Finally, the Fahrvergnugen website is up and running, so check it out at:
Fahrvergnugen
Register on the site and let us know what you think...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Johannesburg Blackout - Hooters Edition
January, the longest month of the year by far, financially anyway is over and that means it is time for the Johannesburg Blackout :D So join us at Hooters in Fourways this Thursday from 20:00 for a few drinks, some food and of course some good old laughs and catch-up...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wrenching - Why we love it...
Work On Your Own Car: You'll Love It More - Jay Leno
My McLaren F1 went back to the McLaren service centre near LA recently. I find it depressing that I can’t do the service in my own shop, in my own garage. I love my McLaren F1, it’s a wonderful car to drive. But when I want to learn more about it, I can’t because there’s no workshop manual. It just goes off to the McLaren centre anytime anything needs doing. They do an excellent job but I just don’t feel that I’m involved with the car as much as I should be. It hasn’t tarnished my passion for the McLaren but it hasn’t caused it to grow any more.
I find myself saying ‘Why do I enjoy taking an older car, like a Lotus Elan or my XK120, more than I enjoy driving some of the modern exotics that I have?’ It’s because I’ve actually been involved with their inner workings. It’s like making love with your clothes on:everything gets done the same way, but you just seem to be missing out on a piece of the action. Right now I’m building a Lotus Elan. It’s a 26R replica. We had an aluminium block made and instead of 1600cc it’s a 2.0-litre, puts out about 225 horsepower. Even though this car is a fraction of the cost of some exotics, I find it much more exciting because I’m so intimately involved with it.
I have a Porsche Carrera GT and, for whatever reason, the battery went dead and I literally had to take the fender off to get to the battery. I’m one of those people that, once a car leaves the dealership it never goes back there. It took all day to pull the fender off and put the new battery in, then reassemble the whole thing, and I drove the hell out of the car after that. I drove for two or three days straight because I felt really involved. It made me want to use the car more.
I wonder if today’s enthusiasts will be able to bond with automobiles the way people of my generation could. People who work on cars, and understand how they work, probably have fewer accidents than people who don’t. They get to really understand how the car drives and how it feels and how everything works.
There’s a website called Wrecked Exotics. It’s about people who have crashed exotic cars, most within a few weeks of owning them. It’s always a brand new GTR, a brand new Corvette, lots of Lamborghinis, lots of Porsches. It’s rarely a classic that someone has waxed, polished, changed the oil and filters. They’re vehicles that people have bought for every reason other than driving.
I’m always amazed at people who want to own exotic cars and couldn’t care less what’s under the hood. I just don’t understand what their passion is, what their reason is for wanting them. I spoke to someone I know in showbusiness, who had wrecked a brand new Porsche and they were going to get another one. I know that’s what people normally do, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of remorse. To me, wrecking a car is like breaking up with a girlfriend – I put a lot of work into trying to make a car work properly, as opposed to buying one, wrecking it and buying another one. I just wonder if this next generation of enthusiasts feels that way… or if they feel that cars are throwaway.
One reason I don’t have a Ferrari is that no private person can work on one themself. Just the Ferrari tools and the diagnostics that plug in, I was told, cost something like US$ 22,000. Ferrari doesn’t want people fooling with its cars, and I suppose for good reason, but that just puts me off. I want to be involved and I want to know how they work.
There’s a famous case here in America involving a Ferrari. A guy had an Enzo with something like 960 miles on it and took it to a reputable Ferrari showroom to have the service done. As part of the service, the guy did a 50-mile road test. By that I mean a real road test, not the lot boy taking it out for a spin. So he returned it to the guy with over 1000 miles on it. The guy is now suing the dealer because its value has gone down as it now has more than 1000 miles on it. It’s the most ridiculous lawsuit I’ve ever heard of.
I have the McLaren because I love it, even if McLaren insists on servicing it. I certainly see McLaren’s point of view as to why. You have a vehicle that’s capable of nearly 250mph and should be maintained to a certain standard and it should also use McLaren parts. I understand that. I’m just the type of person that loves to work on a car for two hours, then drive it for ten minutes to see if it’s OK.
Taken from Octane Magazine...
My McLaren F1 went back to the McLaren service centre near LA recently. I find it depressing that I can’t do the service in my own shop, in my own garage. I love my McLaren F1, it’s a wonderful car to drive. But when I want to learn more about it, I can’t because there’s no workshop manual. It just goes off to the McLaren centre anytime anything needs doing. They do an excellent job but I just don’t feel that I’m involved with the car as much as I should be. It hasn’t tarnished my passion for the McLaren but it hasn’t caused it to grow any more.
