Shortly after the turn of the year, the traditional first classic car fair of the year was once again held in Maastricht for fans of cultural assets on wheels. The 27th edition of the popular event once again offered the almost 35,000 visitors the full spectrum of the classic car world on 35,000 square meters from 16 to 19 January 2020.
High quality standard - as always
Although the Maastricht IC is one of the smaller events of its kind, it was once again well worth a visit this year. Just like its younger sister fair in Brussels, IC Maastricht is characterized by a high standard of quality. This once again applied to both the 800 automotive offerings with an astonishing range and the special exhibition.
Special show "Forgotten Classics"
This year's special show, which was held under the motto "Forgotten Classics", was certainly one of the main attractions of the trade fair. It made people aware that only a few of the 10,000 or so car brands that once existed are still around today. With over 20 cars, it reminded visitors of forgotten car manufacturers, ranging from Alvis to Voisin. It certainly helped that the organizer was able to draw on the collections of renowned museums and a considerable dealer and collector scene in the Benelux.
On display was a Champion Regal Starlight Coupé from the Louwman Museum, which also adorned the current exhibition poster. The car was nicknamed the "bullet nose" because of its unmistakable front end. Anyone who remembers the 1980s TV music program "Formula 1" will be familiar with this model. Incidentally, a matching four-door counterpart was on display in the club corner.
Expensive French and royal Belgians
The "forgotten" French brands were represented by one Delahaye, Delage, Talbot-Lago and Voisin each. While the Delage D8 was comparatively plainly bodied, the Voisin C14 from 1930 showed clear Art Deco elements, which the Talbot Lago T26 with bodywork by Saoutchik - also from the Louwman Museum - overshadowed as a rolling sculpture.
Certainly a highlight. And perhaps some visitors still remembered the contrasting T 26 Coupé from the Baillon collection, which changed hands for €1.45 million net at the Rétromobile in 2015 in completely desolate condition. Incidentally, those who paid attention to details such as the radiator figures also got their money's worth at the special show.
The private car of the former King Albert I from the luxury manufacturer Minerva from 1921 with bodywork by van den Plas is representative of Belgium.
The Netherlands was represented by the C4 Torpedo of the same year from the Spyker company, which went under in 1926.
The only DAF 33 convertible commissioned by the factory itself was a surprise.
From Great Britain came cars of the brands Alvis, Bristol, Invicta, Lagonda and Railton. Germany was represented by a mighty Horch 853 A from 1938 and a Veritas Nürburgring 351 from 1951. Finally, an Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Roadster from 1929, a Siata 208S 8V with aluminum bodywork by Michelotti and the graceful Berlinetta Moretti 750 Grand Sport, which is otherwise on display at Autoworld Brussels, came from Italy.
Cooked automobiles - please what?
Even beyond the special show, there were again rare offerings, whether at the "price on request" level or in the inexpensive segment, some were marked as "overcooked/sold/sold" after just a few hours. For this reporter, there seemed to be a surprisingly large number of vehicles of Italian origin (namely Alfa Romeo and Lancia) on offer and there were also some "low milage" cars again this year.
Of the low-mileage cars, the following should be mentioned: a Fiat 124 from 1968 with an alleged 8,292 km for €11,500, a World Champion Beetle with 15,000 km mileage for €24,800 and a Corvette from 1985 with 44,000 km for €19,900. Also on offer were a Mercedes 300 SE from the W 140 series with 11,000 km and a C 180 (W 202) from 1999 with 30,000 km - both with a price to be enquired about.
However, there were also vehicles under €10,000 or just over that on offer. Apart from a Lloyd LP 600 as a restoration object for €3,500, there was an Autobianchi A 112 for €6,950, a Citroën Ami 8 for €8,950, a Honda N 600 with an alleged 70,000 km for €10,900, an Alfasud for €9,900 and a Simca 1100 for €11,500.
A Fiat/Seat Taxi with 4 doors for €13,900, a Fiat 1300 Familiare for €17,500 or a Golf Syncro for €18,950 ranked slightly higher. And those who wanted to invest a little more than €30,000 had the choice between several Peugeot 504 Cabriolets.
Rare offers, genuine one-offs - and a "Kettenkrad"
Visitors were once again able to take a look at very rare vehicles on offer, here is a selection: Such as a Sunbeam Lotus from 1980 (for €28,500), the small car Sbarro Super Eight (with Ferrari V8), an award-winning Toyota Celica for just under €30,000 and a handsome Nash Healey Coupé in silver metallic for €89,900.
An Intermecchanica Indra Coupé from 1973 was on offer for €20,000 less. An Iso Fidia, whose color could probably be described as lilac metallic, literally caught the eye. The Fiat 1100 MM with factory bodywork from 1947 was very similar to the Fiat 1500 B with touring bodywork from 1936.
Also on offer was an NSU Kettenkrad from the last year of the war.
A Citroën 2 CV with electric drive was truly borderline.
Finally, a replica of the legendary Bugatti 57 Atlantic (with Jaguar engine) was also on offer. This was partly built with original parts by Erik Koux, and a very small number of examples were produced in this way. It would be interesting to know whether and at what price this vehicle was ultimately sold.
A comparable replica passed into new hands at the last Rétromobile for around €850,000... As in previous years, the British auction house Coys was again represented in Maastricht with a wide range of items. These included a 1952 Pretzel Beetle, a Ferrari 246 T "Dino" and a Glas V8 Coupé.
Motorcycles, automobiles ... and typewriters!
Finally, the stands of the regional automobile clubs, some of which were very lovingly designed, also deserved special attention. This applies in particular to the Adler Club Nederland, whose presentation fitted in perfectly with the theme of this year's special show and which hopefully also attracted the attention of many visitors.
Many people only know the Adler company as a typewriter manufacturer, although the brand with the striking logo designed by Bauhaus artist Walter Gropius offered technically sophisticated solutions and was even the third largest manufacturer of new car registrations for a time.
The club stand showed an astonishing range of the manufacturer - from typewriters and two-wheelers (three-speed bicycle and motorcycle) to the Trumpf and Trumpf Junior car models.
