At CDLC.CO’s recent 2024 Fitted Fest event, 4 cars stood out within the sea of stunning builds and captured my heart.
While they weren’t necessarily the flashiest or biggest-budget creations on display on the Sibelius Concert Hall and the scenic Vesijärvi Harbor venue in Finland, their unique stories and private touches resonated with me.
Henri Haimakainen’s Fiat Abarth 1000TC Replica
Small, lightweight race cars have at all times made me smile, and Henri Haimakainen’s Fiat Abarth 1000TC replica was no exception. Because the automobile made its show entrance, everybody welcomed it with a glad face. I bet it was the identical within the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s when the unique Abarth race cars dominated on course against much larger competitors. They were so competitive that the SCCA (Sports Automobile Club of America) banned the 1000TC Berlina Corsa model from competition.
Henri’s story with this automobile – a Fiat 600 – began in 2020 when he rescued it from a garage where it had sat dormant since 1994. Despite the Fiat’s extensive rust damage, Henri’s previous experience with project cars, and his welding skills, turned this challenge into a chance.
At the identical time he was resurrecting the chassis, Henri sourced fiberglass panels to rework the Fiat 600 right into a 1000TC replica. The automobile’s wide rear fenders, distinguished rear wing, and huge front bumper with an integrated radiator evoke the spirit of authentic Fiat racers. The Abarth-themed paint job, together with Cromodora CD66 wheels – 13×7-inch within the front and 13×8-inch out back – complete the classic racing stance.
The permanently exposed engine – an Abarth modification made mainly for cooling – blends form and performance beautifully.
It’s a real A112 Autobianchi Abarth unit producing 70-80 hp from its 1,050cc displacement – the identical power output that won Abarth races back within the day.
The race-themed interior encompasses a roll cage, Sparco racing seats with harnesses, and a classic three-spoke Abarth steering wheel. Beneath all of it, the little Fiat is provided with front coilovers and Abarth rear shock absorbers to fine-tune its handling.
Jan Hulkko’s Mazda RX-7 FD3S
This 1994 Mazda RX-7 R2 has as much character as its owner, Jan Hulkko. A panel beater and automobile painter by trade, Jan loves buying damaged cars through auctions and bringing them back to life. His RX-7 was no exception.
Acquired directly from Japan, the FD3S’s grading sheet showed more faults than features. “I even have never seen such a foul data sheet at an auction,” Jan says. Adding, “Every part was marked red.” It had a crash history, and electrical problems, and the engine wouldn’t start. Despite this and the actual fact it had come from Fukushima and potentially been flood damaged, Jan says he had a very good feeling when his Japanese agent messaged him to say his bid was successful.
After shipping the FD3S to Finland, Jan started working. Inspired by the Red Suns FD3S from Initial D, he sourced and fitted an RE Amemiya body kit, but with several custom changes made to offer it a novel look.
The Desmond Super Longchamp XR3 wheels got here with the automobile, but at the moment are completely reworked. They’ve been converted to three-piece, stepped up from 17-inch to 18-inch, fitted with wide outer lips, and had their centers painted in an old-school champagne silver color.
Under the hood, the RX-7’s original 13B-REW engine has been fully studded, street ported to Pineapple Racing specifications, and fitted with a Holset HX40 Super turbocharger. Tuned through an Emtron SL-4 engine management system, Jan says the 13B makes 512hp and 589Nm with 1.5 bar (22psi) of boost dialed in. To take advantage of the additional power, the RX-7’s suspension is upgraded with JIC Magic coilovers and Mazdaspeed components.
The Toyota Lightning Yellow paint combined with carbon fiber accents and an early-2000s-inspired livery by Squared Design, makes Jan’s RX-7 a standout in each performance and aesthetics.
Antti Eskeli’s BMW E21 Group 5 Tribute
Antti Eskeli, considered one of the Fitted Fest organizers, also owns this BMW E21 Group 5 tribute. Before embarking on the project, Antti had considered constructing a Le Mans-style race automobile for the road. But, the complications of getting a scratch-built machine street-legal in Finland put that concept to bed. Antti ultimately found what he was on the lookout for in an E21 ex-ice track racer being offered up on the market with a Pesch Motorsport Group 5 body kit. After several phone calls with the BMW’s seller, Antti drove to Teerjärvi to select it up.
That Teerjärvi location is very important to this story because it’s the hometown of Nils-Gustav Wiik, who raced a Group 5 BMW back within the day for Team Schnitzer. It turned out that Nils’ neighbor had acquired the E21 from the nearby city of Vaasa, and planned to construct a reproduction of Nils’ race automobile – with Nils lending his expertise. The project didn’t get very far, hence its sale with the Group 5 kit supplied unfitted, but it surely was the right start line for Antti’s to construct.
The automobile’s original M10B20 engine still lives under the hood, but whether it’ll stay is yet to be decided. It doesn’t currently run, so perhaps replaced outright – a Mazda 13B rotary engine that Antti has kicking around his garage might be an option.
BC Racing suspension has been fitted, as is the set of rare Japanese 3-piece FET Zisa wheels – 16×10-inch within the front and 18×13-inch within the rear.
Once I first saw the E21 at Fitted Fest 2024 during set-up day it was missing its huge front bumper. Nevertheless, over the weekend, that was attached, and other modifications were made to the automobile, which was interesting to see.
A highlight was watching local designer Joonas ‘Koponee’ Koponen hand-draw a livery that celebrates his graffiti roots and the history of BMW Art Cars. Koponee’s style is exclusive; he deliberately tries to attract complex letters, removing spaces and punctuations, making them difficult to read. The intricate calligraphy spells out CDLC.CO’s motto: ‘Death Before Driving Stock’. By the point I left the show, Koponee was almost finished. The driving force’s side has been left blank for an additional artwork that Antti plans to do himself.
Ex-Akira Nakai’s RWB 964 Stella Artois II
Stella Artois II – also often known as Stella II or Stella Boost – is a 964 evolution of Akira Nakai’s personal 930, Stella Artois. Nakai-san built the automobile in 2018 and unveiled it on the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon, but at all times intended to sell it.
Unlike Stella Artois, which remained naturally aspirated, this 1992 964 model encompasses a 3.6L turbocharged engine producing 500-600 horsepower from Front Row – the identical tuner shop that built RWB Rotana. The engine is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and RWB-spec Aragosta suspension.
Sold directly by Nakai-san to an anonymous Finnish owner, Stella Artois II has maintained its allure since arriving in Scandinavia. Its unique details, which include bat-wing vents, GReddy turbocharger, and handmade exhaust suggestions, and its history as a private Nakai-san creation, proceed to attract people in for a better look.
[/image_gallery]
The chipped paint from idlers Club track days and races in Japan only adds to its charm.
If these 4 cars can teach us anything, it’s that automotive beauty lies not only in perfection, but within the stories behind the builds. Truth be told, there have been actually six cars that I fell in love with at Fitted Fest 2024, however the last two require full features, so look out for those soon.
Vladimir Ljadov
Instagram: wheelsbywovka
because@wheelsbywovka.com
www.wheelsbywovka.com
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
