To find out more about Calibre wheels, and how to WIN A SET OF WHEELS from the 2011 range, visit the Facebook Page!

With a black gloss finish and stunning red trim to the spokes, you can see how well this sits on the new WRX motor.

For more pics, head over to our Facebook page at “Calibre (Alloy Wheels) UK” and “Dotz UK”

Plus, the big news: we have a new website coming soon! Watch this space!

Pippa’s USC Diary

Dotz Mods Live at USC!

By Pippa

When I knew that the team were all going to be working at USC – I was pretty excited. It’s always a great atmosphere, and after a hard day on the stand, there’s always plenty to do in the evenings with decent acts and DJs – and plenty of room to dance!

Thankfully, regular readers will be glad to learn that I turned up on time and with no wardrobe malfunctions this time. Which, to be fair, is more than could be said for our mechanical ace Paul Cooper, who had decided to take the (very) scenic route from Cornwall and managed to miss the entire first day of the build! Oops!

Joining me as my partner in crime for the entire three days was my good friend Abbey. We kind of figured, one blonde, one brunette. Something for everyone!

The first day was busy, with the lads setting up a superb VIP area, complete with DOTZ beanbags, and Cristal chilling in the fridge.. or it may have been Cava. We keep it real.. MD Kev was using the whole thing as one big excuse just to break out his decks and blow the dust off some very choice vinyl. I can think of worse ways to spend a working day! What with a few bubbles in the fridge, and even the occasional blast from the smoke machine – at least they assured us that’s what it was – the lads kept us all entertained us for hours, while we got on with the serious business of handing out the DOTZ mags and freebie bags. Somebody had to do some proper work – and you can’t leave it up to the fellas..

This point was well proven later in the weekend when Kev decided to demonstrate his ‘hands-on’ management style by joining in the product throw out into the crowd. A good idea you might think, with the T-shirts and hats going down an absolute storm. Unfortunately, Kev decided to throw a few DOTZ bottle openers out there too … and in a Ninja-esque moment actually managed to draw blood from some unlucky guest! Luckily he was an understanding sort and the doctors say it won’t scar…

As well as the usual DOTZ goodness on site, we also had the added attraction of our 3 day live Fiesta ST build which was keeping us all entertained. Not only did techy Paul put in an epic performance once he finally did grace us with his presence, but we also had to be on best behaviour all day, thanks to the semi-permanent residency of the Motors/Eurosport crew on hand at all times. If you haven’t seen the show already, watch out for it on both of those channels. Who knows?. you might even see me!

So after a long few days of talking wheels, rides and endless photos, it was good to kick back for a meal out with the team. After building a superb boot install in our build Fiesta, we thought it rude not to take the boys from Huets Car Audio out as well, so as you can imagine, many tall tales were told over a cold one or five.

We even managed to catch a bit of the USC nightlife in there somewhere! DJ Luck and MC Neat and Chart-toppers ‘Roll Deep’, no less. Providing a perfect soundtrack to round out a busy old weekend. If you came up to the stand, thanks for stopping by! I hope to catch you all at our next gig!

See you soon

Pippa x

USC? Unbelievably Sorted Car..

USC. Three little letters that spell out big things to any European petrolhead. As the acronym for Ultimate Street Car, USC has built itself something of an enviable reputation over the years – and rightly so. With almost 35,000 enthusiasts turning up to party, race, dance, pull, swap, buy, fettle and talk cods in equal measure.. it’s a very pleasant way to spend three days of your life.

This year’s event between the 6^th and 8^th of August didn’t fail to hit the spot and needless to say, your favourite wheel brand was there, wading in with our size 11s – and taking the whole place over.

Blame it on too many beers, but MD Kev had come up with the bright idea that we should mod a car live over the three days. ‘Take a standard scene classic… like a Fiesta ST,’ he slurred one evening at the bar.. ‘and hit it with everything live at the show!’ Seconds later he disappeared in a haze of tequila. We assumed that he was joking of course, and come the morning’s sober dawn, it would all be forgotten. He wasn’t… Arse!

