From Land Rover at Dakar to Drift-BMW with 1000 horsepower — this week at the Auto 2026 exhibition 0 16

The program includes various racing cars and unique tuning projects, including the world's narrowest car (50 cm!) from Italy. There will also be a sports theme – modern cars for drifting and racing, as well as classic sports cars that have succeeded even in desert races.

From classic competitions in Sicily to adventures on the Baltic roads

Created in 1979, the Porsche is a meticulously crafted reconstruction in honor of the legendary RSR cars, favorites of Martini & Rossi, which dominated the famous Targa Florio race in the early 1970s. In the RennSport Rennwagen (RSR) version, the car is stripped of excess weight, equipped with a suspension adapted for racetracks, and the engine is modified according to RSR specifications. The current owner has cared for this 911 for the last 15 years.

The car has had a rich and diverse life – it participated in Porsche Club of America races in the USA, started in the Latvian Youngtimer rally in Talsi, and spent many happy years driving on the historic Targa Florio route that winds through the mountain roads of Sicily. When it was not on those legendary roads, the Porsche proudly displayed in the Targa Florio museum.

Today, this special Porsche has arrived in Latvia, ready to start a new chapter and embark on new adventures on the roads of the Baltics. At the Auto 2026 exhibition, the sports car can be seen at the WhatCar? guide stand.

Winner at the legendary Nürburgring – BMW M6 GT3

Among modern racing cars at the exhibition will be the winner of the world-famous German racetrack Nürburgring. Rowe Racing's victory in 2020 with the BMW M6 GT3 in the 24-hour endurance race at Nürburgring became one of the most historic moments in the team's history.

To achieve such a victory, the car required the perfect combination of power, endurance, and aerodynamics. The BMW M6 GT3 is equipped with a 4.4-liter V8 turbo engine, with power increased to 585 hp. This racing car weighs only 1.3 tons and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. Its top speed reaches 300 km/h.

In the racing season, it outpaced competitors such as the Ferrari 488 GT3, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, and Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Classic Land Rover from modern Dakar

Lithuanian motorsport athlete and off-road enthusiast Karolis Rašys represented his country at last year's Dakar rally-raid in a 1978 Land Rover 109 Station Wagon and took 1st place in the historic vehicle class during the two-week competition, receiving the coveted Bedouin statuette that all participants desire.

Karolis Rašys's journey to the Dakar rally began in the summer of 2024 when he purchased the nearly fifty-year-old Defender off-road vehicle. Brought from Sweden, it required a complete restoration. To properly prepare it for the competition and send it to Saudi Arabia, a team of mechanics at the Vilnius Automobile Museum worked literally around the clock.

In a month, the car underwent the necessary modifications: an additional fuel tank was installed, the original engine was replaced with a more powerful Rover V8, and critical components were upgraded to more durable ones. His goal was to experience everything that the racers did in 1979 when the rally was first organized, and victory was claimed by two brothers from France in an identical 109 Station Wagon.

Drift race in a BMW with a 1000 horsepower engine

Latvian Pro-class drift racer Edgars Krūgeris will debut a completely new drift car project this season – a BMW 2 Series built on the basis of the most sporty M2 modification. On the first day of the Auto 2026 exhibition, April 24, at 14:00, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in the premiere of the new racing car and meet the athlete himself.

Krūgeris's drift car retains the V8 turbo engine with a power of about 1000 horsepower from the previous racing car, significantly surpassing the production BMW M2, of which only the brakes remain.

This is not the only racing car at the Latvian drift stand – throughout all three days of the exhibition, there will be opportunities to get acquainted not only with this BMW and another Pro-class drift car from Nissan but also to meet the athletes themselves, participate in contests, and learn about the opening of the drift season and Drift Masters stages in Latvia.

Legendary rotary engines in automotive and racing

Rotary engines differ from traditional piston engines in their unique design. Instead of pistons moving up and down in cylinders, a rotary engine uses a triangular rotor that rotates eccentrically in an oval chamber. This rotation sequentially performs the compression, ignition, and exhaust strokes in three different parts of the chamber during one complete revolution.

Such a design makes the engine extremely compact, lightweight, and capable of reaching very high RPMs, providing smooth and continuous power delivery with minimal vibrations. Engines of this type were widely used in mass automotive production and in racing by the Japanese company Mazda, for example, in the RX-7 and RX-8 models.

At the exhibition, there will be a separate stand dedicated to these unique engines, which helped win the 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans in 1991 with the Mazda 787B. A Mazda RX-8 will be showcased, along with disassembled rotary engines, including those with various damages. The goal of the exhibition is to share knowledge and demonstrate that with the right skills, such engines can be repaired independently. Visitors will be able to test their knowledge and practical skills by attempting to assemble a rotor or even an entire engine.

The exhibition brings together three sections: "New Cars," which this year features an unprecedented number of new models, "Automotive Mechanics" – solutions in car maintenance and repair, and Auto Exotica – impressive hobby cars and sports cars.

Opening hours: April 24-25, 10:00–19:00; April 26, 10:00–17:00

Admission tickets: Adults – 12 EUR Students, schoolchildren, pensioners, persons with disabilities – 8 EUR Family ticket (2 adults + 1 child under 18) – 25 EUR. For each additional child – 3 EUR

Parking – 5 EUR (up to 4 hours), each additional hour + 2 EUR. On April 25 and 26, visitors will be able to use parking P3 (Matrožu Street) for free, from where a bus will run to the exhibition every 5 minutes.