[Jeroen]

I have been visiting classic car shows all over Europe. One of my favourite shows is the Techno Classica in Essen, Germany. I must have visited it at least 15 times over the last 30 years. Often with my best friend and spanner mate Peter.

We were always under the impression that Techno Classica is the largest Classic car show in Europe. We found out we were wrong and we will make sure to visit the largest classic car show in Europe this year too. More about that later.

We used to drive up and down in a single day. Essen isn't all that far. But these days, Peter lives an hour and a half drive from us and from us, it is still another 2-hour drive to Essen. So Peter comes and stays with us on Thursday evening. We book a hotel for the Friday evening. So we can take our time at the exhibition, we don't need to worry about driving home in rush hour. After we are done at the exhibition we drive to our hotel, freshen up. We get some drinks and a nice meal. On Saturday morning we drive home, after breakfast at the hotel, at our leisure.

On Friday morning we got up early and hit the road on Friday morning between 07-07.30. With one coffee stop on the Autobahn that gets us to the exhibition centre around 09.30. Depending on traffic. Although ze Germans organise these things extremely well, the exhibition centre is almost in the centre of Essen and you might find yourself queuing for 30-40 minutes before able to park your car. Parking the car is never a problem, lots of space. But the roads to the parking centre clog up.

This exhibition is huge. You could visit and see very different cars from the ones we looked at.

There are thousands of cars, so this is just a small collection.

Car stands are a mix of commercial enterprises and classic car clubs. This is an excellent formula for these events. The clubs pay a largely reduced tariff for their stand. But lots of car club member like to visit their club stand at exhibitions such as these. So the whole event gets a lot of PR and advertisement via the classic car club channels.

This was the very first car we bumped into a; BMW Isetta. Gives a different meaning to "front door"! Note the tasteful carpet!



Next, we bumbed into this soft top RX7 with a Wankelengine. Both Peter and I are quite familiar with the RX7. But even Peter, who makes a living valuing classic cars, had never come across or even heard about the softtop version!

Very rare, only 47 were made!



If you have been into the (original) Mini, you will have seen them with just about every modification possible. Some were very nice, some not so nice. The first time we came across a mini with Gullwing doors! As far as we are concerned the Jury is still out on this modification!



The VW Beetle has always been a hugely popular Classic car. There are still tens of thousands of them out there. Spare parts availability is excellent, probably better than when these cars were still produced—easy cars to work on and restore. Even so, they command a very hefty price these days.

Euro 89500 for this:



This is an original 1951 Beetle with a split rear window. Yours for Euro 69900



These days more and more YoungTimers make it into these classic car shows. Nothing wrong with YoungTimers. But they should not overdo it. This is a show about classic cars. Although there is no formal definition of what constitutes a classic car, the consensus, sort of, means it needs to be at least 25-30 years old.

This Mercedes is only 10 years old. So it is not even a YoungTimer really! Only 35K kilometres on the clock, 6,2l V8 for only euro 650000!



A pretty cool car too, Renault 5 turbo! The proverbial pocket rocket. A friend of mine had one of these and took it to the circuit of Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Crashed and totalled it within minutes!! Just because you can afford one of these cars, doesn't mean you know how to drive them!



Of course, when you visit one of the top classic car shows in the world, you expect more classic Ferraris than you can shake a stick at. We were not disappointed. Gorgeous 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Boanao, only 36K on the clock. The asking price is just under 1.3 million euros!



I always like this 1970 Mazda Cosmo 110 S Coupe. Euro 135000



Those of you who have followed some of my posts know I love old vintage tractors. The Lamborghini folks had brought some very nice ones!!







Of course, there were some Italian supercars as well.

I must admit, in this red, I initially failed to recognize it. I don't think red does this car any justice. For a super car, it is surprisingly small too!



Imagine sitting here, in short sleeves, foot down, doing well over 330 km/h on the Autobahn!



Not sure why, but there were a lot of Mercedes 190SL and 300SL about.



Look at this! Did you know Fiat made stunning cars like this in the past? A 1954 Fiat 8V. Only 114 built. Just over a million Euros.



The Jaguar E-type is, no doubt, a true iconic classic car. Although not everybody agrees. For some, the owners just want to advertise something about the size of some of their limbs, so to speak. Never understood that.

And then Austin Powell came along. Yeah, Baby get a load of my mojo!!



Here in Europe, classic car shows will have primarily European and some Japanese cars. There are always some American cars as well of course.

