The Swiss Classic World took place for the ninth time in Lucerne from June 2 to 4, 2023. The popular classic car fair is now as much a part of the season opening as collecting license plates in spring.
The starting point has not changed: four halls and the outdoor area of Messe Luzern in the Allmend provide the basis for the largest classic car fair in German-speaking Switzerland, organized by the enterprising Bernd Link and his team.
Almost perfect conditions
While the weather had occasionally failed to cooperate in previous years, the sun shone almost constantly at the beginning of June 2023. Temperatures hovered between 15 and 25 degrees, perfect classic car weather. And indeed, the rush to the parking lots was so great that huge queues and veritable traffic jams developed. Those who arrived at the wrong time had to find their parking space first and also had to put up with a long walk.
The good weather also meant that many visitors enjoyed wandering around outside, be it in the private marketplace between Halls 2 and 3 or in front of the halls where the classic cars gathered. As a result, the halls seemed a little less crowded than one might have expected from the number of visitors - over 15,000 were reported (a new record).
This was not a problem for the exhibitors, who preferred a steady stream of interested visitors, as this is easier to handle than a crowd around the stand.
However, the fine weather also meant that visitors left early, probably to put a piece of meat on the barbecue in the evening.
An industry does the honors
Almost all of the major providers in the Swiss classic car scene came to Lucerne to show off their skills and present their exhibits.
The halls were filled to capacity and some suppliers would probably have liked to rent even more square meters.
Around 700 cars
In total, there must have been around 700 cars from 13 decades ready to be admired by visitors.
Frank's Originals, for example, displayed an Opel Manta, a Spyker C8 and a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, Porsche Classic Zurich had various versions of the Porsche 911 and 356 for sale, while Lutziger Classic Cars had two famous Sauber racing cars, as well as a Ginetta G12, a Bugatti EB110 and a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 on the stand.
A very wide range of vehicles was on display, from 1898 Popps to neo-classics. Of course, there were many luxury classics in the halls, but there were also bread-and-butter cars from various eras on display. Opel Rekord Olympia, Ford Popular or Saab 99, there was hardly anything missing if you are broadly interested.
Even exotic cars such as the TVR Griffith or a Graham-Paige from 1929 could be seen and in some cases even heard.
Projects and glossy classics
And it was by no means only highly polished classics that were on show. The restoration specialists in particular also showed cars at the beginning or in the middle of the restoration process.
At Charles Menetrey, for example, you could inspect the bodyshell of a Porsche 356 that was still practically unrestored in detail, while a few meters further on you could see a half-built Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato or the remains of a Fiat 2100.
VW specialists Brunner and Bachmann showed a VW Beetle before and after restoration. In any case, there was no shortage of objects to talk about.
Alternative fuel in the test
AMAG Classic was unable to come up with a barn find this year, but at least showed the last VW Beetle to be registered in Switzerland. And next to it was a VW Golf GLS from the first series, which is now being driven as a research object with synfuel in everyday use so that EMPA and other specialists such as Motorex can test its effects.
It is assumed that even a 50-year-old car can be refueled with the new CO2-neutral fuels without any problems, but in this case they want to know more about it. Good for the industry!
Diversity on the private market between the halls
The private vehicle market between Halls 2 and 3 was once again well attended and equipped in 2023.
The range on offer here was also broad, ranging from the exotic Puma or MVS Venturi to the Hudson of the 1950s and the Porsche 997.
There were also cars from Ferrari, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, of course, pre-war classics as well as the latest youngtimers.
Auction on Saturday evening
For those who hadn't been able to buy a car to their liking by 17:00 on Saturday, the Oldtimer Galerie Toffen auction was the next chance. 43 cars and two motorcycles went under the hammer.
The lively auction in Hall 2 should have been an interesting experience even for those who didn't want to or couldn't bid.
The winners of the youngtimer vote
Youngtimers are in vogue and appeal to a younger audience. They can often be bought and operated at a lower cost and are also largely suitable for everyday use. No wonder they are particularly popular with newcomers. The most popular young classic cars were determined in a major survey conducted by Swiss Classic World, zwischengas.com, AMAG and TMS. Six youngtimers in six classes were selected by over 3000 online voters.
Peugeot 205, Jaguar XJ, BMW Z3, BMW 850i, Lamborghini Diablo and Range Rover were the best placed. They were all presented by a zwischengas.com reader car at the joint stand of Zwischengas and SwissClassics Revue.
And the huge rush to the stand in Hall 1 showed that there was great interest in these youngtimers.
The winners of the public competition were also announced on Sunday evening, and the lucky winners of the first three prizes were celebrated in public on the stage in Hall 2.
The big Youngtimer meeting with tour
However, the topic was not "finished" with the youngtimer selection, as the Swiss Classic World, together with the Swiss Museum of Transport and zwischengas.com, also organized a youngtimer tour for Sunday, which started at the Mall of Switzerland in Ebikon.
The first vehicles arrived an hour before the official start and a further 130+ cars built after 1990 followed. The strong participation of Jaguar, BMW and Porsche vehicles was interesting, while a Fiat Multipla or a Peugeot 206 were among the more exotic cars.
After gathering at the Mall of Switzerland, the cars moved on to the Swiss Museum of Transport before finally arriving at the exhibition center.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned parking jam spoiled the journey, and the beautiful classic cars could not be displayed directly in front of the halls, where they would certainly have attracted additional attention.
Cab rides and rolling museum in front of the exhibition halls
While a classic car show is usually a stationary event, there were also many cars on wheels in front of the halls. Visitors were allowed to park their classic cars directly in front of the trade fair and the vehicles on display here would have made a good trap in the halls too.
Among the cars on display were a Lancia Stratos, an Audi Quattro, a BMW 507, Shelby Cobras and a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
And if you were there at the right moment, you could watch the departure of a Bugatti 35 B. 95 years ago, these cars were responsible for Grand Prix victories!
Some clubs also met in front of the halls and Kiwanis organized cab rides with passengers willing to donate.
Satisfied faces
After three days at the fair, the faces were mostly satisfied, even if some were tired. Dismantling began at 5 p.m. and the wait began for the 10th Swiss Classic World, which will take place again in about a year's time.
Further impressions can be found in the picture gallery with over 210 photos.
