Wulfchiptegnik, Cape Town’s performance software and hardware specialist

We chat with one of the co-founders of Wulfchiptegnik, Cape Town’s most respected performance enhancing workshop.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Many of the world’s great success stories had their humble beginnings in a garage, be it large businesses, music bands or in this case, one of Cape Town’s most respected tuning and custom specialists.

As I sit down with Charl du Plessis, co-founder and marketing director at WulfchiptegnikTM at their workshop in Paarden Eiland, it is hard to believe that he and his business partner’s Neville le Roux (co-founder and technical director) first premises was in a residential garage in Brackenfell. “We use to tell clients that we would pick up their car at their house, as we didn’t want them to see where we were working.”

This fortunately changed quickly, as their business grew fast and they soon had to look for a larger premises. First they moved to Cape Town’s CDB followed by another move to Paarden Eiland two years ago. The company’s name might sound German, but it is proudly South African.

What do they do?

“Our core business is performance software and hardware. We will, for example, load new software onto a car’s ECU. This will include changes to the air and fuel settings which result in an improved performance in terms of power and torque.”

“We’ve being doing this since 2008 and over the years you quickly learn who is the best at coding and supplying this software. We tune very conservatively and, interestingly, most of our clients are looking for more torque while the increased power is a welcoming extra. Importantly, our software is for our weather conditions and our fuel quality. You can’t just load an EU or USA map on a South African car.”

“Then we’ve started a brand called WulfpipeTM. Here we focus on downpipes and exhaust systems. All the designs and fabrication are done inhouse. We also offer systems where you can set the valves on the exhaust systems with a remote.”

The cars WulfchiptegnikTM have worked on range from high-end Audi RS6s and R8s, to Porsches, Ferraris and down the list to even Volkswagen Polos. As long as the car is fuel injected and has a turbocharger, notable improvements can be achieved. “Turbodiesel engines are quite robust, so the gains there are quite impressive.”

Apart from offering their own brand, clients can also opt for the global exhaust brands such as Milltek, Armytrix, Akrapovič and iPE. 

“We recently had a new Ferrari F8 Tributo in the workshop. We fitted a new exhaust system on that specific car. It is a special client that brings in a brand-new Ferrari. These types of clients are usually true petrolheads. We’ve also done a full Novitec system on a Ferrari Portofino. Needless to say, we are also Novitec accredited.”

What is next?

“We are currently exploring to also develop our own piggy back, plug-and-play system. That is the traditional little box that you install between the computer of the car and the engine. We are currently busy with the R&D of this WulfchiptegnikTM unit.”

“Sometimes in a business a pivot happens by itself. That is what happened last year. A good client brought us a Volkswagen Transporter. He is a car enthusiast and a cyclist. He explained to us that he was looking for bike racks for the Transporter, places for tool kits etc. We managed the project and got specialists to focus on the CAD drawings and other specialists on the fabrication. It included a full wrap of the vehicle, special wheels, suspension and drawers in the back for the bikes, integrated air compressor and additional lights to name a few. It has become the client’s weekend mountain bike van. This has really given us a chance to move away from just soft- and hardware to conceptual design and fabrication.”

Another example of a similar product is a Europe-based client who wanted a new game driving and hunting vehicle based on a Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen. “This included removing the roof, winches to be able to load the animal onto the vehicle and also suspension and engine modifications. We are currently busy with this project and we will be able to release a video once the project is done.”

It is clear that Charl wants to point the business to a level where a large part of the work they do is custom work to meet clients’ specific requests and needs. They have and will continue to also do smaller custom work on cars such as wrapping, PPF (paint protection films), wheel colour change and similar work. 

“I would like to sum it up by saying Wulf can upgrade your vehicle, unleash its full potential – whether it is performance based, aesthetics or functionality. That is where Neville and I complement each other, he comes with a technical approach, and I come with an aesthetic approach.”

A recent project WulfchiptegnikTM has done was on the Toyota GR Yaris. “We upgraded the intake system, software, fitted a Milltek exhaust system and we also did some R&D on the car as it is a tricky car when it comes to the software. We received a good level of interest out of this project as a number of GR Yaris came to us in the following months.”

It seems that whether you want a visual, custom or performance upgrade done to your performance hatch, weekend van or super car, WulfchiptegnikTM will be able to assist.

Visit their website or Instagram profile to learn more.