Like this 1962 Studebaker Avanti. 300 HP V8 supercharged. An extremely rare car these days. Not pretty perhaps, but still very rare!



Here is another Supercar. A 1992 Jaguar XJ220 undergoing a full re-commissioning by Jaguar Essen. Done less than 850 kilometers?! Only 275 of these XJ220 were produced.



The engine still out! Impressive set-up.



There were also a lot of Citroen DS about.

We came across this one, that had a couple of pretty special options installed.

Look at this dashboard. It is known as the Jagear Tableau. All instruments were supplied by Jaeger!!



Custom made radio, fits the shape of dashboard!



Finally an Alfa Romeo Spider. In this case my not so favourite Series 4. The last of the famous 105/115 series Spiders. Ridiculous asking price of euro 30000.

[Jeroen]

A lot of very very special cars at these sorts of exhibitions. Here is a very simple well well-known car. Still a bit special. It is a 1999 Suzuki Alto with only 351 km on the clock!!



A W123 in an immaculate state. Almost identical to my, also 1982, 200 petrol. But fewer kilometers and this is an automatic. I would not recommend getting an automatic on these. As it is they are not particularly fast with the 2. Litre engine. But these old auto-boxes make it a whole lot less less fast.



Lots and lots of cars, but also all kinds of other stuff, of course.

Lots of tools of course!



All kinds of car mobilia



Lots of parts



Look carefully, these are mostly Ferrari parts. I would not think Ferrari has a large DIY customer base, but apparently, they do!



A few overall impressions



Lambo's galore!



Lots of some very smart Aston Martins. JB007 eat your heart out!!





By this time, we were a bit peckish. So we did what everybody here does, we got ourselves a "brötchen mit bratwurst".



I am not into modern-day racing, F1 or otherwise. But I can look for hours at racing cars from days gone by. Look at this. Now this is what I call a proper racing car!!



We saw at least 6-7 Mercedes 600s. But this one was the most spectacular. Mercedes had an exclusive production line for these monstrosities. They were sold exclusively to Dictator, Despots and other low life.

Jeremy Clarkson owned one for a while. Do we need to say more about the character of the typical MB600 owner? You don't want them as your neighbour, let's leave it at that!



Here for a bit of an unusual Mercedes, 2016, G 63 AMG G850 5.9 Brabus 6x6 (yes that reads 6x6!) Looks perfect for the daily school run!



Some nice interiors





how about this 1953 Bentley Supercharged Petersen racer



Some people claim some classic cars are art, some modern cars can be considered art. Then there is somebody who makes these arty farty car models. Pretty neat though!



The Gallery from Nico Aaldering is always out in force on Techno Classica. His showroom, in Brummen the Netherlands, is not too far from the German border and Nico gets a lot of German and international customers. Many years ago I did a thread on the Gallery. (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/beyon...car-mecca.html (The Gallery Brummen, Netherlands - Vintage Car Mecca))

The owner Nico is currently best remembered for buying and subsequently selling what became known as the "Palmen" collection. (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/beyon...therlands.html (The Palmen Barnfind Collection, Netherlands))

I bought my Mercedes W123 from Nico many many moons ago. These days a humble W123 is way below him. He does some really nice, and expensive cars these days.



A well-known Dutch car brand; Spijker.





Nice see-through image!

[Jeroen]

If you have followed some of my other classic car event threads, you might remember this car; It is a 1958 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith State Landauletter by Park Ward. It was commissioned by the court of the then queen of the Netherlands, Queen Juliana and her flashy hubby Prince Bernard. The one on the take by Lockheed.



As I mentioned before, quite a number of Citroen DS were on show. here a coupe version.



For some more parts, do you need a carburettor? Any carburettor?



The VW buses are very popular these days and very expensive too. This is a 1963 Sambabus. Asking price is Euro 119000!. that is a lot of money for a VW bus!



Did I mention there were a lot of Ferrari's about? Here you go!

A 2004 Ferrari Enzo, only 14500 km. 6.0 L V12



Some more Ferrari's



How about a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Shortnose. 3.3L V12, 280 HP. You need to bring at least 2.7 million euros!!



As V12 goes, nothing looks as complicated as the Jaguar one. Don't even think about sticking a screwdriver or a spanner in there without a proper degree in plumbing!!



At events such as this one, there will be dozens of market stalls selling all kinds of model cars. There are also a few market stalls that sell these very special models. Handmade, retailing from Euro 800 upwards!







You wanted your Aston in an estate version. Of course, Sir. Not a problem. In those days, lots of coach builders modified just about every posh car to whatever specification the owners came up with.



