The well-known "Klassikwelt Bodensee" trade fair took place under a new name for the first time this year. "Motorworld Classics Bodensee" took place from May 25 to 27, 2018, with 37,700 visitors attending the eleventh edition of this classic car event.
Over 800 exhibitors and clubs presented themselves in twelve exhibition halls on an exhibition area of over 85,000 m2, while the in-house racetrack behind the exhibition building provided up-close motorsport action.
Not just a trade fair
It was clear that this was not just a trade fair when the first racing car engines were started. At the "Vintage Demo Racing" event, the drivers in their classic cars enjoyed racing around the 1.6-kilometer-long exhibition mile known as the ZF Motodrom, testing their historic rarities and racing cars in the upper rev range. This change of pace was very welcome and provided a nice contrast to the usual trade fair program. In any case, the grandstands were well attended and visitors to the fair were able to watch the various classic cars in racing action in beautiful summer weather with a cool beer in their hands.
Vehicles from all eras were on display. In addition to well-known racing cars, some absolute rarities also registered, such as the one-off Protos from 1920 and a couple of American La France.
On water, on land and in the air
With rolling, floating and flying classic cars, the trade fair presented an impressive range of vehicles. The focus was clearly on four-wheeled vehicles, but fans of historic aircraft were just as well catered for as fans of floating classic cars, be they genuine vintage boats or even amphibious cars.
Special show "80 years of the Beetle"
Among the classic car fairs in Germany, Motorworld Classics Bodensee has been known in the scene for ten years for its special charm. With the special show "80 Years of the Beetle", the fair dedicated a special presentation to the classic car star. The VW Beetle is regarded as one of the world's most successful vehicles - German production stopped in 1978. Of the 21.5 million Beetles produced worldwide, numerous models have long since rolled onto European roads as classic cars.
Nippon Classics" special show
The second special show was all about Japanese classics, from the Honda S800 Coupé to the Suzuki LJ Jeep. "Nippon Classics" was the title of the exhibition, which featured around 30 first-generation Japanese classic car treasures.
Among the vehicles on display were a beautiful Honda NSX, three Toyota MR2s, a Toyota Celica GT built for racing and many other classics from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Rarities in the halls
Very often, the complete tour through all the halls is worthwhile. You often find exactly those rarities in the far corner that you don't want to have missed. For example, we found one of the rare Volkswagen SP2s produced by the Brazilian Volkswagen plant between 1972 and 1976. The SP2 was based on the platform of the Brazilian VW 1600 Variant, but had an enlarged four-cylinder boxer engine.
Another exotic car was found in the next hall next door, a Puma GTV from 1979. Puma, easily confused with the Brazilian sports car manufacturer of the same name, was an Italian kit car manufacturer. Just 100 units of the GTV were produced. The design came from Nova Eagle, the English company Nova, and was licensed for the GTV.
The Alfa Romeo Arna, probably not a classic car for the general public, is certainly an exciting tidbit for freaks because of its special history as a co-production between Nissan and Alfa Romeo. In any case, the green seat upholstery of the TI version immediately caught the eye.
Special exhibition "40 years of Audi Type 81/85"
The generously designed joint stand of the Audi Club International Germany and Switzerland was located in Hall A4. Together with the Type 81/85 IG, a number of beautiful exhibits were on display here, as there were a number of things to celebrate this year:
- 50 years of the Audi 100
- 40 years of Type 81/85
- 35 years of Sport quattro (in principle also a Type 85)
- 20 years of the A2
- 20 years of the TT
Quattro hearts definitely beat the strongest here, because there were two replicas at the back, a quattro A1 and even a Sport quattro S1!
70 years of Porsche sports cars
Motorsport fans didn't just get their money's worth in the Vintage Racing Hall. Two halls next to it, Porsche presented a foretaste of the upcoming special show "70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars", which will be on display at the Porsche Museum from June 9.
The original Le Mans 1987 car on display was certainly a special treat: the Porsche 961 (1986 model year) was the first all-wheel-drive racing car ever to reach the finish line at Le Mans. This happened in 1986, when drivers René Metge and Claude Ballot-Lena took seventh place overall in the Porsche 961, ahead of all the 956s and 962s! The 680 hp car started again the following year (with Claude Haldi at the wheel), but retired early due to an accident.
The focus was on selling classic cars
At a trade fair like this, the focus is naturally on selling classic cars. At Motorworld Classics Bodensee, in addition to the larger dealers, there were also many private classic car enthusiasts offering interesting vehicles in a specially reserved hall.
An auction was also held, the results of which are unfortunately not yet available to us at this time.
Selected automobilia
In addition to vehicles, there was a wide range of accessories on offer. These ranged from model cars and metal badges to finely crafted leather gloves for the style-conscious rally driver.
But more exotic offerings also found their way to the trade fair, such as vintage-look table football kits or complete retro outfits for future visitors to Goodwood.
The next Motorworld Classics Bodensee will take place from May 10 to 12, 2019 at the exhibition grounds in Friedrichshafen. An important date next year for trade fair fans from the region!
