Show Stopper

We first met Dennis Canuto, the owner of this outstanding Volkswagen Corrado, at Cars and Coffee last month and right away it was nothing but good vibes. A native New Yorker Dennis fell in love with the VW Corrado when it was first introduce in 1990, fast forwarding twelve years to 2002 he finally pulled the trigger and purchased one. In his own words " It's been history ever since".  Last year Dennis took first place at the mecca of VW meets, H2o and also took the blue ribbon at Sowo in 2009. One look at this mod list novel and you will see why.

Hobbies: Other than VW's, I like to mountain bike and ski... basically anything that's outdoors. I also like to dabble in photography.

Previous projects: Before the Corrado, I owned a 98 Honda Civic EX Coupe. For some reason, I never got deep into the projects with it.

Future plans: The Corrado is pretty much a completed project. From here on, it'll just be maintenance. My next project will be a 2004 VW Passat W8 wagon.

EXTERIOR

 Brock B2 wheels (powdercoated):

      Rear: 16x9 et 15, Front: 16x7.5 et 35

Toyo Proxes T1R:

Rear: 225/40-16, Front: 205/45-16

 Flush mount air valves

 Custom VW center caps

Euro front bumper/Euro front lip

Custom rear lip (using US front lip)

 B4 moonroof

 Kamei-style grille spoiler

BRAKES

 FRONT: Late MkIII 11.3” brake conversion

 REAR: MkIV caliper conversion

 ROTORS: ECS Tuning slotted/cross-drilled

 PADS: Hawk HPS

Techna-Fit stainless/braided brake lines

 Folia Tec caliper paint

SUSPENSION

Koni Coilovers – 1150 threaded suspension kit

Autotech upper stressbars (front/rear)

Autotech lower stressbar (front)

 Autotech rear sway bar

 Polyurethane/R32 control arm bushings

Cool fact: VW made 500 of these manifolds before selling the plans to Schrick. This is one of the original 500.

ENGINE
• Euro 2.9L VR6 (82.0mm OEM Kolbenschmidt pistons)
• 2.9L throttle body
• VW Motorsport VSR intake manifold (w. Summit RPM activated switch)
• GIAC cam chip
• Techtonics Tuning 264/260 cams
• Gruvenparts lightweight billet aluminum pulleys: tensioner, water pump, crank, alternator
• ECS Tuning lightweight power steering pulley
• Carbonio cold air intake
• 42 Draft Designs vacuum manifold kit
• Evolution Tuning evoheatshield
• The DubNutz stainless/braided fuel line kit w. fuel pressure gauge
• Gruvenparts billet fuel line support brackets
• Gruvenparts RadNeck
• Gruvenparts CrackPipe
• Samco coolant hose kit
• G12 coolant conversion
• Polished/chromed valve cover
• TM Tuning battery cover/strut caps
• Custom carbon fiber rain tray cover
• Carbon Dynamics carbon fiber trim: radiator cover, coolant switch cover, coolant reservoir cover
• VF Engineering engine mount kit: front, rear, transmission
• Relocated carbon canister

TRANSMISSION
• SPEC Stage 3 clutch
• Peloquin LSD
• TDI 5th gear (CTN code/0.756 ratio)
• Gruvenparts QuiKShift bracket
• Dieselgeek short shift kit
• Powdercoated/chromed case

INTERIOR
• Euro gauge cluster
• DDI illuminated cluster and oil/volt gauges
• DDI reverse LCD kit (red)
• Aluminum gauge rings
• DDI aluminum door sills
• Euro parcel shelves
• Conrero Atomic pedal kit
• Conrero Misano shift knob
• Conrero e-brake handle sleeve
• Relocated OBD port
• Passat middle visor
EXHAUST
• 42 Draft Designs VR6 high flow cat
• Techtonics Tuning cat-back (stainless steel)
• Borla muffler/Borla oval tip (stainless steel)
LIGHTS
• Euro headlights w. PIAA H4 Intense White/H3 Xtreme White Plus bulbs
• New Dimensions MOWA headlight relay harness kit
• PIAA H3 Ion Crystal fog lights
• Rear stock taillights – shaved, all-red tinted, Dupont clear-coated
• Functional front/rear fog lights
• Euro side repeaters
• Relocated trunk light (9” neon tube)
• 42 Draft Designs high intensity LED: license plate, dome

ICE
• Blaupunkt New Orleans w. RC-09 Thummer steering wheel controller
• Phoenix Gold Titanium 500.4 w. LPL44 remote sub volume controller
• Front speakers: MB Quart QSD 210/164 – 3-way component (1” tweeter/4” mid/6.5” woofer)
• Rear speakers: MB Quart DKD 146 – 2-way (4”x6”)
• Sub: MB Quart PWD 254 (10”)
• Custom sub enclosure
• Audioscape door enclosure
• FUBA Betaflex-D amplified antenna kit
• Monster XLN speaker cables
• Dynamat door kit

PROPS 

Sid Fligel for the photography

Dennis Canuto for this opportunity despite the heat and rain