Some more supercar stuff!





Peter checking out a very nice 1976 Jaguar XJ6 Coupe. Essentially the same car as he has, just a coupe version which makes it quite rare. Asking 68K euros.



Of course, at every classic car event slowly but surely battery conversion car are making their entry. All quite horrible.



This lovely Opel GT had been converted to battery too. Look at it, crammed with batteries, even the passenger seat has to be given up for batteries. Such a shame. I always loved the Opel GT. Very pretty little car.







These shows tend to turn into a bit of Lifestyle events too. It probably ensures the various Mrs. "married to a classic car nut" comes along.

So he can choose a nice classic car and she chooses a nice luxurious sun lounge chair!



I always have a weak spot for the Peugeot 404. I had one, my second car, after my VW Beetle. Great cars for their time. This is a 1968 Peugeot 404 Coupe. 4 cylinder 1600 cc engine, 88 HP. The couple versions are rare and much sought after. Asking 42K euros.

[Jeroen]

No second guesses as to what car this is: The Triumph Stag of course. Still one of my old-time favourites. Lovely car, a lovely V8 engine.



Quite a few specialist shops have a presence here. These guys specialise in overhauling and repairing fuel pumps. You can do a lot of DIY work on classic cars yourself. But overhauling fuel pumps is unlikely to be suitable for a DIY job. You need specialised knowledge and tools and special test and calibration stuff.





Same with these guys, they will sell you a brand new carburettor, a refurbished one, or completely overhaul your old one.



And then there a classic car radios. Difficult to imagine for some of our members perhaps. But until the late 80s or so, cars did not come with a radio. there used to be an immense aftermarket for car stereos. When you have a classic car it is important you get yourself the correct period correct aftermarket car radio. The Becker radios made it into many Mercedes Benz, I believe it even came as a factory option.



If you have a very special starter motor or alternator, and can't get spares, these guys will overhaul and rewind it for you!



I have mentioned it before; whereas the modern car shows are dwindling out of existence, the classic car scene, at least in most of the Western world, is absolutely rockin'!!

We had been under the impression that Techno Classica was the largest classic car show in Europe. Turns out it is not. At least not any more.

Peter and I had heard about the "Auto Moto d"Epoca in Bologna, Italy. They had a huge stand here in Essen as well. So we took some brochures. We also bumped into some people we know and asked them if they had ever been to Bologna. Everybody was very enthusiastic about Bologna. A must do and see so it seems!

It appears this show is almost double the size of Essen. Double the square meters, cars, exhibitors and so on!!





When we had seen enough, we made our way to our hotel. Only a ten-minute drive from the exhibition centre. We checked in, took a short rest and went into Essen centre for a drink and some food.

We discussed going to Bologna. We checked ticket prices and hotels. We decided to book it right away. So in October, we are flying to Bologna on a Friday early in the morning. We have a whole day to explore the exhibition. We have booked a very nice little old hotel in the old city centre and we are flying back home on Saturday morning. Looking forward to that!!

Jeroen

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[srini1785]

As usual great thread. I do hope that these cars continue to be rode and exhibited. With stringent emission laws and adaptation of electric and other fuel variants, how long do these stand?

How does it work for owners who display them for sale?. Is the parking charges inside the venue higher than the charges for display outside? does the organization get a cut on sales (if concluded)?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by srini1785

As usual great thread. I do hope that these cars continue to be rode and exhibited. With stringent emission laws and adaptation of electric and other fuel variants, how long do these stand?

Every EU country has their own rules. So far it is ok. Most countries have exceptions for cars over 30 or 40 years old. Diesels can be problematic in some towns. Some countries don’t exempt diesels at all

Originally Posted by srini1785

How does it work for owners who display them for sale?. Is the parking charges inside the venue higher than the charges for display outside? does the organization get a cut on sales (if concluded)?

Yes, the outside parking is a lot cheaper cheaper than inside. No cut on sales for the organisation as far as I am aware

Jeroen

[KPS]

Superb thread Jeroen. Thank you for sharing. Must have been a great experience

Even in India the prices of the VW's are increasing significantly, as cost of restoration has seen a huge bump up.

Cheers

KPS

[Rohitthebest]

Beautiful drool worthy pics.
Super thanks for sharing them with us too.
Some of them will go to my Laptop desktop image soon.
That Merc AMG with butterfly doors that too open - I just can't keep my eyes off it.
If I ever visit a car show like this, they will have to throw me out in the night when they close the doors for public.

