Just a few month ago I was forced to write an article about the very last Streetculture meeting in Munich/Aschheim. But today, today I am standing in Nürnberg in the middle of the Grundig arena and I am not surrounded by soccer players or athletes. The gigantic screens are not showing goals in slow motion or fouls, no Hooligan riots and nobody throws pyrotechnics down to the field. Instead I am surrounded by cars, low cars, very low cars and maximum low cars. A gigantic spectacle is waiting for us and it`s streetculture again. „The boss is back“ describes it perfectly and in case you want to know how big it really was, you will find out right here. 

The arrival
I haven`t had any wish to drive all the way to Nürnberg there and back in one day and that is why I booked a cozy hotel-room close to the Grundig arena. The arena itself was built in 1928 and even back than it did provide already space for about 50.000 people. In the middle of a nice park and very close to the fairground it should be easy to find. Because of that I start to walk over there just 15 minutes before the official opening. After a 10 minutes hike I arrive at a big access road which leads to some huge parking lots and parking garages. Hunderts and thousands of Tuning cars are already coming in. I think – I am right there. But wrong – this is just the parking area for the guests, and this is already bigger than most car meetings I have ever seen. Many pictures to take, many cars to see. But now, I am really curious and I have to follow the masses, down another street.

Welcome to the party
10 Euro later I am in. The first nice cars and unbelievable many people are waiting for me. Just a few meters away is a huge food court which may be big enough for a mid sized fun-fair. The curried sausages getting sold out of a helicopter. Well there is always one way to make something more interesting. But hunger has to wait, I want to go the infield first.

Half naked girls and shiny bolides are shown at the gigantic arena screens, movie clips of Streetculture events of the last years. The whole cinder track is used as the VIP area and cars who made it to this point won`t be seen very often on the street. „Legends never die“ is written in front of the engine bay of a classic Opel Manta and – here and today – this sentence can be understood ambiguous. German luxury cars, classics of different decades, some JDM racecars and a few muscles from the US of A as well as some rarely seen cars of other countries are sharing the space down here. I don`t know if I have a favorite, it`s all almost to overwhelming. I think the pictures will tell you more about it than 1000 words.

Where does it continue?
After two rounds at the infield a question comes into my mind. Was that it? Don`t get me wrong. The whole area was really packed but compared to the thousands of cars in the parking garages outside seems to be legit to think about it twice. So we were kind a wondering on our way back to the outside area of the arena. We did pass the food-court and found the next area, mostly packed with professional exhibitors. Among them I see my friends from „freies Bergrennen“ and I ask them if there is some more to see.

They smile and point with there finger all around the arena. „There is much more, you will see!“ And yes indeed, there is much more. Slowly I come back to the mid priced cars of my dreams. Ok, the 2 GTR`s and the Audi R8`s are still to expensive for me but there is a row of Mustangs, a golden Supra, some Evos and many many more to see. Down at the infield I had the feeling that it was dominated by VAG and german cars in general, but here is something for everybody.

Afterparty
The official end was scheduled at 10 o`clock pm. And right on time most cars are leaving the area. The biggest party is over. Streetculture has done it again, and even the rainy weather of the weekend gave us a break. You know, it was one of these „sad that it`s over moments“ in life and just at the moment we were strolling back I saw a camaro and a skyline leaving those big parking garages about 5 minutes away from grundig arena. I got the feeling its not over tonight. I did grab my camera again and took position in front of one of the exits. Streetculture is alive, just right here in the middle of all those people who make Streetculture worthwhile.

Text: Andreas Leffler
Bilder: Andreas Leffler