The 22nd edition of the classic car show in Berlin was also a premiere. On October 1 and 2, 2022, it took place for the first time on the grounds of the ADAC Driving Safety Center in Linthe, around 50 kilometers south of Berlin, directly on the A9 motorway. This location extended the catchment area recognizably to Leipzig and Dresden, which the previous location northwest of Berlin could not achieve. The decisive advantage of the new location: space. Much more space than before. The fact that the site in Linthe is almost entirely asphalted also proved to be an advantage.
Rainy Saturday, sunny Sunday
Even after such a sunny classic car season as 2022, you can't automatically expect the best weather for a season-ending event on the first weekend in October. And indeed, the forecast for Saturday was so rainy that only the truly waterproof classic car enthusiasts made the journey. Nevertheless, their number was respectable, so that the site was filled to capacity.
On the second day, the weather and the number of visitors were much more pleasing. Despite a brief shower at midday, the exhibition areas were well utilized and the sun revealed a colourful array of different classic cars after the aforementioned shower. The only requirement for access to the grounds: the vehicle had to have an H license plate or be demonstrably older than 30 years.
Most of the "exhibitors" had therefore already arrived by the time they parked. On the other hand, the spectators had a pleasantly short walk from the very spacious and free parking lots to the cash desks. Thanks to routine organization, there were no significant traffic jams here either.
Many Americans, few pre-war
The site quickly filled up with historic vehicles from the last 100 years or so. What was completely missing were the most precious gems, which are only moved by trailer and carefully guarded from any overly close approach by the public: no Bugatti, no 300 SL gullwing, no representatives of the brass era. The classic car show is attended on its own wheels. A point of honor! This is probably why pre-war vehicles such as a Horch 305 from 1926, a Ford Model A from 1930 and several pre-war Mercedes-Benzes, to name but a few, were certainly present, but were clearly underrepresented compared to the numerous more recent models, mainly from the 1960s to 1990s.
On the other hand, the large selection of American vehicles seemed impossible to overlook, which is not surprising considering that this scene is extremely active in the Berlin area. This is certainly also due to the regular "US Car Classics" held by the same organizer at Schloss Diedersdorf in Großbeeren near Berlin.
So there were plenty of Americans. Japanese cars from the seventies and early eighties, on the other hand, were not represented at all. Instead, there was a pleasing number of French and Italian classics on display. As always, Mercedes-Benz models from almost all model years from the fifties onwards and a large number of Porsches, the latter with an unmistakable focus on the 911 folding bellows models, were a permanent fixture. There was a 928 in the auction hall, but apparently no 356s.
Anglophile classic car enthusiasts were also treated to slim fare. Jaguar E-Type? Yes, available. Some Triumph models too, Rolls-Royce and Bentley more in the form of "mass models", some Minis. But even MGs were thin on the ground, not to mention English everyday cars.
On the other hand, there was a wide selection of sheet metal from the East. With Wartburg, Barkas, Trabant, IFA, Skoda, Tatra, Tschaika, Volga - to name just the most frequently represented - the socialist part of the car world at the time was very well represented. The secret star of the chronicler was a Zastava 1100 in true concours condition, largely unobserved by the public. The restoration to a much-better-than-new condition speaks of the owner's enthusiasm, which could be seen in this car, but also in quite a few others.
Most of the participants probably used the day for a spin to meet like-minded people. Others celebrated their appearance with (sometimes more, sometimes less) contemporary outfits to match the car. Be it the woolen pinstripe suit with the Horch or the petticoat with the Chevy Bel Air.
Presentation, clubs and parts market
In addition to seeing and being seen on the extensive grounds, the organizer offered a professional moderation with short interviews with the drivers as the vehicles passed in front of the stage.
A few steps further on, a separate area was set up for the club scene. The Alfa Romeo Club was represented here with a small but beautiful selection from the sixties and seventies. The W123 friends and the Corvette scene also exhibited some of their members' cars.
The traditional parts market was somewhat lost in the rows of parking spaces in front of the main building. In any case, there was still plenty of space and apparently still room for improvement in terms of what was on offer. Apart from a wide range of eastern parts, which would certainly have been worth a systematic search, the market was more of an invitation to chance finds.
Vintage car auction
The auction organizer wanted to leave nothing to chance. For the third time now, there was an auction as part of the classic car show, in this case of 13 vehicles built between 1920 and 1997, from the Citroën C3 to the Fiat Barchetta. The organizer was very pleased with the range on offer, as it reflected the obvious interests of the visitors who crowded around the vehicles in the entrance hall of the ADAC. All vehicles were auctioned off at moderate entry prices. Most of the lots bought the successful bidder a more or less intensive wrenching experience afterwards. To be fair: the description of the vehicles was comprehensible and transparent in all cases.
Looking back, it can be said that the Berlin classic car show survived the move to Linthe extremely well. Initial concerns that the public might get lost in the huge area were unfounded. On the contrary: the extra space eased the flow of visitors and the familiar atmosphere was undoubtedly retained.
