2011 Volkswagen SMYTH PERFORMANCE

G3F Convertible

TDI diesel ALH

Manual

3VWSF29M1XM053402

Clear

Diesel

12.00 FOR SALE 2011 Smyth G3F - VW Jetta TDI rear engine diesel sports car Spring is here, it’s sunny and time to hit the road in your own UNIQUE Smyth Performance G3F. You’ll never see another on the road, only about 15 of these kits exist. Everyone you meet at gas stations, lunch stops, the grocery and VW get togethers will ask for info about your ride. The G3F loves the highway and twisty side roads, and returns in excess of 50 miles per gallon of diesel fuel. It’s easy to drive, reliable, and serviceable by any VW mechanic or shop. I’ve loved building this rare limited-production Smyth Performance G3F over the past few years, ever since the inventor, Mark Smith, described the build process to me: “Well John, you remove the engine and transmission from a stock Mk IV VW Jetta, then you take a SawZall to the Jetta and cut off the roof, windshield and back window, trunk, rear floor and fenders…” Oh MAN, he had me at “SawZall”! Why should I trust Mark Smith? Well, he designed, engineered and built the Factory Five Roadster Cobra replicas, and founded that company with his brother Dave. Factory Five is now the largest component car manufacturer in the world. I’ve built and raced three of those Cobra replicas, and respect Mark’s engineering and design work implicitly. I've trusted Mark with my life on the racetrack and through a hundred thousand street miles in his creations. No trust issues here. I started this build in June, 2011 with NEW Smyth parts and my Jetta, and finished it to its present level in 2016. Sure I was slow, life gets in the way sometimes! WHAT IS IT? A former Mk.IV VW Jetta TDI 4-door sedan is now a light, svelte, two-seat, two-door, rear-engine convertible sports car, with factory interior and comforts, suitably modified for looks, performance and safety. Keep all the reliable, wonderful stuff VW engineers into the Jetta. Get rid of the unnecessary heavy stuff: top, windows, rear doors, fenders, hood, gas tank and rear beam suspension. Replace with Smyth parts, and more VW parts, to make a whole new creation. Paint? NOPE, it’s a vinyl wrap, intended to last a few years until final paint is decided upon, or maybe forever. Presently registered and licensed and insured in Florida as a 1999.5 VW Jetta. The original Jetta VIN sticker is still affixed to the door jamb.The DONOR CAR for this 2011 Smyth Performance G3F is a Mark IV 1999.5 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed. It has a little under 225,000 miles on it now (I am driving it locally, so mileage changes a bit), relatively low miles for a TDI, and it runs like a gem. I drove the Jetta over a year in stock form, installed a Stage 2 Malone tune with bigger injectors, and assured all mechanical systems were 100%. Once the stock Jetta was disassembled and “cut” in 2011, the specially-designed Smyth kit parts were installed. Custom rear frame, aluminum panels, and fiberglass body were the most obvious. All engine and transmission-related wiring and plumbing was extended from the front of the Jetta to the rear…then reconnected to the engine in its new location. Jetta suspension is used front and rear, with custom coil-over shocks and upgraded brakes front and rear. Smyth custom shift linkage connects the stock shift cables and transmission (now in the rear of the G3F) to the stock position shift lever.Where did the donor car come from? Glad you asked.I bought it in December 2009 from WolfTDI, a revered member of the major VW diesel site on the internet, www.TDIClub.com. He is a constant presence on the forum, and knows more ALH diesel lore and practice than you and I together will ever have. He bought the car as a daily driver (It was a stock VW Jetta sedan then), with about 218,000 miles on it. WolfTDI promptly changed the oil (Shell Rotella T6) and all fluids, and performed a full Diesel Geek 100,000 miles kit (timing belt, metal water pump, tensioner, rollers, accessory belts) service. He also also replaced the injector return lines and all the vacuum lines, and replaced the glow plug harness. Suffice it to say, the car received a lot of love from WolfTDI…but he was so enthused about the Smyth G3F project that he helped me cut the Jetta apart and build her into this new fantastic creation. I'm selling the G3F to buy or trade for a used Factory Five Spec Racer. This G3F was built as a super reliable and fun street car. It has never been on a race track. I’m dying to get back on the race track, and only have room for one project car at a time in my home. I’ve built and tracked several Factory Five Cobras in the past, and love them. Time to pass the G3F on, for someone new to enjoy driving while doing any finish details they wish. WHY should YOU BUY the G3F? It’s diesel fast and strong off the line and during all street acceleration…plenty of torque. With the mild Malone tune and injectors, Malone’s dyno tests show the engine makes 125 hp, and 228 Torque (!!! stock figures were 90 hp and 155 Torque), both peaking at around 2,500 rpm. It handles sweet, the coilover shocks make you think you are on rails while cornering, accelerating and braking; steering is direct and communicative (I removed the power steering, but you can reinstall it if desired); the design of the windshield and bodywork makes the wind pass right over you without buffeting you around, so conversation is easy with the open top, even at 80 mph; the brakes are awesome, with stock pedals for clutch, brakes and throttle; everything works as designed in Germany…only BETTER because it’s about 600+ pounds lighter and the engine and tranny are now in the rear. SERVICE? Any VW shop can work on this car. It’s a stock ALH TDI diesel (NOT the TDI engine that has been so controversial lately from VW cheating the emissions laws). 