While last year's Essen Motor Show was still held in a "slimmed-down" version and with restrictions (e.g. compulsory masks in the halls) due to the coronavirus, this year's 54th edition almost matched the level of 2019. Even though the car manufacturers have largely withdrawn in recent years and the era of "trade fair models" is probably finally over, there was once again a colorful mix of sporty production vehicles, tuning, motorsport and events. And last but not least, the "Classic and Prestige Salon" in Halls 1 and 2, which can now look back on a forty-year tradition and is of course of particular interest here.
Many anniversaries
There were also plenty of anniversaries and premieres. A special show commemorated the fact that sporty Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the "SL" suffix have been around for 70 years now, starting with the 300 SL, of which a Gullwing and a Roadster were on display alongside other exquisite sports cars in a class of their own around the SIHA "temple". After the "Pagoda" (W 113) and the R 107 and R 129 series, the "SL-Class" has become an integral part of the manufacturer's range over the decades. Another "half" anniversary, namely "55 years of AMG", was a perfect match. An SL 63 AMG, an SLS AMG and an AMG GT-R Black Series were on display at SIHA. These vehicles were in the illustrious company of a Ferrari 512 BB, a Ferrari Portofino M, a Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron and a CCXR from the Swedish sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg.
The sculpturally designed super sports car Apollo IE with its iridescent colors was also photographically appealing from every angle. Let's stay with the anniversaries for a moment. The famous "24 Hours of Le Mans" will have been held for 100 years next year. The Technik-Museum Sinsheim will be honoring this with a special exhibition and, in anticipation of this, is showing a Triumph TRS from 1961. This car is one of four original vehicles. However, this example is the reserve car, which was not used in the race.
Hall 3 featured another special show: Under the title "Fascination Black & Gold - 50 Years of John Player Special", 18 cars from the Lotus racing team were shown in the legendary black and gold design of the cigarette manufacturer. Both the new BMW M2 and the Koenigsegg CC 850 with up to 1385 hp, which was ceremoniously unveiled on the evening of the preview day, celebrated their premiere at the Essen show. The model was produced in a series of 50 units to mark the 50th birthday of the company founder.
Let's now take a short tour, without any claim to completeness. As expected, many Mercedes-Benz and AMG vehicles were presented to coincide with the above anniversaries. At Brabus Classic, for example, there were two "Pagoda SLs" - immaculate and high-priced as usual, namely for 329,000 euros per car. Both together thus cost about as much as a 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet on the same stand. At the lower end of the price scale, however, there were not too many offers in Essen. After all, you could have chosen between three Mercedes-Benz SLKs from the R 170 series (from €9900-13,900 for an SLK 320).
Medium and high-priced classics
A rather rare Borgward Arabella de Luxe from 1962 was offered for €14,900. A Pontiac Grand Prix from 1976 was on offer for €16,800; a Porsche 944 Turbo was available for €23,800, and a BMW 323i Baur Cabrio (E 21) from 1979 would have cost as much as €36,000. There were also some American cars available, such as two 1956 Ford Thunderbirds for €36,800 and €41,800 respectively, the latter in "Fiesta Red" with a porthole hardtop. A Buick Special 2-Door Riviera from 1958 was offered for €41,800 and found a new owner shortly after the EMS opened.
A Citroën DS 21 Cabriolet was considerably more expensive, with an asking price of €149,000. But even a classically beautiful Ferrari 250 GT SWB from 1962 could not hide the fact that most of the "Classic and Prestige Cars" on display in Essen were from more recent times. For example, the Lamborghini Murciélago SV-R or the Spanish Tramontana as well as the two X-Bow models from the Austrian manufacturer KTM. One would have expected more classic cars in Halls 1 and 2, but in general the exhibitors seemed to lean more towards youngtimers or expected classics; pre-war cars did not play a significant role here. On closer inspection, a mighty black Mercedes-Benz 770 was a "deceptive package": it was based on an ML 55 AMG. The range of British classics was also very limited. However, all this should be different at the Techno-Classica at the same venue next April.
Modern with classic elements - and vice versa
Of course, the tuners and dealers known to the younger audience from private television were also present at this year's EMS. Sidney Industries from Sidney Hoffmann, for example, showed a reminiscence of the famous pink Porsche 917/20 coupé, commonly known as "the sow", alongside a hazard streaker. However, instead of the words "trunk" and "brain" previously painted on the pink paintwork, it now reads "connecting rod" or "cylinder head". The omnipresent JP Kraemer showed various BMW models and another "Supergolf", this time not with a mid-engine, but with a VR6 in the front. And Sky, a company known for its exotic offerings, presented three Ford Mustangs and the now well-known original car from the film "Manta Manta" as well as a 5.74-meter-long Daimler DS420 that once belonged to singer Roger Whittaker. It was also original that some of the dealer's vehicles could be auctioned on Ebay at the same time
In the rather understaffed "Clubs and interest groups" section, the Mercedes Fan World took up a lot of space in Hall 3 with an exhibition area of around 600 square meters. In addition to a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, various AMGs and a W123 rally car, a convertible based on a coupé from the 126 model series was also on display. This was once built by SGS Styling Garage, which is known for its extravagant conversions. Another exciting project is certainly the Mercedes-Benz 400 E (W 124) from 1992, which was rescued from a scrapyard in Los Angeles and is now waiting for its second life.
On their tour, fans of classic sheet metal will probably have made quick work of the event arena in Hall 4 with its bumper cars and go-kart track, as well as the areas with loud booming bass and extreme tuning. However, it is always amazing to see which classic cars are fitted with air suspension, here is just a small selection: Volkswagen Ovali Beetle and 1600 TL, Porsche 356, Mercedes-Benz Strichacht, 124 and 126 Coupé, Opel Kadett E GSI, Ford Sierra etc. But modern-day cars were also given air suspension, such as an Aston Martin Vantage V8 or a Tesla Model 3 - a mixture that takes some getting used to. In addition to the expected oversized wheel diameters, the reporter noticed the numerous companies that deal exclusively with the wrapping of cars ("car wrapping"). And as at the last EMS, very bright colors were the order of the day, which is generally to be welcomed. Nevertheless, the proportion of pink vehicles seemed disproportionately high.
