The 2025 retro season opening took place unexpectedly in front of the trade fair halls in Stuttgart. It was only announced on Friday that the classic car fans would not be meeting in Bietigheim-Bissingen on the Möbel Hofmeister grounds on Sunday, as initially announced. Despite all the prophecies of doom, the event was nevertheless well attended. The weather gods had also meant well.
The event opened punctually at 11:00 a.m. at the bus stop on P26. Unfortunately, the grandstand on which the vehicles were previously presented was missing, which was probably due to the last-minute changeover. As a result, the presentation of the classic cars on show was unfortunately somewhat lost in the surrounding crowd, which offers potential for next time.
As usual, Retro Fair brand ambassador Michael Gaedt presented selected vehicles to the visitors. He was well supported by Thomas Plehn, who also has in-depth knowledge of classic cars and is now taking part for the third time. A really well-rehearsed team by now.
The vehicles presented
BMW 530i Touring
Right at the start, an everyday classic car was presented by a young woman who knew the specifications of the BMW Touring from the E34 series amazingly well. The three-liter V8 with flange-mounted five-speed gearbox delivers 218 hp and is said to be good for 227 km/h, although this is no longer used. Well run-in after 330,000 km, the car, which was subsequently fitted with sports seats built by Recaro, is mainly used for touring and longer journeys. Level control, air conditioning, electric windows, airbag and ABS ensure comfortable, contemporary travel, which is not affected by the H license plate.
Amilcar P3 Sport
According to Michael Gaedt himself, the car he traveled in is also used in everyday life. It belongs to the French cycle car category. This vehicle class is defined by a maximum engine size of 1000 cc, an unladen weight of less than 500 kg and motorcycle tires. The engine of the car shown here has a displacement of 900 cc and thus mobilizes 22 hp, which is enough for exceptional driving pleasure.
Porsche 911 Targa
Time and again, classic car enthusiasts buy cars from the USA unseen on Ebay. In the case of the white Carrera Targa shown here, with success. The 36,000 miles were a selling point, and the many photos in the offer were encouraging. Unfortunately, the promised "New Service" only included an oil change. The transfer trip to the coast with ten-year-old summer tires and worn wiper blades, almost 1,300 km across the USA, in snow and rain, that welded us together. In the meantime, the car has been converted to the German version. Only the side indicators in the mudguards are missing. But who wants to damage the sacred sheet metal?
Austin A35
The car used for circuit racing at Goodwood did not make its first appearance. With 90 hp at the rear axle, the little car is great fun and is regularly underestimated by other participants in road traffic.
Mercedes-Benz pickup truck in-house construction
This car was created in 1993 as a degree dissertation as part of a mechanical engineering course in Berlin. Ingenuity was the order of the day, for example the rear window was taken from a 1973 Golf. The car delivered as a 240 D was purchased as a 200 D and is now equipped with a five-speed gearbox and a three-liter five-cylinder turbodiesel. After all, a payload of 800 kg needs to be moved.
Ford 100
The interior of the Ford 100 Custom Cab presented here is also dominated by the color sky blue, a harmonious two-tone overall color scheme. Although there is not much space behind the steering wheel, it is regularly taken on trips, which is now also more fun with the built-in coil springs instead of the leaf springs initially used. Restored "the American way" in Florida in 2010, it had to be dismantled again after being purchased in 2012. This also involved replacing the old drum brakes with more powerful disc brakes. After all, the total weight needs to be braked in line with today's traffic.
Lada 127
This red Lada 127 with 50,000 km on the clock was purchased by the first owner in Hungary. The car has not had any problems so far. It essentially only needed an underbody sealant. Equipped with "contemporary tuning" - the steering wheel cover, for example, the attached child seat, a 1955 coffee machine with cigarette lighter connection or the table for snacks - it is driven every day in full camping mode. What links it to Stuttgart sports cars is the ignition lock to the left of the steering wheel.
Mercury
The black "Mafia staff car" started its car life as a middle-class 49 Mercury. It got the whole hot rod program. The "Lake Pipes" mounted behind the 5.7-liter engine are not connected. Instead, the car is equipped with flamethrowers, which were immediately demonstrated.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
Often you don't look for your dream car; it finds its new owner itself. The Mercedes-Benz W 198/II shown here came in a rare, because not perfectly restored condition - really likeable. Originally looking for a "tail fin", the current owner came across a collection of this very roadster. After long discussions with a difficult community of heirs, the car was finally salvaged from a stable in a rather run-down and moldy condition. In the meantime, the owner has mastered the technology of this rarity quite well. A lot can be achieved with the right commitment. Initially painted white by the manufacturer, the Mercedes was painted blue at the time of purchase in accordance with the wishes of the first owner. It was later repainted by the owner, ultimately in silver, and is still there today. The original condition has been preserved as far as possible.
A Beetle parked in the visitors' parking lot was offered for sale. The 1303 conversion with electric drive has only 80,000 km on the clock. Equipped with a 96-volt asynchronous drive and an output of 28 kW, it was actually a well-rounded offer. The interest of petrolheads was rather restrained. Perhaps it was due to the manageable range of 130 km maximum or a fundamental skepticism about the converted drive? Whatever the case may be. Anyone interested in the technology can find out more on the following website .
Air to the top
Unfortunately, the information about the vehicles was only sparsely received by the audience. Anyone not standing in the front row would have liked a third microphone for the drivers being interviewed.
It would also have been desirable for the stewards to wear uniform clothing so that they could be recognized. Dressed sometimes in dark red retro T-shirts, sometimes in everyday clothes, sometimes in high-visibility vests, no visitor knew who was in charge. With the short preparation time, not everything works perfectly straight away.
Together with clear exit instructions to avoid traffic jams, all this can certainly be optimized for the next event at the end of the season.
However, the physical well-being was taken care of. Various food trucks and stands as well as a coffee bar left nothing to be desired. The trade fair toilets were also accessible. In this respect, everything went according to plan.
Around 3 p.m. the sun slowly retreated. At 3:30 p.m., Thomas Plehn bid farewell to the visitors to a hopefully exciting 2025 classic car season. We gladly join in with best wishes for a wonderful 2025 season.
