Despite the overcast sky, it was still warm enough and, above all, free of salt to make the pilgrimage to St. Gallen in a classic car and visit the St. Gallen Classic Car Fair, which was being held for the ninth time.
Peter and Renate Hürlimann had ambitious plans for 2013, increasing the exhibition space to three halls and hoping for around 5,000 visitors. After an on-site inspection, this figure was certainly within the realms of possibility.
Fiat and Lancia strongly represented
As every year, visitors could expect a mixture of dealer stands, service provider offers and products related to the classic/youngtimer hobby. Fiat fans certainly appreciated the Fiat brand presentation, which included a Fiat Otto Vu, a Fiat 130 saloon and the well-known and popular 500, 600, 124 and X 1/9 Garage Liga models, while Lancia fans may have come to see their club's special exhibition.
Mechanalog
Bernhard Brägger wants to cover 20,000 km over 12 months in a 22 hp 1926 Ford Model T. " Mechanalog " is the name of this adventure, which will be accompanied by the media - including on Facebook - and will take Brägger to the furthest reaches of Europe. The journey will take him to the freezing cold northern chin, across a spring-colored Portugal through the sweltering heat of the Spanish hinterland to the barren dumps of Cape Emine in Bulgaria, at an average speed of 30 km/h.
In St. Gallen, Bernhard Brägger also talked about the unknown and the unpredictable that awaited him. After all, the Ford has been overhauled and Brägger had new winter tires fitted for the wintry journey north. He will navigate with a map and compass and, above all, talk to the people along the route to pick up exciting and interesting facts, as he is also planning a book. You can look forward to it.
Buy and sell
Of course, a classic car show is primarily about selling or at least offering. There were classic cars of all ages and performance classes to choose from, from the Hupmobil Six from 1926 to the almost new Porsche 993 Turbo, from everyday classics to racing cars. Some people probably checked their bank accounts several times.
Impressive variety in the parking lot
A modest fee of CHF 10.00 was payable to enter the fair, but the open-air museum in front of the halls was free of charge. The vintage car drivers had parked their cars there and some of these vehicles would probably have stolen the show from some of the exhibits in the halls.
