OPEN SEASON
For all the planning, the global parts-hunting and hard-sought inspiration that go into a big build, the spark that really gets things moving can often be down to good fortune. That missing ingredient can take many forms; old friends, maybe a car park spot that you never forget, perhaps just happening to be in the right place at the right time. Or, in the case of John Nguyen’s impeccable Cabrio, a generous helping of all three.
Unplanned tangents are a common thread running through most of the projects you’ll see in these pages, but the twists in the tale of John’s car history mean things could have shaped up very differently. It was Japanese imports that lured him away from a teenage interest in Jeeps, and a childhood friend who then shifted that focus toward Volkswagen Group machinery as a young adult. As you might have guessed, that’s the trend that’s stuck, and it’s been helped along by some enviably fortunate encounters along the way.
“A few years ago, I was driving through a small town called Kings Mountain here in North Carolina, and I saw this ’83 Rabbit on a lot. It was a 1.7 carb with a four-speed, and the dealer had bought it from an older lady who had kept it garaged so everything was stock - even the 13-inch wheels with the chrome hubcaps. You don’t walk away from a car like that
