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VINTAGE: Techno Classico a Feast of Historic Cars
Written by: Pieter Melissen
ultimatecarpage.com   http://www.ultimatecarpage.com
04/17/2009
Essen (GER)
 
The Techno Classica has come of age, celebrating its 21st edition during the first weekend of April. With a reputation for being the largest show of its kind, Techno Classica’s sheer number of cars on display, both inside and outside the exhibition halls, could keep you busy the whole day.

Mercedes-Benz showed a lavish display of 'Silver Arrow' racecars to mark their 75th anniversary. (Photo: Wouter Melissen and Pieter Melissen) » More Photos
More than 2,500 cars were reportedly displayed, most for sale. And as usual, German brands were well-represented. During the four-and-a-half day show, 165,800 visitors came through the doors of the Messe Essen. An amazing 50 percent of the cars available were sold before the weekend was over.

Heritage pride is of increasing importance in today’s world of wind-tunnel-dictated designs and mass products, and the German brands are fully aware of this. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VAG showed an impressive selection taken from their museums, while Opel and Ford also showed some of their earlier cars. Those may not be classics in monetary terms, but many people love to see the cars that they grew up with and which have now nearly disappeared from the roads.

Porsche did not have its own stand, but this was more than compensated by the impressive number of vintage Porsches presented by clubs and dealers. The factory stands also presented examples of privately owned, restored cars and representatives of brand and even type-clubs.

An Iso Grifo A3C and a Ford GT40 were among the cars on display from the dealer Fiskens. (Photo: Wouter Melissen and Pieter Melissen) » More Photos
Mercedes-Benz celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 'Silver Arrows' with a display of all their major Grand Prix cars and two of the more recent and also highly successful Mercedes-powered McLarens. Of course, there were other impressive vehicles, many of which propelled by the 6.3-liter V8 that was first introduced in the 600, but which got its real fame in the ultimate Q-car, the 300 SEL 6.3.

BMW surprised us with the elusive 700 RS, of which BMW says only one example was ever completed. It was the highlight of the BMW 700's half-century celebration. A very rare, privately owned Glas 1700 with hydraulically
operated automatic gearbox (comparable to a current F1 system) was also shown, together with a perfectly restored 2600L, one as the last incarnations of the famous Baroque Angel model.

The Volkswagen Audi Group filled a complete hall with familiar machines and some nice oddities as well like a Ghia Aigle bodied Beetle from 1956. Audi celebrated their 100th birthday with some of their finest road, racing and concept cars. Highlights included the 225 Front from 1935, the 2006 Le Mans winning Audi R10 TDI and the mid-engine Audi Quattro concept car. Skoda’s heritage was honored by a number of Felicias and Octavias from the ’50s. In a more secluded section of the hall, there was a line-up of classic cars from each of the Group's members ranging from a Lamborghini Miura to a very early Bugatti Type 15.

Ford showed the Probe II concept, which became the shape of controversial Sierra. The Capri celebrates its 40th birthday this year, and several top models were shown, including the Zakspeed-Wurth turbo version.


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