Ultrace Germany wasn’t your typical car show. It blended car culture with museum pieces. One of the brands that stole the spotlight was Mercedes-Benz. They brought some of its Group C legends to Düsseldorf.
Under club lights and industrial backdrops stood machines built for Le Mans. The Sauber‑Mercedes C9 and C11 took center stage. They shared space with rarities like the C112 concept and the never‑raced C292.
Seeing these cars outside a museum felt surreal. Ultrace Germany turned endurance racing icons into living objects again. For one weekend, Group C was no longer history.
The BMW X5 V12 Le Mans is one of those rare, wonderful moments when a carmaker momentarily forgets about accountants, regulations, and common sense, and instead asks a far more entertaining question: “What if we shoved a Le Mans–winning racing engine into an SUV?” When I saw the X5 Le Mans during my last visit to the Pace Museum by JP Performance in Dortmund, it felt almost unreal to be standing in front of something so unapologetically absurd.
Built around the turn of the millennium, the E53 X5 V12 Le Mans, was never intended as a production model. It was a one-off experiment, a celebratory engineering flex created after BMW’s 1999 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the V12 LMR prototype. To mark the occasion, a handful of BMW’s most mischievous engineers decided to repurpose the heart of the race-winner: a 6.0-litre naturally aspirated V12. But unlike the race car, which had to breathe through air restrictors, this engine was allowed to inhale freely. The result was more than 700 horsepower in an era when supercars were still struggling to reach that number.
That colossal engine sat inside the shell of the first-generation X5, but this was no ordinary family hauler. The suspension was heavily reworked, the interior stripped down and fitted with a roll cage, and the hood reshaped in carbon fibre to clear the V12’s intake system. It retained a six-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel-drive, making it perhaps the most spectacularly overpowered manual SUV ever created.
At Ultrace, I saw these three incredible Nissan Skylines. Each one represented a different generation of GT-R history and they all belong to one owner. He was more than happy to share some knowledge and why these cars are so special.
The first car was a beautiful 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R (KPGC10) powered by the legendary S20 engine. Nissan built only a little over 1,900 of these cars. The car already sits on KW suspension and classic Watanabe wheels. As a result, it has that perfect old school JDM look.
If you haven’t heard of Ultrace, you might be living under a rock. The event has become the place in Europe to see the best of the best. Yet calling it just a car event doesn’t do it justice. Ultrace has grown into a full‑blown automotive experience, complete with art installations and even a nighttime program with DJs.
This year marked a big shift. For the first time, Ultrace stepped outside its birthplace in Poland. The team decided it was time for a new adventure, and they landed in Düsseldorf, Germany. That meant no more nine‑hour drive for me. Instead, I only had to travel 1.5 hours to reach the venue: Areal Böhler.
I have been photographing cars for more than twenty years. Because of that, I like to think I have seen it all. I photographed concept cars long before their public debut. I captured hypercars with million‑dollar price tags. Yet one car always escaped my lens. The Opel Calibra V6 4×4 from 1996. No matter where I went, I never timed it right. Until I finally saw it at Retroclassics last week.
Back in 1996, Opel reached the absolute peak of touring car racing. That year, the Calibra V6 4×4 did more than just compete. It dominated.
The idea sounds a bit wild at first: a 1979 Volkswagen Scirocco with a W8 4Motion drivetrain from a much newer Passat. But once you see it in person, it all starts to make sense.
I spotted this car at the recent Retro Classics in Essen, Germany, and right away it stood out. Even among a line-up of factory fresh Scirocco’s, this one pulled you in.
To start with, the base is a first-gen Scirocco, light, simple, and never designed for all-wheel drive. Meanwhile, the donor car, a 2001 Passat W8, brings 275 hp and a completely different layout. So this isn’t just an engine swap; it’s a full transformation.
Risenation marks the unofficial start for my show season. It’s always the first taste of what the rest of the year might bring. This year was no different. Bag packed, snacks secured, I punched Mechelen, Belgium into Google Maps, fired up the car, and set off. Two and a half hours later, the Nekkerhal appeared like a giant half tube with holes in it. If you have ever been there you know what I mean.
Before I even think about taking the camera out, I make a few reconnaissance laps. This year, however, the organisers decided to funnel everyone through a vendor corridor at the entrance. Great for anyone selling stickers, detailing sprays, or T‑shirts you don’t need… but less great if you simply wanted to get on with the show. Still, minor grumble aside, the rest was brilliant. Familiar faces, new conversations, and cars that made you stop mid‑stride, this show had the full package.
Walking through the Tuning Experience hall at the Essen Motor Show, you expect to see wild builds, but every now and then something stops you dead in your tracks. Did you catch my take on this year’s event? If not, you can still check it out on the Turnpike Global site.
Among the wild show cars and slammed stances sat a machine that looked like it had been teleported straight from the Nürburgring paddock: a 1996 BMW E36, reborn with the heart of an M4 and the soul of a race car.
This isn’t just an engine swap; it’s a complete transformation. Under the bonnet lies BMW’s S55B30 straight-six from the F82 M4, paired with its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Team Schirmer’s fingerprints are everywhere: engine mounts, transmission crossmember, and a rear axle housing a Drexler limited-slip differential with 45% lock and dedicated cooling. The numbers speak for themselves: 431 horsepower pushing just 1,270 kilograms. That’s serious firepower.
