Auto e Moto d'Epoca Padova has blossomed into one of the largest classic car trade fairs in Europe, and it takes place in October, just as the season is coming to an end. However, there was little sign of this between October 22 and 25, 2015, as the temperatures signaled late summer rather than the coming winter.
Superlatives
90,000 square meters of space, 11 halls, 1,600 exhibitors, 18 brand presentations, 600 accredited journalists - those are big numbers. But even bigger are the 4000 cars that can be admired and, for the most part, purchased. This even beats Essen, said a representative of the organization.
And indeed, the variety of vehicles is huge and hardly any of the more than 80,000 visitors - the record mark was already surpassed on Sunday at 10:00 - are likely to have seen them all. Because without a hall plan, it is all too easy to simply overlook one or the other exhibition space completely. And there was a lot to miss!
Alfa Romeo with Montreal prototype
Alfa Romeo, for example, had brought some wonderful exhibits from the company's own museum in Aresa to Padua, including in particular the famous prototype of the Alfa Romeo Montreal, which was presented at the 1967 World Expo in Canada. As is well known, the sports car only had a four-cylinder engine at the time and the details of the Bertone design also differed from the later production version in a number of other respects. In any case, it was rare to get closer to one of the two prototypes of the time than in Padua.
The famous Giulia TI Super from the 1960s and a TZ2 with plastic bodywork were also on show alongside the new Giulia, which is expected to produce over 500 hp on two axles.
Record racers at Abarth
In addition to a modern car, a single-seater Fiat Abarth 1000 Monoposto Record weighing 500 kg and with a 982 cm3 longitudinally mounted four-cylinder engine with 105 hp could be admired on the Abarth stand. However, the Abarth 750 Record Bertone, which with its 47 hp 747 cc engine was capable of speeds of over 190 km/h at the time and weighed just 385 kg, was much more admired.
At 3.2 meters long and 1.41 meters wide, it was exceptionally short for a record-breaking vehicle, while its height of 1.295 meters was almost surprising.
Porsche with Turbo and Targa
Porsche remembered the early Targa and Turbo models, but also showed a magnificent 914/6 GT and a 959 from 1988 in cooperation with the clubs.
Mercedes and the big convertibles
Mercedes dedicated its stand to the large cabriolets from its model history and exhibited cars such as the 500K Cabriolet B from 1936 and the 300 S Cabriolet A Pininfarina from 1955.
40 years of the BMW three-series
BMW recalled the birth and evolution of the three-series, showing a Group 5 version of the E21, an M3 E30 and an M3 E36, alongside more modern counterparts.
From D-Type to Land Rover
Jaguar used its presence on the stand to commemorate the almost eternal Land Rover (Defender), but also brought a little racing feeling into the hall with the D-Type.
The early Range Rovers have also long since matured into classics and so a yellow-orange example from the early days was on display.
French in color
Peugeot and Citroën showed very different color patterns. While Peugeot was very rally-sporty and blue with the 504 V6 Coupé, 405 T16 and 205 T16, Citroën was shining in golden yellow, illustrated by a special model 2 CV Le Soleil from 1982 and a yellow Cactus as well as a Méhari shining in the same color.
The common feature of the manufacturers' stands, as presented here as an example, was and is of course that the classic cars can only be viewed, not purchased.
Rarities from dealers and private individuals
This is where the many dealers, who may well come from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany or France, jumped into the breach and many a private individual also tried to sell their classic cars to men (women only appeared as buyers in exceptional cases).
There were probably between 3,000 and 4,000 cars for sale, albeit all too often without a price because of fear of the tax office. At the same time, more Ferrari sports cars were on offer than ever before at a trade fair.
There was hardly anything missing from the dealerships and there were also some real rarities to be seen, such as the fast Maserati WRE from 1959 on the stand of the Graber sports garage. Right next to it, an FIA Cobra from the Oldtimer Galerie in Toffen made viewers' mouths water. Just a few meters away, you could see a Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II, a Bizzarrini GT Europa, an Amphicar or a Lancia Stratos from Bonhams.
In addition to many super classics, there were also cars that some visitors to the fair may have seen for the first time, such as an LMX 2300 from 1973, a Zanussi Sport Vendrame from 1948 or an Alfa Romeo Romeo 2 from 1960, a veritable bus.
If you didn't make a note of where you saw what, you probably wouldn't find your way back there in time later if you wanted to make an offer. And indeed, some cars were already showing the famous "SOLD" sign on the evening of the first day, meaning they had been sold. However, insiders rumored that the first vehicles changed hands as soon as the fair was set up, i.e. even before the doors opened.
Younger and younger?
What was striking in Padua was that the average age of the cars on offer seemed much younger than just a few years ago. The number of pre-war vehicles was obviously shrinking, but more and more youngtimers or even almost youthful future classics were appearing in the ranks of the cars on offer. A Dodge Viper could be spotted, as well as cars like a Dodge Stealth, a Ford Sierra Cosworth Turbo or an Alfa Romeo SZ/RZ Zagato from the eighties and nineties. It goes without saying that the Lancia Delta Integrale variants could not stand on the sidelines.
Vehicles with low mileage were also a recurring theme in Padua, especially when it came to rarities. A Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125 TC from 1982 with a mileage of just 18,000 km is almost a miracle of nature, so the 15,000 euros asked for seems to be an acceptable amount.
Always more expensive?
This leads us on our little virtual tour to the prices, which were of course also a big topic in 2015, if you could find them out at all due to the lack of prices on the signs. Generally speaking, steep sums were asked for good cars, an M3 E30 could easily cost 60,000 euros, and super classics only changed hands for super prices.
A little off the beaten track, however, there were always interesting vehicles for sale, which didn't get out of hand in terms of price, but which are hard to come by here. For example, an Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint Veloce from 1981 with just 24,000 km on the clock or a Giulietta Turbodelta from 1984 for Euro 18,500. A Fiat 1500 L from 1967 also doesn't seem overpriced at Euro 7500 and a silver Coupé 2300 S was advertised for Euro 26,5000. Patient browsing and hard bargaining could well lead to a favorable purchase ...
The treasures on the club stands
Not all of the rare cars were for sale, of course; many are in the loyal hands of club members, as is well known, and in 2015 they once again placed many rarities on the lovingly and functionally furnished club stands.
When else can you see an Autobianchi 111, the various derivatives of the Fiat 500, 600 or 850 models and even a Renault 5 Alpine made it to the stand of the Gordini and Alpine friends. It was worth taking a closer look here too. And you might even meet the oldest Fiat 500 driver in Italy. Emilio Zumerle is the 103-year-old man's name and he is still driving. He was rightly honored by the Fiat 500 Club Italia.
Parts in the semi-darkness
Traditionally, parts are also offered in Padua, of course, and here the majority were clearly lamps, instruments, carburetors and much more for the local makes. Those who searched long enough among the 650 parts exhibitors in the semi-darkness of the relatively poorly lit halls could perhaps go home with a shiny fresh steering wheel for their Alfa Romeo Giulietta or treat their classic car to a car radio true to the original.
Home well satiated
Even those who couldn't satisfy their hunger for classic cars by buying a car or spare part certainly didn't have to go home hungry from a culinary point of view, as the well-distributed catering options offered a choice and affordable prices, while at the same time exuding that pinch of "Italianitâ" that was sometimes lost in the sometimes gloomy and artificially lit halls.
Most, if not all, of the visitors certainly enjoyed the fair and are sure to return next year in the fall. And on the way, the wonderful espressos at the highway service stations will be tempting again ...
