Performance VWの October 2024 の目次

19” ROTIFORM AVS ROTISPEC Following the success of Rotiform’s awesome forged 22” AVS wheel, which looks absolutely amazing on the latest RS6 and takes influence from the original Audi S4 Avis wheel, the Californian company recently released a 19” version of the said wheel. I know, they’re good, right? We actually spotted the wheel for the first time on the Pipercross Mk8 Golf demo at Players Classic a few months back and, at first thought it was a cast version of the wheel. In fact, the wheel is actually part of the RotiSpec forged range (like its larger 22” brother) hence the price tag. So, while they’re not exactly cheap, they are super strong, mega light and look absolutely stunning. Available as a 8.5x19”, the wheel currently only comes in…

It’s funny how the slow creep of time allows for the perfectly acceptable denial of getting older. And there is no better way to let that passage punch you in the pie hole than by looking at a car you recall being introduced new now nearly eligible for historic plates. This must be how boomers feel about their muscle machines. It’s easy to argue that the MK4 R32 is the pinnacle of the fourth generation Golf. The enlarged 3.2L VR6 paired with 4MOTION allwheel-drive made it a formidable year-round daily driver with plenty of usability. Volkswagen imported just 5,000 units to the US for the sole 2004 model year. The R32 was special in the way that modern “special editions” can’t even come close. Unique bumpers and interior treatments not…

A walk through Wolf-Dieter Ihle’s impressive collection will take you past some incredible rally cars from ages past. Former ex-works Audis, such as an ex-Blomqvist S1E2 and the ex-Mouton Sport Quattro, side side-by-side with a prototype Porsche 924 GTS, ex-Röhrl Opel Ascona A and 400, ex-Vatanen Manta 400, ex-Ickx Dakar Porsche 953 and the famous Pikes Peak twin-engined Mk2 Golf, which we featured here a few years ago. There is a definite theme for Ihle’s collection; he focuses on rally cars from his native Germany. That’s why, some twelve years ago, when this ex-factory Group A VW Golf GTi came up for sale, he snapped it up. While the World Rally Championship was in the throes of the legendary Group B era with the flying, fire-spitting monsters, the much less…

I can’t think of any other automotive event that I’ve attended over the years which continues to deliver the same sort of hit as Goodwood’s Festival of Speed. No matter how many times you attend, the sheer spectacle of the festival still leaves you breathless each time. The last few years I’ve taken to attending the event with my son who is currently 12 and a total petrolhead. As much as the event is a hardcore petrolheads wet dream, it is also an event that appeals to the whole family. No matter how ‘in to’ cars you are, there’s literally something for everybody at the show. Personally, I prefer attending on the Friday, but the event itself actually runs from Thursday right through to close of play Sunday. I’ve always…

Life isn't very fair a lot of the time, and this is especially true if you're a car enthusiast. For example, spare a thought for our poor Audi-loving cousins over the pond because they never got to enjoy the B5 RS4, missing out on that twin-turbo, wide-body Avant goodness. If you're an American Audi enthusiast who’s keen for a taste of that sweet B5 RS4 life, then you've got to take matters into your own hands. That is exactly what this trio has done, producing two Avants and one saloon, each with its own individual touches, and these are three seriously tasty builds. Ian Browning has been a VW fan for almost 20 years, and he’s showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. “My first car when I turned 16…

Cadwell Park is understandably a favourite with many drivers and this weekend didn’t disappoint! The Classic VW Cup cars were first on track in qualifying, and they were greeted with some beautiful Lincolnshire sunshine to start the day off. Many of the drivers were keen to get some laps in, especially the newer drivers, Chris Garnham and Paul Dunningham. This was to be their first time out at this epic venue! A newcomer to the series, Andrew Dyer, in the beautiful Audi TTCR showed early pace and laid the gauntlet down, with Paul Hoggins in the other TTCR Audi just behind. This pair was followed by Carey in the Mk5 Golf Cup Car. Nick Sanderson was at last enjoying some trouble free laps and managed to stick his car 4th…

