Anyone who wasn't convinced before the Techno Classica in Essen that the trade fair rightly describes itself as the most international classic car trade fair was quickly proven wrong between March 26 and 30, 2014.
Three or four languages could be heard in just a few square meters, and exhibitors came from all over the world. And Techno Classica offered 27 car brands the stage for historic performance demonstrations, some of which were on a scale never seen before. Thanks to the extensive range on offer and lively buying interest, there was also a lot of turnover, which led to a bombastic atmosphere in the broader sense of the word.
The fact that there were strikes in Germany on Wednesday and Thursday and that a bomb from the First World War was actually found and successfully defused in Essen on Thursday only marginally affected the trade fair. In any case, visitor interest was undampened, and the record figures from the previous year were at least equaled with 190,000 visitors.
120 years of motorsport on three levels
For once, Mercedes Benz overshadowed everything else. Never before had such an extensive collection of historic racing cars from the Stuttgart-based manufacturer been seen at a trade fair or other classic car event.
The vehicles were presented on three levels, with stairs and overpasses leading spectators past the racing cars. 36 monoposti, sports and touring cars from 120 years of racing history were shown in bright spotlights, while the road vehicles had to fade into the background for once.
Anniversary coupés and convertibles at Ford
The Ford stand, which as always was organized in cooperation with the clubs, had a veritable series of anniversaries to celebrate. 75 years of Ford Taunus, 50 years of Ford Mustang (T5), 50 years of Ford Taunus P5, 40 years of Ford Capri II and 30 years of Ford Escort Convertible.
There were many coupés and convertibles on the Cologne stand, including rarities such as a Ford Eifel Gläser Roadster, a Ford 20 M Deutsch-Cabriolet and several original Ford T5s, as the Mustang had to be called in Germany until 1979.
50 years of the Opel KAD
In 1964, Opel presented a completely new model series called "KAD" with the Kapitän, Admiral and Kapitän. For the first time, there was an eight-cylinder (American-made) engine in an Opel. The Opel luxury class (A) with its sleek design was well received on the market and was replaced in 1969 by its even sleeker successor (B) with an elaborate rear axle based on the De Dion principle. A total of around 150,000 KAD vehicles were built between 1964 and 1977, before the series was replaced by the more modern Senator.
With a complete selection of eleven A and B-KAD vehicles, the entire spectrum of the model series was on display, including special examples such as a police vehicle that was in service in Switzerland or the car that was made available to the American President Gerald Ford (!) during his state visit to Germany.
A turning point in Volkswagen's model history
VW used the 40th anniversary of the VW Golf to contrast vehicles with air and water cooling, for example to show the Beetle with the Polo, the VW 1600 Variant with the Passat estate, the Karmann-Ghia with the VW Scirocco or the Beetle Cabriolet with the open Golf. Even two conceptually different monoposti were shown.
Beetle fans were thrilled by the Power Beetles, from the movie Beetle Herbie to the New Beetle RSI. There were also anniversaries to celebrate for the VW Bus, 65 years for the T1 and 35 years for the T3.
At Audi, 100 years of racing were celebrated, starting with the 1919 Alpensieger model, the Auto Union Type A and the 1989 Imsa-Quattro. Also worth seeing was the newly built Wanderer streamliner from 1938.
Lamborghini celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 350 GT and contrasted the red exhibition model with a yellow Jalpa from the 1980s.
40 years of Turbo at Porsche
The turbocharger was first used by Porsche in racing before it was also offered to customers in the rear of the air-cooled sports cars from 1974. With the Porsche 917/30, the Zuffenhausen-based company built the fastest racing sports car ever in 1973 and dominated the CanAm series.
Motorsport honors at BMW
The Munich-based manufacturer BMW also recalled its motorsport past with its brand presence in Essen. Unforgettable vehicles such as the BMW 3.0 CSL, the M3 E30, the 1800 TiSA and the 328 Touring Coupé took visitors on a journey through the long racing history of BMW cars and motorcycles.
The show was complemented by vintage and youngtimers, BMW Isetta and 600 and the Glas Goggomobil T250.
