If you’ve been living under a rock the past few years you may not have heard the catchy song by Robin Thicke titled Blurred Lines. If this is unfamiliar territory for you, proceed with caution as you read about this VW that has definitely blurred the lines between new school and old school. Doug Miller started off as your average kid playing tinkering with hot wheels, but little did he know that years later he would actually own a car that any “kid” today would envy playing with if it were in fact a Hot Wheels die cast (hint hint). Life for this wicked ride started out as a factory 2012 VW CC. After purchasing it and promising his old lady that “he would keep this one stock” eventually the bug bit him after cruising his family mobile for about 2-years in factory form.
Photos: Cody Gephart | Words: Jason Ballard & Mike Alexander
Doug tried to quiet that inner voice, with a set of coil-overs and 20-inch MRR HR3s but that just didn’t do the trick. Finally, Doug gave in and couldn’t take it any longer. Being a member of the car club Art of Noize Doug knew just what it would take to build a ride that would blur the lines, and had the perfect group of friends to make that happen. Having a child on the way only forced Doug into thinking about the facts of life and just how cool it would be to cruise a slammed CC with his kids. After talking with his buddy and fellow club member Aaron Hunt over at Lowform, they built a parts list opting for the best of the best since this would still be the family hauler after all. A complete Air Lift Slam Series kit made for the VW CC was ordered and the teardown was underway. The Slam Series kit was coupled with the Air Lift Auto Pilot V2 setup to help make controlling the system a breeze. Lowform assembled and hard-lined the air suspension setup, all to fit within the factory trunk floor. Remember, Doug still needs room for that stroller and groceries. Additionally, the passenger side frame was notched for the axle and everything was laid out and installed over a weekend.
Now up until this point the build was coming along nicely as your normal bitchin’ family sedan turned custom, but that all changed as Doug got to thinking about his wheel options. Already admiring so many VWs and Audis with amazing wheels and fitment Doug had a decision to make – go with the norm or take the path less traveled. Obviously, as you can see he chose the path less travelled and we couldn’t be more stoked with the outcome! Doug came from left field and perfectly blended the old school style Cragar Wheel with a new school Volkswagen CC.
After spending weeks scouring the interwebs, Doug finally came across a set of Cragar SS Wheels that he liked. After some photoshop skills, Doug confiding in a few friends yet no one seemed to be able to envision Doug’s reality. It took some serious work, but after re-drilling and shaving down 4mm on the wheel they were a perfect fit and his vision became a reality. To the surprise of his closest friends, it actually worked! A sick set of Cragar SS wheels now adorned this 2012 VW CC which laid low perfectly thanks to the Airlift suspension setup and Lowform’s skills. With this amazingly clean look, the perfect stance and a totally controversial set of wheels, any true car guy could give Doug a well deserved thumbs up with what he’s created. The PERFECT example of a Slam’d Mag approved build where taking a chance certainly paid off!
A clean classic look of a fresh ride normally accompany some slick, not so noticeable, mods. Since this is Doug’s daily driver he decided upon keeping with the overall theme, which was simple yet classic. The rear bumper reflectors were shaved off and the front grille and turn signals were color matched to add a little more aggressive look to the overall build. It’s truly amazing what the perfect combination of subtle mods can do for a build. Also, note that there aren’t a bunch of bolt-ons or clutter, nothing is overdone. Keeping it simple was the plan and Doug stuck to the script, nailing everything about daily cruiser fit for a king.
The moral of this feature is that you don’t always have to take the path most travelled to build a killer ride. Doug thought outside the box with his build and as you can see, it more than paid off. Nowadays even classic hot rodders tip their hat to Doug for a job well done on his modern day VW. Just think about that for a moment, most hot rod guys would scoff at a 2012 vehicle being called a “custom” build. With Doug’s vision and the help of a few close friends he was able to build a VW that continues to blur the lines and here at Slam’d we very much look forward to seeing more rides that blur the lines between modern and classic. Stay tuned!
Slam’d Specs
Wheels/Tires:
Cragar SS 20×9 +39
225/35/20 Toyo Extensa
Chassis Modifications:
Front – Air Lift Slam Series struts
Rear – Air Lift Slam Series bags
K-Sport Shocks
Dual VIAIR 400c compressors
All hard-lined
Passenger side frame notched
Performed by Lowform
Body/Paint:
Shaved rear bumper reflectors
Color matched grille and turn signals
OEM deep black metallic
Performed by BC Autobody
Special Thanks from Owner:
Special thanks to Aaron at Lowform for the amazing install, Cody Gephart for the killer photos, and Slam’d Mag for finally giving us all a home for these type of builds.
