After a flood of emails and unapproved comments, I felt the need to give ya’ll the lowdown on whats going on with Vdub Magazine.

Yes it still is coming out, its all completed and by the time you read this the boys & girls at Speed & Sound Magazine would have finished their proof reads and final checks. All ready to print. Delays were bound to happen, being the first issue they want everything to be just right.

I’v been told that we shall receive our copies middle to end of next week or the following week and will have about 100 or 200 copies for sale. As in the past, we grab the freshest copies off the printing press and I’ll be sure to send out an exclusive mailer to announce this.

In the meantime, check out designed and developed by Vito Fiorello, a die hard VW enthusiast. Many a late nite I have spent skype chatting about the technical bits of their website. In a nutshell you choose a Vw, and get an array of options to kit it out. Using authentic bits from Kamei, Oetinger, ATS, BBS and a whole lot more.

Above is a screenshot of my dream Mk1 Gti. Slammed to the ground with 15″ 8.5j BBS Alloys, Original Broad Front Spoiler, ultra scarce plastic wheel arches and original Gti Red grille trimmings.

Yes, I’m just as anxious to sink into this magazine as any other VW nutter in South Africa!

BRABUS has taken the wraps off of a special M-Class that goes one step beyond the comparatively staid models offered by Mercedes-Benz. Though based on the range-topping ML63, all that you see on what BRABUS calls the Widestar Concept is available for any model in the range. The transformation begins with new body kit pieces that add a healthy does of aggression to the M-Class, but don’t go overboard with cartoonish proportions. The design is highlighted by the extra wide fender flares that give the Widestar its name and also make room for large 23-inch BRABUS Monoblock E wheels. The German tuner also provides new front and rear fascias that look different but equally as good as the stock fascias. We especially like how the body kit is colored in a matte grey finish that contrasts with the glossy black finish of the vehicle underneath.

Of course, all of that eye candy only serves to back up what BRABUS does best, which is tune Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The Widestar is fitted with the company’s B63 S performance kit that adds freer flowing air filters, new engine management software and other detail-oriented performance upgrades to boost power from 510 hp to 550 hp. Likewise, BRABUS upgraded the brakes to scrub off all that extra speed. Up front the stock brake system is replaced with mighty 12-piston calipers, while the rears make do with six pots, all clamping down on larger discs.