The halls filled up very quickly on Friday, shortly after the opening at midday. As is the case every year, the first few hours of the trade fair are clearly dominated by the professionals and "insiders". This year, however, it may have helped that the day off on Ascension Thursday meant that many visitors took the work-free weekend break and decided to visit on Friday. The good weekend weather may also have contributed to this decision. In addition, a whole series of other events beckoned for classical music enthusiasts this weekend, such as Lakeside in Küssnacht am Rigi or Rock this Town in Solothurn, making Friday the perfect start to the classical music weekend.
It's the mix that counts
From the very beginning, Swiss Classic World was designed as a dealer and professional trade fair, and so the big names in the scene were also present this year, with very few exceptions. The spectrum ranged from inexpensive opportunities on the private vehicle market to high-priced cars such as a Bugatti Veyron - and many tempting offers in between.
Many of the cars on offer were restored or in almost mint condition; contrary to the trend, actual patina queens were clearly in the minority. There were almost no restoration objects for sale.
The openly declared retrofits or conversions were also striking. The Oldierama from Littau in Lucerne presented three special highlights among them with several - admittedly very elaborate - reinterpretations or "recreations": for example, there was nothing less than a Mercedes 540K "Autobahnkurier" with an original 540K as the basis or a Bugatti 35 "Pur Sang" - from the Argentinean provincial town of Paranà instead of Molsheim in Alsace.
The extremely attractive Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato even has Swiss origins, having once been built by Roos Engineering in Frauenkappelen near Bern. The insiders took note of this, but as the crowds showed, the public liked it anyway. The same can be said for the scaled-down electric Bentley at Schmohl. We have already test-driven the creation from the Little Car Company, which now operates under the name Hedley Studios. Many more interesting offers can be found in our picture gallery.
These were joined by services and accessories, even some art and - charming junk. Andrew McGeachy, the car designer and painter, who sits down with his small tripod next to the objects he intends to paint and sells the resulting pictures directly on site, is almost part of the trade fair inventory.
There were also car pictures in the form of historical posters and other paintings, for example at a gallery in the foyer of the exhibition hall. And of course there were all kinds of automobilia such as signs, oil bidons and the like.
A variety of events and functions were held on the SCW stage, where specialists gave presentations and in some cases also promoted their products. And, as in previous years, the Swiss Classic World was accompanied by a rally and this year by two non-classified events, one for youngtimers entitled "forever young" and one for pre-war cars entitled "harder than steel".
In this way, the trade fair becomes a real forum, and it is no wonder that the larger automobile and brand clubs are regular guests in Lucerne. The professionalism of the amateur presentations, such as the display by the Traction-Avant Club, is astonishing, outstripping many a professional stand in terms of effort.
However, the Classic Car Garage from Brunnen, which decorated its entire rear wall in wood with hand-painted, patinated panels, demonstrated just how much effort they sometimes go to.
What was striking here and there were the efforts to attract a younger audience. Some tried to do this with gaudy custom cars or even hot rods, such as the Veteran Car Club Suisse Romand VCCSR in the hall foyer.
Or with interaction like at the ACS stand, where visitors had the opportunity to race with simulators.
In general, it became clear that extroverted, brightly colored classics - either with a built-in Jö effect or a pronounced show character - dominated wherever the "broad" audience was to be reached.
Audience attractions
The Swiss Classic World is therefore further away than ever from being a trade fair for hardcore fans only.
This is also entirely in line with the goals of organizer Bernd Link. According to his own specifications, he would like to break the 20,000 visitor mark one day.
This goal calls for a walk-in audience, a generally interested audience and even a family audience - not "just" the designated connoisseurs. Meanwhile, Lucerne is no longer far from this number. According to official figures, there were 17,000 visitors to the fair this year. As has been the case every year since the Corona break, the SCW has seen a growing number of visitors. Although the flow of visitors in the halls is considerable at certain times, it is never so dense that it impairs the quality of the visit.
The exhibitors stated that the discipline of the visitors was generally good. Even high-priced cars get by in Lucerne without barriers, only a few guys with micro scooters caused a bit of trouble for some exhibitors. In future, vehicles like these should have to stay outside during opening hours. In general, however, even a layman can get a lot of helpful information at the fair, everyone is happy to provide information and thus lowers the inhibition threshold even for newcomers. This trade fair is therefore definitely an excellent door-opener.
Speaking of youth: An unusually large number of model dealers were present in Hall 4 this year, a long-established model car dealer and trade fair participant from the very beginning took it easy, in terms of miniatures there was hardly anything left to be desired. The wide range of prices was striking, but it is difficult to understand why a few dealers have been bringing the same goods to Lucerne for years at the same - apparently too high - prices, only to drag them home again with a 99.9 percent probability.
On both a small and large scale, the Swiss Classic World serves as an indicator of the state of the Swiss classic car market. This was particularly true this year with the very satisfactory auction by Swiss Auctioneers from Toffen, to which we have dedicated a separate article.
By car to the fair
A special attraction for the participants of the Swiss Classic World Rally was certainly the start into Hall 2 via the ramp - with their own car in the trade fair, so to speak. Each team was thus "ennobled" and received its "15 minutes of fame" - or at least a few minutes, to borrow Andy Warhol's phrase.
With 94 teams, the rally had to be completed very quickly. The rally was won by the Erath/Erath team in a 1990 Porsche 944 with just 170 penalty points, ahead of Pajic/Pajic in a 1971 Lotus Elan Sprint with 260 points and Klemke/Jauch in a 1973 BMW 3.0 CSi in third place with 295 penalty points.
After midday on Saturday, the participants in the "forever young" youngtimer excursion also arrived in Lucerne without any classification.
"Old cars" for two more "young people"
The "Old Cars for Young People" project, which is sponsored by the Swiss Museum of Transport and actively supported by Swiss Classic World and other sponsors, is entering its second round this year. Following an application process at the SCW, the two cars from the museum's collection have found two new guardians for a year - or to be more precise: the red Porsche 944 has a new guardian, the white VW Beetle a new guardian. The two youngsters will now be able to drive the classic cars for a year and gain their first experience at trips and meetings or enjoy their cars at their own discretion.
As the first two lucky ones, Tom with the VW Beetle and Julien with the Porsche 944, clearly expressed on stage, it was not easy for them to say goodbye. However, they are happy for their successors Alizée Brunet from Seetal, who will have the Beetle at her disposal for a year, and Manuel Furrer from Kriens, who will have the pleasure of driving the Porsche 944.
Platform went online
Young people in general... with the introduction of Young4Vintage, primarily a web platform, the umbrella organization SHVF, in conjunction with various sponsors, wants to promote exchange among young people. The 162 member clubs of the SHVF are also to be listed on the platform. The whole thing can be thought of as a social media platform, but specifically for classic cars and their owners. It remains to be seen whether this project will succeed. It has been noted from various quarters that, despite the integrated club presence, the project is perhaps a little too far removed from the clubs.
At least as interesting as a digital parallel world, which went live on the Friday morning before the SCW opening, are the planned courses for young people on vehicle maintenance, how to drive classic cars and also how to maintain and preserve their history, which will also be run under the label "young4vintage", but will be organized directly by members and associates of the SHVF. The first dates have already been announced, but not too much is known about the details. What is certain is that "Learn to Drive" will be held for the first time in conjunction with Old Wheels in Biel.
The Swiss Classic World 2025 ended on Sunday evening in an all-round satisfied mood. Many anecdotes and stories were refreshed, the latest gossip was shared and the trade fair once again fulfilled another important function this year: To bring the scene together!
