Daily Driven, Show Ready: Masterclass in OEM+

It’s easy to assume that the most jaw-dropping builds are tucked away in garages, polished to perfection and wheeled out only for summer shows and Sunday coffees. But every now and then, a car comes along that breaks that mould. A build so clean, so dialled in, that you’d swear it’s a showpiece. But it isn’t, the owner uses his car as a daily driver. I Spotted this BMW E30 at the Royal Fitment show this year and couldn’t keep my eyes off of it.

Sitting pretty on custom BBS E50 wheels, stepped up from 15 to 17 inches, this car nails the OEM+ aesthetic with ruthless precision. The wheels tuck effortlessly under the arches thanks to a fully integrated Airlift 3P air suspension system, offering both head-turning stance and everyday practicality. Whether you’re gliding through traffic or laying frame at a weekend meet, the setup adapts on the fly and it’s all controlled at the touch of a button.

Team Eggenberger Motorsport ETCC BMW E28

Entering Vink Motorsport, a Zaandam-based workshop renowned for its BMW race car restorations and new classic builds. The first car that caught my eye was the Team Eggenberger Motorsport BMW E28 that clinched the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) in 1982. At the season’s start, BMW faced new Group A regulations, rendering the earlier Group 2 635CSi unsuitable. Thus, the newly introduced BMW E28 528i was chosen to compete.

Partnering with Switzerland’s Eggenberger Motorsport, BMW developed a kit to transform the E28 for Group A touring car racing. To meet the 1,035kg weight limit for its engine class, the car had all unnecessary components removed. Furthermore, its inline-six engine was expertly tuned to produce nearly 240hp, up from the production model’s 180hp.

The Hakosuka Unicorn: A Dutch Skyline 2000GT

Left-hand-drive Nissan Skylines from the factory are rare. Like, “finding-a-Walkman-in-a-2025-Apple-Store” rare. But a genuine Dutch-delivered 1971 Nissan Skyline GC10 2000GT sedan, with four doors. That’s rarer than a unicorn moonwalking across the Veluwe.

According to its new custodian, Carlo de Grundt this is one of only three left-hand-drive Hakosuka sedans left in the Netherlands. “Hako” means box in Japanese, and “Suka” is shorthand for Sukairain. Yes, Skyline. Don’t feel bad if you had no idea Skylines were officially sold here. We didn’t either. Apparently, around 40 of the HGLC10-series 2000GTs and 2400GTs were sold new in the Netherlands, mostly the bigger-engined 2400s. But this one? According to the papers, an original 2000GT.

And it was a proper barn find. Tucked away indoors for two decades, waiting for someone to bring it back from the brink.

Carlo first stumbled across this crimson 2000GT online back in 2011. “I found photos and started digging. I knew it still existed somewhere in the Netherlands” he recalls. The trail went cold until 2014, when Jan Manenschijn, a Nissan dealer from Daarle, and owner of the largest Datsun collection in the country, posted a familiar photo on Facebook. There it was. The long-lost 2000GT. Jan, having just completed restoration on his own Belgian-market 2000GT, decided one was enough. That was Carlo’s cue so after a phonecall he made the trip to Daarle and bought it.

Volkswagen Lupo: The Pocket Rocket Reborn

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Volkswagen Lupo. It was VW’s answer to the growing demand for small, fuel-efficient city cars. And while that demand still exists, modern cars just seem to keep getting bigger. The Lupo even had a GTI version, but its most famous variant is arguably the 3L TDI, the first production car to sip less than 3 liters of diesel per 100 km.

The Lupo I stumbled upon at Heaven on Wheels had been given a serious makeover. The exterior was smoothed to perfection, and thanks to an air suspension setup, it now sits significantly closer to terra firma. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to track down the owner, so I can’t provide all the juicy details. But one thing’s for sure, this isn’t your average city car.

Static Porsche 993 Turbo: Stance Machine

The owner of this 1997 Porsche 993 Turbo has been around the scene for quite some time. Perhaps his most famous build, and certainly one of my personal favorites, is his Carbon RWB Porsche 964. But at Heaven on Wheels, he decided to bring another one of his incredible projects. And there he let me in on a little secret: this 993 is actually for sale. So, if you’re in the market for something truly special, you know who to call.

At first glance, I could have sworn this Porsche was sitting on air suspension. But no—what you see here is its actual ride height. That impossibly low stance has been achieved with a set of H&R coilovers, courtesy of K-custom GmbH. The body has been expertly dropped over a set of 19” Gemballa Turbo S wheels, with the rear tires measuring an absurd 315/25.

Subaru Forester: The Accidental Dream Build

I think I speak for all of us when I say that at some point, we’ve all toyed with the idea of buying a sensible daily driver just so we can focus on wrenching away at our beloved project car. It’s a foolproof plan—until it isn’t. More often than not, that so-called “daily” ends up getting modified, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in not one, but two full-blown projects.

Enter this Subaru Forester 2.0 S-Turbo, spotted at Heaven on Wheels in Anderlecht, Belgium. The owner originally picked it up as a practical runaround, allowing him to tear into his Subaru Impreza Wagon build without worrying about being stranded. But, as it so often happens, love has a funny way of rewriting plans. The Forester quickly stole his heart, and the parts he’d been stockpiling for the Wagon started finding their way onto his newfound obsession.

McLAREN F1 GTR LONGTAIL #42: LE MANS 1997

Few cars capture the imagination of motorsport fans quite like the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, and among them, chassis #42 from the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans stands as an icon of speed, engineering, and drama. A machine built for endurance, piloted by legends, yet fated to a heartbreaking retirement—this is the story of one of McLaren’s most memorable endurance racers.

By 1997, the McLaren F1 GTR had already cemented its status as a dominant force in endurance racing. However, rule changes meant McLaren needed to evolve, giving birth to the Longtail variant. This version featured a significantly extended rear bodywork to enhance aerodynamic efficiency, better high-speed stability, and improved downforce. It retained the raw power of its BMW S70/2 6.1L V12 engine, capable of producing around 600bhp, but was further refined for the grueling challenge of Le Mans.

Lancia Delta Integrale Evo2 – The Perfect Build

Can a car be so good that it deserves a second feature? Well, since you’re reading this, I’ll take that as a yes. 😉

I first came across this Lancia Delta Integrale Evo2 Formula Edition at Ultrace last year, and it stopped me in my tracks. The deep Blue Lord paint, the aggressive stance, and the Work Meister S1 wheels imported all the way from Japan. The trend of JDM wheels on Euro cars continues. It was love at first sight.

For many, poster cars are machines like the Ferrari F40 or a Lamborghini Countach. But for me? This was the car. The history, the WRC dominance, the countless special editions—everything about the Delta Integrale makes it a legend in its own right.