I find myself saying ‘Why do I enjoy taking an older car, like a Lotus Elan or my XK120, more than I enjoy driving some of the modern exotics that I have?’ It’s because I’ve actually been involved with their inner workings. It’s like making love with your clothes on:everything gets done the same way, but you just seem to be missing out on a piece of the action. Right now I’m building a Lotus Elan. It’s a 26R replica. We had an aluminium block made and instead of 1600cc it’s a 2.0-litre, puts out about 225 horsepower. Even though this car is a fraction of the cost of some exotics, I find it much more exciting because I’m so intimately involved with it.
I have a Porsche Carrera GT and, for whatever reason, the battery went dead and I literally had to take the fender off to get to the battery. I’m one of those people that, once a car leaves the dealership it never goes back there. It took all day to pull the fender off and put the new battery in, then reassemble the whole thing, and I drove the hell out of the car after that. I drove for two or three days straight because I felt really involved. It made me want to use the car more.
I wonder if today’s enthusiasts will be able to bond with automobiles the way people of my generation could. People who work on cars, and understand how they work, probably have fewer accidents than people who don’t. They get to really understand how the car drives and how it feels and how everything works.
There’s a website called Wrecked Exotics. It’s about people who have crashed exotic cars, most within a few weeks of owning them. It’s always a brand new GTR, a brand new Corvette, lots of Lamborghinis, lots of Porsches. It’s rarely a classic that someone has waxed, polished, changed the oil and filters. They’re vehicles that people have bought for every reason other than driving.
I’m always amazed at people who want to own exotic cars and couldn’t care less what’s under the hood. I just don’t understand what their passion is, what their reason is for wanting them. I spoke to someone I know in showbusiness, who had wrecked a brand new Porsche and they were going to get another one. I know that’s what people normally do, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of remorse. To me, wrecking a car is like breaking up with a girlfriend – I put a lot of work into trying to make a car work properly, as opposed to buying one, wrecking it and buying another one. I just wonder if this next generation of enthusiasts feels that way… or if they feel that cars are throwaway.
One reason I don’t have a Ferrari is that no private person can work on one themself. Just the Ferrari tools and the diagnostics that plug in, I was told, cost something like US$ 22,000. Ferrari doesn’t want people fooling with its cars, and I suppose for good reason, but that just puts me off. I want to be involved and I want to know how they work.
There’s a famous case here in America involving a Ferrari. A guy had an Enzo with something like 960 miles on it and took it to a reputable Ferrari showroom to have the service done. As part of the service, the guy did a 50-mile road test. By that I mean a real road test, not the lot boy taking it out for a spin. So he returned it to the guy with over 1000 miles on it. The guy is now suing the dealer because its value has gone down as it now has more than 1000 miles on it. It’s the most ridiculous lawsuit I’ve ever heard of.
I have the McLaren because I love it, even if McLaren insists on servicing it. I certainly see McLaren’s point of view as to why. You have a vehicle that’s capable of nearly 250mph and should be maintained to a certain standard and it should also use McLaren parts. I understand that. I’m just the type of person that loves to work on a car for two hours, then drive it for ten minutes to see if it’s OK.
Taken from Octane Magazine...
Monday, January 24, 2011
Fahrvergnugen Sticker Philosophy
We see it all too often these days, pirated DVD's, ripped off software, copied car styling and fake clothes being sold at just about every street corner across South Africa and much of this has to do with re-producing originals at a far, far lower price although generally with lower quality as well. And now we are even seeing it happening with something as cheap as stickers, which don't take much money to make to be honest, but someone has put the time and effort in to do the design and work to get them out there...
And Fahrvergnugen supports these type of people, who are putting in the effort to make the VW scene a more fun place to be. As such all the overseas brands that we bring in, are 100% original and from the original supplier, be it Wheel Whores or DubKorps or Stance Nation. And we will continue to do this, despite the extra cost, because we believe in supporting those that push the envelope, do that little bit extra and make the whole VW scene more fun and a better place to be...
So check back here for updates on what we are up to and bringing in next...
And Fahrvergnugen supports these type of people, who are putting in the effort to make the VW scene a more fun place to be. As such all the overseas brands that we bring in, are 100% original and from the original supplier, be it Wheel Whores or DubKorps or Stance Nation. And we will continue to do this, despite the extra cost, because we believe in supporting those that push the envelope, do that little bit extra and make the whole VW scene more fun and a better place to be...
So check back here for updates on what we are up to and bringing in next...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
BlackOut Centurion
BlackOut Centurion is happening tonight at Primi Piatti in the Irene Mall from 20:00! So join us for some great food, a few drinks, a break from work and a chat about all things Volkswagen and motoring related...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Compliments of the Season
Compliments of the Season
We hope that everyone had a fantastic festive season, spent relaxing and unwinding with friends, family and loved ones, and are refreshed and energised for a cracker 2011, which promises to be a cracker...
Stu & Nic
The Fahrvergnugen Team
We hope that everyone had a fantastic festive season, spent relaxing and unwinding with friends, family and loved ones, and are refreshed and energised for a cracker 2011, which promises to be a cracker...
Stu & Nic
The Fahrvergnugen Team
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