Can you feel that?
With more than 800 cars and almost 100,000 attendees, the 2024 Custom Motor Show – aka Elmia – kicked off the Swedish automotive event season in a huge way over Easter weekend.
Entering the Elmia Exhibition & Convention Centre halls for this event is always exciting. Car enthusiasts from all corners of Scandinavia travel to Jönköping, Sweden to show off their latest creations, and their efforts never disappoint.
In usual fashion, I started my walk-through in Hall X by OijOij. This year, however, I had already lent a hand by hanging some of the fancy yellow lights and pictures around the hall. Perhaps I should try dipping my toes in interior design…
Volkswagen Bora versus Saab 9-3. BBS versus Work. Red versus Blue. Which one do you pick?
Whatever your automotive taste, the variety of cars in Hall X always delivers something for everyone.
There are always a couple of cars that stick out from the rest, though, and this year’s main attraction was a pair of Kaido Racer-inspired builds.
Zeb, a New Zealander living in Sweden, the owner of the white Celica, and Alexander from Finland, the owner of the blue Celica, have done a superb job of showcasing the Japanese Kaido Racer subculture with their builds. And the best part is, they both drove their cars to and from the convention centre.
Another build that received a ton of love was Tommy Laursen’s Volkswagen Beetle on Air Lift Performance air suspension. As you will see later in this post, Tommy’s creation was one of a wave of Beetles that invaded Elmia this year.
If I had to pick just one car from Hall X as a personal favorite – not an easy thing to do – it would be this BMW E30 built by Pontus Johansson.
I might be biased, but anything that even slightly resembles a DTM car will always win my heart. You cannot go wrong with white paint and contrasting red race seats.
Making my way through Hall B, I found a Liberty Walk Lamborghini Huracán from Norway displayed alongside a Miles Works Automotive-built Porsche 996 Carrera owned by Peter Magnusson.
There are no RWB Porsches in Sweden, so the Spanish-built Miles Works 996s are a welcome addition to our car culture.
At this year’s Custom Motor Show, there were two of them. The second car belongs to Rodrigo Castro, who drove the 996 Turbo from Sweden to Mallorca in Spain two years ago, so it could go under the knife.
I spoke to Dominic Miles (the man behind Miles Works Automotive) at the event, and he told me that big things are happening at their shop. Maybe I should plan a trip to Mallorca to see what they are up to…
Remember Henrik Mattsson‘s wild Volvo wagon from the 2023 show? This Volvo pickup belongs to his son, Markus. The V70 features a custom tube frame, Volvo T5 engine, BMW 6-speed ZF gearbox running out to a Mercedes E-Class rear axle, and AMG brakes.
Elmia isn’t Elmia without the crazy Volvos.
Scandinavians love big-power builds, and Halls A and B are the best places to find them at the Custom Motor Show. Some are what you would expect at any custom car show, but there are always hidden gems. The three builds above are a great example.
While some builds are purely show-focused, others have a more practical purpose. Case in point, this Toyota Starlet with a BMW engine swap. It is built for one purpose: ripping on track. I hope this little rocket shows up at one of the main Gatebil events this summer, where we all know things get wild.
Today’s custom car culture owes a great deal to extreme builds like the two above.
Extreme ICE in fiberglass enclosures was once the pinnacle of car modification. For a couple of days in April in Sweden, you can go back to 2005 and experience these builds.
However, Fredrik Forsberg has brought his 1983 Volkswagen Golf Mk2 into the modern era with a shaved engine bay, custom interior and face-mounted split wheels.
I kept coming back to these halls. Not because of the overwhelming amount of turbo Volvos, but because one of the halls showcased a very special car. The highlight of my weekend at the Custom Motor Show, no less.
I was able to jump the barrier and get right up close and personal with this 1989 Group C Porsche 962, which was once raced in Japan by the late Kunimitsu Takahashi.
Takahashi-san drove this 962 when it ran the Team Kunimitsu Kenwood livery. Today, the Porsche sports the Rothmans #1 livery, from when it was driven by Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert.
It is one thing to look at a car like this, but the ingrained smell of this iconic 962 – a combination of burnt fuel, oil and rubber – took it to another level.
Every year at the Elmia show, they display a car that has been well and truly squashed. It is then up to the people to guess what it is to win a prize. Judging by this picture, any ideas?
Before I made my way to halls C and D, another VW Beetle running Air Lift Performance suspension stopped me in my tracks. See what I was saying earlier? It was a Bug takeover!
The popularity of American car culture in Scandinavia seems to never wane. I only see these cars at events like Elmia, but judging by the number of new builds every year, I haven’t even scratched the surface.
I spent lots of time hunting out the gems, and one car stood out above the rest for me. Stay tuned for more on that build.
Hall D at the Custom Motor Show is another favorite. It’s where spectators can see how builders work, making it a great place for anyone who wants to learn a thing or two about the industry and hobby. Inside, there were two cars I will be keeping my eyes on for future features – a bonkers Mini and a Gruppe 5-inspired BMW 1602.
Outside, drifting and stunt shows provided some live action. I only managed to take a handful of snaps before the session ended.
Whatever you like, Elmia has you covered. I have a few spotlights from the show to share soon, so make sure you check back for those. In the meantime, there’s more to check out from the 2024 Custom Motor Show in the gallery chapter below.
Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa
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