Dubshed 2023
For the Irish car enthusiast, when the calendar flicks to April it only means one thing. Dubshed. The season opener always sets the tone for the year ahead and this year was no different.
For me, Dubshed was a little different this year. Just 3 weeks ago I was in surgery having an ACL reconstruction and walking in my immediate future didn't look likely. Thankfully, I was strong enough to manage on one crutch and hobble about but taking photos suddenly became a bit of a mission. (I apologise if I didn't get a photo of your car.)
Still, after weeks stuck indoors, it was great to be back out and about and one again, Dubshed did not disappoint. The standard was immense, seemingly higher than ever before which is super impressive for our small country.
There really isn't much left to be said about Dubshed. Year on year I leave with a renewed passion for modified cars and plenty of ideas for my own car. Its always great to catch-up with friends, mull over updates and recent mods to the OG builds and see the fresh builds for the first time.
It was very interesting to notice the non-VAG hall considerably busier throughout the day. There definitely is a changing of the guard when it comes to the newest generation of car enthusiest. Lairy, high horsepower Japanese cars seem to be the in thing at the moment, the modest front wheel drive Germans almost forgotten about.
It is the older stuff that floats my boat, though, and there was plenty of it this year. The population of modified German vehicles may be dwindling, but the cars that do remain are all top notch.
For me, three cars in particular stood out as favourites so I've highlighted them below. All three are perfectly executed and embody the styling I love so much when it comes to old German modified cars.
My good friend Jordan brought this stunning Boston Green E36 M3 down on behalf of its owner. BMW really hit the nail on the head with mid-nineties //M cars and the E36 is one of my fabourites. Dropped on air over a set of refinished OZ Futura, this one looked absolutely immense.
Over from Scotland, the KIC crew brought two bagged Audi B5 avants and the yellow one, an RS4, was my pick of the two. I've seen this car a few times now and it always leaves an impression. Probably because it wears one of the greatest wheels of all time, the BBS E88.
And finally, my personal favourite (and the official car of the show) was Eddies stunning MK2 Golf. This is a car I've known about for sometime but has always evaded me in person. It is perfect. The colour, the build quality, the wheels. It just simply does not get any better than that. I cannot wait to link up with Eddie this summer and photograph it in detail.
I'll finish with a word for the show organisers. Without them pushing for high quality show cars every year, I dread to think of the state of the Irish car scene. The efforts they make to give us these events don't go unnoticed. Thank-you.
Event: Dubshed 2023, Belfast