Race vans are just cool, aren’t they? That’s a given. Go to any track paddock and you’ll find a raft of support vehicles liveried up to match the cars they’re there with, and this is a technique we can trace back right through the annals of motorsport to the very beginning. One of our favourite trends that’s been bubbling up over the last few years is the classic race livery tribute. People have been dressing up their road cars in race-style livery for generations of course, that in itself is nothing new – but what we’re really loving right now is the individuality that’s shining through on the scene. There’s always a certain element of one-upmanship which happens when it comes to having the freshest wheels, the most aggressive stance,…

Ever had your day ruined by your car throwing up an unexpected problem? Of course you have, you drive a modified car! One minute you’re happily cruising along and everything is right in the world. Then, without warning, an annoying rattle, nasty noise, strange smell, odd vibration or even the dreaded engine management light immediately ruins your day! Luckily, there are companies out there who share our passion for cars and are looking out for us. One such company is Carly. Their hardware and software products allow users to understand car problems and how to fix them. The Carly App and scanner allow you to perform vehicle diagnostics, view live data, or check a car for mileage manipulation. On some models, you can even personalise your car with custom coding…

What defines a future classic? There’s no golden ticket to get onto collectors’ radars – interesting engineering, design or some media notoriety certainly helps – but there’s also no substitute for the influence of supply and demand. Rarity doesn’t guarantee desirability, but it is a stable foundation for any other factors to build on and the Golf is no stranger to models that tick that box. Slackening of purse strings at Wolfsburg have given us machines like the Mk2 G60 Limited, Mk7 GTI Clubsport S and (if you consider the original planned production run) the Mk4 R32 is worthy of that list too. For some owners, rarity (and rising prices) are a reason to carefully preserve the factory spec with only occasional use. For others, there’s fun to be had…

I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who once said “Death, taxes and Cult Classic” regarding the only certainties in this world. He then got into a MK2 GTI 16V turbo, revved it good and high, dumped the clutch and left two skid marks in the hearts of all who adored him. Or something like that… Cult Classic, a little show in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania that caters to everyone, but naturally appears as a VW gathering, has been setting the example of family friendly fun since 2007. With 2024 came a changing of the guard, so to speak. The proverbial baton had been passed and a new group of enthusiasts are at the helm for the established event. Those changes are mostly below the surface and the common attendee was not going to…

For almost 20 years New England Dustoff has been a favourite as a season opener for the Northeast VW/Audi community. And here we are again at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the 2024 edition of this VAG only show. After a typical New England winter most are ready for the car season to start. And April is the perfect time for that. All of the cars and their people make the trek to see the friends they've missed in the cold months and their projects only seen so far in the occasional post on social media. The weatheris always in question, at least for Dustoff. And, this year, the weather did cooperate, mostly. Of course it rained, would it be Dustoff if it didn’t? After a stroll around the track…

SEPTEMBER 14-15th LOWCOLLECTIVE Trinity Park Showground, Ipswich lowcollective.co.uk 14-15th PETROLHEADONISM LIVE Knebworth House petrolheadonism.live 22nd NORTH EAST UNITY Turner Falls, New England, USA northeastunity.com 24th OH SO RETRO The Rec, Margate Ohsoretro.co.uk 28th TITANIC DUBS Belfast, NI GTINI.com 29th DAS GTI SHOW Santa Pod Raceway santapod.co.uk 29th VW TEAM BRABANT Oss, Holland vwteambrabant.nl OCTOBER 5th GERMAN CAR FESTIVAL Goodwood Circuit events.fastcar.co.uk/german-car-festival 5th EURO DISTRICT Jefferson, Indiana, USA theeurodistrict.com 5th EAST COAST MK3 MEET Clinton, NJ, USA eastcoastmk3meet.com 6th SUNDAY SCRAMBLE (OCTOBER) Bicester Heritage bicesterheritage.co.uk 13th WATERDAYS Nagano Prefecture, Japan @_waterdays 19th DUBS AT THE GAP Rocky Gap State Park, USA dubsatthegap.com 27th ULTIMATE STANCE Telford International Centre ultimate-stance.co.uk NOVEMBER 5th BIG SOCAL EURO Irwindale Speedway, CA, USA big-euro.com 5-8th SEMA SHOW Las Vegas Convention Center semashow.com Check details before attending…