You have to give your collection some kind of theme ...
So there it is, the "ROFGO Heritage Collection", in the atrium of Messe Stuttgart, right by the East Entrance. Anyone entering Retro Classics Stuttgart there is sure to spend some time in front of these cars, most of which are painted light blue and orange.
It is the collection of Roald Goethe, an entrepreneur born in Germany but now at home in England. He started collecting Gulf cars around ten years ago and it was clear to the enthusiast from the outset that he would collect racing cars, after all he enjoyed racing himself, especially in historic racing.
But as he said when he had to explain his collection: "A collection has to have some kind of theme, and the legendary Gulf oil brand was naturally a perfect focus. However, this then took on unexpected excesses. I created a monster, albeit a likeable monster."
There are now 40 vehicles and they comprise a broad cross-section of those makes and vehicle types that caused a sensation in motor racing over several decades. And for the first time, 27 of them will be on display in a joint special show.
The six vehicles that can be seen in the entrance area outside the actual classic car show should not be overlooked, including the Mercedes-Benz truck that brought the victorious Le Mans Porsche to the race track.
From the Porsche 917K to modern Aston Martins, everything is on display, as well as cars that only bore the Gulf logo in small or less visible letters, such as the Yardley McLaren M23 or the Howmet TX turbine racing car from 1968.
A visit is definitely worthwhile, as the collection will probably never be seen again outside of Goethe's home in Stuttgart.
Retro Classics Stuttgart is still open until Sunday, March 1, 2020, and anyone passing by the East Entrance is also welcome to stop by our stand, which we are manning together with the Oldtimer Galerie Toffen, which is located just to the right of the ROFGO Collection in the atrium and labeled EO50.
