Ladies & Engines: 1st Edition

1. The concept

We had the idea of having a small, discreet and tasteful event since the summer of 2020 when we’ve noticed the fact that, no matter the occasion we were covering, most of the car owners and participants were men. Nothing wrong with that, seeing that car culture and motorsport, throughout their history, were mostly intended for the enjoyment of men. However, since this is not an exclusive aspect, we decided to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day by organizing a small get-together (due to Covid-19 regulations) and writing a special material, in order to showcase a lesser-known part of the domain we work in.

That being said, we managed to invite some special ladies, and their motorized partners, to join us for this feature. Helped by a wonderful spring day, sunny and joyful, and an amazing location, we went on to uncover the stories that our guests had to tell and find out how they got into the car & bike scene.

We would have loved to have as many guests as possible, but the meeting had to comply with all the state regulations in terms of the pandemic, so we tried to bring a diverse crowd, while still being able to shoot enough photos and respect the health & safety rules. We do believe that, for a first edition, it went pretty well, and we hope you enjoy the content as much as we did.

2. Alpina mom

Business-woman turned car-collector, full-time mom, and more in between, we were lucky enough to get some of Anca’s precious time, in order to find out how she got into the whole car movement. Lucky for us, she drove a wonderful piece of her collection, to showcase at this specific event, a mint-condition Alpina B3 2.7, featuring the original interior, engine, and technical gimmicks of its day. As a fun fact, this is the car with the 212 series-number plate, out of only 257 ever made, so this might have been the only occasion when a lot of us could ever see such a car, during our lifetime.

While leaving Anna to work her photo magic around the bavarian jewel, I found out about how Anca’s passion started out, almost 6 years ago, in 2015, when she got her hands on her first BMW E30. Although it wasn’t until she laid eyes on an Alpina model, that true love began. In the present, her family’s collection has 6 Alpinas and 24 other old-school Bimmers. Yes, you read that correctly. Needless to say, some future materials will be dedicated to this one-of-a-kind garage, but that’s a story for another day.

Discussing technical details and what being an Alpina owner means, while her child was having some cake and enjoying the spring sun, that was something new for us, but we can clearly say that car people shouldn’t worry, new generations are being raised correctly and the passion will be passed on.

3. Daily Audi 80

A true 90s icon, daily driven? Yes, please. Especially one as carefully restored as the one we had at the event. Featuring a 2.0 petrol engine, this sexy red coupe had its injection, interior, and paint fully redone, as well as the whole motor that brings it to life every day. The hard work that was put into this car was sustained by Alexa’s boyfriend, who fully shares and supports this passion.

Of course, as in many cases, Alexa’s passion was picked-up from an early age, since her father owns a car-repair shop and is also deeply involved in restoring old-school icons. No surprise, then, that she drives this little Audi to the hospital and back, where she helps save lives every single day. You could say that her car was also a patient who benefited from the best care around.

4. Super Dream

If you want to talk about the uniqueness of a motorized vehicle, it doesn’t get any more exclusive than the all-black motorcycle that Daniela and her boyfriend built. It is a one-of-one creation, a personal project that turned out to be a bike like the world has never seen.

Based on a 400 cc, 43 hp, Honda CB400N from 1983 (also dubbed the Super Dream), it was bought about a year ago, and it began the transformation process, starting with stripping the old bike and welding new and creative parts on it. The engine is the only thing that was kept intact, all of the other components were personally hand-made and crafted, painted or adjusted, in order to give life to this amazing machine.

Needless to say, the Super Dream will be showcased at events and meetings and we wish Daniela all the best, as this hand-crafted motorbike can easily win awards and admiration. It surely did it for us, as everyone who was present at the event was attracted to it. Not to mention the head-turning it stirs on the streets of Bucharest. Nicely done!

5. Final thoughts

Mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, car owners. A unique gathering that shifted the spotlight towards one of the lesser-known communities in Romania, with the sole purpose of blending an eclectic mix of engines, personalities, and visions.

Seeing that we could bring together such diversity, the fact that all the guests came with their families and shared experiences, advice, and ideas, that surely gives us confidence that this meeting will most likely grow, throughout the years, so we’re definitely looking forward to the 2nd edition of Ladies & Engines.

In conclusion, the opportunity that we got to discover such unique facts and created a small meeting, between passionate people, all while still under the influence of the global pandemic, was something that reminded everyone of how important connections are, and that, in a domain where we are mostly focused on cars, it’s the human touch that makes it all worthwhile.

Written by Mihai Dumitrescu / Instagram

Photographed by Anna Dumitrescu / Instagram

All the participants who attended the event were allowed on an invite-only basis and followed the state rules and regulations, in terms of health and safety. The media material was created by Tunedside staff and no third-party was involved in organizing this event. Tunedside does not stand liable for any incidents prior to or after the event. Many thanks to Quantic Pub for making this meeting possible.