Station wagons were the permanent theme at the 17th Bremen Classic Motorshow, which took place from February 1 to 3 in northern Germany. The topic of estate cars was not only featured in the special show, but many dealers and clubs also exhibited the practical and versatile three- and five-door models. The fact that Mercedes-Benz estate cars have been produced in Bremen since 1978 certainly had an influence on the main theme.
The Bremen trade fair can also be seen as a combination fair, as it combines the vehicle categories of cars, motorcycles and bicycles like no other. In addition to an extensive parts market, it also offers a sizeable vehicle market, a large part of which takes place in the parking garage.
Great interest
The eight halls and additional rooms, which together provided 46,815 square meters of space (including the multi-storey parking lot with private vehicle market), were already well attended on Friday morning. Apparently, neither the cool weather nor the wintry atmosphere could deter classic car enthusiasts from visiting the trade fair. 677 exhibitors showed an interesting selection from over 100 years of automobile, motorcycle and bicycle development.
41,678 spectators (according to Messe Bremen) streamed through the halls over the three days, a slight increase on the previous year. Not bad at a time when the battle between classic car fairs is becoming more intense year after year. Although set up as a regional trade fair, the 2019 edition also attracted many visitors from the Netherlands and Denmark. No wonder some of the announcements were also broadcast in Danish.
Many small rarities
The Bremen Classic Motorshow is not a rétromobile, you won't see a Ferrari 250 GT SWB or a Lamborghini Miura on every corner, but you will see a Goliath tricycle here, a Borgward Isabella station wagon there, a Hanomag 4/23 or a VW Brasilia a little further back.
Only very few cars in Bremen were labeled with six-digit prices, most of them were in the five-digit range, sometimes even in the four-digit range. It is and was a trade fair for enthusiasts.
Congenial and relaxed atmosphere
With a much less commercial feel than at other trade fairs, the comparatively small halls in Bremen immediately appealed to visitors, creating a calming atmosphere that gave interested visitors the time they needed to get to grips with the various (and in some cases comprehensively described) exhibits.
The focus was of course on the large special show "Kombi Nations".
The big combi show
The Americans called these practical three- or five-door vehicles with an opening at the rear "station wagons" because they could be used to collect luggage (and passengers) from the station. In Germany, the term "Kombi" is more commonly used to refer to a "combination car" that can fulfill various needs thanks to its flexibility. During the week, the station wagon was used by tradesmen to transport their paint buckets, wooden strips and drills, while at the weekend the head of the family used it to take his wife and child to the zoo or on a picnic.
Practical use was paramount, design was secondary. However, the Americans managed to push the station wagon into the premium class early on, photographing film actors in a woodie like the 1950 Buick Series 50 Super on display in Bremen. Wood provided interesting accents on the bodywork.
This design was also imitated in Europe, as demonstrated by the Morris Minor Traveler and the later Mini-based variant in the special show.
A station wagon can also make a good sporty trap if, for example, you take an Aston Martin DB5 as the basis and build a Shooting Brake from it. The pleasure was not cheap, which is why only 12 such examples were built. But they were certainly fast.
The latter also applies to the Volvo 850 estate on display from 1994, which caused a sensation and cult status in the British touring car racing series at the time. Although it was only used for one season and was then replaced by the saloon, it was certainly one of the sportiest estates in the world up until then.
A very special specialty stood in the middle of the special show, a Fiat 130 Familiare. Such a car did not exist on the Fiat price lists of the seventies. Giuseppe Introzzi created an elegant estate version of the four-door Fiat 130 sedan with the 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine in a very small edition, four of which were built. One of the cars was delivered to Umberto Agnelli, who once ran Fiat together with his brother Gianni.
The VW Bus T3 celebrates its birthday
The third version of Volkswagen's Type 2, also known simply as the Bus or T3, will be 40 years old in 2019, which is why it was given its own space in a central location at the trade fair.
Not only were very special versions, including a floating T3 variant, on display there, but visitors were also able to find out about problem areas of the now sprightly classic car.
The prices of the T3 versions are still significantly lower than those of their predecessors in some cases, but the price level is rising, according to specialists.
Anniversaries non-stop
There were, of course, anniversaries to celebrate at various stands.
For example, the Mercedes-Benz /8 Coupé celebrated its 50th birthday, while Citroën as a car brand even celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The Triumph TR5 can also look back on 50 years of life and was of course celebrated on the club stand.
And let's not forget the Mini, which turned 60 in 2019.
In middle age
Anyone wandering through the many stands in the halls saw many cars from the 1950s to 1980s, but hardly any cars that were significantly older or much younger.
The Bremen trade fair was dedicated to post-war classic cars, while youngtimers only appeared sporadically and neoclassics were virtually absent.
However, there were a few pre-war vehicles to admire, such as a Studebaker Big 6 Sports Tourer from 1920 or a Wolseley Hornet Special from 1935, to name just two examples.
Two-wheeled pleasures
The pre-war variants were better represented among the motorcycles, namely in the special show "The Century of Coolness", in which American motorcycles from around 1910 were shown.
There you could see very nicely which innovations were added over the years and in which direction the US motorcycle developed, favored by a completely different regulation than in Europe. Henderson, Indian, Harley-Davidson and Flying Merkel were the names of the magnificent two-wheelers that captivated visitors as soon as they entered the trade fair.
Further ahead, just after the entrance, non-motorized bikes, including some particularly rare racing bikes from Wolfgang Hagemann's collection, were also on display for new visitors.
The filigree bicycles impressed the visitors no less than the motorcycles, after all, the prices of the bikes for sale were only marginally lower.
For cold-resistant buyers
Traditionally, the private sale takes place in the adjacent parking garage. This is unheated and well ventilated. Especially at temperatures around freezing point, you quickly get clammy fingers if you want to take a closer look at the cars. At least you didn't have to get cold feet due to the mostly moderate prices (upward fluctuations confirmed the rule).
In any case, anyone looking for a Renault 4 could choose from several examples, one of which was even used in the movie "Der Junge muss an die frische Luft" about Hape Kerkeling's childhood.
Right at the entrance to the parking garage there was a charming Opel Rekord P1 as "Bamboo Surf Woody" and a little further back you could find rear-engined Fiat versions to choose from.
Of course, the German classics, whether they came from Mercedes, BMW or Volkswagen, were not missing from the parking garage. If only it hadn't been so cold ...
For young and old
In general, it can be said that the 2019 edition in particular had something to offer for all age groups. Young people were also actively encouraged at several stands, for example when a Fiat 500 was assembled by young people or a VW Formula Vee restored by trainees was on display.
And with ticket prices up to a maximum of EUR 16.00 per day, the contribution that had to be made to visit the extensive trade fair was certainly more than worth what was on offer.
