Cartoonified Volkswagen GTI Plays Tricks On Your Eyes

Dec. 11, 2022 6:10 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Video / 3 Comments

A lot of work went into making this GTI look like something out of Initial D.

Volkswagen, like Porsche, has a long and storied history with art cars, though this may be one of the wildest yet.

German fashion brand HowDeep has created a "cartoon" Volkswagen GTI, more specifically, an MK4. If you ask us, it looks lifted right out of the pages of Initial D. These MK4 GTIs are somewhat unloved in the GTI world due to underwhelming performance from the 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine.

That didn't stop HowDeep, which debuted the car at the Essen Motor Show in Germany. If you're unfamiliar, the Essen show is to Europe what SEMA is to the Americas - a chance to show off all that's hot in the automotive aftermarket. We'd say this qualifies.

HowDeep is using the car to promote a new line of clothing, and the car shares some loose tie-ins with the clothing, such as the color scheme. The car's cartoonish looks are the result of an optical illusion. This GTI's blue-green paint scheme isn't anything special, actually.

Instead, the illusion results from the black lines covering the car. These appear to be graphics similar to the ones you'd find in any wrap shop. The lines look a little pen-like, and it's the placement of them that helps create the cartoonish looks this GTI has. As you can see, the wheels were given the same treatment.

Those wheels, which are Rotiform Aerodisks, got the same treatment with a key difference. "Speed lines" help them look like they're spinning. HowDeep also put the GTI on air suspension, which explains the low-low stance we see here.

It isn't clear if the powertrain has been modified, but considering this car's more aesthetic purpose, we doubt it. Stock, these GTIs made 177 horsepower with a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine.

The brand has also worked on a previous version of the car, this time in blue, which you can see in the gallery below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl37W2lNJll/

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