The great thing about Waterfest is that the weekend isn't just about show queens and tuner booths. There's the element of speed involved that many other car shows neglect.

To mark its anniversary, myMBonline.com closed down Tia Juana's Long Bar and Grill in Irvine, CA to host a charity Mercedes show and support the Make-A-Wish foundation. For those not familiar, the foundation is a non-profit organization that helps sick children fulfill their wishes.

If you don't own an R32, here's what you're missing: VW's only 4Motion all-wheel drive Golf sold in the US. Made available in the Mk4 chassis in '04 and Mk5 in '08, the hatchback features a 3.2 liter VR6 24v engine, big brakes, 18" wheels and sportier suspension. The Mk4 is slightly more attractive with its six-speed manual compared to the Mk5's DSG. Power is comparable, with the Mk4 enjoying 240hp while the Mk5 is tuned to 250hp. Both unquestionably exceed the standard GTI's performance and the limited production means it's a rare piece of VW history!

If you don't own an R32, here's what you're missing: VW's only 4Motion all-wheel drive Golf sold in the US. Made available in the Mk4 chassis in '04 and Mk5 in '08, the hatchback features a 3.2 liter VR6 24v engine, big brakes, 18" wheels and sportier suspension. The Mk4 is slightly more attractive with its six-speed manual compared to the Mk5's DSG. Power is comparable, with the Mk4 enjoying 240hp while the Mk5 is tuned to 250hp. Both unquestionably exceed the standard GTI's performance and the limited production means it's a rare piece of VW history!

Start planning your trip for '09 because you won't want to miss next year's Wstefest! In only its second year, the event, organized by Pure Euro and Abbott Automotive, put itself on the Euro map by drawing more than 300 cars from CA, NV, OR, WA, UT, AZ, NM and even Canada.

Start planning your trip for '09 because you won't want to miss next year's Wstefest! In only its second year, the event, organized by Pure Euro and Abbott Automotive, put itself on the Euro map by drawing more than 300 cars from CA, NV, OR, WA, UT, AZ, NM and even Canada.

The VW scene in the UK is like a soccer season: most of autumn and winter is spent buying, building and repairing your pride 'n joy. And as soon as the first shows of spring roll around, it's time for the final preparations; resolving those niggling problems before the summer show frenzy arrives. Use this time right, and you'll be the star of the show season. Use it wrongly and you'll be under your VW trying to fix it while everybody else is enjoying the party.

Like baseball athletes descending upon Florida for spring training after a long winter break, Volkswagen and Audi enthusiasts from across the eastern seaboard converged on Englishtown, NJ for the northeast show season opener in April. The Spring Classic VW & Audi Show & Go, organized by German Squad car club, was the first chance for people to scrape the winter grime off their cars and get the 2008 season started with a bang.

Sunday 10 August saw the return of the popular Socal Euro event to San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. The turn was huge and the vent attracted its usual mixture of European cars, from the mainstream VW, Audi and BMW to large groups of Mercedes, Volvo and Mini owners.

There are a handful of shows we look forward to every year, and the Fests always top our list of "must see" events - that's Waterfest and Bimmerfest for the VW and BMW crowd, respectively.

Lower emissions, better gas mileage, less noise, environmentally friendly; you wouldn't expect all these claims to be made about a diesel motor, not to mention a race car! But Volkswagen has done just that with its '09 Jetta TDI that's set to hit dealers this summer.

Kreuzerfest

Exclusive Euro coverage from the second annual SpoCom show. On June 22, tuners and vendors united at the Long Beach Convention Center. Presented by Nitto Tire, the show displayed over 200 show cars from from Euro to Japanese import.

Here is exclusive coverage from this year's record-breaking Leavenworth Drive. Over 640 Euros from the Pacific Northwest gathered in the Cascade Mountains to raise money for charity. Look out in a future issue of eurotuner for the full report.

For the fourth year running, the Port Townsend Cruise seems to have become the "jump-start" event for the Pacific Northwest European car scene. What started as a small cruise for a handful of Seattle-area Dubbers has quickly grown into a sizeable gathering for VW, Audi, BMW and Porsche enthusiasts from as far north as Canada and as far south as Oregon.

Pulling off the I-15 at the Lenwood exit in Barstow, CA, more than 120 of Bavaria's best swarmed around the local Starbucks, eagerly waiting to paint Las Vegas red. The MFest has commenced.

Flying all the way to Japan to sample performance tires may seem excessive, but many products feel better in the environment they were intended for. Small European hatchbacks, for example, feel better on twisting Alpine roads than on eight-lane freeways. And fish 'n chips can only be fully appreciated eaten out of newspaper in the rain.

When faced by a large enemy force, it's best to have reliable intelligence about the size and strength of the opposition. This is the attitude we adopt when dealing with the deadly hordes of import fanatics who populate our streets, the show scene and even the offices in which we work.

In addition to great wines, champagne and fine dining, the French have bestowed upon the world one of the greatest motorsport events ever devised; ice racing.

Volkswagen and SCCA inaugurate a new racing series this year, featuring 30 of the newest VW Jetta TDIs driven by 30 of the youngest upcoming drivers in North America from 16-26 years of age. The cars have been lightly-prepped by VW, making modifications to the suspension, brakes and transmission.

As defending champions of Super Lap Battle '06, we had nothing but high hopes for the Euro squad in '07. But with only five competitors defending our honor at Buttonwillow Raceway, and faced with a sea of 50 imports, our chances of victory were slight.

Unlike the SEMA show in Vegas (et 1/07), the Essen Motor Show is open to the public and runs for nine days. It really is the must-see event if you're a true European automobile enthusiast!

VAG Fair. What the hell is a VAG Fair? This question crossed the minds of East Coast enthusiasts as the buzz began to build for this show's maiden voyage. So what's the answer?