From October 31 to November 3, 2019, the 33rd Auto Zürich Car Show had a novelty to present that also attracted classic car fans to Oerlikon: the entire Hall 6 was dedicated to old cars under the heading "Auto Zürich Classic".
The public seemed to appreciate this, with 59,532 visitors, almost ten percent more than in the previous year. Of course, this was not only due to the classic cars, but also to an almost complete range of new car brands and many premieres.
Classics mainly from five countries
Hall 6 looked particularly inviting. Around four dozen classic cars were presented in the best light. Germany had the largest contingent with 17 cars, followed by Great Britain with 12 and Italy with 12 cars. The USA and Switzerland were represented with 4 and 2 cars respectively.
More than a dozen dealers and service providers showcased their treasures on more or less standardized platforms in the spotlight.
While some, such as Porsche Classic Partner Zurich and Eberhard Classic, focused on one brand (Porsche and BMW respectively), others presented a potpourri of different vehicle types and manufacturers. Emil Frey Classics, for example, had an Italian Maserati Ghibli on offer as well as British cars.
Niki Hasler AG, on the other hand, had a more uniform approach, with only Ferrari sports cars on display, complemented by the beautiful engine technology from Maranello.
And Dönni Classic Car also showed cars from a single brand with two Jaguar vehicles.
The Oldtimer Galerie Toffen came up with something special: together with the neighboring stand, they brought two similar Plymouth Cuda to Oerlikon.
Variety and many contacts
Lutziger Classic Cars presented an Arnolt-Bristol Bolide from 1957, a joint production from England (technology), Italy (bodywork) and Idea (USA).
The Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B from 1938 also had a special feature: it had a Swiss body from Worblaufen.
The Touring Garage placed a cute Fiat Topolino next to a rare Aston Martin DB6 Volante, while Goodtimer contrasted a blue Jaguar E-Type V12 with an orange Porsche 912.
Two 993-series Porsches were also on display at House of Cars, accompanied by a Mini and a Ferrari 308.
The two exhibits at Porsche Classic Zurich were certainly also interesting: a 911 Targa, which is in the middle of a full restoration, and a 356, which is being converted for rally use.
So there was plenty of variety on offer, even if the pre-war years were only sparsely represented and cars from France, Spain, Japan or Sweden, to name just a few examples of car nations, were completely absent. At least there was a Subaru 1600 4WD from Emil Frey in the new car hall.
A special racing car show with cars from five decades
A special racing car show was put together especially for Auto Zürich with vehicles from Alfa Romeo, Cooper, Fiat-Abarth, Sauber, Ford and Brabham.
Two single-seaters, two prototypes and two sports cars represented five decades of racing car construction.
The Sauber C5 on display from 1976 is one of five examples built and was entered in the 1977 Le Mans 24-hour race with the BMW two-liter engine, still equipped with headlights at the time. In 1979, the sports prototype then became Swiss champion with driver Werner Wenk and an advertisement for a dating agency.
Few classic cars in the other halls
There were hardly any old cars to be seen outside the Classic Hall.
However, in addition to the aforementioned Subaru, a BMW M1 Procar, once driven by Niki Lauda, stood next to a BMW Formula E car. Nostalgics also found what they were looking for at the Caterham, Morgan and Alpine stands. Although the cars were all new, they at least looked more or less like they did back then and were likely to trigger similar emotions behind the wheel.
43 Swiss premieres and one world premiere
The main draws for the almost 60,000 visitors were of course the many premieres and the cars that you don't see every day.
Spectators gathered around the VW ID.3 and the Pagani Huyara Roadster, which at around CHF 2.5 million was the most expensive new car at the show.
The Porsche Taycan was also on display in front of a large audience for the first time in Switzerland, as was the Honda e.
The triumph of the plug-in
There were probably more power sockets (and charging stations) to admire at the 33rd Auto Zürich Car Show than at any previous event.
Hardly any manufacturer can do without electric cars these days; for some, such as Tesla, they even make up 100 percent of the range. But even among the major manufacturers, hardly any model series can do without a power connection.
Many of the new models also had an additional charging option or at least a hybrid badge on board.
In the classic car hall, on the other hand, there was a complete lack of sockets, but there was still one new car on display, even if it didn't look like one.
The Meanie 2.0 T on the Emil Frey Classics stand has the year of construction 2018 in the vehicle registration document, under the hood of the classic-looking body is state-of-the-art technology with the blessing of the road traffic office.
The resume of the dealers after the weekend was positive, the large flow of visitors kept them completely in check, there was little time to rest. Sales were not equally good everywhere, but the quality of conversation was universally praised. One of the dealers even had to change the range of vehicles after just two days, as all the cars on display had been sold. In any case, interest in continuing the "AUto Zürich Classic" was intact at the end of the fair.
The 34th edition of the Auto Zürich Car Show is planned for Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8, 2020.
