Speed and Sound HQ – We like putting together different kinds of issues for you guys. Every now and then we add a theme of sorts to an issue and showcase various cars and tech features pertaining to that theme. If you actually read any of the text on the cover instead of simply drooling over the insane car, you’d know this is a dedicated four-wheel drive issue. I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t easy setting this up, we had loads of obstacles chucked our way… The main one being time. Out of all the monster cars we have on offer for you, there’s one missing. My mate Gert’s car just didn’t make the deadline for this issue, but on the plus side, it gives us another chance to put his 800hp Mitsubishi Lancer Evo on the cover is all it’s carbon fibred up glory. The four-wheel drive cars we do have are as equally impressive, like the R33 on the cover. We have the great Robert Mugabe to thank for that one.
Thanks to him turning Zim into a role model for the South African government, many residents moved into our borders. Some of them brought serious import cars along, and Nick Keown went one better and brought a tuner, Steve Clark along too. The No-Sweat tuned Skyline is the fastest four-wheel drive in SA at the moment, crossing the traps in the low 10-second bracket. And it’s fully street legal too, ask me, I know. I had a short stint in the passenger seat on the day of the shoot, and like I do with most people who ask how it was, I’ll give you a clue… If Horatio Cane pulled out some or other fancy CSI crime fighting tool, it would clearly show up fecal matter on the seat! Accompanying the R33 is another R33, but just a small piece on it, well more the driver really. We tracked down the man with the highest officially recorded speeding violation to get his thoughts on the matter. We have a bunch of info on the GT-R, Evo and Scooby histories; it’s great stuff that will make you the master of conversation at the next braai. To go with this we let you in on the quickest four-wheel drives, both internationally and locally.
On the international front, we interview an expat living in the USA and giving the local racers a seriously hard time with his super fast Talon. Yes, I know, we’re the best! A four wheel drive of a different kind came from the RGM stable, these guys added a huge supercharger to a Jeep SRT8 and the result is a four wheel drive SUV that can make even the most modded of Japanese imports look ridiculously slow. We’re also well aware of the fact that it’s not just the Japanese that make wicked four-wheel drives, which is why you’ll see a feature on a mint modified Lancia Integrale. We also have a German four-wheel drive too, but this one is in to head off a new monthly regular on Cult Cars. It’s pretty much the car that started the whole four-wheel drive phenomenon – the Audi Quattro. In between all this there’s the usual monthly fillers as well as more interesting stuff, like some comments from the staff about what they’d have as a four wheel drive car if money was no object.
There are some pretty interesting replies, except for Gerrie’s. I hope you like this issue, even if you don’t have a four-wheel drive car parked in your garage. It should give you something to aspire to, like me. When I’m big, I’ll have a matt black R33, but only because it’s easier to find get hold of than a Cossie!