What followed was a series of calls and mails to our chums in the trade. In-keeping within our ethos for the finer things in life, we only wanted to partner up with the most respected brands in the business, and I’m delighted to report and much pleading – and occasionally, mild threats to publish compromising pictures on the net – a plethora of utterly choice components were soon winging their way to Dotz HQ. It was like Christmas most mornings here, with first a choice set of Corbeau seats turning up, followed by Eibach springs, Powerflex bushes.. you name it!

The day before the show and a rented van saw this eclectic wish-list of mods whisked up the motorway to Santa Pod to be readied for the build. Never one to hide our light under a bushel, not only were we going to work in a fully branded build area, but the whole thing was going to be filmed for Eurosport and Motors TV, as a kind of ‘Pimp My Ride’ live.. with much better looking staff, obviously…

Believe it or not, our artisan for this build was the incredibly talented Paul Cooper; a man that makes the Williams pit crew look lethargic and a veritable mine of useless automotive information. He was confident that he could finish the build in the three days.. or he was until he missed the entire first day after getting held up in Cornwall. Double Arse!

Although we eventually got him started, time was always going to be an issue, and despite Kev’s best efforts to raise morale with some club-quality tunes, the stress levels were high from the outset! Luckily, our technical partner’s components fitted like an absolute dream, meaning that what we had lost on day one, Paul could claw back over the two days.

As well as the superb componentry going onto the Fezzer, Audio legends Huets were on hand to endow the Fiesta with an OEM+ bootbuild that gave it some decent bass to match its stance and new found pace. Building everything from scratch on site, their work was simply sublime. It didn’t half sound good too!

So what did we fit? Well, grab a cuppa.. and we’ll talk you through it!

Chassis duties were ably dispatched thanks to the superb fitment of the Eibach Pro-Kit. Lowering the car by around 30mm, but keeping the ride, this was a great touch and greatly assisted with a full set of Powerflex bushes.

Braking was tweaked with a set of Goodridge braided lines from our friends at the Performance Company, and then topped off with a full set of uprated disks and pads from Tarox. No guesses where the wheels came from. A set of our own Shuriken, wrapped in Cooper rubber.

Under the bonnet a Pipercross induction kit, Spec R tank and full Samco kit made a real difference, as did the Richbrook official Ford caps. Not to be outdone, A Scorpion half system extracted the gasses in a most tuneful manner, adding a few horses along the way.

Inside, Yet more Richbrook goodies lifted the interior.. and made it smell nice! A set of stunning Corbeau perches and Luke harnesses made the whole job much more comfortable – and safe, and with the Huets tunes ringing in our ears.. It was all looking and sounding the absolute business.

And when the whole job was done, we even washed up with Fast Orange hand cleaner.. Phew..!

The result, we hope you agree, is a car that looks better, goes better and showcases some of the best brands on the scene today. Although none of them pretend to be the cheapest, our advice after having to fit them all under great duress, is that they are all easily worth the extra. You get what you pay for, and the quality of these mods will stand the test of time. Our mantra all the way!!!

A massive thanks to everyone that helped, everybody that shouted encouragement along the way and of course, a ridiculously huge thank you to our build partners. We really couldn’t have done it without you!

Catch the build and the whole show in the TV show ‘Santa Pod Extravaganza’ on Motors TV.

Bertone. Giugiaro. Pininfarina… Some of the greatest automotive design names of all time. Their masterful strokes have left an indelible imprint on automotive culture, adding style and passion to the humble motor car. But now there’s a new name to add to that list.. Yours!

Yes indeed, the next big thing in cutting-edge automotive design could be you. Although we’re not offering you your own studio in Turin or anything like that, we are offering you the chance to see your vision made in a production reality by joining in our wheel design comp.

