Techno Classica in Essen seems to be fast establishing itself as the Nr 1 fair worldwide for classic cars.
I have been there several years now and it always amazes me how large this fair is (it is the largest in the world by far). This year 185’000 visitors came to Essen and looked at over 2700 cars that were there to be sold by over 1250 exhibitors. Those are big numbers. No surprise that the biggest dealers from all over the world and large collectors come to Essen (which is, with all due respect, in the middle of nowhere). Here some images and impressions that I observed this time around.
We start with perhaps the best stand at Techno Classica in terms of quality – the stand of Lukas Hühni – the Swiss based dealer who has been around a very long time.
Let me show you this dream Aston Martin DB4. If you think this is a normal DB4 you are mistaken.
It is an open headlight car which means it is an early series.
But this car is a wolf in sheep’s clothing – it has a DB4 GT Engine under the hood. Only five DB4’s were made like this. The differences were larger horsepower, triple weber carburettors (instead of the standard two SU) and twin plug engine. The Dashboard also carries the non-split instruments so the DB4 GT version. See the engine below with the triple weber carbs.
Look at the exterior again from a different angle. A dream car. Asking price reflected the extreme rarity of this special DB4: $1.7m
Another unique car was this one off 250 GT Ferrari Speciale from 1961. At first I thought it was a 400 SA as it has a similar shape from the back.
This 250 Ferrari had the most wonderful Art Deco type clock inside.
Hühni is also known to have an exceptional network to the best Lancia collections in the world.
This dream Flaminia Sport Lancia is owned by a Swiss collector. Look at the interior of this car. The top left plastic switch is the signal indicator and the key entry is right below. The rest of the buttons are for heating, wipers, lights etc. What a marvellous dashboard. Collectors are snapping up these rare machines by Lancia like no tomorrow. A good example today can fetch $1m.
Staying with interiors of cars and their special features, look at this Porsche we saw at the stand of German dealer. Notice anything unusual?
The far right right gauge shows the outside and inside temperature of the car (red line for outside, white line for inside). Pretty cool – I have never seen this before.
What about the interior of this dream Maserati A6G2000 Alemano bodied car. My taste 100%.
This Maserati was a race car with open gate gear shift. Loved it.
We move on to more details – that of mirrors. Outside mirrors of cars can be like pieces of art. I don’t like modern cars but the mirror on this Porsche Carrera GT is a dream.
But the prize for the coolest outside mirror goes this Ferrari 512 S. Notice the outside fuel cap in the back.
Another perspective of this piece of art. This car also won the prize for best ‘drama’ in my view at Essen. A killer car with serious race history (Surtees, Ickx et).
More details of this dream 512 S including the engine compartment and carbs.
Another cool outside mirror was this Porsche 550 Spyder. The steel bar next to the steering wheel is a spoiler fixed above the driver’s head.
Another view of the Spyder 550 Porsche which we also saw at Villa d’Este last year.
This Porsche 904 GTS Carrera was also a mean machine.
I don’t like the 912 Porsche that much (it is a 4 cylinder) and often called in Germany the ‘Hausfrauen’ Porsche which literally means housewife Porsche.
I would however buy it simply for the great font of the writing. Love it!
Ever wondered what a 1970’s Porsche Targa looks like without wheels and how the disc brakes look like? Here you go.
This cool picture is of this chopped up 928. Collectors who understand the technical marvel of the 928 will appreciate this picture (this one is for you JG).
Let’s finish we some Italian cars. This was one of my favourite. A Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato with double bubble roof. A dream car indeed.
Sometimes going to fairs make your eyes open and you appreciate a car more than you previous have or also sometimes less. In this case it is more.
I realised this at Techno Classica this time around and have come to the following conclusion: I think the Maserati Ghibli SS is a more beautiful car than the Daytona of Ferrari.
I love the typical 1970s square shaped form, and the double slanted exhaust just adds to make this my favourite Italian car from the 1970s. I also loved this golden color of the car. I still think these cars are massively undervalued – if my memory serves me right this car was priced at €270’000. That is little money for such power, a 4.9L V8 engine capable of 335hp. Only 1150 Ghibli were made and it thought that less than 200 have the rare SS engine inside.
It shows you – there are still some bargains to be had in the classic car world. You just have to look and open your eyes.
I will back next year for Techno Classica 2018.
