DUB IT Festival 2026 kicks off in Kielce with drift taxis, classic cars, and radical tuning builds from across Europe

A gathering of tuned machines

The DUB IT Festival opened its doors at Kielce's exhibition centre on 11 July for a two-day run through 12 July. Organisers have filled the halls with vehicles ranging from heavily modified street cars to factory-fresh supercars, alongside a dedicated drift zone where professional drivers offer passenger rides. The event draws builders and spectators from across Europe, reinforcing Poland's position on the continental tuning calendar.

The tuning culture on display has moved far beyond amateur bolt-on modifications. Exhibitors now rely on 3D scanning, CAD design, and CNC machining to re-engineer factory vehicles into bespoke creations. Builds often require months or years of work, with the original body and chassis serving only as a starting point.

Przebudowa samochodu staje się zaawansowanym procesem re-inżynieryjnym, w którym fabryczna konstrukcja jest jedynie punktem wyjścia do stworzenia unikalnego dzieła sztuki użytkowej.

Defining the modern tuning scene

The festival highlights several distinct modification philosophies. The stance movement prioritises wheel fitment and body lines, with builders manipulating suspension geometry to achieve aggressive camber angles and mounting tyres on oversized rims. This often requires cutting load-bearing components and installing advanced pneumatic suspension systems.

Opposite to stance sits the performance-oriented approach rooted in Japanese Domestic Market culture. Here, form follows function: visual changes are dictated by aerodynamics, and engineering effort goes into forged engine internals, upgraded cooling systems, and large turbochargers. Engine swaps that replace the factory unit with one offering greater modification potential are common in this camp.

The restomod trend, which blends classic bodywork with modern drivetrains and chassis technology, continues to gain popularity among builders who want vintage aesthetics without sacrificing contemporary performance and reliability.

Drifting takes centre stage

One of the festival's headline attractions is the drift taxi zone, where visitors can ride alongside professional drivers as they slide cars through corners at speed. Drifting traces its origins to 1960s Japan, where young drivers unable to afford professional motorsport took to mountain passes at night. These gatherings, called touge, initially aimed to find the fastest driver, but participants soon discovered that controlled slides through bends could produce better times.

Judging drifting proved difficult from the start. Early competitions relied on crowd applause to determine winners, but formal criteria eventually emerged: slide angle, entry speed (maintained through the judged section), and showmanship elements including tyre smoke remain the core metrics today.

Supercars, hypercars, and mega-cars on display

Alongside the modified builds, the festival features factory supercars and hypercars that represent the cutting edge of automotive engineering. Automotive journalism draws a functional line at mid-engined layouts derived from motorsport, extensive use of carbon fibre, titanium, and magnesium, and short production runs with high entry prices.

As 500 to 600 horsepower became manageable, manufacturers pushed further into hypercar territory. Modern hypercars deploy advanced hybrid systems and active aerodynamics to deliver system outputs well above 1,000 hp while handling aerodynamic forces at speeds approaching 400 km/h. Swedish manufacturer Koenigsegg went a step further, branding its One:1 model a mega-car after achieving a power-to-weight ratio of one kilogram per horsepower.

Classic cars and the heritage segment

The festival also devotes floor space to historic vehicles. Although Poland lacks a single nationwide definition for a classic or vintage vehicle, several provinces require a car to be at least 20 years old, out of production for at least 15 years, and composed of at least two-thirds original parts to qualify for yellow registration plates and associated benefits.

The collector community spans a wide spectrum, from owners of dozens of professionally restored machines to daily drivers who keep old cars running out of necessity. As market interest has grown, opportunistic dealers have entered the space, sometimes elevating unremarkable models to collector status despite having little connection to their original factory condition.

What's drawing eyes in Kielce

A substantial portion of the exhibition floor draws from Japanese car culture. Builds referencing Bosozoku, Kaido Racer, and VIP Style all share a radical approach to wheel geometry and ride height, with cars often resting directly on the asphalt via air-ride systems. Builders cut original fenders to accommodate multi-piece wheels with deep polished lips, and asymmetric paint schemes reference both Asian automotive aesthetics and pop culture.

At the opposite end, performance projects increasingly target exotic supercars. The Bumper Delete style, which removes the rear bumper entirely, has emerged as a recent hit. The approach improves thermal management for high-output engines while creating a raw, functional look dictated entirely by physics rather than convention.