The Zurich classic car and parts market in the Eulachhallen in Winterthur - a successful move?
11/21/2012
The cold season is a lean period for many classic car owners. With the first salt on the roads at the latest, most classic car owners decide to put their cars into hibernation and only bring them back to life once the snow has melted.
A classic car and parts market is a welcome change to get a taste of classic car air regardless of the weather and road conditions and to bridge the time until the first spring drive.
With exactly this goal in mind, I headed for Winterthur (25 km from Zurich) on Saturday, where the OTM Zurich was to be held at a new address for the first time this year. The traditional market (since 1978) is organized by the Ford Club Switzerland. Until 2010, it was held in the VBZ garage in Zurich Alstetten and in 2012, after a one-year break, it was held in the Eulachhallen for the first time.
I was excited to see what awaited me this year, because the OTM in Zurich, although never huge, had always been good for a surprise in recent years.
The parking lot in front of the halls already gave me a good idea of what to expect, some classic cars had found their way to Winterthur, two Audi Quattro and a Ford Granada for sale showed me the way to the entrance.
The rush at the cash desk was limited and after a short time I was standing inside hall no. 2.
At the first stand, the charming ladies from the touring garage were offering a green Porsche Roadster and a silver Karmann for sale, and there were also a few other vehicles in the hall waiting for a new owner.
However, the largest selection was to be found among the countless model cars, which were also part of the program this year.
Garages specializing in classic cars, saddlers, parts dealers with rummage boxes, suppliers of accessories, organizers of classic car rallies, etc., were all present as usual. Somehow, however, I couldn't get into the right vintage car and parts market mood this time.
Whether it was just the large (sports) hall, in which I felt lost, or whether there really were fewer exhibitors and visitors who had made the move from the Limmat to the Eulach, I can only guess. In any case, most of the exhibitors hadn't lost their good mood by midday, even if one or two seemed a little underemployed.
Seek and ye shall find - and since I wasn't really looking for anything special on Saturday, it was only logical that I didn't find anything. So my expenses this year were limited to the entrance fee and the food in the canteen.
The organizers should be advised that a little more advertising and a refreshed website could perhaps have a very refreshing effect on the number of visitors.
