On March 21 and 22, 2015, OTM Fribourg, the most successful and largest classic car show in Switzerland, will open its doors for the 40th time. Fribourg, ideally located on the Röstigraben, i.e. between German-speaking Switzerland and the French part of the country, will be the classic car capital of Switzerland for two days.
Jo Siffert's birthplace
Fribourg is Jo Siffert's birthplace. The 40th OTM will once again honor the famous Porsche and F1 racing driver. His friend and biographer Jacques Deschenaux will give a lecture on Jo Siffert and Jean Tinguely on March 22.
Former Formula 1 commentator Jacques Deschenaux will give a presentation recalling the career of the Fribourg racing driver and then answer questions from the audience. Other people who knew Jo Siffert personally are also expected to attend, including journalist Adriano Cimarosti and chief mechanic Heini Mader.
The Automobil Revue and the Vétéran Car Club Suisse Romand (VCCSR) will be exhibiting ex-Jo Siffert's cars, including a Lotus F1 racing car.
Special shows to mark the anniversary
The highlight of the 40th edition will be the special exhibition "60 years of Citroën DS". To mark the 60th birthday of the goddess (la Déesse in French), Switzerland's oldest classic car show will be exhibiting a whole range of beautiful DSs, such as the rare Pallas, Cabriolet Chapron and Break variants.
The VCCSR will also honor the 80th birthday of the Peugeot 402.
Sauter special exhibition
The Swiss Car Register will present a special Sauter exhibition. The first Sauter special racing car was designed and built by Kurt Sauter in 1948 in his own body shop in Basel.
Kurt Sauter began a short career as a racing driver from 1948 to 1953, achieving good results in international races (Nürburgring, Avus, Bern, Maloya, Schauinsland, etc.) with his first three self-built racing cars.
He was twice runner-up Swiss champion in the sports car category. Due to the high level of danger as a racing driver (there were many fatalities at the time), the Swiss coachbuilder then concentrated on designing and building racing and sports cars. As a result, 30 vehicles were produced by the mid-1960s.
Club show
The traditional Club Show, in Hall 4, will once again welcome beautiful and rare cars such as Fiat X 1/9, Studebaker and Datsun Z. The Simca Suisse Club, Freunde Alter Landmaschinen, Land Rover Club of Switzerland, Les Amoureux des Peugeot 203 et 403, Military Vehicle Conservation Club, Freunde Alter Motorräder, Föderation Amerikaner Autoclub Schweiz, Fédération suisse des Véhicules Anciens and Vétéran Car Cub Suisse Romand are also well worth a visit.
A must for classic car fans
With 400 exhibitors and more than 20,000 visitors, OTM Fribourg is a must for anyone interested in cars and classic cars.
In addition to old cars and spare parts, literature, accessories, parts, photos and much more are exhibited and sold on an area of 20,000 m2.
Further information can be found on the OTM Fribourg website.
