmed rear bench,” laughs Edwin.

This car smacks of innovation, mates helping each other out and a genuine desire to stand out from the crowd instead of copying everyone else in a cluttered and formulaic VW scene. Keep your eyes peeled for his mate, Jereon’s 500bhp twin turbo 1.8T Polo 6N in FC soon.

Q: Why go air ride?
A: With the bumpstops out and a C-notched chassis it’s lower than sleeping with my sister!

Q: So, you’re a member of Club Polo Holland right? Yes, we’re a close knit group of mates and we’ve built some stunning Olops. Just wait until you see my mate Jereon Leender’s 500bhp 6N twin turbo with Audi R8 seats.

Q: Most difficult mod?
A: Switching the dashboard for the 9N Polo GTI item was a total bastard that involved shitloads of wiring. I will never do another!

Edwin welded up the stock 4×100 discs and hubs and re-drilled them to a later VW PCD of 5×100. This allowed him to mill some custom 5×114.3 adapters to fit those awesome 7×16-inch 2001 Lincoln rims. Wrapped in 165/40 x 16-inch Nankang’s they’re a killer combination that ‘tuck’ perfectly into those smoothed and rolled arches..

Styling: Front OEM 16v bumper smoothed, VW Caddy splitter, Bad-boy bonnet, Mk5 Polo mirrors, FK black Angel eye headlights, flushed and smoothed indicators and side repeaters, Polo 6n2 stubby mirrors, smoothed sideskirts, roof gutters welded and flushed, smoothed windscreen washerjets, flushed rear rain gutters beneath tailgate, Polo 6n2 GTI rear lights, smoothed tailgate
flushed rear 16v bumper with shortened license plate recess

Chassis: G.A.S. V1 airride set-up all around with airdryer, Viair 380c compressor, Eibach uprated front ARB modified to lay frame, Mk2 G60 280mm Zimmermann x-drilled discs, re-drilled to 5×100 wheel fitment (PCD) and EBC Greenstuff pads, 5×100 hubs, 5×114.3 PCD adapters, 7×16-inch Lincoln town car wheels, Front chassis notch, bumpstops removed from the airride struts, Nankang NS-2 165-40×16 tyres, Eibach uprated rear ARB

Tuning: 1.6 16v GTI engine, 130bhp, Supersprint 4-2-1 exhaust manifold and Jetex 2.5-inch exhaust system

Interior: Mk1 Audi TT with the baseball stitching, retrimmed rear bench to match, Mk5 Polo GTI dashboard, TT interior trim, leather trimmed factory steering wheel with airbag,

Thanks: Jeroen Leenders and Jarno Aantjes for all the Dubbin’ help given. And thanks for calling me Face from the A-Team all the time you Anuses!