There are two types of people – those that really enjoy car shows, and those that really don’t.
Up until I joined the Speedhunters team, I’d been in the latter camp.
Perhaps it’s because I’d been blissfully ignorant of how much the shows, scene and cars themselves had changed in recent years.
My memories of modified car shows come from the early 2000s, and were haunted by ill-fitting fibreglass monstrosities, lairy paint colours, terrible wheel taste and more speakers than your average hi-fi store.
In one ear someone would be doing their best to deafen you by playing a song which consisted entirely of bass tones at an atrocious volume, whilst in the other a group of lads would find a worrying amount of pleasure from bouncing their engine off the rev limiter whilst parked up.
And there was always one guy who knew how to make his exhaust perform a woeful pop by flicking the ignition on and off whilst revving, too. Very impressive stuff.
At the shows of today you’ll still find such things scattered around here and there, but they’re now an exception rather than the attraction.
I’ll usually only attend a handful of static shows during the year; those of us here in England call a relatively small island home, so attending every single show would just result in seeing the same cars against a different background.
But my year is nicely bookended by what I consider two of the most interesting – Ultimate Dubs in March and Players Show in September.
Since I’ve been making the annual pilgrimage to North Weald airfield in Essex, Players has grown from a relatively close-knit gathering of mostly VAG cars to an expansive sea of all makes and models. The event is now in its 11th year.
One of my bugbears at car shows is walking along rows upon rows of the same model car parked alongside one another, many identical at first glance bar a few small details. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve essentially seen them all.
This is why Players is an absolute gold mine. It shuns segregation, and encompasses the variety, style and atmosphere that makes UK car culture great.
A Quick RecceAfter quickly catching up with some of the Speedhunters team and finding amusement in how much care and attention Ben Chandler takes in washing his freshly-wrapped British Racing Green M3, I thought it best to take a proper walk around the show and try and find some interesting cars to highlight.
When you’re thinking about photography at a tightly packed show like Players you end up inevitably missing things. I’ve learnt over the years that step one with a show like this is to first wander around without taking any photos. That way you can get your bearings and appreciate the cars for what they are rather than as photographic subjects.
Then do another loop and start shooting. I saw this carbon-clad Escort RS Turbo on my first pass and it instantly became a firm favourite for my car of the show. I’ve a spotlight on it to follow.
I really enjoy being able to admire an American hotrod alongside a Mk2 Escort, a super-clean Fiesta RS Turbo and a Rocket Bunny-kitted S15.
Every which way you turned a fresh ocular pick-n-mix awaited. No matter how niche your tastes are, I defy anyone to not find something they can really appreciate here.
I had time to nose around this awesome Audi S2. Pushing well over 500bhp, there’s little better than the sound of a turbo five-pot.
This well-prepared S2000 had lots of nice details, too. Who remembers seeing build folders at car shows? The arrival of internet forums and then social media has long since made such relics obsolete. Kudos to whoever built the Honda for keeping this up to date; imagine buying a car and getting this kind of documentation with it!
I’ve never actually driven a Mini, despite my brother owning one for a few years. This GSX-R-powered track machine – which was the subject of a Speedhunters video a couple of years ago – looks like an animal to drive, and is really well presented, too.
Stay WeirdThere are always those that divide opinions, but if we were all the same then the world would be a dull place. I’m not a big fan of the ‘build for the haters’ attitude, as I think it can lead to people making intentionally obscure decisions just to get a reaction. But if you love what you’re doing and can appreciate car culture, I’ve got all the time in the world for you.
The interesting creation above came over for the show from Europe. It certainly wasn’t to my taste, but it got people talking and the guy was happy to stand by it and chat to anyone and everyone about what he’d built. Fair play to him.
I’m still not 100 percent sure what’s underneath it, though. Any ideas?
Inside one of the hangars there was a constant crowd around this custom Ford Fiesta. With a bench front seat, lots of smoothing and flushing, and an incredible attention to detail, it boasted plenty of hotrod-style modifications that you really wouldn’t often see on this type of car, and it was causing quite a stir. I’d love to chat to the owner to get more info if he sees this – my email is at the bottom.
Remember the crazy ‘bosotan’ Polo that we’ve featured before? I found it outside, but almost didn’t recognise it. Yes, somehow this thing is even more lairy now.
This Tuerck- and track-inspired GT86 was equally as eye-catching, with a very different approach. Has there been a car in recent years that has grabbed the imagination and heart of the tuning scene so quickly?
Players keeps you guessing, and just when I think I’ve seen everything that UK car culture has to offer, I’ll peek through a gap between two cars and see something that I’ve never seen before.
Obviously, with a show like Players, the mighty Golf is still a popular choice, and there were several notable examples. There definitely seemed to be less of a presence this year, though. A sign of the scene becoming even more diverse?
As alluded to by the RS Turbo earlier, there’s a big retro vibe going on in UK car culture at present. Old school Ford, Mercedes and BMW examples were abundant, although most were only mildly modified.
