On Tuesday evening, April 27, 2010, somebody out there in the greater Gauteng district will be burbling home from the Coca Cola Dome with a can of motor oil in the boot of THIS car!

Unbelievable as it seems, anybody who buys a five-litre can of Castrol Edge oil at the Castrol Extreme Auto Show, held over the long weekend at the end of April,  stands a chance to win this super-trick Renault Megane Sport R26 F1.

The Castrol stand at the show, held on April 24 to 27 at the Coca Cola Dome in Northriding,  will have special entry forms to win this car, available to anyone who purchases a five-litre container of the premium-level Castrol Edge motor oil at the show.

“The beauty of this competition is that even if you don’t win the car, you are buying a product that will be put to excellent use in your motoring life,” says show organiser Graeme Ayerst.

“The car was conceived for last year’s event and has done the rounds of static promotions over the past 12 months. But it remains a new car!” explains Ayerst.
“The prize is a joint sponsorship between Castrol and Renault, but of course there are tens of thousands  of rands worth of up-grades on the car, carried out and sponsored by the expert enthusiasts in the field of car-craft, who have supported our show for many years.

“We have conceived the modifications on this car with the utmost care. So, not only is it a show-stopper of the highest order, but it is significantly quicker than a stock machine. Perhaps most importantly of all, it remains an extremely drivable car, eminently suitable for the daily commute, or a blast around the track at the weekend.”
The mods to the Renault Megane R26 F1 are comprehensive and address nearly every area of petrol-hedonism:
The turbocharged engine has been given a relatively simple, yet  significant upgrade by RS Tuning of Rosettenville, Johannesburg. This consists of a larger intercooler manufactured by Universal Coolers of Pretoria, which is all-aluminium and features a thicker core.

“This bigger intercooler stabilises the intake charge temperatures, which means power output remains constant even in continuous hard-driving,” explains RS Tuning’s South African agent Paul Bettencourt.

“We run a special RS Tuning piggy-back re-mapping system, supplied in the UK but developed right here in South Africa. The bigger intercooler, the engine re-mapping, the free-flow induction system and the TNT exhaust system comprises what we call a Stage One-and-a-Half kit. The TNT exhaust uses  fairly modest 63 mm tubing, because Renault Turbo motors like a bit of back pressure.”

This modest up-grade raises the stock power of 165 kW to 195 kW, and torque from 300 Nm to 360 NM. What’s more, as recent test drive by the writer proved, there is more torque from lower down in the power band, and the engine note is absolutely unique – a classy, gruff sound that makes the Megane R26 sound like no other four-cylinder out there!

The suspension has been given a comprehensive upgrade by Koni, the most famous name in suspension tuning, a Dutch company which has been involved in Formula One racing for over half a century. The spring and damper kit sees ride height lowered by a realistic 25 mm.

“Many people don’t realise how important the dampers are,, especially when fitting bigger wheels” says Koni South African representative Steve Hurley.
“The springs bear the weight of the car, but the dampers control the un-sprung weight – the wheel and brake assemblies. It’s vital to get the right mix between springs and dampers.”

The wheels are visually-stunning Racing Heart Concepts 19-inch carbon-look items, with eye-catching red accenting on the rim edging. Along with the Federal Super Steel 235/35 by 19 ultra low-profile tyres,  supplied  by SA Tyre Distributors. The new boots really fill out the wheel arches, provide plenty of extra grip, yet offer a surprising degree of ride comfort in conjunction with the suspension set-up.

Inside, people familiar with the F1 R26 will be interested to note the dashboard-mounted Garmin navigation system,  fitted by GPS Systems.
The in-car-entertainment system has naturally also been given a comprehensive makeover, expertly installed by Creative Rides of Florida Glen. This consists of a Grid Electronics Double-Din head unit, with touch screen operation for MP3, CD and DVD playback.

The hardware is by Infinity, and consists of a split system using six-and-a-half inch speakers in the front and rear, a 12-inch sub-woofer in the boot, and a four-channel amp and a monoblock driver located on either side of the load bay.

Creative Rides took pains to make the sound install very non-intrusive, given that the car could be won by somebody’s grand-mother, rather than a dead-head sound-off devotee.

Driving the R26 around the highways and by-ways proved a couple of things. It is extremely quick, but easily controllable, thanks to a limited slip and standard fit cross-drilled brakes. The power also comes in very progressively.

The amount of customising is just right, because these cars are so eye-catching in stock form anyway. This car receives as much attention as a supercar, because the overall look, detailed by a deft application of Maguires polish, incidentally, is just so professional.

And it is useable. Not once did a pot-hole or driveway ramp-angle spoil the fun. So, whoever wins this once the draw is made at The Dome  at 6 pm on Tuesday,  April 27, can sit back and relax on the way home, enjoying either the crystal clear sound system, or that strangely burbled exhaust note that is so sweet, yet so hard to define.

For more information, contact Jenelle Oosthuizen via e-mail at jenelle@chromecard.co.za or call on 011 021 3805

Last week we published details of the amazing modified Renault F1 R26 to be won for the price of a five-litre can of oil at this weekend’s Castrol Extreme Auto Show. The stop-press news just days before the show is that the Borgward Club is offering an awesome Isabella sedan to be won in a competition at the show. Ticket prices are R100, obtainable at the Borgward Club’s stand which will include an impressive display depicting the entire South African model history of this famous marque. What is a Borgward, some of you might ask? Well, in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, the Borgward was one of the cars of choice for enthusiasts – enjoying fantastic performance and reliability. It could run to a genuine 135 km/h – and more in TS form – and what’s more you could cruise all day at top speed. If anyone doubted this fact, that was laid to rest in the late 1950s in a remarkable publicity stunt organised with official time-keeping. A Borgward Isabella sedan set off from the Cape Town Post Office one evening, clocked in at the Jeppe Street Post Office in Jo’burg, turned around and headed straight back for the Cape Town post office. The time taken for this gruelling trip of just under 3 000 km? A remarkable 23 hours, 45 minutes! Even today, travelling from Cape Town to Jo’burg in under 12 hours takes some hard driving. Imagine what it was like then on single-lane bumpy roads, driving a car at top speed for hour after hour after hour. Borgwards went out of production in 1961 but the South African club is so strong that it has members in all the major regions and spare parts are still available to members. What’s more, half a century on, Borgwards remain so reliable that they never need much more than a change of oil! Apart from the Borgward Club, there will be major stands organised by the DKW and Micro Car clubs, and cars in total on display at the Coca Cola Dome this weekend will include countless street rods, muscle cars, and modified street machines like grosso-turbo Golfs, Subarus and the like.

What’s more, there’s plenty to be won.

The following prizes will be up for grabs when the 2010 Castrol Extreme Auto Show opens its doors at the Coca Cola Dome on Saturday April 24, running through to Tuesday, April 27.
• A very trick Renault R26 F1 street machine, to be won by the purchaser of a five-litre can of Castrol Edge motor oil at the show
• A R20 000 car audio install supplied and fitted by Car Service City. Alternatively the winner can choose a car-security up-grade to the same value.
• A car makeover worth a whopping R150 000, courtesy of DNA Modified Paints/Quintus Engineering
• An Earthquake sound system from Audio Tell

For more information contact Jenelle Oosthuizen on 074 4201705
 
 

The Castrol Extreme Auto Show opens its doors at the Coca Cola Dome in Northriding at 8 am on Saturday, to show-case the biggest display of  car-culture in South Africa.
 

The 2010 event is the seventh Castrol Extreme event and this year’s extravaganza is the most diverse yet, with massive displays of street rods, muscle cars, modified street machines and classic cars.

There will be an auction of 50 classic cars on the final day of the show, Tuesday April 27, which is a public holiday. Also on Tuesday, one lucky show-goer will drive away in a brand new modified Renault Megane R26 F1. All that is needed to stand a chance of winning the trick

Renault is to buy a five-litre can of Castrol Edge motor oil on any day at the show from the Castrol stand! Classic car buffs too can stand a chance of winning a dream machine from the 1950s. The Borgward Club has a Borwgard Isabella sedan up for grabs for the price of a R100 ticket with an easy question to answer. And DNA Modified Paints/Quintus Engineering is offering a prize of a complete vehicle  makeover to Castrol Extreme visitors worth R150 000!

An Earth Quake sound system is another prize up for grabs from Audio Tell, while Car Service City will be giving away a R20 000 car audio install.
Other highlights of the show will take place outside the hall in the parking lots outside the dome. These  include drifting, the Suzuki Accelerator  which is a gymkhana competition using Suzuki Altos,  and tuition from the VW Driving Academy in Association with Wiel Magazine.

The show times are from 9 am to 6 pm each day, admission prices ar R80 for adults and R40 for children under 12 and pensioners, and prices include discount booklet items to purchase various car-care-related products.
For more information mail Jenelle Ooosthuizen at jenelle@aecexpo.co.za or call her on 074 4201705.
 

The 2010 Castrol Extreme Auto Show is being held two months earlier than usual this year, with South Africa’s biggest and most ambitious specialist car show opening its doors at the Coca Cola Dome in Northriding, Sandton, from April 24 to 27.

“Traditionally we’ve run the show towards the end of June, says show organiser Graeme Ayerst, “but this year we are taking advantage of the predicted late autumn, which will give the show an even more festive feel.”

Last year’s show attracted a record 40 000 visitors plus, over the four days and Ayerst predicts that this year’s event will see attendance figures “go through the dome-shaped roof “ of Gauteng’s most distinctive exhibition venue.

The 2010 Castrol Extreme Auto Show will stick to the tried-and-tested formula established over the past six years of mixing glittering show cars, bikes and motor show “babes” with dynamic outdoor events. But the big news is that there will be four  concours d’ elegance events running over the four days, with big prizes for the winners, and attracting intense interest from judges and show-goers alike.

“We’ll be running four different concours divisions, “explains Ayerst. “These will be for hot rods, muscle cars, street-modified customs, and classic cars.

The Castrol Extreme Auto Show has built an impressive momentum amongst car-culture people over the last six years that has seen a support-base built from diverse groups of car – and indeed motorcycle - groups.

The Hot Rod division, which is supported by builders of street rods, low riders and customs from all over the country, has been the biggest sub-group until now, but this is being challenged by the muscle car movement, which has been gaining adherents consistently over the past few years. These are represented by the Chevrolet Camaros, the Ford Mustangs, the Pontiac Firebirds, the Dodge Chargers and Challengers, and the Mercury Cougars, cars that combine sporty coupe bodies with raw American V8 growl-a-bunga!

The street rod sector has seen examples displayed by local builders that can match the best cars out of America, usually based on American sedans ranging from the 1920s to the 1940s. But this division also include the American cruisers from the 1950s, a time when the American post war boom saw stylists reach stratospheres of imagination that ignored the boundaries of sanity: hence the lashings of chrome, the fire-swept elegance of tailfins, and the installation of big-block burbling V8s with triple carburettors straight from the factory in that strangely innocent era.

As for the modified-custom adherents, these guys and girls concentrate on modern-day classics like Golf GTI’s, Opel OPC’s, Nissan Skylines, BMW M3 and the like, but all with an extra Edge!

The show is as much about the aftermarket industry as it is about the people who build and run wild street machines, and countless millions of rands worth of automotive goodies that will be on display, ranging from simple car cleaning kits to mega-buck car audio installations form the country’s top specialist installers.

In addition to the concours competitions, the highlight on the final day of the four-day Catsrol Extreme event will be the Las Vegas Style Auction organised by CONSOLIDATED AUCTIONEERS of Germiston, who will be auctioning of cars from all the various disciplines as well as motor accessories and products.

Chico da Silva of CONSOLIDATED AUCTIONEERS will host this prestigious & glamorous auction, which will be a first to take place at an event such as the CASTROL EXTREME AUTO SHOW. This auction is not to be missed as it will defiantly be the highlight of the 2010 CASTROL EXTREME AUTO SHOW.

The auction should see cars on offer ranging from vintage models pre-dating World War 1 right through to modern classics and exotics such as Porsche 911s and Ferrari 430s.

For the not so “Faint of Heart”, there will be dynamic driving demonstrations and “power rides” conducted by the VW Driving Academy and wild rides in the CHEV LUNINA drift cars for those visitors who need their adrenalin fix.

“We always provide a new dimension to the Castrol Extreme Auto Show and this year’s event will continue that tradition. But at the end of the day, it’s about the incredible car culture we have here in South Africa, and the automotive artists who are extreme exponents of their art, and their craft,” conclude’s Graeme Ayrst.

