All Torque, All Action
The shoot on Christo Van Wyk’s supercharged Lumina was at a decent hour, 10:00am, instead of the usual sparrow’s fart timeslot. That meant I could take some company with, so Andy and intern Rosheeve tagged along to take a look. Rosheeve was keen to see how the shoots go down to gain experience, Andy was just there to be my bitch for the morning and to drive Allanah while I snapped motion shots. We switched it though and he did the shots while I drove, but he did get to drive Allanah back to the shoot location when Christo let me drive his Lumina back. Andy probably raped my car, but it’s cool, I drove a car with so much torque it almost shoved the driver’s seat into my small intestine…
Author - Krutch
Knight Rider
July 23, 2008 by amish · Leave a Comment
Knight Rider patrolling the streets of Pretoria seems a little idiosyncratic for a casual Sunday afternoon but its presence was met with a lot of hype from, Bat, Drol and myself (Andy) not to mention the other motorists. The day didn’t involve guided-missiles, barrel rolls or explosions but it was hysterically entertaining and memorable.
This is the only KITT replica in the country and the level of detail is bonkers! In KITT you’ll really believe you can do anything. Check out what I had to say together with other useful Knight Rider trivia in the upcoming issue.
Author - Andrew Leopold
Adrian Venter
Adrian pilots the red Opel TS and no matter what one may try there’s no shaking this combo off the leaderboard. He always manages to sneak in there and ruffle some feathers, unassuming and unimposing is his tactic. Adrian’s TS is also extremely neat and hasn’t lost any of its streetcar appearance in the modifying process. He’s remained quick without resorting to the usual car abuse.
Car: Opel Kadett TS
Motor: 2000cc 16V turbo
400m: 11.2 speed. 209km/h
Power: 340kW
Satish Harrichand
July 22, 2008 by amish · 3 Comments
Satish has been racing for a very long time and in 2004 he earned his spot in the SnS Drag Team. He has a ton of experience and knowledge and his dedication to the sport is never questioned. On the track he’s known as “The Hurricane,” but we also know him as “Mr Consistency.” He tends to treat the drag strip as an oval and on most days will cover more distance than anyone else. It’s his way of fine tuning and adapting the setup, something he does almost entirely on his own. Racers can improve their setups just by listening to this guy!
Car: Opel Kadett T Car
Motor: 2000cc 16V turbo
400m: 10.62 speed. 228km/h
Darryl Robinson
July 21, 2008 by amish · 2 Comments
If you know Darryl then you’ll understand that he doesn’t like to take it easy when he’s behind the wheel of his turbo MK2 Golf. It’s all or nothing, if Tanks used sideshafts Darryl could break them. Darryl also has a few years of experience, having previously piloted the black SnS UNO to a lot of well placed finishes. The Golf is very quick and has been built and tuned by some legendary names so its day of redemption is near.
Car: VW Golf MK2 Turbo
Motor: 2000cc 16V turbo
400m 12.5
Power: 298kW
Annie Silva
July 21, 2008 by amish · 4 Comments
This car strikes fear into everyone’s heart and has pulled off some real Schizo stuff in its lifetime, like the time when it did 270km/h (plus) over the one kilometre on an old motor setup. The VR6 motor has remained but with lots of development and with imported parts it’s now pushing 510HP. This transformation has taken it off the road and made it a pure drag car with some huge rubber under the front arches. It’s not for the faint-hearted and that’s why it’s perfect for the SnS Boss lady. She’s the only one willing to tame it and she loves beating the boys.
Car: Golf MK2
Motor: 2.8 V6 turbo
400m: 11.6 speed. 210km/h
Power: 392kW
Joel Silva
July 21, 2008 by amish · 3 Comments
The CRX has grooved out a solid place in the 10 second timesheet and it is becoming more consistent and less fragile with every run. He’s ditched the reputation he earned of missing gears and looks a lot more comfortable behind the wheel. His CRX is light, loud and has some kickass signage. There’s a lot of power under the hood and the calibre of components is world class and capable of producing a lot more. If it weren’t for his tuner’s advice the Bat would be pushing double the boost, he just loves chasing horsepower. With the new wheelie-bars the CRX should be even quicker.
Car: Honda CRX
Motor: 2000cc 16V turbo
400m: 10.44. speed 230km/h
Power: 382kW
Porsche’s new palace in Jozi will delight clients
July 17, 2008 by Franknstein · Leave a Comment
IT’S OFFICIAL. South Africa has the largest Porsche centre in the world and the country is among the world’s top 20 in terms of sales.
South Africa sells about 700 Porsches yearly compared to the world’s number one, Dubai, with 1 500 new customers a year. In the last six months, 46 736 Porsches have been sold worldwide.
This emerged last week during the official opening of the R110 million, 11 948 square metre facility in Paulshof, north of Joburb. The multipurpose Porsche Centre South Africa has several facilities, including a 2 000 square metre showroom, paint shop, workshop, service centre and pre-delivery centre.
To celebrate the occasion, Porsche Centre in Germany flew in its R12 million racing car, the RS Spyder. The speed machine will go back to Germany on Tuesday.
The Porsche RS Spyder wasn’t the only star of the show. There was also a metallic black R9 million left-hand-drive Carrera GT, one of three in South Africa.
Speaking at the opening, Toby Venter, LSM Distributors Group chief executive, said the new centre was not designed with the plan of being the largest in the world but to meet LSM Distributors’ operational needs.
“We see this flagship Porsche Centre as a destination. Built to the corporate identity, this facility will bring together all the benefits Porsche customers could possibly need under one roof. The magnificent showroom is complemented by a coffee shop where customers can relax and enjoy the surroundings,” said Venter.
The new building also hosts a training centre with hi-tech audiovisual and conference facilities with a 72-seater auditorium for training initiatives, car launches, press conferences and event functions.
South Africa has been an important market for Porsche since 1952, when the first arrived in the country. The brand has built up a loyal following with South African motoring enthusiasts and has grown constantly over the years.
Venter said June 8 would mark Porsche’s 60th anniversary and it was appropriate that on the eve of this milestone in Porsche’s history LSM Distributors celebrated the opening of the state-of-the-art Porsche Centre in Joburg.
“More importantly, the centre’s construction seeks to reinvest and demonstrate commitment to our customers and to the brand and is the first in a series of developments we are undertaking throughout the country.
“This is in line with Porsche’s clear strategy of ongoing growth and development.
“We have already broken ground in Umhlanga Ridge and Durban, and Porsche customers in Cape Town can look forward to modern facilities as construction commences at a new site in Century City in September,” Venter added.
Story by: Steve Dlamini-Kabini - Published: 31/05/2008
Issue 82
July 17, 2008 by amish · 7 Comments
Sportech Golf 5 GTi:
For generations the GTi name has been immortalized by petrol heads, but still the modifying world does not rest, targeting these cars and pushing their design to the limits. Fresh stuff is always on the go and the import scene supplies this part of the map with flashy mods and a whirlwind of new ideas. Nothing comes cheap for the GTI, mastering the original work takes a trained eye and a full wallet-more so if you want to go fully custom.
Issue 81
July 17, 2008 by amish · Leave a Comment
Monster Mob 350Z:
The sport of drifting is slowly but surely growing in good ol’ South Africa. Over the last three years it’s gone from strength to strength and it’s only going to get bigger. Even after the demise of Wesbank, there are guys out there that are dedicated to keeping the sport alive and thriving.
Otto Graven and his brother, Ronnie, can definitely be regarded as leaders in the automotive world of drifting.
