Considering total social media coverage, the European side of car culture arguably doesn’t receive all the attention it deserves. So it’s time to fix this with a visit to the go-fast kingdom that is JP Performance, the creation of Jean Pierre Kraemer, probably the most popular Euro car builder/vlogger out there.
Based in Dortmund, Germany, Jean Pierre (JP) is a self-made car lover who handles custom/tuning projects that take the internet by storm. Having grown up with no parents or financial means, JP has had to build it all for himself. But now we can say he’s building car stuff for the whole world, from tuning customer cars to his own wild rides and projects like the PACE (Performance and Car Education) museum he opened in Dortmund back in 2020.
The said museum, which also includes a coffee place (carffee by JP Performance) is just five minutes of driving away from the JP Performace shop the enthusiast inaugurated in 2012. And, across the road from the shop, JP also has a burger restaurant with a dyno room. Dubbed Big Boost Burger, the place lets people watch JP and his technicians dyno the cars they modify at the shop.
Despite completing two or three customer builds per day, JP’s biggest business is his social media empire, with a focus on YouTube (the channel is in German). The enthusiast explained this to famous car photographer/videographer Larry Chen in the Hagerty video below. Chen visited JP Performance earlier this year, receiving a private tour from the man himself. And, given how many of his photos decorate the museum’s walls, this feels like things coming full circle.
Jean Pierre Kraemer’s collection essentially holds over 100 cars
In 2023, the JP Performance collection consists of 81 completed cars, but there are another 25 cars JP has already acquired—together with the parts for them—and these will be gradually revealed as they get completed.
It’s worth noting that JP handles the engineering of his project cars. These machines bring together fans, influential creators like digital artist/body kit designer Khyzyl Saleem (aka The Kyza), and big names from the car industry. For one, the head of Audi design Marc Lithe has expressed his positive feelings towards a Pink Pig Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8 built by JP Performance.
Speaking of the auto industry, carmakers offer vehicles to be displayed in the PACE museum, as is the case with the VW ID R, a 40 kWh, 671 hp/2,400 lbs running prototype that currently holds the overall Nurburgring EV record.
The legendary race cars displayed in the PACE museum come from multiple disciplines: there’s Le Mans (McLaren F1 GTR), DTM (Mercedes C-Class), F1, Pikes Peak, and others. There’s also a Ken Block tribute, as the late Gymkhana creator and JP were friends.
Once again, heavily modified—perhaps reinvented is a better word—road cars are the bread and butter of the museum. And it’s not just those built by JP like his mid-engined Golf Mk II or BMW V10-powered Mk V Toyota Supra, but also a few iconic projects such as the 1,000 hp Mk IV Golf GTI that Swedish tuner Dahlback Racing built many years ago.
The cars in the museum change every six months, so those who pay the EUR14 ticket can get fresh thrills. In addition, the vehicles are displayed on pedestals and feature just the right lighting—it’s almost impossible to miss a perfect shot, JP jokes.
Plus, if you have a special car and it gets voted on JP Performance’s Instagram, your ride can be displayed in the museum for one month.
The JP Performance race track and plans
While Larry Chen didn’t get to show us JP Performance’s track on camera due to rain getting in the way, JP did release a video about the racing facility back in 2019, which you can find below.
We’re talking about the proving grounds of F&T LaSiSe, which is some 40 minutes of driving away from the facilities described above—if you plan to visit JP Performance in Dortmund, Germany, here’s how to find everything on Google Maps.
The track is officially described as an open-air research facility that also facilitates various forms of driver training and JP Performance does car testing here.
In fact, with JP telling Chen that he has a new project that will be inaugurated in 2025 at the earliest, this could mean a proper JP Performance base at the said track.
Meanwhile, we’ll get to see projects like this in-the-works mid-engined JP Performance VW Golf Mk III, which is animated by a V10 engine from an Audi R8.