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.

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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.

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