PHOTOS / Words – Charlie Denny
Countless times throughout history a young person has been in a parking lot, seen a vehicle and thought, ‘wow. When I grow up, I want that car.” For Adam Haigh, it all started with what Wolfsburg built as a follow up to its global success. A 1991 Golf GL. A far cry from the Porsche 911’s and Nissan Skylines that adorned our bedroom walls. Adam laughs, “it’s not everyone’s dream car, but it turned into mine.”
In the fall of 2023, I reached out to Adam and asked if he was free in a few days because I was looking to take advantage of the gorgeous fall we were having in Massachusetts. “It drives right?” I asked him, laughing. Adam and I have known each other for many years, so I had a front row seat to watch all the hard work he’d buried into this hunk of scrap he bought from a guy in a Kohl’s parking lot. Almost instantly he responded. “I have a trailer, if you already have a place in mind.” And just like that, we met up and started snapping.
When I rolled up to the meeting point, I was met with not just Adam and his trailer, but our whole group of friends. In the wise words of Vin Diesel, they aren’t just friends, ‘we got family.’ And to me, seeing his girlfriend Ashleigh and her daughter Mckenna help him unload this masterpiece with as much love and respect as he has, is what makes it all the better. Surrounded by loved ones, we grabbed some of the best pictures of this little MKII. But how did it go from a parking lot sale in 2015 to a build so fresh it would make Mr. Clean jealous?
“So, how long have you been working on this build, and is this the only iteration of it?” Adam’s eyes lit up. “There have been three full versions of this car. It started out as a rattle-can, flat black car with no door handles which I turned into a cheap paint job with single stage FedEx purple.” He laughs, “yeah that’s the actual color name!”
“Starting off the build in 2017 and dealing with all the ups and downs, I was finally able to enjoy this car in the summer of this year. [2023] I still need to do some tweaks so I can drive it without smacking my oil pan off the ground… but it’s finally driveable after all these years.” I think we all understand the feeling of, ‘it’s always something’ but after this conversation with Adam, you can tell he lives for the process itself.
If you sat a non-car person down and asked them their opinion of Adam’s MKII, without a shred of doubt in my mind, their first comment would be, “it’s so… purple.” And they are NOT wrong. If I had things my way, this color would be called GDP. (IYKYK) “Is it still FedEx Purple? No, right?” Adam laughs, “no, no. In its current form, it is ‘Twilight Purple’ from a Rolls Royce.” Even as he was speaking, we both kept looking over at the car behind us. “I had originally seen it on a BMW individual package and knew from that day, that was the color it had to be.” He continues, “I couldn’t find anything similar and I was being way too picky. I’ve always loved purple but it’s the red tones and metallic in the sunlight with the blue tones and deep purple in the shade that gets me every time… It’s such a beautiful color.”
No build ever goes according to plan. (Ask anyone with bags from 2011…) Seeing Adam’s MKII, you’d never think that it’s ever seen rain, let alone what it’s been through. “Tell me. How many times did you consider lighting it on fire?” I asked. “You laugh but… The second time that it got painted, I dropped it off and nothing went the way we planned. The car spent 3 months outside with no glass behind some random body
shop.” At this point, I already thought that was bad enough, but he still had more to say. “While it was out there, it got backed into! I got to the shop as fast as I could but when I saw it… I didn’t think it could be saved. But my good friend Johnny Schaitman agreed to resurrect the car and he absolutely knocked it out of the park with the paint and body, I can’t thank him enough.” “Wow. Sounds like he really saved the whole build. I’ll have to hit him up! After all of this though, is there any advice you’d want to give to someone looking to build a MKII?” Adam thought on it for a bit and eventually said to me some of the best advice I think
every enthusiast needs to remember when building any vehicle. “Do your research and learn about the car. Parts are out there and there are so many options.” He laughs, “it can get overwhelming.”
As I spoke with Adam, it was clear that the real story wasn’t in his words, but in the car itself and the look in his eyes as he looked at it. So often, especially nowadays, people get so hung up on clicks, likes, going viral, clout, etc… And there’s nothing wrong with wanting some positive reinforcement for your hard work. But the best part about car culture is personified in this little purple car. The nights we spend cruising, wrenching, and sharing time together is what we should all be focused on.
“There are way too many people to thank, but I will say this to the friends who helped and those who put their hands on this car with care; You guys are the best. Thank you for all the help over the years. Trying to get this done took a bit of time but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Honestly, I can’t wait to see what Adam builds next.
Spec List
Engine
● Supercharged 2.8L VR6 port and polished head. Ported intake and exhaust
manifold. 268 Tectonics Tuning cams stock bottom end with a MK5 R32 oil pump
and short oil pan with a Vortech v9 supercharger
Transmission:
● O2A with hardened gears and a Peloquin limited slip differential and an O2J
shifter upgrade
Brakes:
● Fronts are 4 pot Wilwood calipers with 2 piece rotors. Rears brakes are
aluminum mk4 GTI caliper
Suspension :
● BC Racing coil overs
Wheels:
● BBS RS 15X8.5 front and 15X9.5 rear
Protect The culture 