Depending on how you look at it, the Auto e Moto d'Epoca classic car fair in Padua is the largest of its kind in Europe. 110,000 square meters in twelve halls and 4,000 exhibited vehicles - that sounds like a lot, and it is.
The trade fair has had an international focus for some years now, but it is still considered an insider tip north of the Alps. The food stands and the good espresso alone would be worth the journey, which is less far for a Munich resident than to Essen, for example.
Like a huge supermarket for classic cars
For anyone traveling to Padua with the intention of buying, the trade fair, which opened its doors in the stylishly aged Fiera di Padova trade fair complex from October 23 to 26, 2014, felt like a supermarket. Around 90% of the 4000 vehicles in the halls and on the open-air site were for sale. At least if you're quick enough, because even on the preview day on Thursday - only 5000 visitors are admitted at a time - 1000 cars were sold, or so it was rumored in the evening - si non e vero e ben trovato (if it's not true, it's at least well invented) ...
In any case, "Sold" signs appeared on car windows everywhere early on the first day.
Not a sell-out
The prices were not at sell-out level, but on a par with other countries in Europe, if not even higher.
From A for Alfa Romeo to Z for Zagato, there was everything of interest to classic car collectors. Those on the hunt for a Citroën Méhari were just as likely to find what they were looking for as fans of Monteverdi, Maserati or Porsche.
Of course, Italian brands were particularly well represented, but 300 SL and Co, Aston Martin, Chevrolet or Bugatti were also available to buy, if you had the change.
60 years of the Giulietta
As at all motor shows, anniversaries are also used in Italy as an opportunity to show vehicles in a special light. The 100 years of Maserati were therefore just as much a topic as the 60 years that the Alfa Romeo Giulietta has been around. And the fact that one of the first prototypes of the Giulietta Sprint from the Corrado Lopresto collection was on display was perhaps reason enough for some Alfa fans to pay the 20 euro entrance fee.
Just as worth seeing, however, was the one-off Giulietta Spider by Bertone or the Disco Volante as a coupé, along with many other rare Alfa models.
Seven generations of VW Golf
The presence of the Volkswagen plant was more dedicated to the everyday car. All seven Golf generations were on display, all painted in silver metallic.
Volvo focused on the P 1800 as a coupé and sports estate and referred to the brand's long history, complemented by a PV 544 rally car.
Toyota also exhibited and celebrated 20 years of the RAV-4. 11 brands presented their vehicle tradition, but were not afraid to combine the old with the new. For example, an i8 stood next to a Z8 and a 2002 Ti on the BMW stand.
40 years of Porsche Turbo
Porsche used the seventh 911 Turbo generation to revisit the history of the exceptional sports car. There was also a Carrera 6 on the stand and a green 914.
Mercedes Benz showed that the 190 E 2.3-16 has arrived among the classics and paid homage to the 300 SL and its Mille Miglia ancestor, the 300 SLR.
Peugeot brought the 205 T16 to Padua and placed it alongside the Quasar study, which had been created using the same technology for the 1984 Paris Motor Show.
Audi recalled the rally successes of the Quattro and showed road models of the original Quattro and the Sport Quattro. Abarth presented old and new versions of the immortal Fiat 500, only Tesla had to forgo the cultivation of tradition, but nevertheless took part in the trade fair.
Clubs and events
The icing on the cake was once again the lovingly decorated club stands and the presentations by event organizers.
They often brought particularly rare vehicles to Padua.
At the stand of the Gran Premio di Bari (May 1-3, 2015), for example, there was a twin-engined Monaci racing car from 1952, which Ciro Monaci had put together at the beginning of the 1950s with the help of Gilco and Zagato and two Fiat Topolino engines to compete against the Ferrari 500 and co. Although the venture was not crowned with success, the car is nevertheless an interesting engineering achievement.
Rare cars from Italy
When was the last time a Fiat 850 Francis Lombardi with four doors and notchback was seen north of the Alps?
Or the Vignale and Moretti small series based on the Fiat 1100, 124, 128 or 2100 models? Many a model could be seen that even connoisseurs had never been able to see in person and most of them were even for sale. A museum for shopping!
Naturally, popular models such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Alfetta and Fiat 500/650 made up a significant proportion of the cars on display in Padua.
In between, however, there was also an almost virginal Alfasud and an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 converted into a pickup with a lot of patina or a unique Fiat Coupé Cabriolet, which even Chris Bangle might have enjoyed.
International
The audience and the range on offer at the fair were clearly international. Of course, there was a lot of Italian and hand-waving, but Dutch, English, German and Swiss-German were also clearly audible. Some of the 1600 exhibitors also came from far and wide, representing German, Austrian, Dutch and English companies. In addition to vehicles, they also offered parts and literature and demonstrated the quality of their services.
No wonder Mario Carlo Baccaglini, head of the trade fair, was optimistic: "We are expecting 80,000 visitors and we assume that 3/4 of the cars on display will be sold again this year". He has good reason to be proud, because the fair is well worth an extended visit. But you should allow enough time, because it can easily take two days to see everything and only those who study the hall plan carefully can ensure that they haven't missed anything. So if you didn't find the time in 2014, you should perhaps make a note of next year's date in your diary.
