Meeting the
N-thusiasts

What is it about cars that brings people together? Sure, we all love driving, but there’s always been a camaraderie between petrolheads that extends beyond that. It’s a whole sub-culture. One that combines elements of style, individuality and expression.

Nowhere is this more evident than at the Ace Café in London. First opened in the 1930s, it immediately proved a magnet for car and bike enthusiasts. The current art deco façade, with its whitewashed walls and iconic clock tower, followed in 1949. In the fifties and sixties, the Ace became the spiritual home of the Rockers and the birthplace of the café racer. The riders of these stripped-down machines would stick a coin in the jukebox and then challenge each other to race to the nearby bridge and back before the song finished.

Half a century on, the Ace is still a focal point for those with high octane fuel pulsing through their veins. That makes it the ideal location for a gathering of the UK’s N-thusiasts, who have come from far and wide to take part in the event.

They’re a group as diverse as car culture itself. From young enthusiasts – for whom the i30 N’s attainable pricing has, in many cases, provided a gateway into performance car ownership – through to seasoned track day addicts. They all have a story to tell. As do their cars.

Ross is no stranger to the car scene, having started off customising cars for shows. In that world, it’s all about aesthetics, but the N is his first real performance car and he describes it as “more for go than for show”. Nonetheless, he couldn’t resist applying a degree of personalisation. Mechanically, it now has a stage one remap, a performance air filter and wider wheels. Visually, it’s marked out by a discreet series of tweaks that include black N badges, an aftermarket splitter and a carbon wrap for the spoiler.

“Modifying cars is in the blood, I think,” he comments. “It’s about trying to be that little bit different from everyone else and stamping your own identity on the car.”

Next we bump into Maria Nelson. A lifelong petrolhead and an active member of the N owners scene, she was drawn to the car by its combination of performance and versatility. “I love the way the i30 N drives,” she enthuses. “You can have a lot of fun with it, but it’s also a very easy car for the family – my kids love it. Plus, there’s a really nice community around it. We’ve met a lot of friends through N events.”