If you've ever been to the UroTuning shop here in Tampa, Florida, you may have have spent a minute or two looking around the parking lot at a variety of cars. Everything from slammed Volkswagen Beetle's to new RS3's, RS5's and more. But in a world of Nardo grey, black, and silver, a bright yellow MK7 GTI may have caught your eye. This wild looking MK7 is the work of UroTuning team member Armin Zeric. With an aggressive R400 style body kit, a bright yellow wrap, and tons of other performance bits, this MK7 exudes what UroTuning is all about; making your car exactly how you envisioned it!
UroTuning News
UroTuning Parking Lot - Armin's MK7 GTI
"Best bang for the buck mod you can do to a Mk7... a no brainer."
Originally from Bosnia, and currently residing in St. Petersburg, Florida, Armin first got a taste for the aftermarket scene in Europe, where the GTI is a household name. A quick test drive was all it took, and Armin brought home a 2017 GTI as a blank canvas.
"A lot of my inspiration comes from cars over in Europe, The style is different than in the states and I guess that taste in modding stuck with me when I came over years ago."
Armin's MK7 didn't stay stock for long, and he kicked off his build with a performance tune from Unitronic - "Best bang for the buck mod you can do to a Mk7. Seemed like a no brainer."
This MK7 has been to it's fair share of shows and meets in the Florida area including Gulf Coast Euro BBQ's at the UroTuning shop, EuroTripper 7, Simply Clean, and of course UroTuning's own FixxFest! "Florida is a good hot spot for the VW community, we have a lot of euro car shows and UroTuning is located in Tampa so the support is there to for all the modding needs."
Aside from the exterior of Armin's MK7 which boasts a crazy neon wrap (Pikachu Yellow as we like to call it) this GTI also has a full Air Lift suspension system and Full stage 2 hardware to paired with a Unitronic tune, topping things off with a Varex exhaust system from XFORCE, allowing Armin to change the volume of his exhaust with the press of a button. Armin finished off the look of his MK7 with a set of Silver 3SDM 0.05 wheels - perfect for almost any ride.
"I love the overall shape and combination of parts, it serves as a good daily driver, fun car for heavy foot days and you can basically fit anything including a 55 inch TV... I found that out the second day I had it!"
Armin is all about an even combination of performance and aesthetics and if money was no object you might catch him doing pulls in an Audi R8. "Dream car? Audi R8 hands down, I am not just about speed and the R8 style is nearly art in my opinion."
With so many MK7's currently in the aftermarket performance scene, Armin said that one of his biggest challenges in building his perfect GTI was doing something that was a little different. "The MK7 platform came out hitting pavement in the community, the biggest challenge has been making something that sticks out from the crowd!"
You may be surprised to find out that at the time you're reading this, Armin has since moved on from his beloved yellow GTI, onto a few new projects. With a new truck perfect for towing his builds in progress, be on the lookout for Armin in an old Porsche or maybe even a MK2.
"I have another two project cars, an older Porsche that will be hitting the scene soon and a special project. My grandfather before he passed away always had an old Golf. I just recently got a MK2 that I will be building to match the one my grandfather had with a little bit of a twist to it. It is going to be a car definitely worth following when it starts going."
"Take your time, think about all the details and where you want to end up..."
While Armin's Pikachu MK7 may be gone, for him it's all about what's next. Excited for his new projects on the horizon, Armin leaves enthusiasts with a few words of advice: "Take your time, think about all the details and where you want to end up. Not everything works together and some things look great on their own but when matched to something else just do not work. Good parts go on much easier and fit much better. Some of my parts I did not have an alternative but I made them work with hours of fab work to get them up to spec. If there is a good quality part available, get it and save the hours, sweat, and busted knuckles."
Keep up with Armin's latest project on Instagram: @mk7pika
Photos courtesy of @pao__photography
