"The classic car season starts in Bremen": this saying has become something of a catchphrase among German lovers of two- and four-wheeled veterans. No wonder: since its first edition in 2003, the scrap metal exchange and trade fair in the northern German metropolis has firmly established itself in the calendar - on the last weekend in January or the first weekend in February of each year and thus practically as the starting signal for the following classic car season.
Mood barometer
After the hibernation of the scene, the BCM, as it has long been known in the jargon, is therefore primarily regarded as the first important barometer of the mood for demand, turnover and price structure of year-old vehicles for the coming months. How will the offers, prices and interest levels develop this year? are the exciting questions that can be answered quite reliably in Bremen every year - by means of a live experience and without dubious visual aids such as polished crystal balls and deceptive augurs.
Usually easy to reach
Thanks to its proximity to the North Sea and the mild foothills of the Gulf Stream, the historically important seafaring city on the Weser is only relatively rarely hit by ice and snow.
Arriving exhibitors and visitors can therefore at best be annoyed by storms and correspondingly heavy rain; apart from the congested access routes to the exhibition grounds, at least during the heavy rush hours on Friday and Saturday mornings.
Vice versa: If you want to take a leisurely stroll through the eight large exhibition halls without being helplessly flushed through the aisles by the slowly swelling stream of people, it's best to come on Saturday afternoon. Or even on Sunday. That's when the tide is low, as they say on Germany's coast - but unfortunately also at some car parts and car sales stands, which were still able to present a full range of goods on the previous Friday. The same applies to the classic motorcycle sector; incidentally, the BCM is the largest trade fair in Europe in this discipline.
At the limits of capacity
To return to the quintessence: How was the 16th Bremen Classic Motorshow from February 2 to 4, 2018? Or - keyword mood barometer - asked differently and more concretely: What developments can we expect in the microcosm around semi-old and very old vehicles in 2018?
Well, with 661 exhibitors from ten countries (most came from Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain and, above all, the Netherlands and, of course, Germany) and around 100 clubs on show, the Bremen trade fair organizers once again filled their 47,000 square meters in eight halls to capacity.
Slight drop in visitor numbers
But there could have been more visitors: The average of previous years, namely 42,000 to 45,000, was slightly missed - around 41,000 paying guests went through the counter this time. Precise analyses must now clarify the extent to which this indicates a general decline in interest.
The fact is that the equally established Bremen Samba Carnival took place on the same weekend this year, which meant that important access routes to the trade fair were blocked for hours. This was also reported on the radio.
Solid sales results
The vehicle sales of the exhibiting dealers are said to have been stable to positive, but without reflecting the sometimes euphoric gold rush mood of the last two years. It is fitting that after several seasons of unmanageable Porsche 911 masses, only a few examples of the German sports car classic were on offer this time. It is possible that the 2018 season will see a certain calming of the market.
The Bremen experience at least does not indicate any market weakness: Bread-and-butter classics are still going for handsome sums into the hands of those who, after a long, intensive and competent search, show the due closing pleasure. And even in the higher price segments, only a few grandfather clocks were to be regretted.
Sympathy high
Regardless of the sales results, it is clear that the Bremen Classic Motorshow ranks right at the top in terms of popularity among exhibitors and visitors - probably no other German classic car show enjoys such a positive reputation and similarly consistent popularity ratings. There are various reasons for this.
Dealers praise the objective interest of their potential buyers; according to the common cliché, the dry North German doesn't "talk" much, so there is little pompous foaming at the mouth.
Commitment and real experiences
This audience, however, praises the BCM above all for the unusually great effort that the city's trade fair company makes every year to consistently inspire people. In fact, the Bremen-based company is much more committed than most of its competitors to offering visitors real experiences, be it through the private classic car market in the unfortunately very draughty, unpleasantly cold parking garage, where a good 250 classic cars once again came together.
Or with the special show, traditionally presented several times a day by Johannes Hübner, the voice of the classic car Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.
From wedge to Granturismo
The year before last, this special show was held under the motto "The 70s - simply Keil", with exhibits such as the BMW Turbo Gullwing from 1972 or the Mercedes-Benz C-111 sparking storms of enthusiasm.
In 2017, it was the unknown and forgotten treasures of coachbuilder Karmann, which was based in nearby Osnabrück - these sometimes spectacular showpieces, mostly one-offs, ranged from the 1909 Dürkopp 10/24 PS Doppelphaeton to the Opel Manta Cabriolet from 1971.
In 2018, the theme was the high culture of high-speed automobiles from the era when 200 km/h was still a fixed currency and exposed wealth articulated automotive style.
"Gran Turismo 2+2 - Jet Set for the Road" was the name of this special show, and once again it had it all: twelve top-class and top-class high-speed classics with more or less narrow emergency seats in row two made visitors revel, and some "best agers" were as happy as a third grader to be able to marvel at the dream cars of their youth for the first time live, in color and in direct comparison.
Sleek shapes, powerful engines
The icon of this exhibition was a Monteverdi High Speed 375 L from Switzerland - the model with the record-breaking displacement of 7.2 liters, which the common North German knows at best from the card games that circulated in the schoolyard at the time. It was a matter of honor that the Monteverdi also adorned the posters for the BCM 2018.
Other high-speed highlights: the "Queen Mary Ferrari" 365 GT 2+2, a very early Lamborghini Espada, a Glas/BMW 3000 V8, one of only 99 Gordon-Keeble GK 1s built - and the Citroën SM, in which CPSU leader Leonid Brezhnev is said to have always escaped from his Volga-motorized bodyguard.
Better satisfied visitors than overflowing tills
While the visitor is happy about such highlights, the exhibitor knows exactly where Bremen's activity comes from: It is the team around BCM project manager Frank Ruge, a man of the first hour, who has looked after practically every exhibit and every exhibitor as personally as he has sacrificed himself since 2003. Even if it sounds a little "sossig": "Mister BCM" Ruge and his hard-working staff prefer the satisfaction of the paying public - both exhibitors and visitors - to the level of their own coffers, it seems. It sounds pathetic, but it's logical: the captain can only enjoy smooth sailing if the paymasters are satisfied. A very North German principle that many other organizers of major German classic car fairs should take a moment to internalize...
And so for most people who experienced the BCM 2018 in front of and behind the parts counter, it is already clear that they will be coming back to the Weser in 2019 - even if it wasn't raining sales records this time. Because here, in the Hanseatic city of Bremen, you know what you have: a down-to-earth audience that reflects the broad scene base instead of myriads of sticky luxury investors, earthy used parts rummage tables instead of high-end exhibition stands of self-proclaimed premium houses. Above all, as the press release announces, but without any exaggeration, not only the start of the new classic car season. But also its first real highlight.
The extensive picture gallery invites you to take a virtual tour ...
