On Sunday, March 29, I have a mission as an Zwischengas intern. It will take me all over Switzerland. Since the Swiss Retro Mecanika is no longer held in Fribourg but in Geneva, far fewer German-speaking Swiss are making the long journey. So that those who stayed at home can still find out about the classic car fair, I went there and had a look around.
As I turn onto the A1 in Winterthur on Sunday morning, the sky is gray and a few snowflakes are falling. The windshield wiper makes a tortured squeaking noise. Three hours and 300 kilometers later, I take the Genève Aéroport exit in bright sunshine and steer the car into the dimly lit underground car park directly beneath Palexpo.
The entrance to the trade fair is directly accessible from the underground parking garage. Admission costs a modest 15 francs and you receive a small booklet with a car comic by Thierry Dubios as a welcome gift. The illustrator is very present at Swiss Retro Mecanika; he even designed all the flyers for the trade fair.
First impressions count
After ticket control, I take the escalator up to the exhibition hall, where the new cars at the Geneva Motor Show once waited to be viewed. I am greeted by the gentle scent of car tires and fuel. The hall is huge, and at first I wander aimlessly between the vehicles on display.
If you've never been to Swiss Retro Mecanika before, it takes a moment to find your way around. The only trade fair I've visited so far is Auto Zürich, and the contrast couldn't be greater: Where in Zurich it is anonymous, loud and hectic, in Geneva it is familiar, manageable and somehow cozy. People take their time, sit together and drink coffee, beer or wine.
Of course, Auto Zürich is not a good comparison, firstly because it is not a classic car show and secondly because it is much bigger than Retro Mecanika. Nevertheless (or precisely because of this), Geneva is more colorful and diverse. Very different interest groups come together under the roof of the Palexpo hall: Classic car drivers, mechanics, military fans, model car collectors, comic book lovers, moped enthusiasts... What they all have in common is a passion for old vehicles. It's a real general store - too bad there's no corresponding word for it in French!
The background noise in the large hall is moderate and you can easily hold a conversation. However, I don't hear a single German word during my visit. Rattling country music plays in the background. At least that's what I think until I discover the band playing at the edge of the fair. The background music fits in so well with the rest of the atmosphere that you soon forget about the band.
90 years of the Fiat Topolino
The vehicles in the hall are as colorful as the trade fair itself - from the dainty Fiat Topolino to the heavyweight city bus, pretty much everything is represented. Although it normally doesn't stand out much as an inconspicuous little mouse, the Topolino is the real star this time. To mark the 90th anniversary of the model, several special examples have been brought together, including a particularly beautiful "Milchwägeli" from 1936.
The Fiat 500 B in which Nicolas Bouvier and the painter Thierry Vernet traveled from Switzerland to Afghanistan in 1953/54 is certainly also worth mentioning. He recorded his experiences in the book "The Experience of the World" (L'Usage du monde), published in 1963.
Sports cars scarred by life are also on display, such as a Viper RT/10 that came third in the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans and suffered a few scratches.
The orange city bus from 1982 is certainly a piece of nostalgia for many Genevans, after all it helped shape the streetscape for thirty years. But children also enjoy it and love having the cockpit explained to them.
Cars with speech bubbles
Three men sitting at a table scribbling dedications in comic books are particularly popular. There are Olivier Marin and Michel Janvier, who are signing their comic about Jo Siffert (Janvier is drawing a portrait of a man on a blank page). Sitting next to them is the aforementioned Thierry Dubois. He is best known as the illustrator of several comics about highways such as Route 7 between Paris and the Italian border.
The members of the Association Patrimoine Militaire 3 Lacs (PM3L) have made themselves at home in the far corner of the hall. Because it's lunchtime, they are sitting in a tent eating. Next to them, two men in camouflage suits are poring over a map of Switzerland. They are also an integral part of the trade fair and attend Swiss Retro Mecanika year after year.
Just like at a flea market, a large selection of spare parts is on offer at several stands. Speedometers, headlights and cigarette lighters are neatly arranged next to each other. You have to know exactly what you're looking for in order to find the right thing in this abundance. But it seems to me that many visitors simply enjoy the technical rarities and like to admire them with their eyes and fingers.
In the classic car parking lot
As I step out of the exhibition building into the open air, the classic cars parked in the classic car parking lot sparkle in the sun. There's a lot of hustle and bustle between them; people are chatting and admiring the cars that have rolled up on their own wheels. Some of the waiting cars could undoubtedly have been part of the exhibition, as well-maintained as they are. In contrast to the exhibits, however, you can see them in motion and hear the engines, which sometimes only start after a little persuasion (such as a small Fiat 126 that is about to set off for home).
It's a long way to Geneva (at least if you live in north-eastern Switzerland). But is it still worth it? For all those who like to visit a relaxed trade fair and want to unpack their school French again, definitely. Because as I discovered during my visit, Retro Mecanika is much more than just a car show: it's a record store, spare parts store and meeting place all rolled into one.
