At CDLC.CO’s recent 2024 Fitted Fest event, four cars stood out in the sea of stunning builds and captured my heart.
While they weren’t necessarily the flashiest or biggest-budget creations on display at the Sibelius Concert Hall and the scenic Vesijärvi Harbor venue in Finland, their unique stories and personal touches resonated with me.
Henri Haimakainen’s Fiat Abarth 1000TC Replica
Small, lightweight race cars have always made me smile, and Henri Haimakainen’s Fiat Abarth 1000TC replica was no exception. As the car made its show entrance, everybody welcomed it with a happy face. I bet it was the same in the 1960s and ’70s when the original Abarth race cars dominated on track against much larger competitors. They were so competitive that the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) banned the 1000TC Berlina Corsa model from competition.
Henri’s story with this car – 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 an opportunity.
At the same time he was resurrecting the chassis, Henri sourced fiberglass panels to transform the Fiat 600 into a 1000TC replica. The car’s wide rear fenders, prominent rear wing, and large front bumper with an integrated radiator evoke the spirit of authentic Fiat racers. The Abarth-themed paint job, along with Cromodora CD66 wheels – 13×7-inch in 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 function beautifully.
It’s a genuine A112 Autobianchi Abarth unit producing 70-80 hp from its 1,050cc displacement – the same power output that won Abarth races back in the day.
The race-themed interior features a roll cage, Sparco racing seats with harnesses, and a classic three-spoke Abarth steering wheel. Beneath it all, the little Fiat is equipped 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 car 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 have never seen such a bad data sheet at an auction,” Jan says. Adding, “Everything was marked red.” It had a crash history, and electrical problems, and the engine wouldn’t start. Despite this and the fact it had come from Fukushima and potentially been flood damaged, Jan says he had a good feeling when his Japanese agent messaged him to say his bid was successful.
After shipping the FD3S to Finland, Jan got to work. 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 give it a unique look.
The Desmond Super Longchamp XR3 wheels came with the car, but are now 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 make the most of the extra 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 both performance and aesthetics.
Antti Eskeli’s BMW E21 Group 5 Tribute
Antti Eskeli, one of the Fitted Fest organizers, also owns this BMW E21 Group 5 tribute. Before embarking on the project, Antti had thought about building a Le Mans-style race car for the road. But, the complications of getting a scratch-built machine street-legal in Finland put that idea to bed. Antti ultimately found what he was looking for in an E21 ex-ice track racer being offered up for sale with a Pesch Motorsport Group 5 body kit. After several phone calls with the BMW’s seller, Antti drove to Teerjärvi to pick it up.
That Teerjärvi location is important to this story as it’s the hometown of Nils-Gustav Wiik, who raced a Group 5 BMW back in the day for Team Schnitzer. It turned out that Nils’ neighbor had acquired the E21 from the nearby city of Vaasa, and planned to build a replica of Nils’ race car – with Nils lending his expertise. The project didn’t get very far, hence its sale with the Group 5 kit supplied unfitted, but it was the perfect starting point for Antti’s to build.
The car’s original M10B20 engine still lives under the hood, but whether it will stay is yet to be decided. It doesn’t currently run, so maybe replaced outright – a Mazda 13B rotary engine that Antti has kicking around his garage could be an option.
BC Racing suspension has been fitted, as is the set of rare Japanese 3-piece FET Zisa wheels – 16×10-inch in the front and 18×13-inch in the rear.
When I first saw the E21 at Fitted Fest 2024 during set-up day it was missing its huge front bumper. However, over the weekend, that was attached, and other modifications were made to the car, 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 unique; he deliberately tries to draw 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 time I left the show, Koponee was almost finished. The driver’s side has been left blank for another artwork that Antti plans to do himself.
Ex-Akira Nakai’s RWB 964 Stella Artois II
Stella Artois II – also known as Stella II or Stella Boost – is a 964 evolution of Akira Nakai’s personal 930, Stella Artois. Nakai-san built the car in 2018 and unveiled it at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon, but always intended to sell it.
Unlike Stella Artois, which remained naturally aspirated, this 1992 964 model features a 3.6L turbocharged engine producing 500-600 horsepower from Front Row – the same 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 tips, and its history as a personal Nakai-san creation, continue to draw people in for a closer look.
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The chipped paint from idlers Club track days and races in Japan only adds to its charm.
If these four cars can teach us anything, it’s that automotive beauty lies not just in perfection, but in the stories behind the builds. Truth be told, there were actually six cars that I fell in love with at Fitted Fest 2024, but the last two require full features, so look out for those soon.
Vladimir Ljadov
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