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The Drivers Collection '23

Driver's Collection at Magna had been getting me excited since last year when they announced the location. Magna is one of my favourite places and a perfect backdrop. Loads of corrugated metal sidings and all sorts of other bits of industrial history that are interesting on their own. The selection of cars, as always, was incredible and the variety is brilliant.

Starting with an interesting E36. Judging by the plate (a Japanese one reading "M44 LTW") it looks like this is a 16v that's been fettled a bit.

I don't know my Silvias so well but I assume this is a PS13? By any name it's one of the most perfectly proportioned cars ever; quite strange to see in real life at this height because the bonnet and boot lines are so sharp and flat and low it looks incredible. Beautiful in black with some really impressive touches.

And then this S15(?) expressed in a more rounded profile with a host of more refined stylistic touches like the slanted headlights which reinstate the charactistic sharpness with a newer body style.

Super well presented and a lot of work appears to have gone into it. Most VW sedans don't appeal to me but this comes from a completely different angle.

Some MEAT on this Fiesta in a super simple track/tarmac sort of look. Ultra purposeful with the glossy simplicity of the old shape without any superfluous bumpers or anything; really brings out the flow of the body and highlights that angularity.

Wouldn't consider myself a Robin fan - they're a bit too novelty for me - but this thing was right at home next to the monolithic structure of Magna. Exactly the sort of car I would imagine someone working here to be driving when it was functional.

Incredibly cool little Berg Cup style Polo, very much in my taste.

Seen this a few times now and desperately want a Polo of my own but it would never stray close to this level.

This was parked perfectly for the shot next to the shipping containers at the back. Industrial uniformity and 80s car styling go together brilliantly and really play off each other well. Not only does the setting seem to have changed minimally in character since the cars were new, but the modifications to the cars really define themselves against the geometric background.

That's why I took 2!

Gorgeous shade of white this one.

The car is impressive sure, but what's that in the background? Is it really....? No, it can't be!

MR SLIM!

Never come across this sort of badge before that I can remember but it's super cool.

I assume these marks on the wall are where a plant once blew against it, but in this new context it sort of looks like the car has managed to do some rings in another dimension. There's even a little ramp for it to go up.

Another car I wouldn't have given a fuck about when I was younger but they've really grown on me recently.

So glad to see this turn up; I've been following this guy for a while on Instagram and feel lucky to have seen the car in a couple of guises now.

Mazda has really supplanted itself as my favourite car brand in recent months. This is a stunner in the best shape of RX7 with some really really cool parts.

It's not a pairing I had imagined before but they look great together and are gorgeous cars in their own rights.

Car and setting again in perfect harmony. All the vertical lines in the car seem to be pulled up with the corrugations in the panel but it doesn't detract at all from the car itself.

This is the only old MG I like. I almost don't want to admit it, but this one really impressed me. It just looks exactly on the right balance where it looks raced but not falling apart.

This mystified me for a bit. From the front I thought "Citroen ZX estate", but from the rear it was much more "E36 Touring". Turns out it's actually a Rover?