VIDEO // HENRIK THORSTENEN'S 650HP MK2 ESCORT @ GATEBIL

If you Google Gatebil, in the images section you'll find a handful of insane looking street cars, tires smoking around some unknown Norwegian race circuit, bikini clad grid girls and what otherwise looks like one hell of a good time. It all began sometime in the 90's, when a group of friends from Kongsberg rented the Rudskogen Racetrack, hoping to improve their driving skills and spend a bit of time on track in their heavily modified street cars. Within a few years Gatebil had become one of the premiere events in Scandinavia, drawing crowds of more than 100,000 spectators and participants. Gatebil is now a major draw for professionals and amateurs alike, with each event seeing a selection of street cars well in excess of 500hp. In the above video, shot at Gatebil in 2007, ride along with Henrik Thorstenen and his 650hp Ford Escort MkII. An otherwise impressive show of power and control, Thorstenen suffers a puncture which ends his run a bit early. For additional information on the Norwegian tuning scene and the madness that is Gatebil, be sure and pick up the most recent issue of 0-60 Magazine, where EIC Brian Scotto travels to the far North in search of 1000hp street cars... // [comment]