Bernd Link and his team organized the "Swiss Classic World" classic car fair in Lucerne for the third time and succeeded in significantly increasing the quality and capacity utilization compared to the first two events with over 190 exhibitors and more than 600 vehicles on display.
On May 28 and 29, 2016, vintage and classic car enthusiasts were able to view and buy beautiful cars, valuable services and all kinds of accessories and trimmings for classic cars in four halls.
Valuable display
And the 8500 visitors (around 20% more than last year) had nothing to complain about. On the contrary! There is hardly any other trade fair where you can see more high-quality classic cars in less space. Whether Lancia Stratos works rally car, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, Ferrari F40 (twice) or Aston Martin DB6 Convertible, hardly any of the classic brands were not represented.
The dealers in particular, e.g. Lutziger Classic Cars, Franks Originale, Goodtimer, Emil Frey Classics, Schmohl, Galantica, Christoph Grohe, etc., had spared no effort in bringing an attractive selection of vehicles to Lucerne.
Specialists such as Autowelt Bachmann, SIM AG, Carrosserie Charles Menetrey and Edi Schorno also presented interesting facets of their activities.
And various organizers such as Arosa Classic Cars, MythenClassics and RAID Suisse-Paris took the opportunity to talk directly to potential participants on site.
Elaborate stands
In general, the stands were very imaginative and lovingly decorated. In some cases, you almost felt more like you were in a museum than in an exhibition hall. Carpets were standard in Lucerne and many exhibitors also positioned technical details, model cars or other decorative objects next to the obligatory automobiles. All extremely elegant!
The clubs also came up trumps with attractive exhibition ideas: the Swiss Car Register, for example, had a whole range of fire engines on display, while the TVR Club had a Tuscan Racer on show.
The electric car exhibition at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne was also interesting, with exhibits such as a Zagato Zele 1000 and a SIG electric car from Switzerland.
Clearly laid out
Despite the increased exhibition density, the trade fair in Lucerne remained clearly laid out and pleasant to walk around from a visitor's perspective. The flow of visitors was well distributed, with queues only forming in front of the food stands. Anyone who couldn't immediately talk to a representative of a specialist simply took a short walk around the hall, and the next time it would certainly work out.
The atmosphere was generally very relaxed, there was a lot of joking and laughter. Just like among colleagues.
Lots of contacts
With their high-quality and sometimes really expensive exhibition vehicles, the dealers could of course not assume that half of the display would be sold by the end of the weekend. However, the discussions with old and new customers were correspondingly important and the exhibitors generally praised the quality of the contacts. Nevertheless, some dealers reported that they had also sold vehicles on Saturday and Sunday in Lucerne.
The private sales area at the gates of the halls naturally suffered from the almost constant rain, especially on Sunday, which certainly deterred some potential visitors from coming in classic cars. An attractive parking area was set up in front of the halls for the old cars.
With auction
However, the Fischer Gallery auction was all about selling. This was scheduled for Saturday, 17:00. The results are documented in a separate article .
With fashion show
In addition to the auction, which naturally attracted a great deal of interest on Saturday, the fashion show presented several times by LU Couture was also a highlight of the classic car fair. Fashion and elegant cars go well together, as the Concours d'Elégance of the pre-war and post-war period showed.
Visitors to the fair were also repeatedly invited to attend lectures and panel discussions, another opportunity to learn more about old cars and their surroundings.
Americans in their own hall
As in 2015, the Americans were once again accommodated in Hall 4. Live music set the mood, while hot sleds, hot rods and the Swiss club's buggies made the corners of visitors' mouths turn upwards.
The fact that Swiss Classic World is not intended to be a parts market was once again demonstrated in Hall 3, where there were plenty of accessories for sale, but where the range of products on offer was of course not intended to compete with a Veterama or similar event.
Zwischengas also on site
The makers of Zwischengas also presented themselves to the public. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta as a police car, as portrayed a few weeks ago, served as the center of attraction.
Many readers took the opportunity for a visit and a quick chat. That's exactly how it should be!
And there will be another Swiss Classic World in 2017. On May 27/28 to be precise. Many exhibitors have already confirmed their participation, which is another sign that this trade fair has found its place.
