120,000 square metres, over 2,700 classic cars, more than 200 clubs, 11 anniversaries, this can hardly be anything other than Techno Classica Essen.
We would like to take you through the 2024 edition, which we feel was definitely an upgrade over last year. So things are once again moving in the right direction with one of the biggest indoor classic car events in Europe.
After the 2023 edition left us a little hungry, this year we were once again spoiled with plenty of unique pieces. A number of exhibitors had also understood the ‘less is more’ principle. Instead of cramming a stand to the last square cm, on many stands the cars were given the space they deserve.
Techno Classica Essen remains a very large show because with an area of more than 100,000 square metres, you really have to go through to make ends meet in one day.
In the main square in Hall 3, as every year, we find the central theme and this year we celebrate 120 years of Rolls-Royce. It is without doubt the only brand that has built exclusively premium cars throughout its existence. The focus during this expo was on the Phantom, which is already on its eighth version.
Besides the Phantoms, we could also admire a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith State Landaulette. The fact that the car was owned by the Dutch royal family and used for various ceremonies makes it extra special. Today, the car is privately owned and hired out for special occasions.
The list of anniversaries they highlighted during Techno Classica Essen was almost endless. I list them for you.
125 years Opel, 115 years Bugatti, 115 years Morgan, 95 years Scuderia Ferrari, 90 years Citroën Traction Avant, 75 years Citroën 2VC, 75 years Unimog, 70 years Mercedes 300SL, 70 years Mercedes 190SL, 65 years Mini, 50 years Porsche Turbo, 50 years Volkswagen Golf…
50 years of Porsche Turbo
Impressive, we think is the right word for the stand that S.I.H.A in collaboration with Early 911S had put up here.
Rarely have we seen so many Porsche 911 together, and especially the sheer number of different versions. And I also know that some say ‘They all look the same’ yet there are many differences.
The celebration may have been around 50 years of Porsche Turbo, and those were obviously there too but there were also quite a few ‘non’ turbo models among them. But anyway more than worth a look.
They had even brought a real race car, in this case a 962C from Brun Motorsport with Jägermeister livery.
75 years of Citroën 2CV
Slightly less impressive than the Porsche series above but no less important in automotive history.
75 years ago, the Citroën 2CV or also known as Deux Chevaux was developed with the main aim of freeing the French countryside from horse and carriage.
The task given for this purpose was simple. Build a car that could transport two farmers and a bag of potatoes or a sheep across a ploughed field. A basket of eggs also had to survive this trip unscathed. Moreover, the car had to be economical, reliable and cheap.
Production started on 11 July 1949 and continued until Friday 27 July 1990. More than 5 million 2CVs were made during that period. Above you can see a van version from the Latvian 2CV club.
75 years of Unimog
75 years ago, the first Unimog left for a customer near Stuttgart. The Unimog had been produced at engineering company Gebrüder Boehringer in Göppingen. Since then, Unimog has been known as a real workhorse among cargo vehicles. It combined the advantages of a tractor, a tool carrier and a truck.
From 1950, Unimog came under the management of Daimler-Benz AG. Production started there in 1951 at the Gaggenau plant. In August 202, production moved to the Wörth plant. Currently, this of-roader and tool carrier is liked by municipalities, fire brigades, disaster relief, agriculture and the army.
70 years of Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Along with the Jaguar E-Type, surely one of the more beautiful cars of the period. But the 300SL was more than just beautiful. The Mercedes-Benz 300SL could probably be described as the first supercar. When the car was presented in 1954 at the New York Auto Show, it set a new benchmark for sports cars of generations to come. Its distinctive wing doors soon gave the 300SL the nickname ‘Gullwing’. The 3.0-litre inline six with mechanical injection combined with the lightweight chassis and independent suspension also gave the car performance wings. Thus, wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as wins in the Carrera Panamericana are engraved in the history books. A few years ago, we put our Go-Pro inside a 300SL at the Nürnburgring, so feel free to hop in.
40 years Mercedes 190
When the Mercedes 190e saw the light of day 40 years ago, it was quickly dubbed the baby Benz. It was pretty much the first step in downsizing among the German premium brands. Since Mercedes expects a lot from this model, they wanted to highlight its qualities. Thus, 40 years ago, several records were set with the 190 equipped with the top motorisation. We are talking about the 2.3-16 engine. Mercedes had three examples run 50,000km on the Nardo circuit. The fastest covered this distance in 201 hours, 39 minutes and 43 seconds with an average speed of 247.9km/h.
Another publicity stunt came when the Nürburgring GP Circuit was opened in 1984. As an opening stunt, Mercedes-Benz presented a race with their then just-new 190E 2.3 16v to officially enter the track. Each car bore the name the respective driver. And above we see the real 190 in which Niki Lauda came second. The race was won by the then unknown Senna.
