We jumped on a flight across the Atlantic a day early and still almost missed the gates. ULTRACE was worth every hour of that trip. Held on the esplanade around Wrocław's Tarczyński Arena at the end of June 2025, it has grown into one of the biggest tuning shows in Europe, and it's easily world-class.
A show that's actually curated
ULTRACE isn't an open car park. The organisers pick close to a thousand cars from several thousand applications, and you can feel it walking the rows. There are almost no filler builds, and every car is someone's best work. A drift show runs over both days in the stadium parking lot, so tyre smoke drifts across the display areas all weekend. Two of our favourites were here: a teal BMW M4 wearing Seven Lab and Adro parts, and the Judd V8-powered ex-Georg Plasa E36 M3, which got its own story.
JDM, the European way
What struck us most was how differently Europe interprets Japanese cars. A blue FD3S RX-7 sat low against the arena wall in full aero. A red R34 GT-R wore a novelty Japanese plate and a towering wing. Silvias, a 180SX hauled in on a trailer and an S14 with a "Style Bangers" banner showed the drift scene is alive in Poland, with Japanese-language banners hanging over the vendor tents.
Even the Ferraris were in on the joke: a yellow 360 Modena from @arios_suzuki wearing a "360SX" banner, a nod to Nissan's 180SX.
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European icons
The European builds got just as much attention. There was a black E30 M3 on British plates, an E39 M5 with a roof box (the most practical show car there), a Mercedes-Benz W124 saloon with its bonnet up, and two cars that make the Polish scene unique: slammed classic Ladas on deep-dish wheels, one red and spotless, one in deep burgundy. The burgundy one hides a surprise: a rotary engine from a Mazda RX-8, swapped in by Polish street builders. Seeing a Soviet-era saloon built to the same standard as the Ferrari 308 parked nearby is pure ULTRACE.
And then there was the noise. American V8s showed up too, and one Mustang from @tiberiu.tnt, breathing through a Corsa Performance exhaust, was frankly too loud to handle. Turn your volume up for this one.
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Golden hour
As the sun went down, the show got better. The arena façade glowed, a Toyota MR2 with pop-up lights rolled through the crowd, and cars on trailers started heading out under a pink sky. Our pick of the weekend was a Ferrari 308 on gold mesh wheels, shot at dusk.
ULTRACE 2025: the facts
- When and where: 28 and 29 June 2025, on the esplanade of Tarczyński Arena, Wrocław, Poland. The theme was "Running From Nothing".
- The field: about a thousand cars, picked by the organisers from several thousand applications, plus a Night Experience party across three floors of the stadium.
- Best of Show: Kazuki Ohashi (Kazuki Madlane) and his white Kremer K4-inspired Porsche 935ML. All 16 finalists received prizes.
- Hall of Legends: rings for four early supporters of the show: Mike Koziel, The Kyza, Kazuki Ohashi and Matt Carter (Stancefaktor).
- Drift show (Ultrace PA): Arios Suzuki in his yellow Ferrari 360 (the "360SX" car mentioned above), SultanFQ in a white McLaren and Adam LZ in a BMW E36.
- Hero cars: two Bugatti EB110 Super Sports, a Bugatti Divo, a Jaguar XJ220, a Maserati MC12 Corsa, a Koenig Specials Ferrari Testarossa, a Gemballa Mirage GT, Jürgen Alzen's GT40 and Daigo Saito's Nissan Laurel. Saito is the same driver we watched in his GR Supra at D1GP Ebisu.
- Partners: Rennmeister, BMW, Alpine and Porsche.
Sources: ULTRACE's official 2025 edition page and Classic Driver. Photos: One Breath Pictures.
Why it matters
For North American enthusiasts, ULTRACE is a reminder that some of the most interesting car culture right now is happening in Central and Eastern Europe. Builds there are bold, very clean, and often done on budgets that would surprise you. If you go, arrive early and plan for two days.
Photos: One Breath Pictures
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