At CDLC.CO’s latest 2024 Fitted Fest occasion, 4 vehicles stood out within the sea of gorgeous builds and captured my coronary heart.
Whereas they weren’t essentially the flashiest or biggest-budget creations on show on the Sibelius Live performance Corridor and the scenic Vesijärvi Harbor venue in Finland, their distinctive tales and private touches resonated with me.
Henri Haimakainen’s Fiat Abarth 1000TC Duplicate
Small, light-weight race vehicles have all the time made me smile, and Henri Haimakainen’s Fiat Abarth 1000TC duplicate was no exception. Because the automobile made its present entrance, everyone welcomed it with a contented face. I wager it was the identical within the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s when the unique Abarth race vehicles dominated on observe towards a lot bigger opponents. They have been so aggressive that the SCCA (Sports activities Automotive Membership of America) banned the 1000TC Berlina Corsa mannequin from competitors.
Henri’s story with this automobile – a Fiat 600 – started in 2020 when he rescued it from a storage the place it had sat dormant since 1994. Regardless of the Fiat’s in depth rust injury, Henri’s earlier expertise with venture vehicles, and his welding expertise, turned this problem into a chance.
On the identical time he was resurrecting the chassis, Henri sourced fiberglass panels to rework the Fiat 600 right into a 1000TC duplicate. The automobile’s extensive rear fenders, distinguished rear wing, and enormous entrance bumper with an built-in radiator evoke the spirit of genuine Fiat racers. The Abarth-themed paint job, together with Cromodora CD66 wheels – 13×7-inch within the entrance and 13×8-inch out again – full the traditional racing stance.
The completely uncovered engine – an Abarth modification made primarily for cooling – blends type and performance superbly.
It’s a real A112 Autobianchi Abarth unit producing 70-80 hp from its 1,050cc displacement – the identical energy output that gained Abarth races again within the day.
The race-themed inside includes a roll cage, Sparco racing seats with harnesses, and a traditional three-spoke Abarth steering wheel. Beneath all of it, the little Fiat is supplied with entrance coilovers and Abarth rear shock absorbers to fine-tune its dealing with.
Jan Hulkko’s Mazda RX-7 FD3S
This 1994 Mazda RX-7 R2 has as a lot character as its proprietor, Jan Hulkko. A panel beater and automobile painter by commerce, Jan loves shopping for broken vehicles by way of auctions and bringing them again to life. His RX-7 was no exception.
Acquired immediately from Japan, the FD3S’s grading sheet confirmed extra faults than options. “I’ve by no means seen such a nasty knowledge sheet at an public sale,” Jan says. Including, “All the things was marked pink.” It had a crash historical past, and electrical issues, and the engine wouldn’t begin. Regardless of this and the actual fact it had come from Fukushima and probably been flood broken, Jan says he had a superb feeling when his Japanese agent messaged him to say his bid was profitable.
After transport the FD3S to Finland, Jan set to work. Impressed by the Pink Suns FD3S from Preliminary D, he sourced and fitted an RE Amemiya physique package, however with a number of customized modifications made to provide it a novel look.
The Desmond Tremendous Longchamp XR3 wheels got here with the automobile, however are actually fully reworked. They’ve been transformed to three-piece, stepped up from 17-inch to 18-inch, fitted with extensive outer lips, and had their facilities painted in an old-school champagne silver shade.
Below the hood, the RX-7’s authentic 13B-REW engine has been absolutely studded, avenue ported to Pineapple Racing specs, and fitted with a Holset HX40 Tremendous turbocharger. Tuned by way of an Emtron SL-4 engine administration system, Jan says the 13B makes 512hp and 589Nm with 1.5 bar (22psi) of enhance dialed in. To benefit from the additional energy, the RX-7’s suspension is upgraded with JIC Magic coilovers and Mazdaspeed elements.
The Toyota Lightning Yellow paint mixed with carbon fiber accents and an early-2000s-inspired livery by Squared Design, makes Jan’s RX-7 a standout in each efficiency and aesthetics.
Antti Eskeli’s BMW E21 Group 5 Tribute
Antti Eskeli, one of many Fitted Fest organizers, additionally owns this BMW E21 Group 5 tribute. Earlier than embarking on the venture, Antti had thought of constructing a Le Mans-style race automobile for the street. However, the problems of getting a scratch-built machine street-legal in Finland put that concept to mattress. Antti finally discovered what he was on the lookout for in an E21 ex-ice observe racer being provided up on the market with a Pesch Motorsport Group 5 physique package. After a number of telephone calls with the BMW’s vendor, Antti drove to Teerjärvi to select it up.
That Teerjärvi location is vital to this story because it’s the hometown of Nils-Gustav Wiik, who raced a Group 5 BMW again within the day for Group Schnitzer. It turned out that Nils’ neighbor had acquired the E21 from the close by metropolis of Vaasa, and deliberate to construct a reproduction of Nils’ race automobile – with Nils lending his experience. The venture didn’t get very far, therefore its sale with the Group 5 package provided unfitted, but it surely was the proper start line for Antti’s to construct.
The automobile’s authentic M10B20 engine nonetheless lives beneath the hood, however whether or not it’s going to keep is but to be determined. It doesn’t at present run, so perhaps changed outright – a Mazda 13B rotary engine that Antti has kicking round his storage might be an choice.
BC Racing suspension has been fitted, as is the set of uncommon Japanese 3-piece FET Zisa wheels – 16×10-inch within the entrance and 18×13-inch within the rear.
After I first noticed the E21 at Fitted Fest 2024 throughout set-up day it was lacking its enormous entrance bumper. Nevertheless, over the weekend, that was hooked up, and different modifications have been made to the automobile, which was attention-grabbing to see.
A spotlight was watching native designer Joonas ‘Koponee’ Koponen hand-draw a livery that celebrates his graffiti roots and the historical past of BMW Artwork Automobiles. Koponee’s type is exclusive; he intentionally tries to attract complicated letters, eradicating areas and punctuations, making them troublesome to learn. The intricate calligraphy spells out CDLC.CO’s motto: ‘Loss of life Earlier than Driving Inventory’. By the point I left the present, Koponee was nearly completed. The motive force’s aspect has been left clean for one more art work that Antti plans to do himself.
Ex-Akira Nakai’s RWB 964 Stella Artois II
Stella Artois II – also referred to as Stella II or Stella Enhance – is a 964 evolution of Akira Nakai’s private 930, Stella Artois. Nakai-san constructed the automobile in 2018 and unveiled it on the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon, however all the time meant to promote it.
Not like Stella Artois, which remained naturally aspirated, this 1992 964 mannequin includes a 3.6L turbocharged engine producing 500-600 horsepower from Entrance Row – the identical tuner store that constructed RWB Rotana. The engine is paired with a 5-speed handbook transmission and RWB-spec Aragosta suspension.
Bought immediately by Nakai-san to an nameless Finnish proprietor, Stella Artois II has maintained its attract since arriving in Scandinavia. Its distinctive particulars, which embrace bat-wing vents, GReddy turbocharger, and handmade exhaust suggestions, and its historical past as a private Nakai-san creation, proceed to attract folks in for a better look.
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The chipped paint from idlers Membership observe days and races in Japan solely provides to its attraction.
If these 4 vehicles can train us something, it’s that automotive magnificence lies not simply in perfection, however within the tales behind the builds. Reality be informed, there have been really six vehicles that I fell in love with at Fitted Fest 2024, however the final two require full options, so look out for these quickly.
Vladimir Ljadov
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