5 speed transmission, stock engine except for the mild tune, larger injectors, and custom Smyth exhaust. I’ve removed the EGR system to eliminate the sludge that builds up inside the stock TDI intake manifold, which is a fairly common TDI upgrade, and installed a Euro VW intake. Most mechanical parts throughout the car are stock VW or Audi parts, easily replaced should the need arise. That includes all suspension parts (except the custom coilover shocks at all 4 corners), brakes, steering, engine & engine cooling, heating, A/C, sensors and electronics.SMYTH PERFORMANCE? The company is based in Wareham, MA, and is fast becoming synonymous with "UTE" pickup truck kits, based on VW's and other makes. Mark Smith has used the design principles pioneered in the G3F to develop and market fantastic pickup truck kits for Mk. IV and Mk V VW Jettas (so far), with many more conversion kits planned for other makes in the near future. They are in business for the long haul, and still support the car that started it all: the Smyth G3F. https://www.facebook.com/SmythPerformance TRADES? I am interested in a very particular trade: if you have a used Factory Five Spec Racer in decent shape, preferably with upgrades to the latest spec, then we should talk. I am a track-day guy, maybe some TT and autocross, but mostly for fun. I don’t need the National Championship car, but a solid, safe FFR Spec. Other trades? Don’t bother, I am not interested. Things left TO DO: The car has a few unfinished minor details which do not affect the car's functionality. I hope to have completed some of these before you take delivery. If not, we can make some kind of adjustment. Frankly, I’ve run out of energy on this project, as my attention has been drawn to returning to the track. The air conditioning system is all intact, and must be charged and checked. Driver’s side door latch will be replaced or repaired as it works poorly now. Horn does not function: I plan to repair whatever is wrong or install an alternate horn system. Rear trunk-area aluminum inside panels are not all installed yet. It is SO EASY to work on the engine without the aluminum in place, so I have only installed the minimum of aluminum panels, until finalizing the engine specs. You may want to install a bigger turbo, or play with the custom exhaust, or revise the existing intake system…whatever you decide, it’s so easy with the aluminum panels out. Put them in when you are ready, the car works fine without them. Windshield wiper install: It is a modified version of the stock Jetta wiper system, and I have not needed it yet, so haven’t installed it. Rain-X has been fine so far, but I have all parts needed. It will be controlled by the stock switchgear. I’ll be making and installing the final rear passenger compartment upholstered panels (where the rear seats once were), they should be in place soon. I did NOT install the side door windows. YOU can do it if you want to, as I will include all the glass and stock parts to put inside the doors.They’re electric! Because there is (presently) no top, the windows were unnecessary for me. You CAN make a top if you want, as a Smyth prototype fiberglass removeable hardtop shell is included in the sale. It would take some fabrication to do, but can be accomplished if you decide to go that way. DELIVERY: I will drive it to you after purchase for return airfare & expenses, if within a reasonable distance , or will cooperate with you to arrange shipping, or will pick you up at West Palm Beach, FL airport if you want to fly in and drive her home. Your call. BLOG & PICS: Why you can believe what I’ve said: I built this car to show that a regular guy could do it. To prove my point, I kept a pretty extensive BLOG of all the steps it took to disassemble the original Jetta, and then to build the G3F from that donor car. You can read about every step I made and watch as the car came together if you have the patience…there are more than 50 posts over the past few years. Here’s the BLOG address: http://g3f-jlphil.blogspot.com/ The blog has reference links to extensive photos of the tear-down of the donor Jetta, and the build of the G3F. Here is an album of fairly recent photos of the G3F, including pics of the windshield installation by a really happy SafeLite tech who loved the car. If you need more photos after all this, well you are an imaginative person … let me know. https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipMZBYq5dnum3vVPmZP_axLs0xcInkemRiWnZU7k5jLL27hBhf7dZf8q--Zqwb6y6A?key=QUlwN0VQLVhTWW5Tclk4TGVOMFh0X1pBU3FqSDNB What do you do now? Well, BID on the car, or Buy it Now, or make a Best Offer. Text or email me if you have any questions not answered by this article or the photos. Text me at 561-252-9555 (this phone is rarely answered, voice messages are rarely heard, text is best.) Email me at jlphilg3f@outlook.com. Read my BLOG about the build and look at pics all you can stand. If you want this car, I don’t blame you. It’s a rare wonderful thing, dreamed up by a mad genius kit car engineer, just because he can. And built by a guy who admires the project and loves to play with cars. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4