Francisco Carrion
Held on the 22nd and 23rd of April, the classic vehicle show Old Auto Alicante has once again surprised us with the variety and quality of the material exhibited in the IFA pavilion. Without large assemblies or a lot of carpet - rather very little - but with the presence of the main local professionals in the sector, the organizers of this fair can be proud for two main reasons: The large number of cars on display, and the large number of international public.
We said a few months ago that there is no such international fair in Spain like the one in Malaga, but the fair - and true - would be to say that Alicante it is not lagging behind. Up to 50% (or perhaps more) of the audience was English, German, Belgian and Dutch, and many of them came to the outdoor car park with their classics.
Inside the spacious pavilion there were also some other foreign professionals but the vast majority of the exhibitors, whether they were spare parts, toy makers or car buys, were from autochthonous origin.
Main exhibitors of Antic Auto Alicante
Among the latter, the companies from Alicante stood out due to the enormity of their stands. JJDeluxe Garage y Virauto. Both specialized in American cars with large displacement and with a certain air "Gasmokeygaragiano" on the product, the assembly of the stand ... and even on the beards of its employees. A matter of fashion, but the truth is that they occupied a large space in the pavilions and enlivened the atmosphere a lot every time they started some of their thunderous 'muscle cars'.
The Catalans 'CarsClasicos' came from Barcelona with their customary quality artillery, this time standing out mighty Cadillac V16, originally sold in Spain or the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. The Citroën SM 'Targa' reappeared, already being a classic of the Spanish salons. The auction house Catawiki had a small stand featuring a 6-cylinder MG C and original license plate Valenciana, probably the only known and in operation released in Spain.
Alicante clubs and surprises
The Alicante clubs they also threw the rest with their careful exhibitions of motorcycles and cars. A BMW R-75 here, a Lube there, a stand full of Minis with several English Cooper or a rare Pick Up, the rickety Renault 4/4 of the aforementioned club ... Among all, the stand of the veteran's club should be highlighted from Alicante, with rarities such as the old Mercedes Benz SSK replica, a recently restored Talbot from the 20s or a tiny Austin Seven with a special bodywork created by Mulliner in England.
There were no free spaces, and in every corner there were interesting surprises. The most notable 'delicatessen' that could go unnoticed among so many cars were, in our opinion, a very original Volkswagen Karmann Ghia of the first series, (Unrestored and national!), a Wild Cat manufactured by Artés de Arcós, disassembled to be able to see the “guts”, or a Dodge dart convertible with original Spanish registration. At first we thought that it would be a transformation of the master Serra, but after a careful inspection we could see that it was a factory unit, imported at times from the USA.
Savall family trucks
As a culmination, the customary selection of trucks belonging to the Savall family, which occupied one of the sides of the pavilion. The Pegaso Muffles and the Berliet we have already commented on them around these parts, but as always, there were recently restored novelties. In this case, a 1937 Studebaker, a 1934 Chevrolet truck, and a 8 Ford V1947, all with their original gasoline engine.
In conclusion, It was a fair with much to see and with a large number of rarities on display, just the opposite of what usually happens in many other fairs in our country. However, the attendance of the public was not as high as expected, but perhaps there were some external factors that influenced it, as this weekend was a long weekend in Valencia. Still, it is an interesting and highly recommended visit, which we hope will continue along the same lines in future editions.
