Arctic Air

Let me just clear the air (no pun intended) by saying I'm a sucker for white cars, especially big bodied white cars. I'm an even bigger sucker when they carry a VAG badge, as a matter of fact, any big bodied white car does it for me, albeit BMW, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes Benz, Lexus etc., whether its estates, hatches or sedans, I lust after it. It's like a weakness, my automotive Kryptonite. It will stop me dead in my tracks, take me on a quick automotive fantasy of what I'll do to it then leave me with this lingering gleam in the back of my mind with a little side note; ''One Day''.

When pictures of Mahesh Hooka's bagged Audi S3 started doing the rounds on social media it just further confirmed my love for white cars and we all agreed that it needed to get in front of our lenses, so we got in touch and a date was set.

When we arrived at the shop they were busy closing for the day and as we waited admiring all the pretty wheelware that was on display in the shop window, the man himself came up and introduced himself...oh before I forget; for the out-of-towners, he's the owner of an accessory shop that goes by the name of Autostyling down in P.E, or as we’ve dubbed it: ''SLAM CITY''.

Pleasantries were shared after which we were guided down a flight of stairs to the shop's workshop. While chit-chatting with some of the employees one thing was amiss, ''where was the car?''. Unbeknown to us, the workshop had a cordoned off section separated by a roller gate and as we hung outside talking smack the unmistakable sound of pressurized air muted our conversation. A few seconds later the same sound swept through the workshop. That sneaky gate started to open up to reveal what we came for.

I was in an automotive trance for a good few minutes. If I stood there any longer I would've melted. The florescent lights had the most amazing cooling effect on the car as it stood there all aired out. This car just oozed appeal when staring it head on. I circled the car few times and all my little side notes I made of owning a white big bodied car went out the window. All I kept telling myself is ''you really don’t need much, just a good wheel with a nice tyre combo and bags". Sure Mahesh could've gone to town on it, but he didn’t, maybe he's still planning on it, but damn, I for one would just leave it as, I mean; it's just so beautiful.

We proceeded fitting the shop's number plates and smacked on the decal for the finishing touch and off we went. Seeing this car in motion on Fifteen52 Tarmacs was pure bliss, the white on white looked oh so heavenly coupled with a dark tint which made the white pop even more. Spending 3 to 4 hours photographing a car really allows you to appreciate all the small details that manufacturers add to their range topping models to make them feel more special and it’s no secret that Audi is one of the best at doing so. 

The interior of an A3 is class leading to begin with but the S3’s interior even more so, with solid plastics, brushed aluminum, and chunky sport seats that radiate premium quality and class. Subtle S3 and Quattro badges in and around the car as well as front and rear diffusers serve as further reminders that the car was made to get you from point A to B quickly, and incase the badges aren’t convincing enough the stage 1 software and downpipe Mahesh added will cast all doubt from your mind that this S3 can still do what it was made to do.

After we had our way with it in front of the camera's, and it rolled off into the distance, I could feel my weakness disappear, my Kryptonite has been removed, I started to function properly...yet it left me again with that faint lingering gleam. Will my love for white cars continue to linger? Was this the epitome of my white addiction or will another piece of white Kryptonite stop me in tracks? I'm yet to find out...