Teh Car Blogz

VW Enthusiasts, like any group of nerds, appreciate order in everything they do.  A Hierarchy, if you will.  This hierarchy is usually arranged by order of engines.  At the bottom you have your 1.8L 8v fours from the MKIII’s, the 2.0L 8v’s from the MKIII’s and MKIV’s, diesels, Audi 90° V6’s sans turbos, etc etc.  Then there are the 2.0L 16v’s, the Supercharged G60 mills, etc.  Then on up: the 1.8L 20v Turbo, the 2.0 16v DI Turbo, and the 12v VR6, the Audi 32v V8, and the 24v VR6.  At the top of the heap sits every VW lover’s dream, an engine that never came from a factory but performs like it did: a turbocharged VR6.  This is, to many A-platform fans, the Holy Grail of engines.  It’s compact - the 15° bank angle makes it small, the single head makes it light, it sounds amazing, and with some boost, it makes some serious power.

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As a VW owner and enthusiast, I am familiar with the concept of improving a car through aftermarket modifications. There is quite a large percentage of Volkswagens on the road with at least something done to them. It’s because VW’s (and of course, Audis) respond particularly well to small modifications. I’m sure this is largely due to the ubiquitous 1.8L 20-valve Turbo engine (commonly known as the One-Eight Tee. Natch.)

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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!

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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:

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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

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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.

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Saw these two behind where I work the other day. Almost drove past the Smart, then saw the second car and figured this warranted some pictures.

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Editor’s Note: This is the second part of an article I intended to finish a few weeks ago. I got distracted. It happens.

Moving along in the dream garage, we come to an absolutely crucial choice:

6) 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R Estate

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Nowadays, most people take the safety features of their cars for granted. There aren’t really a whole lot of cars on the market that actually get bad crash test ratings from any of the various agencies that rate them. Rafts of standard airbags, stability control, antilock brakes, brakeforce distribution, electronic brake assist, and built in anti-submarining and crumple zones mean that even a base-model economy car isn’t a bad bet in a wreck. It hasn’t always been like this. There are still a few cars around that I would recommend not driving for the practical reason that they might end your life.
1) 2001-2004 Chevy Blazer 2-Door 2WD

Why: High occurence of rollover-related deaths due to inadequate roof structural integrity

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Patrick:
Toyota Prius. I admit the BMW X6 is close second, however the Prius just sucks so badly its black hole encompasses the BMW. It is the epitome of lackluster design and soulless driving that I hate in cars. It is driven by the Hollywood set for appearances and to seem ecologically friendly. In reality they drive the worst car in recent memory. You can buy a Mini Cooper and get similar mileage or get a TDI Volkswagen and not even use any gasoline, both of which keep you from looking like a tool. The Prius is a posers car if every there was such a thing. Also problematic is the style, or more accurately lack of style. Toyota’s hybrid looks like a Corolla and a Pontiac Aztec mated. A swollen, disorganized conglomerate of styling cues. It looks as if Congress convened a panel to design and implement the thing. A bit of hatch here, gas engine there. A dash of technology in the display sytem and electric motors as a bit of an afterthought. The electric motor and gas motor even work like Congress. (It’s your turn to work some gas motor, not yet electric) Overall, the car is disgusting in its ecological arrogance and design. Just get a diesel or motorcycle for the sake of all things automotively decent.

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