Renault Espace F1: The Ultimate Racing Van

Back in the mid-90s, Renault decided that celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Espace MPV wasn’t enough with balloons and cake. No, they wanted fireworks, so they built a minivan with the heart of a Formula One car. The result was the Espace F1, a machine so outrageous it still feels like a fever dream.

This wasn’t a tuned-up people carrier. Underneath its carbon-fiber body panels sat a bespoke monocoque chassis and, bolted in the middle, a 3.5-litre Renault RS5 V10 engine straight out of the Williams FW15C that dominated the 1993 F1 season. That meant nearly 800 horsepower screaming to 14,000 rpm, funneled through a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox to the rear wheels. Forget school runs, this thing could hit 100 km/h in under three seconds and top out at over 310 km/h. In a van.

The interior was just as mad. Four racing buckets, the engine visible through clear panels behind the rear seats, and absolutely no concessions to comfort. It was a family car only in the sense that four people could technically fit inside, if they didn’t mind sitting next to a V10 with ear plugs in…

Falken Mercedes EVO II Dominates Essen Show

This year’s Essen Motor Show didn’t disappoint. Among the new kids on the block and the usual suspects, one car stood out like a neon sign in a sea of chrome: a jaw-dropping Mercedes-Benz 190E that’s been making waves online for months. So now I finally had the possibility to take a closer look at this build and see all the details that make this car special.

The starting point was a humble 1991 190E. But owner Nic Stubbs didn’t just restore it, he transformed it into a full-blown EVO II tribute, complete with the iconic Falken livery. Under the bonnet sits a snarling V8 M113 engine, nestled in a meticulously cleaned and painted bay.

Suspension? Air ride, of course, paired with adjustable XLO dampers, camber tops, bespoke air bags, and custom control arms. The trunk houses the compressor and air tank in a show-ready install.

JP Performance Rauh Welt Begriff Porsche 911

You don’t just build an RWB Porsche. You join a waiting list, whisper your intent to the gods of speed, sacrifice a set of factory fenders, and prepare for the arrival of the high priest himself: Akira Nakai-san.

In 2019, German car enthusiast and TV personality JP Kraemer experienced this transformation firsthand. His Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (964), a base model that needed a lot of work, was reborn into a tire-shredding, street-slaying beast. Under the hands of Nakai-san, who flew in from Japan armed with nothing but a cutting wheel, a pack of his favorite Winston cigarettes, and a vision.

The metamorphosis starts with the signature Rauh-Welt Begriff widebody kit. Nakai-san works with surgical precision, chain-smoking and vibing to punk rock as he bolts on the flared fenders that define RWB’s unmistakable silhouette.

The Lighter, Meaner, Faster Mercedes EVO II

Some cars are rare. Some cars are special. And then there’s this: number 23 out of just 502 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16v EVO IIs ever made. But before you start polishing your monocle and muttering about “investment grade classics,” let’s get one thing straight this isn’t just any EVO II. This is the EVO II that snuck out of the factory, hit the gym, and came back 300kg lighter than its siblings.

While the standard EVO II tips the scales at 1,340kg, this one weighs in at a featherweight 1,030kg. How? By going full track-day hero: the interior has been stripped bare, leaving only two racing bucket seats and a roll cage. No plush carpets. No sound deadening. No back seats for your friends. Just pure, unfiltered motorsport.

And let’s be clear: this isn’t a show pony for concours lawns or a garage queen waiting for the next auction. This is a car built to be driven hard. Forget about investment portfolios and collector bragging rights. This EVO II is a full-on track tool, engineered for apexes and adrenaline, not velvet ropes and champagne.

Cresta GX71: Japan’s Spirit on German roads

When you can’t go to Japan, you bring Japan to you. That’s exactly what the owner of this Toyota Cresta GX71 did. And no, he didn’t just import a pristine example from the streets of Osaka. He built it. Himself. In Germany. On home turf. With grit, style, and a whole lot of mechanical wizardry.

If you didn’t know, you’d swear this thing rolled straight out of Tokyo Auto Salon. But no, I found this example in the Pace Museum that is run by JP Performance. First thing that I noticed was the stance, it is chef’s kiss. Low, aggressive, and very much Japanese. But here’s the kicker: there are no off the shelf airride kits for this car available. So if you want it low, you’ve got to get your hands dirty. And that’s exactly what happened.

A Frankenstein’s mix of parts found their way onto this Cresta to get it sitting just right. The result? Perfection. The car nestles into its fenders like it was born there, riding on SSR Speed Star MK3 wheels. 15″x9J up front and 15″x9.5J in the rear.

DP Motorsport’s Porsche 911 “Black Champ”

If Darth Vader ever gave up the Empire and took up track days, he’d drive this: the DP Motorsport 911 WTL “Black Champ” 3.6. A black-on-black symphony of wide arches, race exhaust, and pure, unfiltered Porsche aggression.

This isn’t your average 911 with a body kit and a dream. No, the “Black Champ” is built using a factory fresh Porsche WTL chassis from 1994. WTL stands for Werks Turbo Look meaning it’s got the wide hips of a Turbo, but without the actual turbo. It’s like dressing like a heavyweight boxer and still being able to dance like Muhammad Ali.

DP Motorsport, the mad geniuses from Overath in Germany, have draped it in lightweight glass fiber panels, including a bonnet and rear spoiler inspired by the Porsche SC/RS from 1984. It’s lean, mean, and looks like it’s about to punch a GT3 in the face.

Bugatti Brouillard: One-Off Hypercar Tribute

This is the Bugatti Brouillard. It’s green. It has tartan. It’s got 1,578 brake horsepower. And it’s named after a horse. Welcome to the most gloriously bonkers Bugatti ever built.

When I first saw this car on photos when it was presented to the world it looked like a rendering. But after seeing it in the flesh during the recent Wheels Mariënwaerdt | Concours d’Elegance I can confirm those were not renders, it was very real. This car was my sole reason to attend the event, because I felt this was one of the few if not only chance to see this car up close.

Imagine, if you will, that Bugatti decided to throw a farewell party for its legendary W16 engine. But instead of cake and champagne, they built a one-off hypercar so extravagant, so utterly bespoke, it makes a Chiron look like a rental hatchback. This is the Brouillard, the first child of Bugatti’s new Programme Solitaire, which is basically Bugatti saying, “We’ll build you a car, but only if you’re rich enough to own your own planet.”

The Untold Saga of the Mercedes-Benz C111

If you ever wondered what happens when Mercedes-Benz decides to go completely mad, in a good way, meet the C111. No, it wasn’t a production car. No, you could’t buy one. And yes, people actually sent blank cheques to Stuttgart begging for it. That’s how bonkers this thing was. But it wasn’t just one car, Mercedes-Benz used the C111 for several different versions.

Imagine a car that looks like it was designed by a sci-fi illustrator on espresso. The C111 cars all had gullwing doors, a fiberglass wedge-shaped body, and a paint job called Weissherbst metallic orange.

These photos were taken in 2019 when Mercedes-Benz made a big impact during the 2019 Techno Classica show in Essen, Germany. They brought 5 of these so-called C111 cars to the show. The Techno Classica show is the largest classic car show in Europe and exhibitors include car manufacturers, dealers, restoration companies and private collectors. One of the big changes, and something that has been going on for a few years now, is diminishing support from the big three German car manufacturers. So you won’t see these kind of exhibitions anytime soon at a car show.