Earlier in the year, I decided to turn a Speedhunting trip down to Hiroshima into a little holiday with my partner. At one point during the getaway we found ourselves in a fancy little bistro which seated all of 10 customers and served delicate dishes in quick succession. Being more of a ramen and tap beer […]
BTCC Volvo 850 Estate: Racing, With Room For The Dog
When Volvo released the T5 variant of their 850, the Swedish automaker wanted to boost its profile in order to gain market share. Instead of a traditional marketing campaign, Volvo took the 850 racing in the British Touring Car Championship. How the decision to use the 850 estate came about wasn’t intentional though. Volvo commissioned Steffansson Automotive to […]
Rally Styled For The Road: An EXTRA-Wide WRX STI
‘Ok, so what if I do 90% of the prep work myself? Will that bring the cost down by much?’ It can’t help to ask, right? Because as I start calling around for quotes on body and paint work for my new project car (full details coming soon…) I’m fast realising the cost of building a […]
When An F1 Team Takes On Tin-Tops: The Williams BTCC Laguna
Frank Williams once said: “Next to Formula One, the BTCC is the most important series in the world outside America.” He was right. With over a million people tuning in on a Sunday to watch their favourite drivers battle it out in the British Touring Car Championship, few other live sporting programs came close. To have Williams run […]
A Mk2 Polo Breadvan Builder’s Finale. For Now…
2020 was a weird year for all of us. Amidst the pandemic, the thought of traveling anywhere wasn’t really crossing many people’s minds – or even possible – but I had to spread my wings and fly. I ended up in Poland, where I attended Ultrace at Spodek Arena in the city of Katowice. This […]
Simple Stance: A Rare ’68 Datsun 510 On Air
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve taken a closer look at what Ultrace 2023 had to offer, which was a lot. Of everything on display around Wrocław Stadium in Poland, it was a rare 510 Datsun 1300 that stood out to me the most. Luckily, I was able to catch up with its owner, George Kostopoulos […]
Porsche Restomod Or Art? The Nardone 928 Is Both
Contrary to what many people think, Ultrace is more than a stance show. The event organizers like to invite along collectors of classic racing cars and also feature original restored projects. They do this to educate Ultrace visitors on the origins of stance and modifying culture as a whole. In such a setting, this Porsche 928 S4 – […]
A Datsun 280Z Reimagined By DCW Classic
Coincidences happen in our lives all the time, and I happily stumbled into one at Ultrace 2023. Seeing three S30Zs parked together will pique anyone’s interest, but the car wearing RS Watanabe wheels drew me in for a closer look. I’m glad it did too, because as it turned out all three were built by DCW Classic in Lithuania, […]
A Japanese Twist On A German Classic
First appearing in 1966, the BMW 02 series was designed with more sporting intent than the Neue Klasse sedan that preceded it. Producing 118hp in the 2002 Tii (and a stonking 170hp in the Turbo) the 2002 packed performance far greater than its diminutive proportions suggested, so motorsport success came quickly. Automotive technology has evolved considerably in the 50-odd years since […]
Mariusz Michalski’s Pontiac Fiero GT Reigns Supreme At Ultrace 2023
Once upon a time, just the thought of a Pontiac Fiero GT fitted with Lamborghini-style doors would have conjured up images of Xzibit and West Coast Customs doing unspeakable things on MTV. But now? The only images you need to see are of Mariusz Michalski’s laid-out masterpiece. And rightfully so; this Fiero has just taken the top prize […]