If the record of nearly three decades is anything to go by, the choice is simple for the owners of cars, bakkies, leisure vehicles and trucks who wish to have the true power of their vehicles unleashed - Just follow the leaders!

Remember, at Steve's Auto Clinic, customers are recognised as individuals with different needs.

You have to look no further than any SAC franchise countrywide for expert advice on how to enhance your vehicle to its optimum performance level.

After all, as an often-used SAC slogan correctly states -
Reliable Power Needs to be Achieved!

A business such as Steve's Auto Clinic does not operate in isolation.

Part of its strategic planning is an ongoing process to form partnerships with external parties who offer expertise in various specialised fields.

A pertinent example of SAC's efforts to form strategic external partnerships concerns Centurion-based automotive electronics company Dastek, headed up by programming expert Pieter de Weerdt.

Engine management re-mapping chips for normally aspirated engines, known as the Unichip, are sourced from Dastek and programmed by SAC in conjunction with engine electronics experts at the source company.

British firm Superchips is another participant in SAC's strategic partnership policy.

In late 2001, SAC was appointed the exclusive South African importer and fitment company for these sought-after electronic power enhancement products - essentially custom-programmed replacement engine management computer chips for turbo-charged petrol engines.

Both chips provide tried-and-tested ways to achieve enhanced performance with a minimum of fuss or physical engine re-engineering.

The process is further proof that no mass-produced vehicle is able to deliver optimum performance without individual attention.

On the software side, each vehicle is individually reprogrammed with the aid of extensive dynamometer testing under load conditions.

Another partnership stems from the recent acquisition of specialist performance exhaust manufacturer Wildcat by Marinus Kuyl, director of the SAC Midrand Petrol franchise and his partner Frik Botha.

The strategic relationship has led to the supply of Wildcat systems directly to all SAC branches countrywide from within the group itself, and it has also opened up exciting possibilities for the future development and field-testing of performance enhancing exhaust systems.

One of the next steps in this policy of strategic partnerships is an obvious closer working relationship with vehicle manufacturers and importers. "

While SAC has long identified and exploited a strong demand for performance enhancement in the after-market industry, it also sees for itself a strategic role - in conjunction with the vehicle manufacturing industry - to provide the ultimate excellence in customer care from the manufacturer's point of view.

Such a long term taking-of-hands between a vehicle manufacturer and a performance enhancer is long overdue, especially since SAC has proven that the conversion industry can indeed be mature and responsible, operated along sound business and engineering principles and staffed by dedicated experts.

Says Steve Fischer: "There will always be a strong demand for even better performance, including for the most powerful of standard production vehicles. Perhaps even especially for those vehicles."