The last weekend of February is, for lovers of classic vehicles, Synonym of ClassicMadrid. The Casa de Campo Crystal Pavilion was once again the epicenter of the fans for three days, in an edition marked by the excellent level of the cars exhibited. Also for the quality and quantity of parallel activities, a section that Expo Motor Events always pampers.
We are talking about a record edition because ClassicMadrid 2023 has recovered the 2019 and 2020 visitor levels, that is, the figures prior to the pandemic. In total, the number of exhibitors was close to 200, with professionals such as Francisco Pueche-Coupe, RetroSport, Garage, Juan Lumbreras, Rosso Corsa Ferrari or Land Rover specialists dboos. The company was also announced Victorino Atelier, with several top-level Jaguars.
To highlight the presence of alpinche, surely one of the stars of the Madrid show. Seeing the iconic model created by Estanislao Reverte was a delight for fans, especially now that he looks like he did in his best days. Luis and Santiago Reverter, sons of EstanislaoThey offered a talk about their father, the history of the car and its restoration. The one who is not in such good shape is el Iso rivolta that we bring to the SCUDERÍA stand. Our barn find He was one of the stars of this edition of ClassicMadrid. Next to him, he looked fantastic a Ferrari 365 GTC.
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEUGEOT 205
The small compact of the French brand was another of the great protagonists of the show. It had two spaces. one from Club 205 Spain and another from Peugeot Spain, in which a dozen units could be enjoyed. Among them, a rare Multi version. Great job on the 205 Club that with each passing year seems more and more active. In addition, on Friday, Pablo Gimeno and whoever writes this, had the opportunity to give a talk about the model to complete the acts of his birthday.
One of the spaces that attracted the most attention was, by far, that of SEAT on the road, the private collection of the most important brand in the country. On this occasion, it was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the SEAT 1400, with a Madrid taxi model that it was coming out at ClassicMadrid 2023. There was nine units of different variants of the 1400, from ambulance to the one created by Pedro Serra.
On the stage of Expo Motor Events, antonio zanini he delighted the public with a pleasant talk about his experiences as a pilot. Unfortunately, the tribute to Jaime Sornosa "Roadrunner" it had to be suspended, when he suffered an illness from which he has already recovered. It will be done in the 2024 edition.
CONTESTS OF ELEGANCE
ClassicMadrid 2023 dedicated its Automobile Concours d'Elegance to the Mercedes-Benz brand, with models prior to 1965. The Best of Show fell back on the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Seagull Wings” from 1955. In addition, a 300 1953 Cabrio D (Zalba Caldú prize) and a 320 1936 Cabrio B (Cochera prize for best conservation and FEVA Cockade) were awarded prizes. A 220 Mercedes-Benz 1953 Cabrio A was awarded the Classic Motor award and a 300 1958 SLR was awarded the Garage prize for the sportiest.
Among the eleven units that participated in the motorcycle contest, the winners were: a FN 350 from 1936, winner in the category until 1950; a 98 Moto Guzzi Larios 1959 cc (1950-1960 category); a Ducati 125 from 1962 (1960-1970 category) and a 4 Derbi GT1978V, which won the prize in the 1970-1980 section.
To highlight a novelty of this edition, as it was the Art and Motor corner. Artists of the stature of Jorge Brichette, José María Villafuerte, Rafael Varela and Germán Pérez Pieschacón. A great initiative after a few years of absence from this type of space. There were also monographic exhibitions from the Madrid Fire Station, the National Police, the Civil Guard and the Don Rodrigo Foundation. Part of the ground floor was devoted to Parallel Saloon RacingAuto dedicated to racing and organized together with AutoHebdo Sport magazine.
CONCLUSIONS
In summary, an excellent edition in which, as we have already said, there were very good pieces to enjoy and that you can see in the gallery that we publish below. However, a decrease in the number of stands became apparent. The increase in costs and the recurring crisis will undoubtedly end up having an effect, to which are added the greater restrictions on movement that we suffer. And it's a shame, because ClassicMadrid 2023 -like all events of this type- was again meeting point for fans and friends.
At the end of the room, they announced the dates of the 2024 edition, which will take place from 23 to 25 for February, again in the Cristal pavilion of the Casa de Campo. We will be there to tell you.
Photographs Unai Ona and Expo Motors Events