Klassikwelt Bodensee took place for the 15th time from June 7 to 9, 2024. Project manager Roland Bosch announced full halls, 800 participants and an extensive supporting program in the run-up to the event. The weather forecast initially seemed to dampen optimism, but in the end the weather turned out to be better than feared.
36,000 visitors are said to have visited the classic car fair and streamed through the halls.
Historic mobility across the board
The public was offered practically everything that historic mobility had to offer. There were ships, airplanes and even airplanes in flight. Even the railroad was not neglected, albeit in a model on a small diorama.
The priority in Friedrichshafen was, of course, road-bound transportation on two, three, four and more wheels.
Super classics in the entrance area
Right at the entrance, visitors came across the first special show, which featured 25 automobiles from 10 countries.
On display were sports car legends such as the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the Lamborghini Miura and the Ferrari Daytona, as well as less glamorous cars such as a Honda S800, a DeLorean DMC-12 and an Audi quattro. All beautifully arranged and explained, albeit parked a little close together.
Everyday cars from the past
Even more than at other trade fairs, the classic car world holds up the bread-and-butter cars of yesteryear.
Whether Opel Kadett, VW Golf, Toyota Corolla or Fiat Panda, many stands in Friedrichshafen paid homage to cars that were once common but are now rare.
This was reinforced by the vintage cars on display in the free parking lot between the halls, which was almost exciting enough on its own to justify admission to the fair.
There was a Mercedes-Benz W124 next to an Audi (80/90) Coupé, a Peugeot 403 next to an MGA. The VW Beetle had its place, as did the Opel Ascona and the Alfa Romeo Berlina.
Great club stands
Almost all the halls at Messe Friedrichshafen were occupied, and there was something to see everywhere. The clubs were also partly responsible for the high density of interesting cars, with a nice mix of everyday cars and genuine rarities on their stands.
Examples of this were several Veritas, but also cars such as an Audi 100 or an Opel Corsa.
Thanks to the generous amount of space, there was never a large crowd and you could get close to the cars, some of which were quite rare, if there weren't barriers warning you to keep your distance.
Lots of 70s ambience
Hall A4 was home to the special show "The wild 70s".
It wasn't enough to simply show cars and motorcycles from the seventies; the vehicles were literally embedded in a seventies environment, complete with drive-in movie theater, living room, disco and the like.
Advertising illustrations and memorabilia from this colorful and dazzling era were lovingly collected and displayed.
The cars were almost a minor matter, despite the VW Golf GTI, Opel Manta or Citroën 2 CV. However, some of the things shown elsewhere at the trade fair would have fitted in well with the special show.
Cars and motorcycles in motion
A unique feature of Klassikwelt Bodensee is the circuit located behind the A halls, where vintage racing was the order of the day.
Around 300 vehicles offered entertainment for all the senses. The pre-war American La France vehicles with their huge engines were a very special spectacle.
A particular highlight was a fire engine that had not been transformed into a racing car and symbolized the actual purpose of these cars. The fact that the driver and co-driver also lined up for the demo laps in matching outfits made the picture perfect.
There was a lot more to see on the circuit, however, and the drivers of the cars didn't miss a beat, so a good show was guaranteed. Almost every "racing class" had exciting cars to offer and as soon as the engines were restarted after each break, the visitors to the fair streamed outside.
Thanks to an entertaining and knowledgeable track announcer, the spectators learned many interesting details about the racing cars.
For young and old
What stood out in Friedrichshafen was that the trade fair offered something for a wide range of age groups and target segments. While specialists came to the Deuvet for information, nostalgia fans strolled through the living room atmosphere of the seventies. Fans of the nineties were shown many youngtimers, but the pre-war fraction was not disappointed either.
Overall, there was a very peaceful and friendly atmosphere at Messe Friedrichshafen, which made it easy to get into conversation and exchange ideas.
At the end of the three days, everyone involved was actually very satisfied and we can therefore hope for an equally enjoyable sequel, which is planned for May 16-18, 2025.
However, the 250 or so photos that we have included in the picture gallery are probably worth a thousand words.
