London, England. Home to Buckingham Palace, yours truly, and some of the hottest street culture you’ll find anywhere on our blue and green planet.
Beyond the thriving skateboarding, fashion, and music scenes lies a healthy, active car culture in the UK’s capital – with Vengaworld at the forefront. I’ve been part of Brayden Slezak’s meets for a few years, watching them grow from humble beginnings in car parks to the not-so-humble present day… in car parks and beyond.
Vengaworld Underground signalled the end of winter hibernation for many car owners, drawing them out to a high-rise in East London with a view of Canary Wharf – the city’s financial district. With the support of Monster Energy, the top three floors of the venue became a layer cake of exhaust notes, split rims, and a diverse mix of cars on display.
Before you say anything about the name, ‘Vengaworld Overground’ doesn’t quite hit the same, and this is underground car culture at its best
With the first cars rolling in before sunset, numbers quickly grew, and the range of metal working its way up the spiral ramp was insane. There aren’t many places where you’ll find a 1931 Ford Model A hot rod next to a last-of-the-line, 2001 GC8G Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
The same can be said of R44 Performance’s G90 BMW M5 super-saloon, parked next to an EF Honda Civic lowrider running hydraulic suspension, hunnid-spoke wheels, and candy paint.
Variety really is the spice of life, and even the Porsche 911 was well-represented in all shapes and sizes. From a Speed Yellow Carrera S wearing Cup aero to Kieran’s well-abused Signal Green 997 GT3 RS, race-liveried G-Body, and a period-correct 996 Turbo peppered with Gemballa goodies, there was something for everyone.
Parked next to the 996 was an aggressive R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R wearing a carbon fibre bonnet and race mirrors. Parked side by side with aggressive intercoolers poking out from behind their bumpers – CSF Race components in the Porsche’s case – this pair looked ready to battle it out on the Wangan. Or the A13, seeing as this is London.
As the sun fell and the crowds grew both inside and outside the venue, the atmosphere shifted into something almost… alive. The sound of turbochargers and tuned straight-six engines echoed through the concrete structure, while attendees pulled out camera flashes. It felt like a scene from our favourite childhood movies, especially with the DJ spinning tracks on the corner of the sixth floor.
I’m proud to be a born-and-raised Londoner, and I’m even more proud to be a part of such a vibrant car scene, so it made sense to support Brayden in any way I could. My own BMW wasn’t behaving, so I sat this one out. But a quick message to Imran saw our friends at Evolve Automotive bring down a more-than-suitable substitute to park under our Turnpike banner instead.
Fresh off its American tour, the Evolve-built P65 GT3 race-engine-equipped BMW 1M Coupé roared its way up to our spot on the top floor. Resplendent in Java Green paint reflecting the fluorescent lighting, the BMW stood out next to Craig’s Zimax FD3S Mazda RX-7 on RAYS Volk Racing TE37V wheels and Jas’s stunning 1975 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV.
We’re equal-opportunity car enthusiasts here at Turnpike, so it felt right to fly our flag alongside some diverse motors.
As is the way, roll-out time under the cover of darkness was the prime opportunity for the rowdiest cars – and owners – to let their right feet loose and shake the building with exhaust notes. Jake’s fire-spitting RX-7 drew in one last crowd before joining the queue spiralling down the exit ramp.
You’ll note the first names I’ve thrown in and around the cars, because truth be told, the past 600-ish words have just been me talking about my mates and the things we get up to on a nice evening – but on a grander scale.
Be it friends catching up after a long winter away, such as Ian driving his Opel Kadett track car over from Austria (!) to a family night out with Ozy and his brother Batz with their Audis laid out next to each other, or new faces venturing out for the first time, everyone is welcome.
I’ve been waiting a long time to share one of the team’s meets with the wider world, but there’s always been a feeling of ‘the next one is going to be even better,’ which has kept me from doing so. I’d say the next one will be even better, but Underground was the best yet.
Come by, have fun, and admire the cars – but don’t call it a takeover. Vengaworld is elevating street culture, not dragging it down.
