javier romagosa
TEXT AND PHOTOS: JAVIER ROMAGOSA
I've been there for more than a month in ClassicMadrid. How quickly time passes! First of all, I would like to apologize both to our audience and to the organization of the show itself for the delay in the publication of this chronicle. In my defense, I will say that these types of pieces are not easy to make, and that they take about a day's work.
Bad journalist excuses aside, the truth is that I should have sat down to write much earlier. The living room offered a sample and a repertoire of interesting activities, especially centered on the mezzanine and the first floor of the Glass Pavilion of the Casa de Campo in Madrid, which is where it takes place.
Firstly, the wonderful selection of Seat 1400 from the collection of the fan Jaime Sánchez. About a dozen cars testified of the Spanish luxury saloon from the 50s. All the specimens were duly identified so that we could appreciate the differences between the different variants. On a personal level, I especially liked the station wagon, the ambulance, the 1400 C Sport and the Serra.
Classic Madrid: The best of the show
A little further on to the right, behind the Zalba Caldú megastand that housed the 911T we tested back in the day, there was the one that for me was the jewel of the room: All a Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux, fortunately unprotected so that I could get close. It is one of the most graceful designs of the elephant brand. Stately, sporty and elegant in equal measure. It was brought by the Saica restoration workshop; a single car, but what a car (thank you very much!).
The most prestigious sales and sales occupied the central space of the third floor of ClassicMadrid. can It exhibited many interesting pieces, such as the Hispano-Suiza I6 prototype, which apparently played an important role in the T49s and Juniors. Also a Delahaye 135S with which one could get an excellent idea of what sportiness meant in the late 30s. However, what perhaps most caught my attention was a car from around 1900, a From Dion-Bouton Vis to Vis.
Classic Cars It also showed good parts: A Mercedes 300S Coupe, a Delahaye 135, Jaguar or veteran Rolls-Royce adorned a frankly attractive stand. Next to him John Lumbreras I had a VW T2 T1 with about 30 crystals. Brighter, and beautiful, impossible. Finally, a little further back the Mercedes specialists Garage They sported a huge space between whose pieces I found very attractive, for the novelty, a 300GD SUV.
Another of the attractions of the Madrid fair it was the tribute to Meycom, the company promoted by preparers Lucas Camacho and José Macías. Among the cars tuned by the two geniuses were a Venturi 400GT biturbo, a French sports car, and a Seat Ibiza that seemed to have taken steroids ad nauseam.
Fat bikes and cars, and youngtimers
But let's start to beat around the bush; that is, towards the sides and lower floors of the pavilion. The stand of the people of La Mancha HD motorcycles counted, among other motorcycles, with a harley with side of 1922 or a brand new Brough-Superior SS100. Two liter pots any old-fashioned two-wheeler would dream of.
We will talk more about motorcycles, let's get back to cars. Nearby were the Portuguese restorers lusovintage with the skeleton of an Alfa-Romeo 2600 and a Honda NSX; while, opposite, RetroSport and Amazon Sport guarded treasures like a 911 RSR, a BMW 6 Series Hartge or a Jaguar D replica (who could, even if it was a replica like this). Finally, the youngtimers they were represented at an exhibition of convertibles.
Celebrating Monte Carlo, with scab included
On the other hand, two stands held the great role they have played Spanish participants in the Historic Motecarlo. The space of the Spanish Federation of Antique Vehicles (FEVA) welcomed, in addition to a precious Hispanic, the Lancia Fulvia 1600HF Fanalone that the Fernández Cosín / Martínez duo boosted to the second absolute position. They had the good sense not to clean it, so that all the rally scab had been brought to the exhibition. It was delicious to me.
The magazine Classic Engine She served as hostess for the two cars that Seat Historic Cars He entered the Monegasque race and they also performed well, albeit more discreet than the runner-up and the third in contention, the VW Golf driven by Carlos Zorrilla and Marcos Gutiérrez, also from Spain.
Elegance contests and ... motorcycles
This year's Automobile Elegance Contest was dedicated to the pre-1965 American car. Visitors were thus able to enjoy the massive bodies of the 50s and 60s, but also the beautiful, practical and efficient Packards of the 30s. Missed a Ford T or an A. The winner was the Cadillac Eldorado 1959 owned by Javier Jove.
And now yes, we go with the motorcycles. The contest dedicated to the two wheels is always something more familiar and allows machines until 1980. The prize in the Series category went to a 125 MV Avello 1956 owned by Ángel Sánchez; in the field category the winner was a Montesa King Scorpion 250cc; the best restoration on a moped fell on a 1971 Ducati Mini Marcelino by Rafael Alonso; and the award for the sports car went to the 250 Bultaco GTS 1978 cc presented by José Eduardo Rodríguez.
There was more space dedicated to our normally greasy friends. Almost next door an exhibition of Montesas with a multitude of models from the Barcelona manufacturer; and also a monograph on sidecars that presented us with this useful accessory in its different variants: field, asphalt, racing, open-air, covered ...
And then the great Vespas and Lambrettas brought by the clubs of these brands, and the multiple bikes that were on the mezzanine floor, in the equipment and spare parts area. The Guzzis that opened this mezzanine, technical reputation aside, and the rusted units, they were for example a poem.
Clubs and Car Corral
Speaking of clubs, the Peugeot 205, Renault 4/4, Seat 600 Alcalá de Henares (with a beautiful Siata van), the Mercedes club, Citroën 11, the Spanish Association of Sports Classics, Los Cacharritos ... section, which was complemented by the activity of the car park of classics abroad, I found it quite lively.
By contrast, the Car Corral or sales area between individuals, spread out between the ground floor and the middle floor, was less assorted than last year. I do not know what could have happened, but it is a pity and I encourage the organization to recover the size of past editions. It's always interesting to be able to browse selected classics live; in my case I was about to lose my mind with a Chrysler 180 that seemed immaculate.
Racing downstairs
To finish, say that the ground floor was occupied at least 50% of its length by a small fair within ClassicMadrid: Auto Racing, dedicated to the racing car. The Toyota Celica with which Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya won the world rally championship in 1990 was exhibited there, among other attractions. What's more, Sainz gave one of the many talks and colloquia that the Madrid salon hosted. Brilliant.
And… so far the part of the 2020 edition of Classic Madrid. I hope you enjoyed it, and that I did not leave much in the pipeline. Until next time! And thank you very much for your attention.