For more information, contact Graeme or Jenelle on 011 781n 5351/2, or mail to jenelle@chromecard.co.za, or Graeme@aecexpo.co.za

The Suzuki Acceleration Series is back. Following a successful debut at venues around the country during 2008, Suzuki Auto South Africa has decided to run a second, extended season of the Acceleration Series, with significant prizes at stake.

The Suzuki Acceleration Series features the complete Suzuki passenger car range, and offers members of the public an opportunity to participate in two challenging activities.

The first of these is a timed precision driving challenge in a Suzuki Swift and a Suzuki Alto around a predetermined gymkhana track, while the second consists of a loading task, during which participants have to fit as many blocks as possible into the cargo compartment of a Suzuki SX4.

The full range of Suzuki passenger cars will also be on hand for testing, allowing the public convenient one-stop access to Suzuki’s Alto, Swift and SX4 passenger car models.

As before, the Acceleration Series will be run in all major centres around the country, but this year will consist of a total of 20 events. Professional drivers are specifically excluded, as the event is aimed at normal motorists with no special driving or motorsport experience.

Scores for both tasks will be averaged to determine a winner at each of the 20 Acceleration Series events. These winners will participate in a final, to be held at the end of the year, with a new Suzuki Swift Sport up for grabs as the grand prize.

There will be no prizes for identifying the inspiration for the nose-job for the BP Ultimate VW Scirocco, a star competition car up for grabs at the 2010 Castrol Extreme Auto Show.

Yes, those distinctive fluted air-intakes have taken their cue from the Scirocco’s exalted German supercar cousin, the Audi R8. And no-one will deny that the Scirocco’s compact, tailored shape can carry off the purposeful full-frontal visage with the appropriate degree of “gravitas”.

“We decided on the Audi R8-look-alike front styling kit because it is just so dramatic, “says show organiser Graeme Ayerst, who co-ordinated the build of the customised VW Scirocco.

“The new front bumper segment is produced by Rieger of Germany, a company that has a top reputation for so-called optical tuning, with the quality of their mouldings being a primary concern.

“The big consideration with a competition car like the BP Ultimate Scirocco is that it could be won by anyone attending the show, from a grand-mother to the ultimate petrol head. For this reason we have opted for a fairly conservative makeover by some standards, but one that nevertheless will make this one of the most eye-catching Sciroccos in the country.”

The Rieger conversion will be expertly fitted by Big Boss Auto of Alberton, a company that has had well over a decade of experience in the preparation of custom and competition machinery.

The VW Scirocco is an eye-catcher in its own right as it comes off the VW production line. Its distinctive styling sees a clever blend of sheer class and a sense of purpose, thanks to a dramatic profile and steroidal rear wheel arch flares.

To compliment the Rieger nose job, The BP Ultimate Scirocco gets a set of SSW-supplied 19-inch alloy rims and the appropriate low-profile rubber courtesy of Falcon Tyres.

And in the cabin, the no-nonsense décor complimented by superb usage of high quality materials by the factory will be topped off by a high-end Kenwood audio install.

Creative Rides Sound of Florida North has been given the task of fitting the Kenwood gear, and this includes a powerful Kenwood amp, splits up front, Kenwood drivers,, two by 10” sub-woofers and a top-of-the-range Kenwood multimedia head unit.

Subtle BP Ultimate graphics on the car will denote that this is indeed no ordinary Scirocco.

“An aspect of the custom car industry that never ceases to amaze me is just how quickly the customising and tuning companies offer personalisation, in the optical, performance and audio categories for a new car,” says Ayerst.

“The VW Scirocco has to be the most talked-about newcomer right now in standard form, and the BP Ultimate version, and another car being built up at the show by Big Boss Auto, under the direction of London Chop Shop’s Bernie the Bolt, shows just how far ahead the customizers plan these days, and how in tune they are with world industry developments,” concluded Ayerst.

The Castrol Extreme Auto Show, in conjunction with BP Ultimate and Dunlop, will be held at the Coca Cola Dome in North Riding, Johannesburg, from Saturday June 13 to Tuesday June 16 –Youth Day. Admission is R80 for adults and R40 for children under 12 and pensioners.