Over 13,500 visitors flocked to Retro Classics Bavaria for the grand finale of the 2024 trade fair season. The first day of the fair was already well attended and the numerous visitors were able to look forward to a number of special shows and presentations in Halls 3, 3A and 3C.
Anniversaries with special shows
The trade fair was all about the Blitz, as the "Opel Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann" with around 3.5 hp was the first Opel motor vehicle to leave the Rüsselsheim factory halls back in 1899 and was to lay the foundation for vehicle production at Opel that continues to this day - a success story that has now lasted 125 years. To mark the occasion, several vehicles from the Opel Classic collection were on display: from the first Opel vehicle built in 1899 to the electric Manta. In addition, Opel was also part of the DTM for many years and thus also featured in the large field of the special exhibition "40 years of DTM".
Just a few meters away from the Norisring - the "Monaco of the DTM" - almost 30 original DTM vehicles from 1984 to 2021 could be admired, including six winning vehicles from 1987 to 2021, e.g. the Audi V8 Quattro in which Hans-Joachim Stuck won the 1990 DTM title at the Hockenheimring; the Opel Calibra V6 4x4 of "Opel Team Jost" (better known as the "Cliff Calibra"), in which Manuel Reuter outclassed the competition in the ITV in 1996; or the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Haupt Racing, in which Maximilian Götz won the 2021 DTM season.
But it wasn't just the original racing cars, some of the drivers and winners from the past also made an appearance at the "Race Talk" on the second day of the trade fair and talked about their experiences on (and off) the DTM tracks to the delight of the fans: Volker Strycek, Manuel Reuter, Maximilian Götz, Altfrid Heger, Konrad Schmidt, Frank Biela, Kurt König and Gerhard Müller clearly enjoyed themselves.
No anniversary was celebrated with the special "Marcello Gandini" show. As is well known, the designer of the Lamborghini Miura and Alfa Romeo Montreal (as well as countless other cars) passed away this year. The small special show with four Lamborghini models and an Alfa Romeo was a nice gesture.
Three cars from two Germanys
Some gems were also hidden among the other classic cars on display. We would therefore like to take a closer look at a few special vehicles. First and foremost, the EMW 340-7 from 1952, whose history is closely linked to the division of Germany. Developed from 1948 as the BMW 340 on the basis of the 326, the BMW plant in Eisenach was located in the Soviet occupation zone. From 1952, the cars built there were therefore sold as EMW (Eisenach Motor Works), as the naming rights for "BMW" remained in the West. EMW 340s were often used as cabs.
Also the. The Opel Kapitän models built from 1953 to 1958 were in third place in the German registration statistics in the mid-fifties - behind the VW Beetle and the Opel Olympia Rekord. As a result, the two millionth Opel could already be celebrated in 1956. To celebrate the anniversary, a Kapitän with 24-carat gold-plated trim left the Rüsselsheim factory halls on November 9, 1956. The paintwork and upholstery were also custom-made. Even today, the car expresses the pride of the workforce in being the first German plant to produce two million vehicles.
The black Opel RAK2, in which 29-year-old Fritz von Opel - grandson of company founder Adam Opel - reached 238 km/h on the Avus in 1938, fueled by 24 powder rockets, is still a spectacular sight today. The RAK 2 was Opel's second rocket car after the RAK 1, but was much more streamlined than its predecessor, had twice as many rockets and was equipped with large side wings. Incidentally, these were ineffective due to a miscalculated profile, and Fritz von Opel had to contend with heavy swerves during his wild ride and almost took off with the front end.
The whereabouts of the original RAK 2 from 1928 are unfortunately unknown. It is considered certain that it has not existed since the end of the war at the latest. There are three replicas. The one from Opel Classic was built in 1992 and is powered by a Chevrolet V8.
In decline
Opel was a welcome exception in Nuremberg. Unfortunately, the manufacturers' classic car departments are reducing their appearances at the trade fairs more and more. The private suppliers and also the national clubs are slowly but surely reaching their capacity limits with the number of trade fairs. The organizers are satisfied, although the three halls were not really fully booked.
