Officially, the Worthersee tour begins next week. This enthusiast exposition in Austria is the largest of its kind and that’s when you’ll see a huge mass of attendees and an official presence by Audi and some of its Volkswagen Group brandmates. The week before… it’s more laid back and a time for the serious connoisseurs to roll into town without all of the burnouts and craziness that make up the actual show week. While we’ll have feet on the ground next week, we’ve enlisted a few of our friends who are veterans of the event to help tell the story of this pre-week.
Today’s photographic source is Si Gray. Si is a renowned UK photographer in the European enthusiast scene. He’s got a distinct photographic style that has landed his work in several European enthusiast magazines like PVW and more. Looking over his photography, he’s also got a serious affliction for rare and exotic wheels.
Wheels have always been important in the tuning scene but after seeing photos from this pre-week of Worthersee, it’s obvious they’ve moved on to the next level. Accessibility of CAD design and production via wheel blanks has combined to a booming wheel business with designs once thought impractical. Combine that with an ever-growing market for pristinely restored or radically modified rare and vintage wheels, walking through rows of cars at Worthersee offers a rich selection of aesthetic.
Another trend that’s been in the makings for some time but nearly ubiquitous this week at Worthersee is that of air suspension. When bagged cars began popping up in California a few years ago, some likely wrote it off as a flash-in-the-pan trend. The sheer overwhelming number such cars on the tarmac, sidewalks and grass around this little Austrian town certainly prove otherwise.
Especially amongst Audis in Worthersee, the OE+ look is also alive and well. Factory or factory-inspired bodywork seems to be the most likely scenario on any Ingolstadt alloy. This trend also applies to wheels, with many sporting some sort of factory rims sometimes featuring custom finish.
Matte and brushed finish is also on the rise. In most cases this is achieved through vinyl wrap, and many cars in Worthersee showed off new colors and new textures from vinyl providers.
Click through to our photo gallery linked in the usual spots below and to the right and you’ll find our master Worthersee 2013 collection. For now these include PR shots of the TT ultra quattro Concept and Si Gray’s work spread out over multiple forums. Since we’ll be adding to this mix through next week, we’ve broken the groupings down by photographer and by Audi model. You’ll find all of today’s photos in the folder devoted to Si Gray’s work. You can also find more information about Si on his website www.SiGray.co.uk.
Enjoy.
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