Friday the 23^rd is the closing date, so there are literally just hours left to put the finishing touches to your masterpiece. The lucky winner will not only have their wheel lovingly crafted to their exact specification, before a full set is delivered to their door…but you’ll also get to join us as VIP guests at the World-famous Ultimate Street Car show at Santa Pod between the 6^th and 8^th of August. And that’s worth entering for on its own!

So what are you waiting for? Fame and legendary status awaits you – along with the enviable chance to roll around on a totally unique set of custom rims. The clock is ticking.. so get clicking (link)

When it comes to gambling, the Lottery doesn’t usually come to the front of your mind in terms of the most glamorous of activities. Sure, scooping several million squids is pretty cool. Yeah, we all love the end results, but compared to say betting the house at Monte Carlo – or risking it all on ‘black’ at the Bellagio, watching a permatanned Dale Winton poncing around in front of a giant bubble gum machine doesn’t really do it for us.

We felt that the whole lottery formula needed a bit of a shake-up, so in true Dotz style, we’ve not only slapped it around the face, but we’ve also ruffled its hair and given it a wedgie. The Dotz Lottery is better on loads of levels. Firstly, it’s free. So we’ve won that one. Secondly, the prizes are way cooler than the usual tenner for getting some of the numbers right. Who knows? If your luck is in, you could be sitting alongside the legendary 2009 King of Europe Drift Champion, Adan Kerenyi as he skilfully steers and slides his way through one of the 2011 Drift events. In fact, we’ll raise you. You can take a mate as well. Wait…wait, we’re all in!. we’ll even chuck in a full weekend away with all VIP perks and stately accommodation! Believe me, Eamonn Holmes ain’t ever going to do that for you.. He doesn’t even have Adan’s phone number! Us?.. we have it on speed dial!… on ‘1’..

Simply by registering for the Dotz Lottery at www.dotzmag.com/lottery, you’ll immediately become eligible for all of the superb prizes – and you don’t even have to sit through an hour’s worth of crap Saturday night telly to see whether you’ve won or not! Up for grabs is a full set of Dotz Custom Finish rims, complete with TOYO Tires – and for the runners up, another three sets of totally unique Dotz Custom Rims.. it’s all too much I tell thee! Our partners at Foliatec will lovingly graphic your wheels to your own exact design meaning that you will never commit the fashion faux pas of rocking up at a show with the same rims as everybody else. It’s not a good look.. unless they’re ours of course.. in which case, that’s just great minds thinking alike! Lol!

Our partners at Armor-All have also chucked a few car kits into the pot, and to keep things ticking along until the big draw in the autumn, we’re even giving away Gift certificates each month. Five for the Dotz shop. Three for Foliatec and One for Armor All. That’s every month, mind!

So now you can go out and spend Saturday nights doing far more important things like drinking, dancing and trying out your best chat up lines.. Switch off the telly and leave the bonus ball action up to us, instead!

Good luck!

It’s inspired us to do some similar videos in a time-lapse style. So what would be your favourite DOTZ wheel/car time lapse video (and we’ll try and make it happen!).

Take coffee, for example. It wasn’t all that long ago that a weary traveller, stopping at the average services, would have been happy with a choice of one lukewarm brown drink, entitled simply ‘Coffee’. Usually hideously overpriced and horrendously underwarmed, it could usually be likened to tar.. although slightly less tasty. If you wanted to spice things up, you could go mad and add sugar..and if you really wanted to mix things up,… you ordered tea. These days though, two steps off any motorway exists the latest crop of coffee houses that boast a drinks list longer than most movie credits and the opportunity to embarrass yourself whilst ordering the world’s most ridiculously entitled Italian beverage. ‘Two doublebubblemochaskinneymegalattefinocinos, please.’ Honestly, some of these places require you to take an Italian degree, just to be able to place an order.

Thing is though, although I’d much rather give it a miss and go and have a cuppa, you have to admit that what Starsucks, Costalot and their brethren have all spotted is that these days, we do expect a bit of a choice in everything we do. And whilst 85 different coffees, 35 toppings and a personally tailored muffin solution seem a bit like overkill, you have to admit, it does allow you to get exactly what you want. And ultimately, this is a good thing..

