The (extensive) staff here at TCB recently attended a meet from the budding Gruppe Titan euro tuner club, in Durham NC. It was a combination meet/cruise/photoshoot, and there were some rather impressive cars that turned out! This group looks like it’s going to have a nice variety of Euro rides, so if you’re in the Eastern NC Area, it might be worth checking out. Here are some of the cars that showed up!
When a manufacturer releases their latest and greatest innovation on society, they usually pump it up with great fanfare, a huge advertising budget, and all the hoopala they can possibly drum up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s completely unnecessary (VW sold out the entire US allotment of 5,000 first-generation R32’s without spending a dime on advertising), and sometimes it just doesn’t make a difference to the fact that the car they’re selling is complete, unmitigated crap. Hey, it happens. Just ask Ford:
Here are a few more photos from Worthersee that didn’t really fit in the main post. There were some really neat cars there, to be sure
Since it’s introduction in 1996, the Audi A4 has been a key player in the entry-level luxury car market. For a while, Audi was merely happy playing second-fiddle to BMW’s sublime 3-series. That’s not a bad market position to be in, when you’re just coming off of a massive PR scare involving 5000’s that like to run people over of their own accord. Well, actually, mainly due to driver error. But that’s another story for another day.
But with the introduction of the updated (B6 chassis) A4 in 2002, Audi went after the big dog full-force. The new A4 was larger, more refined, more luxurious, and faster - including the 4.2L V8-powered S4.
Saturday, the car show was held at the Helendorf Inn at the heart of Helen. Despite using three separate lots, the show soon overflowed and cars were double and triple parked, with the main lot four cars deep. There was a wide variety of cars on display, from vintage slammed aircooled rides to the latest and greatest MKV GTI’s and R32’s. Old school, new school, or no school at all, it was present and accounted for. Here are a few of the highlights.
Worthersee is the world’s longest-running Volkswagen and Audi enthusiast show. Started in the early 1980’s, VW and Audi enthusiasts from all over Europe congregate every year around the lake in Corinithia, Austria. The best, brightest, and newest trends of water-cooled tuning usually show up first at the Worthersee show. In fact, Volkswagen introduced their ground-break Golf W12 650 concept at the Worthersee show last year (a mid-engined Golf hatchback flared out to accomodate a biturbo 6.0L twelve-cylinder engine with 650 horsepower.) The idyllic scenery and beautiful roads make for a peaceful, charming show that grows every year.
Finally, America is getting a taste of this show. H20i tuning, a Volkswagen club from Alabama, hosted the sophomore year of Southern Worthersee this year. Held in Helen, Georgia, a mock German village in the mountains of North Georgia, Southern Worthersee is quickly becoming one of the important VW and Audi shows in the Southeastern United States. We took the trip down to Georgia to see what Worthersee had to offer, and enjoyed the experience immensely. Keep an eye out in the next few days for coverage.
Many people consider Raleigh to be somewhat of a dead town when it comes to exciting or interesting cars. But if you keep a sharp eye out, you occasionally find some gems in amoung the thousands of Camrys and Explorers. For instance:
While I would love to write a very Jeremy Clarkson-esque piece on power and why old cars are boring, I won’t. Not because I disagree, but simply because I realize power is meaningless when stuck sitting in a soul sapping surround of gridlocked traffic. In this light, my dream car garage tries to balance street-ability, fun, and hoonage. I admit it is difficult, but I’ll give it a whirl. While we would all love smoke whirling and billowing from the rear tires of our very own dream car it is not practical, so here is my mix of brilliant engineering and old school muscle.
1.) B5 S4 Avant
2.7T Dolphin grey 6 speed with black leather interior. Engine modified with K04/20’s, 650cc injectors, water injection, OFE Southbend clutch, new boost tubing, radiator, and stealthy exhaust. Tinted tails and RS-4 front bumper riding on BBS gunmetal RC wheels and F&K suspension with Porsche 4 piston calipers front and rear. Equipped with front mount intercooler the car will boost 25psi and make 450 horsepower. Perfect for hauling some ass through the twisties, cruising on the highway, or hauling some lumber this car is good looking and quick to boot…
Spend some time on any automotive web forum and you’re bound to run across the ultimate hypothetical question: “what is your ultimate dream garage?” Sometimes 5 car, sometimes 10, sometimes more. Many people like to fill their fantasy garage up with dream exotica, many people like classics. If you’ve been reading my site, by now you know my choices are somewhat odd. So here, friends, is my 15-car dream garage.
1) 2001 Audi (B5) S4
Nogaro Blue, six-speed manual, converted to RS4 engine spec (forged internals, lower compression, K04/20 turbochargers, etc etc.) 450-500whp would be sufficient for a daily driver. I’ve always admired the B5 S4 for a lot of reasons. Primarily, it’s a spectacular mechanical package: 2.7L 30 valve V6 with twin turbochargers, a six-speed manual and Torsen AWD make for an extremely rapidly accelerating automobile…
The world is filled with fast cars. Fast, of course, is relative. If you’re driving a 4-cylinder Camry, then a Mini Cooper S will feel like a rocket ship. If you’re driving a Corvette, it’s going to take more to put some fire up your ass.
A lot of car guys tend to get caught up in the numbers, in the on-paper promise. It is alluring: which car is better, the one with 3.0L and 12 valves and 200bhp, or the 2.0L with 20 valves? 6-speed manual, or 7-speed SMG? 100bhp/l or 75 bhp/l? Direct injection or port? High power peak or strong low-end torque?
