After the classic car show in Maastricht had to be postponed twice, the traditionally first classic car show of the year made an impressive comeback with its 28th edition under the new name "Classic Car Show": As with its sister show in Brussels, classic cars of the highest quality were once again presented in Maastricht. Around 800 classic vehicles were shown or offered for sale in two halls with 35,000 square meters of exhibition space. In addition to the car trade and relevant accompanying trade (literature, parts, tools, etc.), a "SIM Formula" competition center with racing simulators for so-called virtual racing was installed for the first time in the Forum Passage of the MECC, but this will not be discussed in detail here.
Of course, there was also another special exhibition, this time entitled "Dutch Grand Prix Classics". A selection of Formula 1 cars from the history of the Dutch Grand Prix was presented on the Zandvoort racetrack. Racing cars were shown in two exhibition rings, starting with the Talbot Lago T26C from 1950 and the Ferrari 156 "Sharknose" from 1961 through to the 2021 "company car" of two-time world champion Max Verstappen. His Red Bull Racing RB16B, which was heavily surrounded, was undoubtedly the crowd-puller of this special exhibition, which also offered guided tours in several languages.
Another novelty was the awarding of prizes in various categories, which were staggered according to decades, but also included special prizes such as one for the best restored classic car. The jury chose a Facel Vega Excellence EX 2 from 1962 as the "Best of Show", while the best pre-war car was a black Talbot AV 105 Roadster from 1933. A Mazda 616 De Luxe from 1975 in almost mint condition won the "Best Car of the '70s" category.
Lots of rarities and a million-dollar car
During the tour, it was possible to see many stands of well-known dealers from previous editions of the Maastricht trade fair, often in the same place. New suppliers also contributed to the unchanged high standard of the event. The prices of the vehicles on offer ranged from just over 5000 euros for a Jaguar S-Type 4.0 V8 from 2000 to the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron from 2006, which was on offer for an impressive 1,350,000 euros.
Once again, this trade fair was able to impress with a wide range of products and rarities. The Italian brands Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Fiat were represented in a high-caliber and diverse manner. Among the British, a number of Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus and Rolls-Royce were on offer. As always, there were also numerous vehicles of French provenance for sale. Anyone looking for a Citroën 2 CV or one of its derivatives, for example, was sure to find what they were looking for. At the upper end of the model scale, the convertibles of the DS series were comparatively well represented this time. Even a DS 21 Le Dandy from 1966 and the last example built of the Citroën M35 Wankel engine prototype were on offer.
Fans of American cars also found interesting offers, such as a few Chevrolet Corvettes, various Ford models, an Oldsmobile Toronado (1967), a Studebaker Golden Hawk (1957) and a Hudson Hornet Custom Hollywood Hardtop from 1956.
In addition to a number of classic cars from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, this time the reporter noticed many BMWs, particularly from the three-series, and several 3.0 Coupés on offer.
Youngtimers in the midfield
The newer cars also fitted in well with the overall concept. It was almost a matter of course to expect Spyker sports cars in the Netherlands. The new Caterham with the 660 cc Kei-Car engine from Suzuki as well as the latest cars from Morgan also look classic these days. Some of the replicas on offer, such as the modernization of the Lancia Delta by Maturo or the "backdating" of the Porsche 911 to the Madster RT, also fit the bill.
However, all the high-priced specialties should not lead to the conclusion that there were no interesting offers up to around 25,000 euros. Quite the opposite: there was quite a lot on offer, and not just in the youngtimer segment. For example, the "expected classics" Smart Roadster (6950 euros) or Mazda MX-5 from 1991 with only 28,000 kilometers on the clock were on offer for 17,950 euros.
As an alternative to a Chrysler Crossfire for around 15,000 euros, there was a Mercedes-Benz SLK 320 from the R 170 series, while a Fiat Coupé 2.0 16V with 5 cylinders from 1998 was available for 19,500 euros. Also of interest were a rarely offered Peugeot 605 for 8350 euros and a light blue Ford Granada 2.8 from 1982 for 24,500 euros.
And for the completely undecided, the dealer "Chrome Cars" would have offered a Porsche Diesel Junior 109 G tractor for €24,900.
As good as before - or better?
As in previous years, the stands of the automobile clubs from Belgium and the Netherlands rounded off the diverse range of exhibits. Let's end the tour with the conclusion that this year's Classic Car Show in Maastricht was able to match the level of previous editions, perhaps even surpass it. You don't really need more trade fair, more quality is hardly possible. So everything was in the green zone.
