DMPD. An organization that by now is well known within the European car community for presenting some of the finest car shows one can attend. DMPD is a synonym for perfection and exclusivity, and yet also for a laid back atmosphere, hanging with your mates and enjoying that what we all love so dear; Cars.
There was a shockwave of disappointment when the announcement was made that there would be no DMDP main event this year. Fortunately for us there was still one DMPD event on the calendar; DMPD Finest!
Why the name DMDP Finest? Because this event was all about exclusivity. Only a lucky few invitees where available to attend this show with their cars.
And showing that this would be an extraordinary event where the presents in every hotelroom for those lucky enough to visit what turned out to be a great weekend!
Saturday – Wet shenanigans at the carwash
The weekend kicked of with a carwash event on Saturday evening from 18:00 till 00:00 so that everybody could get their car looking fresh and dandy for the main event on Sunday. And not just any carwash but a proper, brand new, state of the art facility just 5 minutes from the hotel.
The good people from Auto Finesse were kind enough to provide the carwash with an almost unlimited supply of detailing products…
… so that everyone was guaranteed to have a nice and shiny car by the time they were finished!
As with any DMPD event there’s something for everyone’s liking! From Aaron’s brilliant EK9 Civic on hydraulics, which will be featured very soon by our own Rens by the way,…
… to a decked out Porker…
… to a lovely Golf MK1! Each and every car literally deserved a feature on it’s own. We normally “just” look at the Japanese side of things but with an event like this, all you can do is appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that every single person has put in his/her ride.
But that’s just the whole point behind the DMPD events. It doesn’t matter what brand you drive. Whether it’s stanced Porsches or a ratted beetle…
… a 800bhp GT-R or a slammed beemer on Work Meisters, It’s all good!
Sunday – Taking over Doel
Rens and myself decided to head out to Doel early on Sunday morning so that we would have some time to explore the deserted village before it would be completely taken over by some of the finest rides Europe has to offer. You can read a little about the history of Doel in Rens his article but next to the fact that it’s almost completely deserted, there’s also the Nuclear Plant “Doel” right next to the little town.
I personally think that the people that choose to remain in Doel are quite the heroes.
Because next to the fact that there are some powerful people who will stop at nothing to see Doel destroyed, there’s also the terrifying fact that the plant itself has some of the most unstable reactors this side of the planet! The last few times the plant has been in the news the keywords were “unstable”, “sabotage” and “seconds from disaster”.
And yet the people that remain in Doel are more than happy to stay. As a matter of fact, last year some people actually returned to their old homes! I spoke to one of the residents and asked them why he had chosen to stay. The answer was simple yet mindblowing; “It’s a matter of principle! The politicians can keep their money and get stuffed. It’s our heritage, our home, our history! Not theirs! And as long as there are people who think the same there are people who will keep Doel alive. We just have to make the most of it.”
Needles to say, I was left in awe. You can only have the utmost respect for someone who has seen it all and yet remains to fight another battle. Because next to the Nuclear Plant and corrupt politicians there’s one other problem that threatens Doel.
I visited Doel almost three years ago for the last time and it was, and still is, a free haven for graffiti artists. But since then a lot of idiots with a spray can have found Doel as well. Where I could walk into almost any abandoned house three years ago, these have all been closed shut now. Well, almost all of them that is…
But I’ve rambled on long enough about this gorgeous little town. After all, you came here to see some car related stuff. Rens and I were quite surprised to see that cars already rolled in around 9 o’clock…
… and would keep doing so throughout the day! Soon the complete village had been taken over by some of the best cars I had ever seen. And I’m not even exaggerating.
There were cars parked in every! Single! Street! People were just hanging around, chilling…
… or just admiring all the goodness that had arrived in Doel. For one day, Doel was the tuning/stance/performance automotive capital of Europe. And it seemed that everybody wanted a part of the fun!
Of course there were some cars that caught my eye straight away. Like this perfect S2K! Some carbon goodies, Bride seats with Takatas and my all time favorite wheel; Work VS-XX in candy red! I literally fell in love so I decided that it deserves some more attention but that’s just an excuse to write a different blog with some highlights!
And I believe my buddy Rens has got a couple of features lined up as well! ;-)
All in all it was a perfect day with a perfect location; some awesome cars…
…and nothing but great moments!
I’m sure my mate Mathieu from Curbed Images has yet another epic after movie for us in store and I can tell you that yours truly has scored yet another sexy acting job.
Just look for the Zach Galifianakis look-alike! ;-)
You know, it’s funny! Every time you think that the fine people behind DMPD can’t outdo themselves next time they just go ahead and manage to exceed all expectations… again! It’s all about the details when it comes to managing events like this and they are truly the masters of detail. If you’ve never been to a DMPD event before make sure to come to one next year and I guarantee you; You’ll have a perfect weekend!
– Allard van Grafhorst
Bonus Images
