For us Scandinavians, there are two shows that mark both the beginning and the end of the car season: The Swedish Elmia Custom Car Show in April, and the Olso Motor Show in October.

It feels weird to say, but naturally the Swedish event was cancelled a few months before the event took place, however, there was still a glimmer of hope for the Oslo show. Restrictions lifted a couple of weeks before the event, but anything could happen between then and when the doors to the Nova Spectrum Arena in Lillestrøm opened, so I kept my expectations low until the final day before travelling to Norway.

Being in a different country for the sole purpose of looking at cars and interacting with likeminded enthusiasts was a little surreal. It felt like it was 2019 again.

Entering the halls of the arena, you could sense the excitement building. There was a two-hour window to shoot the show as the last pieces came together before the public entered, and I made good use of that time. Because despite the normality of it all, the thought that we are still in a global pandemic never left my mind.

What better way to start of my coverage from the 2021 Olso Motor Show then with a triple Volvo setup.

The white 242DL is in a league of its own. Packing 938hp and 1,100Nm, this brick has plenty of goodies installed, including a Vortech V7 YSi supercharger, ZF transmission, Detroit locker diff, and you guessed it, air suspension. I could go on, but I think it might be worth taking a closer look at this build in the future…

The green 240 has a very Swedish-style engine bay with a 400hp 4.4L B8444S V8 from a 2007 Volvo XC90 swapped in. Check out that eight-throttle intake! Finally, the red 242 is running a Volvo T6 engine with a big turbo.

The stance scene in Scandinavia is huge, but with no dedicated show for these types of cars, it’s a treat when you get to see what the north has to offer.

In the OijOij booth was a familiar face: Roland Zetterströms Toyota KE70, which Dino featured on Speedhunters almost 10 years ago. This was my first time seeing the car in person, and it was exactly what I expected it to be – outrageous.

In the same booth was Jim Björk‘s JDM-inspired C4 Corvette, which took the internet by storm last year.

Another car that stood out to me was this roofless Volkswagen Beetle, created by Alexander Hansen. What a build!

I knew there was at least one RWB Porsche in Norway, but seeing two made the JDM fanboy in me scream with joy. The last time I saw one of these cars in person was in January 2020 at the annual RWB party in Kashiwa at Tokyo Auto Salon time. I really hope it’s not too long before I can get back to Japan.

Even though cars are the main attraction of the Oslo Motor Show, there are a lot of other things to see.

Motorcycles are big in Scandinavia too, and since local bike builders have had a year off from all shows, there’s been plenty of time to perfect their two-wheeled creations. I’m not a big bike fan, but it’s really hard not to appreciate builds like these.

If customized trucks are more your thing, there was even a hall filled with those too.

If you’re a brick fan, you would have enjoyed this 1:1 size LEGO replica of the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning Audi R18 TDI e-tron quattro. I can’t even begin to imagine how long it took to build this.

By now you will have realized that the Oslo Motor Show has a bit of everything, and that definitely includes old school cars – classic Japanese tin, American muscle, German sports coupes and much more. Some were in such amazing condition that it was to believe they would have ever seen any road use. They probably have of course, but it’s always fun to imagine.

Many cars I had never even heard of or seen before.

Take this one for example. From a distance I thought it was a Pontiac Fiero, but I soon found out it’s a French car called a Matra Murena.

Can you imagine driving this custom 1929 Ford Model A speedster?

One of my show highlights was this 1992 Porsche 911 restomod by Sooner – an absolute air-cooled masterpiece.

Out the back of the arena was a small race track for demonstration runs, and there were no shortage of willing participants.

Drifting was popular, but some youngsters in their off-road buggies had a go too.

Stepping into the pit area, the ethanol-filled air made me think how much I’m looking forward to the 2022 motorsport season. I really cannot wait.

Not all race cars were out in the cold entertaining the crowd, some just wanted to be show cars and that’s fine by me.

The Car of the Show was this fully-restored 1965 Volvo Amazon from Swedish car builder Johan Balsberg. This jaw-dropping creation came out of nowhere this summer after its debut at the annual Vallåkra car show in south Sweden. A full feature is definitely coming.

It was great to hear that 47,274 people attended the 2021 Oslo Motor Show, which was a record. But above that, it just felt amazing to be back at a show filled with great cars and awesome people.

Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa