It’s hard to believe the Mk6 Golf R is approaching fifteen years old. It’s a cracking creation out of the box, but naturally some people still choose to improve on the OEM goodness. Glen Van Der Linden is one of them with his bagged Golf R Mk6.
Glen Van Der Linden is a Golf guy. The 26-year-old window film specialist from Noord Brabant in the Netherlands is on his fourth one. “I’ve always liked the Golf model,” Glen tells us. “They’re fun to drive and with little adjustments, they look very good. But as you can see, it never stops with those little adjustments.”
Starting with a MK3 Golf GT, Glen kept it rather simple, including suspension upgrades and some minor modifications. Following that, a MK4 V5 was given some trim changes to help it masquerade as an R32, while a MK4 GTI on coilovers and aftermarket wheels ended his Golf game for a while. “After that, I owned a BMW E46 which was my first actual show car. I built that car from beginning till end.”
Switching sides
So how did Glen end up with a 2011 Golf R, you ask? “I just finished the BMW E46 and one day I was driving to my work and I saw this blue MK6 R driving by and instantly thought that’s the car I need to buy!” If only all marketing was that simple…
“It wasn’t very hard finding this car,” admits Glen. “After seeing that particular blue R, I sold the BMW and not long after I bought my car.” And then the fun began, right? “I actually wasn’t planning on doing other mods to the car. It was already on air ride and Rotiform wheels. But I couldn’t resist and shortly after I had the entire air ride system replaced by Bonhof. I then got into the scene again and began modding the car more and more.”
That’s simplifying it a bit. According to Glen, he found the car in 2021 and drove it around for about six months before laying a finger on changing things. The Golf wasn’t exactly in the best of shape. Sure it might have had air ride already installed and some Rotiform shoes, but it was shot. So was the motor, requiring attention to the former to keep it road-worthy.
“Early 2022 I joined a car group where I met a lot of people and they introduced me to Bonhof,” recalls Glen. “He changed and improved the air ride system.” The kit consists of Bonhof floating compressors and an AccuAir aluminium tank. The chassis was notched allowing it to get low in all the right places.
Tuning the bagged Golf R Mk6
With the suspension sorted, Glen turned his attention to other aspects of the build. The motor was especially challenging. “Engine and electronic wise, I’m not very good,” says Glen, “but with the support of some friends we can make things happen!” He says the motor took a while to get right, but a quick glance in the bay can see a few things that are no longer stock. The RacingLine intake makes an impact with its R-branded canister. The red piping matches nicely with the R8 ignition coils.
What you can’t see is the larger turbo tucked behind the engine. Combined with the supporting cast of modifications, Glen’s R produces a healthy 400 hp and 530 Nm of torque. Volkswagen’s DSG is a 6-speed unit packing dual clutches to make shifting fast and convenient. And let’s not forget the Uber-Golf arrived from Wolfsburg sporting Haldex all-wheel-drive to keep the added performance aspect in check. Given the amount of work done to the engine, Glen was asked if it was worth the effort. “Had I known it would be such an pain in the ass, I would have replaced it with a RS3 engine.” Well then, maybe that’s something on the wish list, no?
Exterior modifications on the bagged Golf R Mk6
Look closely and you can see the car’s original colour of United grey, too. “I had it wrapped by Monkeydesign to Ultra gloss billionaires green from A.P.A. The roof is piano black high gloss PPF.” You’d be forgiven for thinking it was a multi-thousand pound paint job. “Because of the amount of flakes in it, people tend to think it’s paint. [They] have trouble believing that it’s wrapped, especially when the sun is out.” The colour is taken into the interior on the shell of the R’s wingback seats, but let’s not go inside just yet. It’s so beautiful out.
The front wings are wider thanks to SRS-TEC, a German company who specialise in subtle factory fit body mods. The same company was also tapped for their front lip, diffuser and rear roof spoiler. There is a green tint to the windows, expected considering Glen’s profession. And those massive TEC Speedwheels GT8 fill the arches nicely. Look closely and you’ll notice that not only have the standard front R calipers been painted a lovely shade of blue, but they’ve been joined in the rear by some Porsche hardware, all of whom are hugging onto drilled rotors.
Interior modifications on the bagged Golf R Mk6
Peer inside the 4-door and the first thing you’ll presumably notice are the optional half-leather, half-Alcantara Recaro wingback front seats. The shells have been matched to the exterior green and really tie it together. Afterwards, the lack of rear seats might be noticeable to some. “End of 2022, Braum [front] seats were put in, but they didn’t match with the backseat so I took that out.”
At that point, a friend of Glen’s applied Alcantara to nearly every touch surface, including the headliner, pillars and the platform where the rear seats once resided. The Braum seats were sold on and Glen returned to the wingbacks. You can see that a triplet of Morel subwoofers is making themselves comfortable there, surrounded by some brushed stainless steel monkey bars. “The roll cage was designed by me and a good friend,” Glen tells us. “Because I didn’t want a standard ISOFIX cage [a cage attached to the ISOFIX points], we designed it ourselves. It was welded by an acquaintance who’s a good welder.” Besides a carbon fiber steering wheel and gear selector, the interior remains much how it left the Wolfsburg factory.
Latest upgrades on the bagged Golf R Mk6
So, the age old question…is it done? “After the shoot I changed the wheels. I’ve had some two-piece custom built wheels made by Forged wheels. My plans for the future are building it again and change almost everything for the Bodensee Top 48 European Showdown next year, but I’m keeping that as a secret.” Oh, behave.
But in the meantime, Glen is going to enjoy the fruits of his labor. “I absolutely love it,” beams Glen. “Not everybody [who rides in it] will though because of the lack of suspension, but I love the hardness of it. It’s an absolute beast to drive also because of the 4MOTION and DSG clutch.” And besides the enjoyment from behind the wheel, he’s caught a couple of compliments for it here and there, too. “People are coming up to me and telling me they aren’t a fan of the Golf model, but they do like mine.” If that isn’t validation for a job well done, we don’t know what is.
Bagged Mk6 Golf R verdict
Modifying your car can be a bit foreign to some people who don’t colour outside the lines or are spendthrifts with their rent money. But for those who share the same mindset of pomp and personalisation, Glen’s right there with them. “It’s a community of people who share the same passion; the same people who are a bit crazy for building cars like ours. I personally don’t like stock cars and I see all the improvement possibilities, giving it my own unique style. So when people see me driving by they instantly know it’s me.”
If this story is a familiar drum beat for many of our readers, don’t fret. We’re here to support you and the scene that you call home. Know that your car is an extension of your personality. A blank canvas to project your thoughts and feelings on. And at the end of the day, just know that the key to success, and your ride, remains in your pocket.
Words: Bryan McCarthy. Photos: Lennart Dijkstra.
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