Member: Erik Barone                     

Location: North Branford, CT

Member Since: June 2005

Wasserwerks: How long have you been involved in the VW/Audi hobby?

Erik Barone: About 9 years.

WW: What first got your interest in these types of cars?

EB: I had always like the way VW marketed their cars in TV and print ads something about the tongue in cheek  humor appealed to me. The Herbie movies where a hoot too. But what really got me going was when back in 96' my then girlfriend, now my wife, Kristin traded in her Jeep Wrangler for a 94' Black Jetta GL. I was very impressed with it's styling, handling, and was pretty peppy even with the 2.0L. But then again anything would be peppy compared to 85' Dodge Caravan i was driving!!! But at least I could haul around a bunch of stuff. So when I had saved up some money from my then new job at ESPN (Oct 1st will ten years) and some advice from my friend Greg who had multiple dubs I knew I was going the VW route. I also had determined that I wanted to still have that utilitarian aspect of the van in my new ride so the Golf fit the bill perfectly. Plus I love the way the ass end of those Mk 3 Golfs looked.  So off to Montesi VW in North Haven I went to purchase a 95' Sequoia Green Golf GL automatic (I know ha ha ha...I didn't know how to drive stick at the time). I was in love. Soon I was searching the internet for anything VW related and became aware of the eclectic cult I was joining. I would go to Barnes and Noble to hopefully get my hands on the latest imported issues of Performance VW, Golf the magazine, and the biannual gem from European car VW Power to read them cover to cover. I joined a VW club (Club H2o ...didn't know about Wasserwerks at the time) Began putting mods on the car. Started going to get-togethers and shows and the rest as they say is history.

WW: What cars do you presently own?

EB: A somewhat stealthy modified 2003 Indigo Blue 1.8t GTI
 

WW: What cars do you wish you owned?

EB: I don't think we have enough bandwidth on this site to support that list but here's a few highlights. a 83' Porsche 911 w/ wide body kit, any Scirocco 16v, any VR6 Corrado, a Ghia with a 1.8t transplant to freak people out at the stop lights, a 'Cuda, an original Meyer's Manx painted bass boat blue with chrome roll bar, a Porsche 550 Spider like the one James Dean bought it in, one of the very rare Audi S3 1.8ts which Audi never released stateside (there's one for sale in Texas fully registered too!!!), my buddy's 2002 Audi TT Coupe, that submarine Lotus from 007's "the Spy Who Loved Me", a 72' Vette Stingray, a 63' Vette convertible, an original Datsun Z, the TR-3 my father owned, a Blue Viper Coupe with white racing stripes, a Ford GT (original and the new one). Ok I'm stopping there or this list will just keep growing to Jay Leno Auto collection proportions.
 

WW: What cars do you wish you still owned?

EB: My mom's old AMC Hornet for sentimental reasons.
 

WW: What do you like to do with your car(s) (show/race/etc.)?

EB: I like working on it to make stand out a little from the crowd and perform better. I found that a rear sway bar on a Mk4 is the best bang for the buck mod out there. Cruising down back roads and going through the twisties is always blast. Going to shows is great too, because you get to cruise with and hang out with other enthusiasts, get ideas, and purchase more stuff for your ride.

WW: What are your future plans for your car(s)?

EB: I'm looking at maybe changing front bumpers, maybe upgrade the Side mount intercooler to keep the stealth theme going. At some point I will install the turbo inlet pipe I bought a year and half ago! I would love to either do a track day or autocross it this year at some point.

WW: What other hobbies do you have?

EB: Chasing my soon to be 3 year old Erika around, cycling (the pedal kind), video editing(links to videos on website), snowboarding, sailing, cooking, traveling.

WW: What is your best personal VW/Audi story?

EB: I would have to be when I did my first ever brake job on my 95 Golf myself with a Chilton repair manual, limited tools, and a lot of hope. After a quick trip by bike to the hardware store to by a C-clamp to compress the caliper pistons, some bloodied knuckles, and a whole lot of swearing I was done. Then came the moment of truth to see if the brakes worked. I was sweatin' it too, cause I have a driveway on a hill. I had visions of rolling into the yard across the street in my head. I pointed the Golf down hill and low and behold the brakes worked!!!!! After that I felt like I was a mechanical genius! Another great VW/Audi moment for me would be when I got pictures of myself and at least part of my car (the side window with a Wasserwerks sticker) into Eurotuner Magazine. Very cool. Oh yeah one more..... being selected Wasserwerks Outstanding Member for 2006 and getting my fleece. I felt like I got the green jacket at the Masters.