The popularity of aircooled 911s has been on a constant rise for years on end now, and for good reason: the 911 is unequivocally the quintessential sportscar. The skyrocketing demand has brought these cars out of the woodwork, and as a result, the 911’s lead over the competition when it comes to being an enthusiast-centric car has only grown. With the upswing in popularity, tuners, builders, and drivers have worked to establish their name in the rapidly growing community.

I’ve been on a nostalgia kick lately. Having owned a few late model BMWs in my life, I had finally come to the conclusion that I needed one that was a relative classic. I decided I would aim for the mid ’80s to early ’90s to capture the feeling of when I first became acquainted with the brand. There were a few models of that era such as E24s, E28s and E34s that were on my radar.

This story begins with a rusty, battered Pontiac Trans Am. It’s a far departure from the BMWs Riley Stair has built his name around, although not totally unexpected, if you’ve ever seen the C10 Pickup he tucks away. He’s clearly got a passion for the un-substitutable thump-and-rumble of a V8, having stuffed one into almost every project he’s built so far, ranging from his own E28 and his dad’s E24, to the Datsun 240Z, the C10, and now the T/A, too.

The Traband 601 is a unique machine. To provide some history for American readers, the 601, most commonly known simply as “the Trabant,” was East Germany’s response to the Volkswagen Beetle. It began production in 1963, and carried forth until 1990, decades past obsolescence. Its two-stroke engine made for a somewhat reliable, simple, and easy to maintain platform, but found itself lost in the growing automotive technology that blossomed in the 1970s and ’80s.

SEMA 2018 has finally come to an end. We’re back in SoCal, and for better or worse, we’re catching up on more than a week’s worth of missed emails, articles, and more. For many of us, wether we look forward to it or dread it, SEMA is an event that consumes the first week of November, year after year. It’s the largest event in the automotive aftermarket, bar none, and rich with things to see, both incredible and laughable.