Part of the BMW presentation was also the Mini stand, which commemorated the development of the original Mini and showed it lined up in many colors. The winner of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally was also highlighted.
119 years of vehicle construction at Skoda
Milestones in Skoda's history dating back to 1895 were the theme of the Skoda stand, which displayed vehicles from the pre-war predecessor brands Laurin & Klement and Skoda passenger cars from the 1930s to the 1980s. Interesting models and splashes of color made this presentation in particular a highlight of Techno Classica.
The VW Group subsidiary Seat celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Ibiza model, which is considered to be the first model designed independently of Fiat. With over five million units sold, the Ibiza has become the most successful Seat model of all time.
Jaguar with racing legends
At the press conference at the start of Techno Classica, Jaguar reaffirmed its commitment to owners of older and younger models from the Coventry-based brand. The stand featured sports and touring cars from the brand's rich racing history, including the Jaguar D-Type, which is celebrating its anniversary, as well as an XJ-S touring car and the XJR-9 from 1988.
While a magnificent P2 could be admired at the Alfa Romeo stand, Citroën presented an orange Méhari and, of course, the Ente, while Peugeot's presentation focused on the coupé tradition.
The Volvo stand was fast-paced, with racing touring cars from various eras on display, while classic sports cars from Maranello competed with each other at the Ferrari stand set up by Ferrari dealer Eberlein.
The manufacturers were therefore well and very professionally represented, with AC, Caterham and Zagato making their first official appearance at the Techno Classica.
Zagato rarities in the special show
The SIHA special shows have been a highlight of Techno Classica for years. Last year's more than 20 Pegaso sports cars and the elegant French bodywork creations in 2012, for example, will be remembered.
A collection of Zagato vehicles was brought together for 2014, not quite as impressive in terms of quantity as in previous years, but still a real feast for the eyes. After all, it is rare to be able to compare the Fiat 8V, Maserati A6G, Lancia Appia and Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ in Zagato livery in one place and marvel at both versions of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Tubolare Zagato - the TZ and the TZ 2.
However, the "Best of Show" elegance prize, which is awarded every year by an international jury, did not go to a car from the Zagato special show, but to a Lancia Astura 4th Series Pinin Farina Cabriolet from 1939 on the Lukas Hüni AG stand.
Valuable cars, brisk trade
The constantly rising prices of classic cars - according to the VDA, they increased by 8.1 percent in 2013 - were naturally a major topic at Techno Classica. You only had to look at the price tags of the 2,500 or so vehicles for sale. Five-figure price tags were already in the minority, at least at the professional dealers, a Dino 246 GT was hardly available for less than 300,000 euros, a Porsche 914/6 almost always for six figures.
"We used to come here with our normal range of classic and modern classics, but nowadays we only bring our most expensive and most exclusive vehicles to Essen," said one of the dealers present and straightaway sold one of his rarities to a well-known German musician.
Every evening was a hive of activity. Cars that had been sold were pushed out of the hall and replaced by other classic cars that had previously been waiting for their turn. Even on the first evening, some cars had the sign "Sorry, sold" on them. There was no shortage of interesting offers or buyers with big wallets.
Loving club performances
Traditionally, the salt in the soup at Techno Classica are the appearances of the clubs, 220 in number in 2014.
Perhaps the most impressive presentation was put together by the Borgward Club, which not only displayed a filling station complete with Isabella, but also a Borgward tanker. The clubs showed their treasures with a great deal of dedication and imagination, be it Fiat 600 models in an ice cream sundae, Opel vehicles as cadets on a ship, a hairy buggy in a mousetrap or the Trabant before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Exhibition of the classic car industry
In 20 fully booked halls, 1250 exhibitors showed what the classic car industry is capable of today. Restorers, dealers, accessory suppliers, events, museums, service providers, literature sellers, etc. presented their skills and offerings in an impressive manner. It is not certain whether the not exactly cheap hall prices worked out for everyone, but most of them definitely want to be there again in 2014.
And the focus was not always on sales, in many cases it was also the many discussions with business partners, interested parties and satisfied customers that made participating in the trade fair a worthwhile investment.
