The 35th Auto Zürich took place at Messe Oerlikon from November 9 to 13, 2022. This is primarily a new car show, which is stocked with the latest passenger cars by dealers and import companies. However, vintage and classic car dealers also played an important part in the exhibition, showing their cars mainly in Classic Hall 6.
Over 50 top-class classic cars
In fact, Hall 6 presented an interesting cross-section of almost 100 years of automotive history. The oldest car was probably a Frazer Nash Curtiss from 1927, fitted with a V8 aircraft engine from 1918, but there were also much younger cars in the Classic Hall, such as a Morgan from the current century.
The specialist dealers, including Emil Frey Classics, Dönni Classic Car, Touring Garage, Lutziger Classic Cars, Graber Sportgarage, Kestenholz Classics & Sportscars, Niki Hasler, House of Cars and Klima Lounge, represented almost a who's who of the local classic car dealer scene.
They also presented attractive classic cars on their stands. For example, the SS 100 Jaguar 3 1/2 Litre was admired at Dönni, while Touring Garage had a wide range of cars on display, from the MGA to the Ferrari 550 Maranello.
Lutziger Classic Cars had a Ferrari 512 BB and a Bugatti EB110 on display, while Graber Sportgarage had an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Pinin Farina Cabriolet.
At Kestenholz Classics & Sportscars, in addition to two Mercedes-Benz SL models, there was also a Renault 5 Turbo in rally trim and a Saab 92 with a two-stroke engine for sale. Niki Hasler presented two Ferrari models with unusual paintwork on his stand, namely a Ferrari 365 GT4 BB and a 365 GTB/4 Daytona in green.
The two Plymouth Cuda models and the rustic Lamborghini tractors also attracted a lot of attention.
Attractive special show celebrating 75 years of Ferrari
However, there were not only vehicles for sale in the Classic Hall, but also a veritable special exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Ferrari. Niki Hasler had used his connections to put together a wide-ranging selection of sports and racing cars from Ferrari.
The cars on display included a Ferrari 500 TRS, 250 MM, a 250 GT/L Lusso, a 275 GTB Competizione, a 512 BBi, an F40 and an F50.
A 333 SP and a 1996 F310 Formula 1 monoposto could also be viewed up close and only through low barriers.
Niki Hasler wanted to show at least one car from every era.
Even more classics
But there were not only old cars in Hall 6. Between the new vehicles, classic cars could also be found in other halls, such as an Audi Sport quattro, a Subaru 1600 4x4 or a Volvo 122 S in the top hall, or a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona at Kessel further down.
So-called restomod or backdating vehicles, i.e. old cars with modified technology or retro-converted bodies, were also represented several times.
Sportec unveiled the Porsche 911 "Ferdinand" at the exclusive preview on Wednesday, while Erbacher had a whole series of modified 911s on display.
Future classics?
Those who made the pilgrimage through the new car halls were able to discover a whole range of potential future classics.
In addition to the future-oriented electric SUV Eletra, Lotus presented the classically designed Emira, a sports car with manual transmission and combustion engine in front of the rear axle.
The various Koenigsegg models, the Pagani Huyara and various Aston Martin, Bentley and Ferrari models are also likely to have been promising candidates for the neoclassic list.
But the Microlino, the Honda Civic Type R, the Toyota GR 86 and GR Supra models also inspired people with a sense of nostalgia and classic driving pleasure.
Visitor success
With 60,000 tickets sold, the 35th Auto Zürich recorded its biggest attendance for years. 54 brand presentations and 80 new products, including world premieres, impressively demonstrated that Auto Zürich has secured an important place among the major motor shows.
The test drives with 17 different electric vehicles were also well received.
The new concept initiated in 2019 with standardized stand structures and a dedicated classic car hall has obviously been well received by the public. Auto Zürich will be able to prove that this is the case again in just one year's time (on November 2-5, 2023).