Awesome thread.

[DasAuto1985]

Do people buy the cars from such shows? How reliable are they, meaning could they be sold lemons, considering we are buying from complete strangers?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by DasAuto1985

Do people buy the cars from such shows? How reliable are they, meaning could they be sold lemons, considering we are buying from complete strangers?

A lot of cars get sold during the show. As the show progresses you will see more and more sold signs on cars.

In all honesty I have probably bought all my cars from complete strangers. In fact the last thing I would do is buy a car from a friend.

In the end you are buying an old car. It might come,with a lot of provenance, lots of documents, valuation reports and so on. But you need to decide whether you trust the company or individual selling them.

The classic car community is relatively small and mouth to mouth recommendations are the name of the game. I would say most the companies at Techno Classica have pretty good reputations. There is of course a difference when you are buying a Euro 15000 Mercedes W123 or a 1 million Euro Mercedes 190SL.

Especially the cars above say Euro 200-300k tend to be known pretty well by the incrowd. It is well known who restored it,,who previous owners were and so on.

Buying classic cars is not for the faint of heart. It helps a lot if you have sufficient knowledge about the car at hand. If not find somebody who does. You can hire classic car experts to look for the right car and help you examine and negotiate.

Quite a few of these companies do offer pretty comprehensive warranties as well. Again, nothing in the classic car scene is standardised, so you need to do your due diligence, not just on the car but also on the company or the individual you are buying from.

We have a number of threads claiming older, mechanical, cars are far more reliable, than all those modern electronically controlled cars. I don’t buy into that theory at all. The older the less reliable is my rule of thumb.

Just because you pay 2 million for your 50 year old Ferrari is no guarantee it will start or run well. That has nothing to do with the car being 50 years old. It was like that 50 years ago, when it was brand new too.

So it helps tremendously if you can rewind your mind some 40-60 years as to what to expect from a car. Old car don’t drive well, they are not comfortable and they are not safe. But they come with lots of character. As long as you know what to expect and can enjoy running old vintage technology, you will be ok with a vintage car.

So in this context I think you really need to see the term Lemon in the correct context. You need to value and appreciate the car for what it was when it was newly build. A well restored car might come close. A not so well restored and maintained car will do even worse.

Rule of thumb, all vintage cars are lemons compared to modern cars. You really need to define what you are looking for. I love how my Alfa Spider or my W123 handles. But it is pretty poor compared to say my wife’s modern Ford Fiesta!

On a modern car, with a bit of luck, you can’t go wrong. It will do and ride as advertised. When it comes to classic and vintage cars you need to do a whole lot more to enjoy them. As the saying goes: anybody can buy a new car, but it takes real skill and knowledge to buy an old car”.

When you look at the sales and turn over statistics of classic cars you see a very clear slit. There is fairly large portion of first time buyers, that keeps their vintage car less than two years, sells it and never buys a classic vintage car again. These are folks who were most likely bitterly disappointed in the whole classic vintage car ownership experience. It could be they did buy an awful car, with lots of problems. More often they just did not think it through enough.

With owning a classic car you need to build a network of knowledge people and companies that can help you maintain it. For some cars relatively easy, for others not so. Irrespective it is always going to demand more time from you than a regular car.

So here is the thing, my opinion. If you want to enjoy ownership of a classic car you also need to enjoy dealing with checking out stories on the internet. Join car clubs, attend shows, talk to other owners, get yourself familiarised with the spare part situation, find and talk to specialist who know your make and model inside out. Even the best maintained and restored vintage car needs this, because you buy it and it will need constant TLC. And none of it is available through the modern car scene.

If you don’t like that and can’t afford to pay somebody to it for you, every classic car is going to be a Lemon.

Jeroen

[Chisels121]

That blue 'alto' was called the Zen in India. You probably know that the car has now a cult status in our side of the world.
Fun fact: The 'lovely' folks at Maruti Suzuki were once selling us three consecutive generations of the International Alto at the same point of time.(2000-2005)
The 800
The Zen(ironically it was discontinued BEFORE the 800)
& The lovely first gen Indian Alto(lovely because we own one)

Also the Spiker is just Wow-inducing for anybody.

[DasAuto1985]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

A lot of cars get sold during the show. As the show progresses you will see more and more sold signs on cars.
….
If you don’t like that and can’t afford to pay somebody to it for you, every classic car is going to be a Lemon.

Jeroen

Thanks for the detailed reply. Serves as a Classic car ownership 101