25 years of BMW X5 / Z8
BMW had two anniversaries to celebrate, the BMW X5 on the one hand and the BMW Z8 on the other.
With the X5, they almost literally knock you around the head because wherever you look you almost always see one driving around. This popular SUV was fairly groundbreaking for this segment. Of course, the Range Rover was already there as were some other 4×4 cars. But with the arrival of the X5, a new market was created; the high seating position and the (false) feeling of safety still seem to appeal to the average car buyer. In Europe, for instance, one in two cars sold today is an SUV or crossover. They had a good idea there 25 years ago at BMW.
The BMW Z8 is another matter, to come across it on public roads you really have to be lucky. It is said that the designers took inspiration from the very rare BMW 507 of which only 254 were built. Of the BMW Z8, a total of 5703 were produced which is also very few by today’s standards. The model above is the safety car of the 2001 MotoGP.
Art @ Essen
At most indoor classic car events, you can find various (usually) car-related artists or dealers in art or curiosities. We came across Ruben from Runoff during Wheels at The Palace Soestdijk before and he was present again. If you want to have your classic (or contemporary car) portrayed in a special way, he is your man. So be sure to check out his website.
110 years of Maserati
At the end of this year, we will be inundated with exhibitions around 110 years of Maserati. During Interclassics Brussels, for example, Maserati will be the central theme. But also at Autoworld Brussels, an expo will run from 19/12/24 to 23/02/25 around the history of the marque with the trident. Here in Essen, we saw this Tipo 61 on the stand of ‘Auto Moto d’Epoca‘ in Bologna. They were clearly also already advertising Maserati. We also put our GoPro in this fantastic car on the Spa-Francorchams circuit, if you want to take a ride with Guillermo Fierro be sure to click the link.
50 years of Volkswagen Golf
In the list of anniversaries, the VW Golf absolutely cannot be missing. When the Beetle was retired in 1974 due to no longer being up to date, it were big shoes to fill for its successor. The newcomer was christened Golf and received a lot of technical modifications.
So the Golf got front-wheel drive, a water-cooled engine, as well as a large tailgate and a fold-down rear seat. And that was quite new at the time. The Golf was designed by Giogretto Giugiaro. The new Golf weighed a whopping 165 kilograms less than the VW Beetle. As a result, with a modest 1.1 or 1.5 litre engine, the Golf put in quite nice performance for the time.
115 years of Morgan
The list of anniversaries really doesn’t stop, the last one we want to cite is the UK’s Morgan. The company is arguably among the most stubborn in the industry because for 115 years they have sailed a very distinctive course of their own. Since 1909, they have been building small sporty lightweight sports cars by hand. The focus is on driving pleasure and experience. Quasi all Morgans are convertibles and feature a steel chassis with a wooden frame. Every Morgan driver I know cherishes his car and is usually wildly enthusiastic about it.
Car dealers
For car dealers, there are two events that stand out for them. These are Retromobile in Paris on the one hand and Techno-Classica Essen on the other. They attract the most visitors anyway, but apparently also the most buyers. Among others, I visited the stand of The Houtkamp Colection. They specialise in vehicles for the Mille Miglia in which they themselves participate every year. And so every dealer has his specialities.
The stands of most dealers were very neat and spacious which seems much more comfortable than a stand that is crammed. We enjoyed it.
Clubs
More than 200 automobile clubs signed up present for this year’s Techno-Classica Essen motor show. So that means just about every make had representation. Now there are quite a few makes that have several clubs and that is often per model series.
At most clubs you can get info on your specific model. And even though most of the clubs present have their roots in Germany, there are also a number of international clubs present every year.
That it doesn’t always have to be about very expensive exotic brands can be seen above.
Motorbikes
The eight halls of Techno-Classica Essen are 90% filled with cars and everything related to them. However, that remaining 10% goes to motorbikes, boats, trucks and other rolling material. The Münch above was quite a standout. It featured an NSU four-cylinder car engine. The displacement varied between 1000 and 1300cc.
Best of show
The title for the ‘Best of Show’ car this year went to the 1962 Maserati 5000. This car has a special story as it was delivered without the Maserati logo to Gianni Agnelli, the then boss of Fiat. The judging is done by a 14-member team of international automotive journalists and specialists.
Conclusion
We really enjoyed ourselves at Techno-Classica Essen this year. The variety of cars on display was very wide and there was literally something for everyone. There might be some more detailed articles coming soon about specific cars you won’t find everywhere. So be sure to keep an eye on us and subscribe to our email list, that way you won’t miss a thing ;-).
