Techno Classica is a success story! For the 23rd time, the gates opened on March 30, 2011 to let in 178,300 classic and vintage car enthusiasts from 30 nations. In 20 halls, 1,200 exhibitors vied for the attention of enthusiastic mechanics, owners and fans of vehicles with charisma and history.
Techno Classica has developed into the most important international exhibition for suppliers and buyers of products and services relating to old cars and motorcycles. In 2011 alone, 2,500 collectors' vehicles were on offer, ranging from pre-war Alvises to almost new Spyker C8s. Interestingly, a strikingly large number of vehicles in the high-priced category from 100,000 euros were sold abroad.
Significant economic sector
Right at the beginning of the press conference, Mr. Brüning (FIVA President), Mr. Franssen and Mr. Hübner presented an impressive picture of the importance of the classic and vintage car "industry". With 335,000 cars and 265,000 motorcycles that have classic car status and a total of 1.544 million vehicles aged 20 years or older, a flourishing industry has developed that employs around 30,000 people in Germany (55,000 in Europe). Around 5.5 billion euros are generated annually in Germany (16 billion euros in Europe). The continuous growth of the vehicle population and the service industry around it is also impressive.
International exhibition of superlatives
Techno Classica exerts a strong attraction on the major manufacturers, and the factory presentations were correspondingly large-scale, showing their own vehicle history and current offerings, ranging from parts supply (each major tradition-conscious manufacturer offers around 30,000 to 40,000 parts just for the brand's historic vehicles) to restoration services, museums and archive services.
110 years of motorsport at Skoda
Skoda looked back on 110 years of motorsport, aiming somewhat against the 125 years of the automobile that Mercedes markets so effectively in the media. In fact, Skoda and in particular its predecessor company Laurin&Klement took part in racing events as early as 1901 with motorcycles and from around 1920 also with racing cars. Accordingly, three motorcycles from the early days and the racing cars Laurin&Klement 300 (1920), Skoda Sport (1952), Skoda 1100 OHC (1956), Skoda 130 RS (from 1975) and other vehicles were on display.
Chic couples at Audi
Audi also brought together series development and the racing business and showed interesting pairings from its own history. There were the unforgettable NSU TT in racing and road trim, the Audi 80 Quattro 2.5 DTM (92/93), which was only built once with a 388 hp six-cylinder engine and was never officially raced due to the collapse of the racing series, and an 80 TDI, the Audi GT Touring Car Group 2 from 1981 alongside the GT 5E production coupé, to name but a few.
Large contingent from the Volkswagen Group
The Volkswagen Group made a big splash and brought the various corporate units and some of their flagships to Essen. The 1979 Puma GTS on display was certainly special, as it had only recently been added to the inventory and, according to Eberhard Kittler, was still being assembled on the transporter. The Cheetah concept car and a Golf 1 convertible without a roll bar, as well as the Karmann Ghia convertible with a fabric roof, which never went into series production, were also shown under the heading of convertibles. The Giugiaro examples are also interesting! And we liked the fact that the Formula Vee was also remembered.
Volvo celebrates 50 years of the P 1800
Volvo's official presence used the 50th anniversary of the P 1800 sports coupé as a central theme, not without also showing a convertible from 1966, which was only built unofficially in the USA in an edition of around 30 units. Also on display was the P958-X1 prototype, which was hand-assembled by Frua in Italy and featured a number of differences to the series, including the rear license plate recess, the rear fender with the exhaust holes, the fuel filler neck and the air intake on the windscreen. This prototype was equipped with an 85 hp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. Of course, there was also an original P 1800 from 1961 (in red) on the stand, a rally version from 1963 with the B18B engine, which could be tuned up to 150 hp at 7,500 rpm without compromising on reliability. The Snow White's coffin, i.e. the glazed P 1800 ES estate version from 1971, was of course not to be missed.
BMW's new class takes center stage
At BMW, 75 years of the BMW 328 were celebrated, but the "New Class" (BMW 1500, 1800 TI, 2000) was also given due space. BMW's Mini brand commemorated its successes at the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally and the 50th anniversary of the Mini Cooper. And at Rolls Royce, a Silver Cloud III from the 1960s, bodyworked by Mullimer Park Ward, was on display.