Sandwiches are another. Gone are the dark mornings when your Gran packed you up with a cellophane parcel, containing last night’s dinner between two bits of aged bread. These days, there’s a sub for that.. And pretty much anything that you can imagine that can be legally inserted into a footlong loaf – and probably a few things that you can’t – can be ordered in the blink of an eye, and the swipe of a card.

It’s nothing new of course. The fashion industry has been doing it for centuries. Here’s one industry that realised almost back in Jurassic times that if all your neighbours were wearing mammoth, then you’d look pretty flippin’ special rocking up in a sabre-tooth two-piece. And so it went on. We’ve all been able to pick our wardrobes to suit our personalities since Mum stopped dressing us (at the age of 27 in my case) and this freedom extends to our homes, where even the aesthetically challenged are free to roam B&Q, picking god-awful combinations of fixtures and fittings. Vive le difference!.. as the French say..

The funny thing is, when you examine our beloved car scene, it’s strange that no-one has ever really taken the opportunity to allow personalisation to accommodate the most minute of details.. until now, that is.  Sure, you can choose which car you drive.. and then you can make it your own with the right suspension, the right wheels, the right accessories. But, the manufacturer still dictates what colour and size you get.. and that’s it. If you want to make it truly personal, you need to resort to doing it yourself – or farming it out to a third party specialist. And then, you can never be sure of the results.

Thankfully, someone at Dotz saw this coming, and knowing what a picky bunch we all are, came up with a cunning plan that should mean, once you’ve exercised your artistic talents, you will be able to create a truly one-off set off rims – and all under the warm, fuzzy glow of a factory warranty.

A quick click to www.dotzmag.com and the Custom Program reveals a world of choice based around 4 stunning wheel designs. The Tupac, Freeride Peak, Touge Graphite and Mugello. Not only are these good-looking rims available in a massive variety of fitments, but thanks to teaming with respected fashionistas Foliatec, Dotz can provide this in pretty much any colour way you can imagine. Over 200 Custom caps, inlays and rims finishes can all be ordered, making for an incredible 2,000 possible different combinations, meaning you have no excuse for not having things exactly the way you want them.

The online configurator lets you have your Picasso moment. Trying out all the different colourways from the comfort of your armchair, before you make your choice. It’s amazing that no-one has thought of it before, really. We spend hours poring over colour and trim charts before we choose our motors and then seem happy to accept our rims in vanilla flavour. But not anymore. Whether you’re feeling a hot-rod vibe, a bit of flower power, or maybe you’re just chasing show and shine trophies or magazine covers. Whatever. There’s A Dotz for that…

If I start shouting words at you like Rubik’s, Kajagoogoo, and Yuppie, you’ll either think that I’ve lost the plot, or depending on your age, you’ll already be drifting back in time to the ‘80s. A decade where peoples’ aspirations were exceeded only by their shoulder pads and mobile phones came with more hand baggage than the average Ryanair flight. It was truly a great decade though, as Maggie Thatcher (ask your Dad) sold off the entire country and created an appetite for success that saw a 911 in every car park, a taboo and lemonade in every bar (ask your Mum) and a real belief that if you had a great idea and a bit of patter, you could probably make a million. And plenty did…

As sales of wet-look hair gel and stone washed denim threatened to reach an all time high, it was the discotheques, dance floors and ghetto blasters of the UK that started to bump and grind to a whole new bleepy electronic vibe. Gone was the hideous Glam-rock of the 1970s, and in its place was a whole new genre of very cool music made on some new fangled thingamabob called a synthesiser. There really was some quality tuneage emerging at this time, with bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet hitting the shelves of Our Price Records and fighting for chart space with the likes of Nik Kershaw, Go-West, the afore-mentioned Kajagoogoo and best of all, Kid Creole and the Coconuts… don’t worry, it wasn’t all bad.. this was also the decade that spawned Run DMC and saw rap finally hit the mainstream.  Funnily enough, a lot of 80s tunes still get sampled to death. Try listening to Hall and Oates ‘I can’t go for that’ and you’ll see what I mean. But of course, who can forget the most controversial record of the decade; Frankie Goes To Hollywood, singing ‘Relax’. Banned by a seething Mike Read on Radio 1 when he realised half way through the first couple of plays that when they sang ‘When You wanna come’, they didn’t mean ‘arrive’…

