As much as Swedes love their Volvos, there is no shortage of BMW fans in this Scandinavian country. And when celebrating the German auto brand, there is one event above all others. I am, of course, talking about Bimmers Of Sweden.
It was 2019 when I last attended this event, so what better way to spend a recent Saturday than baking in the sun at Mantorp Park for the 2024 edition?
What started as a 30-car meet with friends in 2010 has evolved into the largest BMW-specific event in Scandinavia.
Anyone with a BMW can enter Bimmers Of Sweden, and this year, that equated to a staggering 1,704 cars on show.
With this many BMWs in attendance, you can always bank on some extra special vehicles in the mix. For this post, I set myself the task of finding just four cars to take a closer look at. Trust me, it wasn’t easy.
Let’s start with Mikaela Andersson‘s 1990 BMW E30 Touring, painted in BMW Brilliant Red.
Spotted in the Meguiar’s booth, Mikaela’s E30 wagon checks every box for a textbook stance build. There are M-Tech bumpers, side skirts and side panels, BMW E30 Cup side mirrors, and a custom rear spoiler. The wheels? Classic 3-piece BBS RSs, measuring 16×9.25-inch in the front and 16×9.5-inch out back.
The interior, which features an M-Tech II steering wheel and sports seats, was designed and expertly trimmed by Carlsborg Custom Seats in Sweden.
If you’re wondering about the suspension, the answer can be found in the trunk, where you’ll find the guts of Mikaela’s Air Lift Performance-based air ride setup featuring 3P management and custom-made hard lines.
Continuing the Air Lift Performance theme, next up we have Jonathan Berggren‘s BMW F31 340i.
The F31 is a popular model in the Swedish stance scene, but Jonathan has taken his wagon to the next level. The front lip, side skirts and rear diffuser are all forged carbon fibre – something I hadn’t even originally noticed in the harsh sunlight.
The interior has been treated to an M-Performance overhaul with upgraded seats, steering wheel, panels, armrest, handbrake and gear shifter. The Braum Racing bucket seats have been custom-trimmed in orange leather and Alcantara. The rear bench seat has received the same treatment, despite the half cage making it unusable.
That’s two wagons – now let’s check out two sedans.
First up is Alexander Wallin‘s 1982 BMW E23 735i, which really stood out to me at the parking entrance, surrounded by hundreds of other cars. Whenever a door, bonnet or trunk is open, my golden rule is always to look closer, and I’m glad I did here.
Inside the E23, Alexander has followed the glassätarbil (ice cream-getter) trend with a refreshed interior incorporating an Air Lift Performance suspension system in the trunk. My favourite touch is the ALP logo that lights up when the trunk lid is opened.
BMW and BBS are a match made in heaven, and complementing the 735i’s air-equipped stance are 2-piece BBS RC090s that have been turned into 3-piece splits and stepped up from 17- to 18-inch.
A harmonious blend of modern tech and classic design made this E23 my favourite of the show.
For my final pick, I flipped the switch and selected something a little more ‘Swedish’…
Do you remember what I initially said about Swedes loving their Volvos? As much as I love the look of the blue BMW 535i, its green companion feels closer to home. I’m sure you can see where this is going…
Inside the 1987 BMW E28’s engine bay is a B6294S2 from a 2004 Volvo S80 that is now paired with a large Holset HX40 turbocharger.
Cross-manufacturer engine swaps often require chassis tweaks. In this case, the firewall needed modifying to accommodate the Volvo motor. Furthermore, the rear shock mounts were raised, and the body was reinforced.
There is one more engine-swapped BMW from Bimmers Of Sweden 2024 that I would like to show you, but I have saved it for its own spotlight feature. Stick around for that.
Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
This websight sure is a lot QUIETER since a certain Rupert was banned. Hats off to the admins.
*Beemers (the key to saying it correctly is in the very first letter of BMW. It's pronounced like that little honey making insect, the BEE. Then you simply add "mer" to the end. Capeesh?!)
Nice! Almost a stance-free post (apart from the obvious offender).
Are you being humorous? 3 of the 4 "standouts" are stancey cars...but why does it bother people so much anyway?
It bothers people because stance cars quantifiably perform worse once their modifications are. Imaging spending 20 hours straight making a 5 star 5 course meal and then when you serve it to your guests they slop a handful of dog crap right on top of it and proceed to proclaim how brilliant it tastes.
That’s stance cars. Engineers spend hundreds of hours making sure cars can perform and handle and then the stance guys take a big dump all over it and tell us how amazing it is. And how we have to respect it or we’re haters.
That’s why people hate their dumb bullshhhhht
So you've got your panties in a twist because they call you haters, but in the very next line you say you hate their dumb BS. Um, if the cap fits, blah blah blah or something something whatever that next line is.
Your anology about food is kind of funny, because lots of people will get a top chefs meal and promptly add too much extra salt, or some sauce or whatever to make it "better". The dog poo part was a bit much though.
As for quantifiably performing worse once modded, that might be true for a small minority that go too far, but I don't see how some nicely fitted wheels or lowered suspension/airbags ruins the amazing track handling abilities of a mundane BMW wagon or an old 7 series. Those engineers poured countless hours into making those non-descript cars handle like they're on rails. LOL!
Lastly, just scroll on by. But you can't. You people are so triggered that you have to not only click, but comment with your hate. See that second story on the page right now, the track focused one....I don't click on it, why, because I'm not interested, I certainly don't click on it to just go down the bottom and vomit some garbage about why I hate the cars. LOL!
One day they will do it. Until then we wait patiently.
They won't actually, so you can wait all you want. Every element of the car scene has a right to be featured hre, just like you have the right o not click. It's hilarious seeing people triggered over stancey cars. LOL!
You’re so good at deep throating the media. How far down can you go? All the way to the balls?
You ok bro?
Yes, it's incredibly disappointing to see so many companies are committing to a full electric future, brands that made their name through motorsports like Bentley and Jaguar. I'm glad there are still some that would still offer stick shift to the small minority of us who wants that (best example: Aston Martin).
Yes indeed! I love the new Ferrari 12cilindri and 296. Both are styled to pay homage to the 365 "Daytona" and 246 Dino respectively. As a designer, the looks of those 2 gets my heart racing!
I remember they said they wanted to build a new gen M1 a couple of years ago, but Covid forced them to cancel. What a waste.