Alfa Romeo with beautiful and fast cars
One of the absolute highlights of Techno Classica 2011 was certainly the Alfa Romeo stand, and in particular the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Prototype from 1967. Many are convinced that this is one of the ten best-looking cars in automotive history. The no less attractive racing cars RL Targa Florio (1923), Gran Premio Tipo B "P3" (1932), Gran Premio Tipo 159 "Alfetta" (1951) or 33 TT 12 (1975) have almost been pushed into the background. The Alfa Romeo 164 Pro-Car from 1988, which should have been one of the founders of a silhouette formula with Formula 1 technology but was never really used, can also be considered something very esoteric.
Right next door to Alfa Romeo, Fiat showed the Mephistopheles record-breaking car and Ferrari Eberlein one of the 39 Ferrari 250 GTOs built, along with other beautiful vehicles with the Cavallo Rapante.
Mercedes Benz celebrates 125 years of innovation
Mercedes Benz presented milestones, including the Patent Motor Car from 1886, which is a must-see in 2011, the Mercedes Simplex from 1902, the SSK from 1928, a 500 K special roadster from 1934, the 300 SL from 1956, a 180 "Ponton" from 1955 and the quartet-killer Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9.
Porsche like in Stuttgart
Porsche 's appearance was very reminiscent of what was on show in Stuttgart and again featured the 911 T restored for the Porsche Club USA, a 959 and other products from the Exclusive department. Press spokesman Fabig pointed out that more than two thirds of all Porsches built are still on the road.
Citroën and Peugeot represented France
The participation of Citroën, who congratulated the Ami 6 on its birthday, and Peugeot, who had made the leap to Germany, was pleasing.
80 years of Made in Kölle at Ford
Ford showed a cross-section of the models produced in Cologne since 1931, including a Model A, a Ford Cologne, a P7a, an FK 3500 as well as Granadas and Capri.
Opel back again
Opel is celebrating not just 125, but 150 years of existence next year. It all started with sewing machines, and obviously collectors of these products are still making tricky requests today. Later, the company continued with bicycles until it finally began building cars in 1899. In addition to the vehicles - including the Opel rocket car, Opel Elektro GT (from 1971), Opel Olympia (1935) - sewing machines, bicycles, motorcycles and refrigerators were also on display.
Rare exhibits at the S.I.H.A. stand
Beautifully arranged and draped with contemporary accessories were the probably all unique exhibits at the S.I.H.A stand. The beautiful Talbot Lago T150C SS Figoni&Falschi Teadrop Coupé is probably one of the most beautiful cars in the entire exhibition, but the Mercedes 28/95 PS with wooden bodywork from 1924 and the Rolls-Royce Silver-Ghost with skiff bodywork by Shapiro-Schebera from 1914 were also more than worth seeing.
Insight into the work of restoration companies
Over 50 exhibiting specialist companies showed insights into and the results of their work. As always, the "semi-finished products" in particular were exciting to look at and often revealed more of the work than finished, shiny classic cars.
Parts, parts, parts, tools and literature
Around 300 suppliers of spare parts, original parts, tools, manuals, brochures, magazines, books, posters, photos, etc. were spread across several halls, enticing collectors and "craftsmen" to buy.
220 clubs to touch
Information stands of the youngtimer, classic car and brand clubs once again displayed an impressive collection of rarely seen vehicles and provided information about the various aspects of club life. Anyone looking for an Alfa or TVR club, for example, was sure to find what they were looking for here.
Auction by Coys
The 64 classic cars on offer from auction house Coys once again contained something for (almost) everyone. However, top offers such as the Bentley 4.5 Litre from 1930, the red Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing or the Jaguar SS 100 2.5 Litre were not for everyone's budget.
And the tiresome topic of E10
The introduction of E10 continues to be a hot political topic of discussion in Germany. When asked about this difficult topic, Johannes Hübner said: "Don't use it, don't use it, because of its hygroscopic effect and negative impact on alloys and seals! Nobody wants to tell you beforehand whether it will cause damage to older cars and nobody wants to help you afterwards if you have damage." According to Mr. Hüber, however, work is being done at a political level to ensure a fuel for classic cars that can be driven in the long term.
