In the modified car scene, there are certain ways of doing things. At least, that’s what people will tell you. VXR Vauxhalls need to be Arden Blue, Mk1 Escorts need to have bubble arches and Cibies, Mk4 Golfs need to be dumped over wheels that are worth

more than the whole car. These are the perceived immutable constants of modern modding.

What a load of cobblers. If you’re building your car to impress other people, you’re doing it wrong; sure, it’s nice to receive admiring glances and friendly compliments on the showground, and winning the odd trophy is a wonderful reward for your hard work, but when you pull it all down to brass tacks, you’re the one that owns the thing. The only person you need to please is yourself.

Matt Creed is a fella who understands this.That’s why his E30 is smashing scene trends left, right and centre. You see, there was a time when chrome bumpers on a second-gen 3 Series were a massive no-no, and they’d have to be swapped for later plastic items at the earliest opportunity. Once upon a time, the notion of bolting Japanese wheels to a European car was anathema, and would result in extradition from the scene post-haste. And what’s all this we’re hearing about ruining pristine original interiors in classic cars?

Sod all that. Matt’s car is the E30 he wants it to be, and that’s all it could ever need to be.