When lovers of driving culture on wheels meet at Retro Classics in Stuttgart from 23 to 26 February 2023, manufacturers, dealers and clubs will be presenting delicacies on 2, 4 and more wheels.
Great response at the pre-opening at Brunold Automobile in Stuttgart
The official countdown to the upcoming Retro Classics Stuttgart was heralded on January 31: the press, celebrities and precious objects gathered at Brunold Automobile in Stuttgart-Vaihingen and were given an exclusive foretaste of what will be presented to lovers of driving culture in the halls of the Stuttgart Exhibition Center from February 23 to 26. With the active support of the well-known entertainer and brand ambassador of Retro Classics, Michael Gaedt, Karl Ulrich Herrmann, founder and "inventor" of the Retro Classics trade fair format, presented the highlights:
Porsche on asphalt, in the sand, on the plantation and in the furrow
In 1948, the first Porsche sports car was realized in the form of the 356/1 model, which was to lay the foundation for today's world-famous and coveted "Made in Zuffenhausen" brand. A success story on and off the roads of this world, which celebrates its 75th birthday in 2023.
As part of the special show "75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars", the company will be represented at two presentation areas at Retro Classics: In the Atrium at the East Entrance and on the exhibition stand in Hall 1 directly next to the Porsche Clubs. For the history of sports cars, Porsche takes visitors on a journey through time over the past 75 years and also ventures a look into the future. Important stations here: the 356 "No. 1" show car, which represents the original state of the first sports car bearing the Porsche name as accurately as possible. The brand's history began with the first vehicle to bear the Porsche name, and with it: 75 years of production and manufacture, 75 years of sports cars, 75 years of people with Porsche.
The company will also be exhibiting a 356 Coupé from 1953 on its stand, alongside a 550 A Spyder. Umberto Maglioli surprisingly achieved overall victory at the Targa Florio with this model in 1956. For the first time, it managed to prevail against established teams and the supposedly stronger competition. After this victory, the still young company enjoys worldwide recognition. Another eye-catcher on the stand is the McLaren TAG Porsche Formula 1. At the beginning of the 1980s, Porsche was commissioned by the McLaren racing team and the TAG Group to develop a turbo engine for Formula 1. The six-cylinder engine created by Hans Mezger wins a total of 25 Grands Prix up to 1987, three drivers' world championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986 and two constructors' titles in 1984 and 1985. More than 30 years later, the one millionth Porsche 911 rolls off the production line and, like its predecessors, presents the core values of the brand as an icon from Zuffenhausen: the past, the present and the future. For a visionary look, Porsche is presenting the Mission R concept study from 2022 at Retro Classics. The all-electric racing car combines the idea of a future design language with state-of-the-art technology and sustainable materials.
As part of the special show "75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars", visitors will encounter the 911 2.0 Targa, 918 Spyder Study, 956 and 356 SL models alongside the 356 "No. 1" show car in the Atrium at the East Entrance to Messe Stuttgart. Belgian driver Gilberte Thirion won races 70 years ago in one of these 356 SLs. Another special crowd-puller is the 959 Paris-Dakar, in which Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur finished second in the rally of the same name in 1986. Over the past few months, the Porsche Heritage and Museum team has been working with colleagues from Porsche Classic to restore the vehicle. The history of the 959 Paris-Dakar has remained authentic thanks to the gentle refurbishment, and the team has preserved traces of the events. Timo Bernhard wins the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2001 with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the 996 generation. The racing car with which he fulfilled his dream of starting a professional career more than 20 years ago is also on display at the trade fair.
Fins, chrome and muscle cars
US classics from the land of unlimited possibilities - everyone with gasoline in their blood automatically thinks of chrome, bright colors, panoramic windows and exalted fin designs. Or of hot rods, quarter-miles, bubbling V8 engines and muscle cars whose displacement could never be big enough. Resounding brands such as Pontiac, Buick, Dodge, Cadillac and Oldsmobile come to mind, as do model names à la Mustang, Charger, Trans Am, Coronet, Eldorado Biarritz and Skylark.
Unique US classics from the heyday of the US car manufacturers can be admired, presented by the US car specialists NR Classic Car Collection, Rühle Motors (Hall 3) and the US Car Club Southside Rebels Neckar-Alb in Hall 5.
Tradition obliges - nothing works without young talent
The Schweinfurt Vehicle Academy, which is now well-known throughout Europe, is the first port of call when it comes to professional knowledge transfer for all aspects of working on classic cars. "Unfortunately, there's no one left here at our company who knows anything about these old things" - many classic car and vintage car enthusiasts have heard this phrase when it comes to having repairs carried out on their vehicles.
This is exactly where the Fahrzeugakademie Schweinfurt has been coming in for years, offering specific classic car seminars for the next generation of car mechanics. Private individuals are also welcome to take part at any time. You can look over the shoulders of the makers of the Schweinfurt Vehicle Academy during their demonstrations - live at Retro Classics in Hall 3.
"90 - 60" Fritz Neuser: a living legend of driving culture
The year 2022 marked a very special anniversary for Nuremberg car dealer Fritz Neuser: on the one hand, he celebrated his 90th birthday and, on the other, his dealership turned 60. Fritz Neuser is considered to be the oldest car dealer in Germany, as he can still be found every day at his business in Nuremberg's Röthensteig industrial estate and enjoys doing what he has been doing with great enthusiasm all his life: selling cars and making their owners happy. But not just any cars, but from the 1970s onwards, mainly sports cars in the black stallion of Maranello: Fritz Neuser became an official Ferrari dealer and soon became one of the top-selling Ferrari dealers in Germany.
He looked after the cars of celebrities who became friends over the years, such as Luciano Pavarotti and Michael Schumacher. Retro Classics will be presenting breathtaking Ferrari models from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as part of an exclusive special show.
"Bavarians from Berlin" - 100 years of BMW Motorrad
Who would have thought it: BMW's first motorcycle, the "R32", was created in 1923, and in principle it was born out of necessity, as Bayerische Motorenwerke, until then a renowned manufacturer of aircraft engines, had to look for a new field of business after the end of the First World War.
The "R32" was to lay the foundation for a success story that has now lasted 100 years, and its key design features still embody the DNA of most BMW Motorrad models today: boxer engine, cardan drive and twin-tube frame. Models such as the "R68", "R90S", "R100RS" and "R80G/S" make the hearts of motorcycle fans beat faster - admire milestones in 100 years of BMW motorcycle history.Thanks to active partners such as the companies Siebenrock and Brauneisen as well as the AMSC Leonberg motorcycle club, you can admire milestones from 100 years of BMW motorcycle history exclusively at Retro Classics in Hall 4.
SimRacing - the supreme discipline of virtual racing for young and old alike
The supreme discipline of virtual motorsport on the screen, which has been officially recognized as a motorsport discipline by the German Motorsport Association DMSB e.V. since 2018. as a motorsport discipline, enables fast-paced racing experiences in racing cars on world-famous racetracks - whether beginner simulators or high-end rigs - SimRacing is highly exciting and enjoys a steadily growing fan base - presented live in Hall 5 by the Virtual Racing Lounge.
Further information can be found on the website of the classic car fair.