If music was making a turn for the better, then fashion perhaps wasn’t. Neon was the order of the day, usually garnished with leg warmers and a day-glo tutu. And the girl’s fashions were even worse! Seriously though, it was all about the power dressing. And white. Lots and lots of white. I seem to remember zips making an unhealthy appearance in there somewhere too. And odd neon socks. God, it’s all coming back now! For ladies, it was all about the shoulder pads and unfeasibly large earrings. In fact, at certain points in the 80s, shoulder pads got so out of control that a sharply dressed filly could have severe difficulties entering through a doorway and wouldn’t have looked out of place lining up for the Miami Dolphins. Oh yeah! American Football shirts.. there’s another thankfully long forgotten 80s trend!

It's called 'Fashion'

For the gentleman, it was all about the striped shirt, set off by a dashing set of red braces and the mandatory Filofax. Yes, in the days before Palm Pres and synched desktops, it was all about these little blighters. Basically it was just a posh diary with a few dividers in it, but they were well over a ton back in the day, and mint ones are fetching twice that on Ebay now!

For the rest of us urchins, a ‘Frankie says Relax’ T Shirt was mandatory apparel. Usually twinned with a Mullet, a set of Ray-ban Wayfarers and a pair of stonewashed Levis. Aaah, happy days.

Thankfully, from an automotive point of view, it was a pretty seminal era. For the man in the street, we saw several cult classics hit the streets for the first time. This was truly the dawn of the Hot Hatch with the Golf Gti, Astra GTE, Peugeot 205 Gti and Escort XR3i forever swapping places in the sales charts, giving the average Joe something that looked and went the part (and usually with a hideous black louvered blind on the back window… Yes really!) There were just too many cool cars to mention. The Renault 5 Turbo, The E30 3 series, The Sierra Cosworth….

Higher up the food chain it was truly a case of weapons grade conspicuous consumption with every city clicker reaching for the nearest 911 or Testarossa, usually to find that his income/driving talent ratio was woefully inadequate, resulting in said supercar being deposited in the nearest ditch. The few that were left were then raced around the then fledgling M25, which was then something of a poor man’s Nurburgring before those dastardly Gatsos came and ruined the party.

The 80s brang us mainstream Ferarris and Porches

As you read through this little lot, either fondly reminiscing – or wondering what on earth I’m talking about – you may notice that a lot of this stuff is suddenly very cool again. Except Kajagoogoo, of course – playing at a Butlins near you soon. Indeed, this is a fact not lost on the great and the good of the automotive industry. Consider the latest 911 Sport Classic as a prime example. Wearing a ‘ducktail’ spoiler and a spangly set of Fuchs, this car shows that even in the boardrooms of Stuttgart, they’re drinking Sodastream and swapping Smurfs once again.

Little wonder then that Dotz, always a brand to be found ahead of the fashion curve, can rely on its sister brand Calibre to deliver the authentically styled merchandise when it comes to set of rims for your retro ride. The latest Vintage and Dub designs couldn’t look more right for the times if they rocked up in a set of Deely Boppers, singing the hits from ‘Fame’ and carrying a Betamax copy of ‘The Karate Kid’. These two stunners look oh-so right for cars of the period, but also add a dash of class to more modern tin too.  The perfect addition for your small bumper Gti, W123 Merc or slammed Sierra, you get everything we loved about that era, with the production methods and quality control of this. That Michael J.Fox knew what he was on about. Back To The Future is where it’s at!

Perfect for the vintage car