Rarities at the Techno Classica in Essen
04/08/2016
Over 2500 cars are currently on display at the Techno Classica in Essen. This is not only impressive, but it is also easy to lose track. Not unexpectedly, of course, a large proportion of the cars are from the automobile metropolis of Stuttgart, i.e. from Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, but you can also discover some rarities that you may never have had the chance to see for yourself before, at least not at a trade fair or in Germany.
On the Audi stand, for example, there is a DKW F 9 (pictured above) from 1941. This was DKW's answer to the expected Beetle and the model not only had an aerodynamic body, but also a 28 hp three-cylinder two-stroke engine. Ten units were built, but the outbreak of war prevented production. It was not until a few years later that the car appeared on the post-war market, but twice, namely as the IFA F 9 (in the GDR) and as the DKW 3=6 Sonderklasse F 91 from Auto Union GmbH in West Germany.
In Hall 3, there is a car at a dealer that you might mistake for an AC Ace if you were to pass by quickly. However, it is not an AC, but a Tojeiro Bristol Sport TAD from 1953. Yes, that's right, this is the forerunner of the AC Ace. The clever company AC bought the rights from Tojeiro at the time and paid one British pound per car produced (up to a maximum of 100 cars). However, AC fitted its own six-cylinder engine in the front; the Bristol version only came much later. The Tojeiro-Bristol, however, remained a one-off and is now said to cost 689,000 euros.
Want more examples? We'll mention just two more shortly, as the extensive coverage is yet to follow.
There are always rarities on the club stands, such as the VW Golf Citystromer from 1991 or a beautiful Fiat 1100 TV Coupé at the Fiat Rarities Club.
The Techno Classica is certainly worth a visit, it is still open until Sunday evening.
