Techno Classica in Germany – welcome to the largest European vintage party

So we did it again this year – came back to Techno Classica Essen, along with Petra & Ragnar from Suixtil DE, our German distributors, for a small week of fun and discovery among a rambling gallery of halls some decrepit, others less so.

That the show has built to such incredible dimensions and preponderance is probably a reflection of the fact that the organizers led the field at a time when such an exhibition must have appeared risky. Now, of course, the proposition is slightly different. It was a surprise to note that some constructors appeared to have put a loss less efforts in presenting themselves at the show, then again their story is, by now, well-known. It was also somewhat startling to see some of the key merchants giving the show a miss. On the other hand, there always seem to be more clubs and auction houses willing to take up the slack-  so it  was as busy as ever.

The best news about these indoor shows, aside from meeting a lot of friends, is the opportunity to also (re)discover some completely unknown (or long forgotten) car models, browse endlessly some aisles that present (with different degrees of care) some memorabilia that you might want or need (best if both) and, generally get immersed in a throng of like-minded, generally well-meaning people from all over the world.

As to friends, many thanks to those who took the time to visit (and complimented us on the new Monaco – much appreciated): we gleaned new stories, caught up on some fantastic plans and generally started planning the summer – can it ever be too early.

Some other friends we met (again) were Fred and Dom at SpeedBird Production who were plying their trade in the (newish) Hall 6. Their selection of pictures was just unreal – a mix of society and motor racing pictures that were all done with a care and attention to detail that made them really stand out. Our favorite though, if we had to pick one – was that shot of Jean Behra (a Suixtil hero if ever there was one) with his monster of a Maserati 450S Spyder in the pits at Le Mans in 1957. Jean is smiling in a devilish way (maybe he just heard about the lap record that Fangio established with his car, at over 225 km/h or thinking about all the fun he is about to have). In any case, you have to see that shot in “real life” as it has been prepared by Dom & Fred to really appreciate, again, what magical times those were.  In any case, we can only invite you to speak with them the next time you see them at an event – their unique blend of passion and artistry certainly yields great results – at life speed!

And thanks to Günter, another great friend (and our Ambassador for Germany) whom we thank again here, we’ve managed to pull together a gallery that will give you a flavor of what’s still the biggest static exhibition of vintage in Europe – Enjoy: