No It’s Not Photoshop – This Volkswagen Lamando ‘5XL’ Really Is That Wide

@justinbuildcars Can I call this the real “widebody”? #fypシ #widebody #volkswagen #carsoftiktok #cartok #CapCut ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show

A TikToker in China called @justinbuildcars has made some wild modifications to his Volkswagen Lamando L – he’s widened it in such a way that you’d be convinced it was a badly stretched photo or the work of photoshop. If you’ve not heard of the Lamando L before, in standard form, it’s merely a sportier-looking version of the Jetta (known in China as the Sagitar), with a longer wheelbase and only sold in the Chinese market. It’s much like what the Volkswagen Arteon is for the Passat in other markets.

For some reason Justin thought it would be a good idea to widen the 1.8-metre-wide Lamando L to a claimed width of 3 metres. As a result the engine bay now has a gaping hole in it which the TikToker flaunts by standing inside it – perhaps there’s room for a W12 Phaeton engine swap?

@justinbuildcars It’s not a photoshopped car. But it messed up my brain. #fypシ #volkswagen #carsoftiktok #cartok #CapCut ♬ original sound - Justinbuildcars

Inside the cabin, though, he’s put the extra space to good use – there’s now a rather unusual eight-seater arrangement with three seats up front and five in the back, but he says ten people can squeeze in without a problem if necessary…

We have to admit, we still don’t understand what possessed him to make the Lamando 5XL, but the TikToker’s build is actually quite impressive. Apart from the fact the car looks ridiculous, there’s no external evidence - such as seams or bodged bodywork - to suggest the car has been butchered to get it to its current state. Plus, although all the work was carried out on just the passenger’s side of the car, it still appears pretty symmetrical.

@justinbuildcars How abt ppl can a XXXXXL car take? #CapCut #fypシ #widebody #jdm #volkswagen #carsoftiktok #cartok ♬ Sunrise - Official Sound Studio

Imagining what this car must drive like makes our heads hurt, but from the TikToker’s videos it looks pretty awkward, and that big empty space and off-centre engine must make it handle bizarrely. There appears to be no driveshaft connected to the passenger-side front wheel, so we’re also assuming the Lamando 5XL is one-wheel-drive.

Some people do the strangest things for social media, and we’re not sure how much money @justinbuildcars has spent on this project. We’re pretty sure the extent of these modifications mean the Lamando 5XL is not road legal – good luck getting that down a narrow country road, anyway.