There were a couple of gems that I’d never before seen in the wild too, including this luxury Trasco-built Mercedes-Benz ‘1000SEL’. I’m trying to track down more information about this one.
And this wild RUF which suddenly appeared. I snapped a couple of shots quickly on the way to chat to someone and, regrettably, completely forgot to head back for a closer look later on.
Dare I say it, but the scene has grown up now. What used to be an excuse for newly licensed drivers to congregate and act in an undesirable manner is now a great way for all ages to spend a lazy Sunday looking at cars and chatting to friends. Car shows, like Players, are now family affairs; you can bring the kids and dog along without fear of them witnessing any animosity, or less than savoury behaviour.
I could go on, but there’s no deeper philosophical message or drawn out story here, it’s just good people and good cars.
For now, I’ll leave you to enjoy some more of my favourite sights from the show in the gallery chapter below. Stay tuned for additional coverage from Speedhunters at Players Show 11 very soon.
Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
Facebook: Jordan Butters Photography
jordan@speedhunters.com
Ben's M3 in that green looks mega. Starting to regret my decision to go to Silverstone for the BTCC now after seeing all the awesome cars on show.
Ben's dress sense belies his taste in cars.
All black..... He just needs a matching colour coat and he'll onto a winner.
Thanks very much Jay!
Your photography game has definitely stepped up! Great compositions
that ugly creation i believe has a old 3 series body
Agree. Kind of a waste of a nice Coupe 3-series in my opinion
yes its a bmw e21 under neath
That 911 in the cover is sexy AF... also... wth is goin'on with that Allegro?
What kit is on that ''Tuerck'' inspired GT86? I really really like that car. RB V?
I saw the photo of the RAM 2500 tow vehicle and wondered why you would bother posting a photo of such a common vehicle.
Then I remembered this isn't in 'murica.
Everyone loses their mind's when they see an American car in the UK!
e30
Jordan, it looks like I'm having a some sort of seizure in that photo. Also, the bottled water/wheel jet wash is something I'm going to patent. Not as in shine my shoes, but more like a system I'm going to pioneer! Seriously, though. I think you've managed to capture me at my very worst here, and I salute you for this.
Shhh you beautiful creature.
Couldn't help but notice the dog balls.
I hide a pair in every story just to see if people pay attention.
lmao, good one bro!!
wat
First thoughts.
Man, that Polo is so dumb but at the same time it's so good.
Jordan, regarding the 1000SEL, check out 1000SEL.com. It's a really cool site about some of the rare cars built back in the 80s and 90s.
http://www.1000sel.com/index.php/the-1000sel-mercedes
Not a lot of info there, but it may lead you in the right direction.
Did you have fun trying to white balance the sodium lighting in the hangar?
In saying that, I hate missing Players, it's always a good day.
The only way to truly get an accurate White Balance in there is with a BB gun.
I would just like to say how nice that Capri is. Very lovely.
Hi guys! Let me answer a couple of things about that E21 BMW. It's built for mountain passes and canyon carving. Top end was not that important, the car is designed to be quick rather than outright fast. Body is carbon fibre, engine is the original NA M20, but now it's stroked at 2.8, fuel injected, with electronic ignition and ITBs. Brakes are quite crucial when you're pushing it on the edge of the cliffs, so it has Wilwood disks and callipers front and rear, mounted on Massive big brake brackets. Also, we designed a rather large front brake extractor to take some of the heat out. Styling wise it references the pre Paul Bracq era at BMW, with the obvious starting point being the Neue Klasse, but with a lot of cues from the pre war BMWs. I must say it looks a bit strange when shot with wide lenses, as they tend to bloat what is a very full surface. Of course, on shows there is no way to shoot it otherwise, but in real life the car is much more lean. Last, but not least, thank you so much Jordan for featuring this car, for us this is a dream come true, we faced a lot of struggles over the 5 years it took to build and, all this time, Speedhunters was where we got a lot of the energy that allowed us to carry on.
Thanks for bringing the car to Players and kudos for following through on your vision!
Re: The 1000SEL--
http://1000sel.com/index.php/the-1000sel-mercedes
All credit goes to Bram Corts for compiling this awesome list of the '80s greatest hits / most ridiculously hideous, niche luxury builds
Nothing to do with my VW hatred at all but that yellow polo is an absolute monstrosity.
salute to speedhunters its getting bigger and better by every post.
I really hope that somebody didn't slam a real Gravel Express...
I think you're being a bit harsh on the old car shows. Those stereotypes you mention did exist but you could just as easily counter that today's car shows are dominated by vaping hipsters who drive slammed cars on rotiforms with ridiculous bolt on arches.
The car scene is always changing and there will always be fashions but that change is what makes it interesting. People have always been snobby about what they don't like though, that at least is constant
Along with one person's right to have an opinion comes the next's to be able to ignore it.
Any links to that fiesta?
More to come on that one!
What is that model of that Blue BMW at the end with the plate "U PI4YER"? I have never seen it before but I love it!