It happened to me the other day. I went to send a batch of files via the same website I’ve used for ages when I got a notice – I’ve reached the maximum allowed under the ‘free’ account status. I get it, no free lunches anymore and everything is a subscription. Those worth having are usually worth paying for (like this mag!). But who hasn’t longed for the days when things were simpler. Just burn files onto a compact disc and pop it in the mail, right? New cars don’t even have CD players anymore.

Dustin Shaw is my kind of people. The 42-year-old residential builder has been doing the V-Dub dance since the dawn of the Mk4. Remember the awkward 99.5 model year, when you could still get a nice MK3 or be tricked into purchasing the newest generation at the time. I kid, of course. The Virginia transplant caught the bug back when he was 15, after seeing a friend’s neighbour’s Corrado rocking TSW VX1s. If you haven’t yearned for a set of those wheels, were you even ‘90s’?

“I thought it was the most badass thing I had ever seen,” says Dustin. “Eventually, all of my friends got into VWs, and my first car was a black-on-black leather 1998 Jetta GLX I came across while flipping through the Autotrader newspaper, searching for Corrados.” This was right before the Y2K scare, if you even know what that is, and had just 18k miles on it. More importantly, it already had Schrick cams, an Autotech exhaust, lowering springs and TSW VX1s. “I absolutely loved that car and had so many plans for it. But being young and dumb, I crashed it into a guardrail and totaled it.” A sad reality for many of our first cars.

Later on, Dustin had a ’96 GTI VR6 that featured a host of modifications, including an AMS supercharger, Euro bumpers with a full Reiger body kit, and FK coils deleting the wheel gap for the Work VSXXs. The MK3 Forum on VWVortex was his home away from home, where he browsed everything from build threads to picture threads to off-topic nonsense disguised with MK3 content. Eventually, he wandered into the MK1 domain which resulted in the GTI being sold in 2003. The following years were filled solely with projects of the MK1 ilk.

“Two of the more notable builds were Rabbit pickups,” Dustin tells us. “The first was an ‘84 that I fully restored and modified—round headlight core support, shaved door handles, shaved bay, roll pan, black respray, varnished wood bed floor, custom tweed and tartan interior, Work Equip 01s, and more. The next was a Sport Truck that once belonged to Old School Industries. I repainted it, early Westy conversion, did a full black interior, suspension, and ran a set of Compomotive CXNs.”

It was August of 2019 when he caught wind of a collection of MK1s for sale by a dealer in Florida. “The story goes that they’d been sitting in a VW litigation warehouse in Texas for over 25 years before being auctioned,” says Dustin. “They bought four MK1 Rabbits and a Scirocco. I heard about the cars through a friend who bought one of the Rabbits. I asked if any were left, and he told me about the Scirocco. I called the dealer, bought it sight unseen, and had it shipped to Virginia.”

What did he buy exactly? A 1978 Scirocco finished in old man tan, or what Volkswagen calls Pearl Metallic (L94K). It had zero rust and was last registered in California in 1987. Under the hood was the stock, but tired 1.5L 4-cylinder paired to a 4-speed manual. A closer inspection of the bodywork revealed a beaten past, with the doors and left rear quarter panel cosplaying as secret agent James Bondo. “The dealer told me about the bad bodywork up front, but the price was right,” Dustin reflects. “My original plan was to get it running, throw on some coilovers and wheels, and drive it as-is. At the time, I’d already started another project—a ‘78 Rabbit I planned to build into a full motorsport-style show car.” Ultimately, the Rabbit ended up being sold off to avoid progress being stalled by divided attention.

As someone who’s already tackled a bit of bodywork in the past, Dustin couldn’t just leave the Scirocco’s exterior suffering as it was. With experience as his guide, he cut out the damaged quarter panel and bought a used replacement from Brian at Twin City VW Parts. “I found both front fenders were also full of Bondo,” he laments, “and that’s when I decided to convert the car to early-spec. I’ve always preferred the pre-’78 look with the tombstone indicators.”

A search of Facebook turned up a fellow Scirocco owner, Josh Laboris, had listed a set of NOS fenders a few months prior. Regardless of dumb luck or the lack of demand, they were still available. The only snag was they were hundreds of miles away in Connecticut. Another nearby ‘Rocco owner named Rico happened to travel to Virginia for work and was willing to FenderDash them on his next trip south.

“That was the start of the snowball,” Dustin recalls. “I figured if I was converting the front, I might as well go all-in and convert the whole car to early-spec—bumpers, window trim, side mirror, delete the plastic side molding, etc. Some of the parts were tough to find. I spent a lot of time scouring the internet for things like an S1-specific flag mirror gasket (near impossible to find) which I randomly sourced from a guy in the Netherlands.”

Being waist-deep in a Scirocco restoration while simultaneously juggling work and kids proved challenging. Anyone in a similar situation would agree that time is not only irreplaceable, but it’s a non-renewable resource. “Eventually, I realized I’m in my 40s and too busy to do the bodywork and paint myself in any timely way. I found a body shop a couple of hours away run by a fellow VW enthusiast. After a six-month wait, I dropped the car off so he could pick up where I left off,” Dustin told us.

During the anticipated downtime, Dustin decided a motor with a little extra juice was worth the squeeze. He purchased a 2001 Jetta 1.8T from a local salvage auction and went to work, pulling the drivetrain and necessary parts, then selling the shell to recoup some funds. “I also collected a hoard of parts—engine swap parts from S&P Automotive, all new bushings, bearings, fuel tank, control arms, rear beam, brake parts from Tech-53 and Bahn Brenner.”

Dustin got the car back nearly a year later, but it wasn’t perfect. The shop acknowledged the issues and took a further six months to correct them. Although the second time was not a charm, he wasn’t going to try for a third. “I was still unhappy with some things, but decided I had waited long enough and would sort it later.” With the painted shell back at his place, he reinstalled new suspension, brakes, and all the glass with new seals and chrome trim, which he previously stripped and polished. The bumpers came from a Polish fellow who goes by the name VW Stossstange Oldtimer. According to Dustin, he was the only person he knew of making repro S1 chrome bumpers, made from polished aluminium with reproduction end caps and rub strips.

Josh Hannabass of Altered Components was then tapped for his mechanical talents, specifically for the engine install. “I handled the cosmetics in the bay while Josh worked his magic on the engine, trans, and wiring,” Dustin tells us. “He stripped the block, inspected the pistons, cams, and cylinder walls, and after confirming everything was good, I painted the engine and he reassembled it with all new seals and gaskets. Same with the trans—rebuilt, painted, and fitted with a Peloquin LSD. I wanted the car to be reliable and drive as well as it looked, and Josh took every step to make that happen. He also finished the air ride install and built the clean trunk setup I wanted.” The motor is paired up with the 02J that came with the parts car.

The 1.8T appears nestled in a smooth nest of fresh paint, with a mix of chrome, polish, and silicone to tidy it all up. The Autotech strut bar isn’t what it seems, as it was originally for a different MK1. “A Rabbit strut bar does not work on a stock S1, as it hits the hood,” Dustin informs us. “The turbo piping creates another obstacle. I was able to source the exact parts that Autotech used and fabricated a custom bar that clears both the hood and piping but still looks like the original.” It was then powder coated to match the valve cover and intake manifold.

The wiring was cleaned up, lengthened and routed in such a way that wouldn’t affect reliability. Josh used a heat shield loom to further protect the important bits, including hoses and cables. The turbo intake was fabricated to keep the filter as far from the heat as possible. They even hid the hood latch cable. The results of this effort look clean without being over the top.

Before we go inside, let’s get to those rollers that the air ride setup places perfectly into the fenders. They are 3-piece 16” Altermann AM302 wheels.

“Jason Whipple is a true VW enthusiast,” says Dustin, although we already knew that. “I’d followed him on Instagram, and at some point, he started following my build. When he launched Altermann, I loved the branding and what he was creating. I initially ran a set of RSs, which looked great, but I wanted something unique for this car. When he unveiled his wheel line, I hit him up right away. He worked with me to ensure the widths and ETs were perfect for the look I was going for. He sent shop drawings of the wheel faces so I could see the proportions before machining. He even helped me through my indecisiveness when choosing the finish for the faces. I’ll definitely be buying my next set of wheels from him. Jason is the man.” Take notes, future entrepreneurs out there. That is how you run a business.

The interior is a place of peace, serenity, and originality. The factory seats appear stock, but not quite exact. “I wanted it to feel OEM but be subtly different,” says Dustin. “I found a material similar to the original but slightly darker and sent it to the Pie Man at 3.14 Covers.” Not only is that a great name for a company, but the self-proclaimed one-man band had all the right ingredients for some delicious work. Extra material was then sent to Slovworks in Mexico to create some custom early S1 style door cards. Dustin drove two hours for the parcel tray and picked up a NOS one. New tan carpet was installed, with a local upholsterer trimming up custom pieces for the aforementioned tray and kick panels. The same stitcher assisted in installing the Tech-53 headliner.

One thing you’ll notice not for its existence, but rather for its absence, is a stereo. It was never equipped with one and it’s refreshing to see one hasn’t been retrofitted. And here I was lamenting the lack of CD players in new cars. Just like JNCOs and mullets, what’s old is new again.

By now, the Scirocco was ready to be released into the wild. “After taking the car to a few shows, I talked to Danny Herrera of DH Auto about correcting the lingering body issues.” The car was repainted over the winter and was finished up right before leaving for Alpine Volks Fair in May of 2024. “It’s been a long process,” Dustin admits,
“but I’m finally happy with how it turned out.”

Even before it was painted the final time, people were enamoured with the Scirocco, so you can only imagine how much better it looks now. And that perfect hue shows off the simplicity of Giugiaro’s lines – a rolling tribute to a refined 70’s wedge design. It captured a Top 10 at its debut AVF and both a Top 16 and the People’s Car Podcast Choice Award at Roots Classic. It even won Best of Show at MK1 Madness. For 2025, it’s still holding people’s attention, with another Top 10 at this year’s Alpine Volks Fair. “I didn’t build it to show — I just love going to shows,” says Dustin.

It sure does look nice, but how does it feel moving down the road? “I love driving the car,” smiles Dustin. “I do wish it had AC, but the car absolutely rips. It’s by far the best-driving MK1 I’ve had.” With a supportive spouse and a son who might be carrying the enthusiast torch for the next generation, it’s safe to say that the Scirocco is in good hands. “My son is 10 and loves going to shows with me. He wants to buy every single VW, Porsche, and Audi Matchbox car he can find.”

In the end it was the collaboration of a cadre of talented individuals to create this analogue beacon in a digital world. “Everyone I worked with was awesome, but the real MVP is Josh Hannabass. His meticulous work really made the car what it is.” Dustin talks about the future for the S1. “There are a few minor details I’d like to refine, but mostly I just plan to drive and enjoy it.” Call it coincidence or maybe fate, but he recently purchased his friend’s Rabbit that came from the same warehouse. It’s on coils and had the drivetrain rebuilt, so it’s going to remain that way for the time being. Or will it? Scirock on!