Devil's in the Detail

Here at Balla Approved we love something with style, power and originality. Jeff Creedy’s VX220 turbo certainly has all 3 of those bundled into one little mini supercar package. Jeff used to own a red VX220 N/A, but before deciding to go all out creating a custom masterpiece he felt he needed more power to play with first and so sold on the N/A and upgraded to the VX220 turbo and then the mods began.

We spoke to Jeff in order to gain some insight into the car....

How did your ownership of the car come about and why did you choose the VX?

Wanted more power so sold the N/A for the tubby, I know the ZLET engine inside out so was a sensible option.

What look are you going for, where did you get the inspiration?

Supercar VIP! Inspiration from your typical tickled supercars, Lambos running image wheels etc that sort of look.

And what would you say is your favourite mod so far?

The coilovers, they're 90% responsible for the stance on standards and help the car cain anything in its way.

Can’t argue with that, it does sit lovely and holds a great road presence! Any future plans?

Enjoy it now I reckon, it’s at the stage I want it.

Good to hear it, a car like this needs to be enjoyed and no doubt driven properly! What shows can we see you at this year?

All of them!

Good stuff, will certainly be keeping an eye out for you then and who knows, the VX should be wearing our seal of approval very soon!

Finally any people or clubs you want to make a shout out or thank you to?

Nobody’s really had an input if I’m honest so no thanks, but a shout out to the Future Shock family for opinions along the way and always making shows what they are... one big drinking session!

A real awesome bit of kit this and cannot wait to have a good look at it at Mods Nats this weekend.
So our first Vaxuhall makes it onto the BALLA-Approved list. Good work Jeff!

Full Spec list;

Exterior
-De-fogged
-Custom Supercar style front clam (Bumper section)
-De vee'd and meshed
-Rebadged with Opel
-Custom Side repeaters
-Small Plate
-Spoiler
-Large side vents
-Corner spats,
-Colour Coded window surround
-Track spec TAT 4 fin diffuser
-Imaculate paintwork profesionally corrected.
etc

Chassis
-Stanced on 'Gaz' Gold Track spec adjutsable dampening and ride height coilovers.
-7mm Spacers all round
-Drilled and grooved Discs
-Mintex 1144 Track Spec pads
-Lower profile rear tyres to aid stance
-Colour coded 2 pot AP Racing calipers

Engine
-Full Exhaust consisting of...
-2.75" Precat
-2.5" pipework
-3" Twin inward rolled Exit
-200 cell race Cat
-80mm AFM to Airbox Pipe (Polished)
-Baileys Twin Piston DV 26 Dump Valve (Polished)
-K&N Panel filter
-Derestricted airbox
-EDS Stage 2 software upgrade (Boosts performance from 200bhp to 250bhp)

-Ed Hardy themed rocker cover

Interior
-Full white leather interior with supercar styled stitching
-White leather dash with Porsche white fascia inlcuding Ed Hardy designs.
-Retro fitted heated seats
-Full retro fitment carpets
-Fire extinguisher

Audio
-JVC KD-AVX55 DVD/CD/USB with UltraWide screen
-Pioneer Active Bass Cannon finished in Porsche white with Ed Hardy designs to carry on the theming
-Blaupunkts Coaxials

Rat gets Classy!

You may have seen this doing the rounds this year at shows such as Ultimate Dubs, and ever since we first saw it posted on Cleaned-UK we just loved the originality of the car and how well the look has been executed. We spoke to owner Dale Masterman and in line with our new feature style, we are pleased to bring you the story behind this sweet Beetle.

So Dale, how did your ownership of the car come about?

I bought the car after seeing the ad for it the night before. I drove from Leicester to Bristol for it. As soon as I saw the limited edition Alaskan Green I just had to have it.

Can’t fault you there, it is a lovely colour! What look are you going for and where did you get the inspiration from?

The look I wanted to achieve was a mix of CAL and Hot Rod. The inspiration came from spotting the 18" Empi style wheels on the internet. They just got my brain thinking of a tough looking ‘girls’ car with modern takes on a retro style.

Achieved the look perfectly so far, and very original, we like that. What would you say is your favourite mod on the bug?

My favourite mod is the orange arrow tipped pinstripe. The orange goes really well with the green and it's a subtle feature that gets people talking.

Can’t argue with that, the pinstripe is a lovely touch! Any future plans for the car in mind?

