TechnoClassica Essen
Germany 21-25 March
A spectAculAr 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato was voted Best of Show by an international jury of motoring experts at the 30th edition of the mammoth TechnoClassica Essen. The car, one of only three factory demonstrators, was on the stand of dealer Axel Schuette along with equally stunning cars from Bentley, Delage and Hispano-Suiza. Another concours awardwinner was a wonderfully different 1947 Ghia Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 on the Classic Cars of Holland stand. Sheer numbers make it difficult for any Gullwing Mercedes or 911 to stand out at Essen, but a bright yellow Beutler-bodied Porsche 356 was eyecatching.
Only dealer cars are eligible for the concours, a shame when Techno Classica hosts so many wonderful club displays. With more space now dedicated to high-end specialists thanks to the re-purposing of an autojumble hall to accommodate yet more of them, and further development planned, the squeeze on club space increases every year.
Some of the most appealing stands are when manufacturers and clubs join forces, but, as ever, German manufacturers took entire halls to showcase their brands via extravagant displays. The biggest is Hall 7, which hosts all the Autostadt/VW-Porsche group from Skoda to Lamborghini. Porsche Classic launched an innovative classic tracking system during the show.
Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have scaled back their ‘spend’ at Essen, but their commitment is still huge for a classic show. As was the presence from Jaguar Land Rover Classic, whose stand was overrun at times.
A fine selection of Le Mans Legends surrounded the pavilion of organiser SIHA that dominates Hall 6, including the ex-Mass, Reuter and Dickens Sauber-Mercedes C9 and a Rondeau. Mercedes staged a celebration of the Iron Schöckl G-Wagen (named after the mountainous test route), while FCA Heritage had a special guest: Carlo Abarth’s widow, Anneliese.
As ever, hundreds of private and trade sale cars were available in the outdoor space, the multitude of homegrown machinery rivalled for numbers only by the Citroën DS. The generally held assumption that the market has cooled considerably for all but the most exotic classics appears not to have reached Germany’s ninth-largest city, however, so the asking prices were as optimistic as ever: often three times the market rate, or more.
The first event, staged in 1989, attracted 30,000 people and 250 exhibitors to just six of the Messe’s halls. Now, unless you’ve already been, it’s hard to grasp its vast scale: around 200 clubs, 1250 exhibitors from 30 countries, 2700 cars and 188,000 visitors (down from the 2016 peak of over 200,000).
Octane staff averaged 12km a day for three whole days getting around it. And there will be even more to see next year, following the announcement that RM Sotheby’s is to hold a 150-car auction. Techno-Classica 2019’s dates are 10-14 April.