Suddenly, there it was: the Fake Race Car. The chassis was up on stands, and rigged to the rafters above it was the shell of the 1982 Volvo 242 they’d first bought 15 years ago, in 2010.

This is the kind of Nürburgring battle you didn’t know you needed: a legendary BTCC Volvo 850 wagging its tail through corners, up against a wild big-turbo Ford Fiesta ST bringing raw boost and modern ...