Friends of classic cars, motorcycles and airplanes came together for the ninth time on the weekend of August 30/31, 2014. Once again, the events on the approximately one-kilometre-long circuit and on the grass runway of the natural airport were cleverly combined.
The Oldtimerclassic Hittnau only takes place every two years and manages to attract many classic car fans every time (weather permitting). Hittnau, which lies on the road linking the Glattal and Tösstal valleys in the canton of Zurich, attracts a large number of families, especially children. This is a good thing, as the next generation should be introduced to the beautiful vehicles of the past at an early age.
Attractions
The organizers of the 9th Oldtimerclassic had come up with quite a few ideas to inspire the spectators. And they didn't bat an eyelid at the fact that the attractions in particular had little to do with classic cars, be it motorcycle stunt drivers, demonstration runs by the Maserati Trofeo World Series or the drifting skills of Marc Fleury, the founder of the Swiss drifting scene.
The main thing was that there was a lot of smoke and sound. Then the audience was also enthusiastic. The turnout was particularly pleasing on Saturday, when the late summer weather was fine and not too hot; on Sunday, when there was a much higher risk of rain, some people probably avoided the meadows of Hittnau.
Versatile Corso
However, there were also many beautiful classic cars to admire in Hittnau and the Corso in particular lived up to high expectations, as the long line of vehicles included rarely seen rarities such as a Saurer omnibus, a Hansa 1100, a BMW 700 LS, an NSU Sport Prinz and two Austin Sevens. One of the highlights of the Corso was definitely the beautiful Hansa 2000 from 1938, which was developed and built under the leadership of Carl Borgward.
And here, for once, the public was allowed to get close to the track. During the demonstration runs of the racing cars, generous safety zones had been set up in Hittnau, not least because of the bad experiences six years ago.
Dwarves and boxers
The more than 150 vehicles, which covered almost all eras, were divided into different vehicle fields. As expected, the "Battle of the Dwarves" was popular, where the Simca Rallye and NSU TT skillfully demonstrated what can be done with a rear engine.
But the Porsche field, which covered practically the entire field of boxers from Zuffenhausen, was also very busy.
The touring, sports and formula cars were complemented by racing motorcycles and sidecars - there was something for all tastes. Only loyal visitors to the festival probably noticed that they had seen wider fields in previous years.
And those who had not yet had their fill of the two-, three- and four-wheeled ground vehicles could admire high-, low- and biplanes on the airfield and have the construction of the radial engine explained to them.
In any case, hardly anyone went home without lasting impressions.