Well, not sure about that one. Happy with the car so far but I always keep my eyes open at shows for new ideas and inspiration.

What shows can we see you and the Beetle at this year?

So far I've been to Ultimate Dubs , early Edition and Stanford Hall. I think GTI international (25/26 June) and Edition (September 2^nd - 4^th) are my next two marked on the calendar.

Very cool, will be sure to keep an eye out for you then and any new additions to the car!

Finally any people, or clubs you want to make a shout out or thank you to who may have helped the car get to where it is today?

Big thanks to my Dad , Neil 'the vision' Masterman! Without him pushing me I’d have a silver polo or something you see all over the shows. My girlfriend Amy who has been dragged to many shows and many early starts.

All my boys at Dubclique (www.dubclique.net ) especially Shaun my Bro, Dan Young and Danny Robinson. Cheers boys see you at the BBQ. Also, Sam Travis for the sick pics of my Beetle (http://travisphotography.co.uk)

Thanks for sparing the time to speak to us Dale, keep up the good work and we’ll see you around at the shows this year.

Dale’s Beetle, most definitely, BALLA-Approved.

Full Spec list;

Engine: 1.6 Petrol

Chassis: 18” EMPI Alloys – Rusted with Verometal paint. 225/40 Falken on the front and 235/40 Falken on the rear for the Old Skool look.

Coilovers.

Exterior: Smoothed front end, red reverse light on the rear, black/chrome badges, orange pinstripe along both doors.

Interior: Standard winter pack interior.

Cheeky Little Ibiza

Recently, we at Balla-Approved decided we should add something else to our features on the blog, so when Lloyd Fyfield sent us some pictures we decided it was time to add the pen on paper style stuff. We started off by asking Lloyd general questions about the car, then some specs. Here is how it went.

So Lloyd, we like the car, we want some general info on it if you would be so kind?

  The car was purchased with aid from my parents  back in 2006 so a 1.4 16v lump was suitable at the time which has only been fettled a little bit with the textbook CAT back exhaust and k&n air filter fitted. Ideally a larger engine would be a great but running cost and ever increasing fuel prices make it an unrealistic desire.

That’s understandable, fuel prices as we all know, are erm certainly rubbish to say the least! What was the aim you’ve had with the car? 

The aim of building this car was to just improve its appearance without conforming to any particular style or genre. It was never intended for the show field as it was purely built to please my own interest in the whole VAG scene and constantly developing cleaned scene. It’s used on a 36 mile daily drip to and from uni and I intend on keeping in that way.

Body modifactions have been kept to a minimum as they can often overwhelm the car and take away from the actual purpose of the car itself (my personal opinion), but i've removed or added aspects  to give it a cleaner and smoother exterior.

Sounds spot on dude, you’ve definitely got your head screwed on right where you want it, full respect for that! 

So, what’re the important bits, the mods etc?

Important bits.......
1) Chassis:
-Modified AP Coilovers
-Compomotive TH Mono wheels made to specification directly from the factory (8x16 et 25)
-15mm spacers on rear and 6mm on front. Final fitment 8x16 et10 on rear with minor camber dialled in, 8x16 et 19 front
-195/40/16 tyres to aid fitment

2)Interior:
-Original seats trimmed in red
-Momo 280mm
-JVC AVX820 double din HU, complementd by hertz and focal audio

Sweet! Really liking the way you’ve done it, certainly looks spot on! Looking forward to getting some more interior shots!

Have you got anymore plans for the car coming up?

Future plans:
-Bagyard struts and easy-street management (waiting for arrival of parts and then its off for fitting!)
-Hidden exhaust system with carbon fibre diffuser.
-Finish interior off
-More Carbon Fibre goodies here and there on the exterior
-On the hunt for a set of 17" Gotti g1001 17x8 and 17x9 wheels

The car has taken a bit of a backseat recently as postgraduate work is dominating my life but I promise to get back into gear when time is free.

Shout out:
Malcolm and Gillian (parents) for support and mechanical help when things have broken
Lee at Sonic Frontiers
The guys at Automotive Leather interiors
Luke at plush for future work to come
Friends and fellow forum chums for support

Brilliant Lloyd, certainly looking forward to seeing it on air, make sure you send us some updated pictures once its done!! Understandable with Uni aswell, but its coming together really well, especially for a student!

Thanks for your time! Your Ibiza is most certainly Balla-Approved!