The Long Way Home: Jerry’s R36 Wagon, From Beijing to Canada - HCC Paddock

Some cars take years to buy. Others take even longer to bring home.

For Jerry, an engineer at HPA, this Biscay Blue Volkswagen R36 represents both. Its story starts with a childhood spent riding in his father’s Jetta, passes through a Beijing Volkswagen dealership, and ends with a garage in Canada. Along the way, there’s an extensive restoration, a divisive interior, and a three-day drive with his dad that became every bit as important as the car itself.At Han Chung Classics, we helped arrange its export from China, shipping, and import into Canada. But the paperwork and ocean crossing were only the final stages of a much longer journey.

A Jetta, a VR6, and a Promise

Jerry grew up riding in his father’s 1998 Mk2 Jetta King (a model that Han Chung Classics know and love deeply). Volkswagens were part of everyday life long before they became his profession.He moved to Canada in 2004, then returned to Beijing in 2008, just as the city was preparing for the Olympics. There, he bought a 2008 Magotan 3.2, the Chinese variant of the B6 Passat. Suddenly, his enthusiasm for Volkswagen had a more specific focus: the VR6.

A year later, during a service visit to a Volkswagen dealership, he saw an R36 wagon in Biscay Blue. 

That was the one. He told his father he loved it.

His father’s response was straightforward: one day, Jerry should buy one himself.

It would be several years before Jerry could take him up on that. Jerry moved back to Canada not long after but never forgot about his dream of owning an R36 wagon.

The Right Blue

Around 2024, Jerry began looking seriously for an R36 in Beijing. The search took six months.The car he eventually found had Beijing plates and no history of a major accident, but its condition left plenty of room for improvement. It wasn’t the immaculate example someone might choose for an easy ownership experience.

It was, however, Biscay Blue. The color was non-negotiable.

Rather than wait indefinitely for a perfect car, Jerry set about making this one right. At Beijing specialist 二哥修车, the engine, transmission, and suspension received extensive attention using original Volkswagen parts. The aim was to bring the mechanical condition as close to new as possible.

The body needed work, too. Years in Beijing traffic had left their marks, and little original paint remained. A full repaint at Changer+ gave the exterior the fresh start the mechanicals were already receiving.

Then came the cabin.

Built for the Person Behind the Wheel

Jerry wasn’t particularly attached to the original Alcantara, especially after years of use. So he developed his own interior color scheme and had the cabin retrimmed in Nappa leather, complemented by an OEM-style black fabric headliner.

The reaction depended on where he shared it.

In China, the interior attracted criticism. Overseas, both online and at shows, the response was enthusiastic. Jerry’s own assessment was considerably simpler: he just liked it.

And he drove it.

This was a car for Jerry's commute, for time behind the wheel, for settling into a comfortable seat at the end of a working day. 

His work at HPA also gave him the opportunity to refine how the R36 drove. He tuned the coilover suspension specifically for the wagon, along with revised DSG transmission software, bringing his engineering experience into a car he knew intimately.

Three Days With Dad

When the time came to send the R36 to Canada, it first needed to reach Guangzhou.

Jerry and his father drove it there from Beijing together over three days.

Living overseas means Jerry doesn’t often get to see his dad. This trip gave them a rare chance to enjoy uninterrupted father and son time together.

They talked about Jerry’s experiences, the life he had built, and why this particular Volkswagen meant so much to him. His father had been there for the beginning, in the family Mk2 Jetta, and for that first encounter with an R36 at the dealership. Now he was sharing the drive that would send it toward its next chapter.

It was an incredible roadtrip, and gave them memories that'll last forever.

After Guangzhou, we helped handle the R36’s export, ocean shipping, and Canadian import. Roughly a month and a half later, it arrived in Canada - where, according to Jerry, it became the country’s first left-hand-drive R36.

Three Volkswagens, One Life

Jerry had already made room for it.

Waiting at home was his 2004 GLI, a car he has owned since university. At 18, he fitted it with an R32 engine in his own garage. At 22, he shipped it from Canada to Europe for Wörthersee and a trip lasting nearly two months.Alongside it was a Canadian limited-edition 1989 Mk2 16V Trophy. Jerry has bought that same car twice. He bought it back for the second time while the R36 was still crossing the ocean.Together, the three cars trace his life with Volkswagen: learning from forums, figuring out repairs, attempting an engine swap, travelling, and eventually becoming a motorsport engineer and working at HPA.

The R36 takes its place among them as the car he wanted when he was younger, rebuilt on his own terms and brought home with his father’s help.

We can source you a Chinese VW too.

Han Chung Classics has spent years specializing in classic Volkswagen parts and supporting the enthusiasts who keep these cars on the road. Helping Jerry bring his R36 from China to Canada was another way to put that experience to work.

We can help source Chinese-market Volkswagens and any other vehicles for export worldwide, with support for export arrangements, shipping, and destination import coordination. Vehicle eligibility and import requirements depend on the destination.

If there’s a particular Volkswagen - or another Chinese-market vehicle - you’ve been looking for, contact us at hanchungclassics@gmail.com. Tell us what you’re after and where you’d like it to go.

There's always room for a VW in your life.