Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, the United Kingdom was really on the cutting edge of the brown automobile. Be it power, paint or panel gaps, the vehicles being churned out in the UK were, for the most part, really appalling. It’s little wonder then, that as soon as the we had access to imported cars, we jumped at the chance. The rise of Japanese and European cars in the UK was unstoppable.

You’d think that after 60 years, this hunger for cars outside of our own little island may have slowed down. On the contrary, it has spread like wildfire to UK car culture itself.

Tucked Automotive, run by a few of the nicest lads you’ll ever meet, is a group that just adores cars no matter what aspect of global car culture is at hand. This can be seen at all of their events.

Seeing as I had a recent Sunday free, I thought I’d take a trip to their latest meet: Tucked At The Park.

Hosted at Shuttleworth College in Burnley, a very picturesque event backdrop, the selection of metal did not disappoint. As I rolled in I was greeted by the usual wild variety of cars that Tucked attracts to its shows.

On parking up, I was greeted by this little blue Nissan Pao staring at me with its big round headlamps. Related to the Nissan Figaro and designed at a time when Nissan thought the future was the past, they’re a rare sight to see in the UK.

This EK9 Civic Type R was nearby, with its ITB-equipped K-series engine conversion and shaved bay proudly on show. The spec list appeared to be classic Honda tuner, with a mix of RAYS, Spoon and Bride items complementing the ultra-clean K-swap.

On the other end of the modified spectrum, this bright yellow EP3 Civic Type R was laid out thanks to Air Lift Performance suspension, on what was an unexpected set of RE Amemiya AW-7 wheels. As much as the purist in me wants to only ever see AW-7s on an RX-7, I can’t help but admit that the Civic looked awesome sitting tight on these Desmond-made wheels. The white faces really help to break up the vivid paintwork and red interior details.

Sticking with the Japanese machinery, it was great to see a good selection of VIP-style builds had made the journey out to Tucked. The standouts for me were a burgundy LS 430 with a beautiful metallic paint finish, and a black LS 400 on black/polished split rims with gold badges. Call me biased, but if I had to drive away in one it would be the LS 400. Blacked out and on the deck, the classic VIP influence just wins my heart.

Being a UK-based show, it was inevitable that there would be a healthy selection of VAG cars on display. The flavour of the day was the VW Golf, mainly in Mk2 form but with a sprinkling of tasty Mk1s on top for good measure. I was surprised not to see more Caddys and Transporters out to be honest, seeing as they’re the darlings of the UK summertime for many enthusiasts.

The VAG side of the show was definitely more represented by the stance crowd rather than the performance crowd this time around, with an exceptionally high standard of finish for many of the cars present.

I love this small bumper Mk2 Golf for its simplicity: blue paint, gunmetal BBS RMs, blue taillights, grey interior. Colour blocking just works for me, and the ‘keep it simple’ approach can never go wrong on a car with a shape as iconic as the Mk2’s.

My favourite Golf, however, is the Mk1, and this red left-hand drive example on Compomotive wheels with front turbofans ticked all the boxes. Smooth bays were a common sight at this event, but I really wasn’t expecting a DOHC 16V lump in the Mk1 when I went in for a closer look. The engine seemed to be having trouble catching idle, but that just meant I could grab more photos of it before it drove off.

To be honest, as much as they are the main purpose of any show or event, the cars really do seem to take second place at all of the Tucked meets I go to. There aren’t many shows where I see the owners of such a crazy range of cars all chatting, asking details of one another’s builds or just making new mates out of the blue.

In fact, there are a couple of builds that really caught my eye which I’ll be sharing in some upcoming spotlights. It only served to help that the owners were unbelievably friendly too.

It may have been helped by everyone enjoying the end of the UK lockdown or the surprisingly sunny weather, but Tucked At The Park 2021 it was one of the most chilled, friendly and relaxed car events I’ve ever been to. The only downside was that I got there several hours late. I can’t wait for the next one.

Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn