Yes, I took a Ford to a Eurodrivers event. Technically speaking the Mk3 Focus is a European car, but that’s not the reason I went.

As of this point in time I have owned only Ford and GM products, but it should be obvious that my field of vision is not limited to those. Plunk me in the middle of any car show and chances are I’ll be happy because overall I just like cars. I look to all areas of the automotive world not just to admire what owners and builders are up to, but to see what I can take away as ideas for my own projects.

There are amazing vehicles spread across all genres, but I’ve noticed that there are also certain subtle differences amongst them, in regards to what owners and builders do especially well. If you divide the automotive world by geographic region, or brand, or style of build, to me at least it seems that most of these categories will have a defining characteristic, or one aspect that they carry out that little bit better than others. In the world of VWs, Audis, and the like, I’ve noticed and admired the dedication and eye for detail when it comes to OEM+ modifications. Owners will hunt down the smallest details, sourced from specific years, models, or regions, to add in to their own builds to set them apart. I’ve always been interested in their builds because of that and so I was excited by the chance to see both cars that I knew and ones that were new to me, to see what their owners and builders had done with them.

The point of this post is of course not to just highlight the OEM+ aspects of the builds you’ll see below, but be a traditional ‘show coverage’ entry; however, I wanted to answer the question of why I went to the show when I don’t even own a car from the VAG stable. Just like I do at other events I would have happily left the Focus in the spectator lot if it weren’t allowed in, but it was, which was a bonus. In fact I was literally greeted with open arms when I pulled into the lot that morning and heard Danny yell “BIILLLLL!” as he spotted me. Haha

All together it was a very enjoyable day, and while this isn’t the largest photo set ever, I hope you enjoy my perspective of Eurodrivers’ Summer Send Off regardless.

We might as well start off the photos with the somewhat generic, but useful, overview. This was looking from the end where we were parked too (our cars were just out of frame here, to the left) and the show carried over to the other end of the lot, in front of the dealership’s main doors.

The Focus wasn’t the only oddball in the field though as my mother took the opportunity to take the S13 out to another show as well. Of course, by now the little convertible is away for the winter and its absence is being felt. At least it had a good run this summer!

Across from us was Danny’s TT, up on one of the dividers. I’m quite looking forward to seeing what he has up his sleeve for 2018 in regards to both this and his Ruckus.

I try to keep up with as much as I can but I will admit that I’ll likely overlook some aspects of these cars that are especially rare or noteworthy. If you’re a die-hard VW/Audi enthusiast and at any point in this wonder “how on earth did he not mention this part or detail of this car”….just keep in mind I drive a Ford. Haha

Thankfully some owners did have info sheets on display with their vehicles so I made sure to not only study those while at the show, but shoot them as reminders for when it came time to write this up. This GLS had a sizable one and was an excellent example of what I was getting at with the lengths owners go to and details they pay attention to with OEM+ modifications. Throughout this were parts from the R32 Golf, Audi S4, Jetta GLI, and even the R8.

Apparently one of just six North American cars in this spec, this S4 Avant had some of the cooler valve covers that I’ve seen. Beyond these though, it was a pretty solid build with plenty of work in all areas.

This S4 is a car I see often out at events (and so regular readers of the site will recognize it) and is just an insane build overall. Tons of work has gone into this and the Acid Green-ish accents pop really nicely against the silver. Incidentally the info board was also done really nicely.

The North American market needs more properly cool wagons. Audi has certainly given us some good offerings over the years (and we’ve had the odd super-wagon like the CTS-V) but so many others only came here through photos and video. I likely would have gone for a Mk3 Focus wagon, had it been sold here.

As they were providing the space for the show, Northland VW of course took the opportunity to show off a few new models with one of them being the Beetle Dune convertible. It’s definitely a unique mashup of automotive classes but I kind of like it, especially in the yellow/gold exterior finish. There are cars that don’t really make sense that are cool for it, and those that don’t make sense and are just pointless. This is the former.

This dumped Mk3 looked quite good on its Audi rolling stock. You can just make out one of the red calipers, which tied in nicely to the other red accents throughout. Ketchup and Mustard in one!

I don’t have a shot of the exterior of this Mk2 GTI I’m afraid, but the engine bay has to be shared; it wasn’t the most tucked engine bay ever but it didn’t have to be. It was functional, but still tidy and coordinated. Side note, check out the hood too – carbon fiber!

I do however have an exterior shot of its neighbour; I had a brief chat with the owner of this Jetta because there was one aspect of it that I almost couldn’t believe. There was a lot of work into the car but perhaps the most impressive part of it was that it still wore the factory paint, which was in great shape, with 300,000 kilometers on the odometer! I hope that it keeps that paint for as long as possible; it may not be perfectly showroom fresh but tidy, original, high-mileage paint is more impressive than tidy, fresh paint.

“He’s just slinging parts for Harry, man.”

I’m not very old – second half of my 20’s – but there are still times when I feel old. Case in point: when I think about how long ago Mk5s came out. I remember when they were the new generation on the market and now we’re almost at the point where we could import RHD versions.

BMWs were represented pretty well at the show but I’m afraid I don’t have as many photos of them as I do of the other categories; as well, apparently my attention was drawn more by the four-doors in the lineup. Especially with the new F8x M3s, my vote goes for the more-door variant as opposed to the coupe.

We had just seen him at Park and Polish but had the chance to say hi to Merlin again when he stopped by the show. He also brought along his human Aldrich so we got to say hi to him too.

I know I’ve said it before but I’ll repeat it; of all new, mass-production cars on the market, Audis have the best interiors in my opinion. Somehow they know where the line is that separates uncluttered from barren and don’t cross to the wrong side.

It wasn’t partaking in the show but when I spied Colin’s GLI parked across the street there was no way I wasn’t going to grab a photo or two of it. I can’t recall how long he’s had this now but it has been a while to say the least. I still remember the one time he showed up to a Beyond meet with a fake duck tied down to his roof rack; he’d reach up through the sunroof and sneakily turn the duck’s head back and forth to really freak people out. Totally random memory that just came back to me…

Detour to Colin’s GLI over, it was back to the show for some more wandering. These Beetles made a nice pair; one in a more subdued gloss/satin grey combo, with the other wearing a very sparkly red coat which matched its interior. A little earlier this year Brad actually picked up a Beetle for himself and I’m curious to see what he does with it.

And last but not least, this 911; I know what you’re thinking, but no – it’s static. I’m just as confused as you are.

After a great day of checking out cars and chatting with the others at the show, it was time for prizes and awards – as you do. My mother ended up winning a gift certificate for a local shop, and when the awards were called Mustard ended up winning too…

…when it was awarded for being the best “Other”. The announcer was curious when this was handed to me; “Other? What did you bring?”, he asked. He was a bit surprised at my answer. Haha

Like I said at the start, I would have been very happy to just attend the show as a spectator, but being able to partake with the Focus was even more fun and the trophy was the icing on the cake. As one of the final events we attended during the 2017 season, Eurodrivers’ Summer Send Off was also one of the best. It was the chance to catch up with some friends, meet new people, see new cars, and take away an idea or two. The award was a bonus – and I’m that much more proud of my ‘Other’ for it.

-Bill