Antonio Silva
The flight to Bologna with Ryanair has been a real bargain ... 75 euros per head, yes, we got it two months in advance. Bologna is about 110 km from Padova, 35 from Modena, 90 from Florence and a similar figure from the Adriatic.
Perfect if you do not come alone to the fair to also visit some of the beautiful Italian cities apart from the one that hosts the fair. We arrived in Padova On Thursday at 17:00 p.m. and we take the opportunity to do a little sightseeing in the old part of the city, see its leaning towers, its magnificent Duomo (Basilica of San Petronino), admiring inside the largest Meridian Line in the world, built in 1655 on a project by Giandomenico Cassini; curious and beautiful to see all of it.
After resting, the next day finally dawned: We entered the fair at 10:00 in the morning; the fair opened at 9:00 but the queues were really big. Prices, from 19 euros for a day ticket to 45 for a combined ticket for the whole weekend; According to what I could later see inside a bargain, cheap. If you go to this room, write down: They need at least two days.
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Good manners at the Padua fair
The main entrance hall of Hall 15 not so glamorous like the German fairs in Essen or Stuttgart, or like in Paris; It is more of a discreet access like that of a neighborhood cinema, more welcoming. After the presentation of our accreditation, we entered a pavilion in which we came across a Lamborghini Countach, several Alfas and pre-war Fiat, Audi with a powerful stand where we can literally touch one of the Quattro de Rallies, or a Autounion V12, among others.
Tesla is also present; The building seems small to me, although charming and full of Italian style, until I go out and bang, head on I run into two of the latest creations of the great Horacio Pagani. No one can deny me that these impressive sculptures are "True Classic". See the photos and enjoy.
From this pavilion, crossing a wide private street of the fair where numerous classics are parked for sale, we access other pavilions, larger and taller, the 1-3-4 that are in the style of the most cutting-edge fairs. Within brands such as Fiat, Alfa, Mercedes or Porsche, among others, they expose some of their best machines of the past along with the best they offer today. And there are no laces or anything around; people are as well educated as in Germany, nobody touches a 6C 1750 even if they can, not a Bugatti 37 or a Mercedes 'gull wings'.
Halls 7-8, with a size similar to the entire fair in Madrid or Barcelona, are exclusively for exchanges; undoubtedly If you have an Italian here is what you are looking for: Abarth engines, Ferrari parts, from a 308 block or cylinder heads to a complete Colombian engine… Lamborghini, Lancia, Alfa, etc. But there is not the thing, many of the usual Teutonic spare parts of the German salons are also there, so from Porsche or Mercedes you will also find everything you need. Some Gauls we also saw, and of course within the Spanish I will quote the most international, "Fornillos", that no reputable European fair is missed.
The rest of the pavilions are an authentic motion sickness of classic cars for sale; It is absolutely amazing to see sellers from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France or the Netherlands, among others. Cars so difficult to see in Spain as the Ferrari 308-328, Testarossa, 512, F-40 ... etc; they are counted here by the tens. Porsche and its 356, including cabrio versions, exactly the same; the 911s numbered in the hundreds, of all models and versions. Even more gourmets like Lamborghinini Diablo (at least I saw 6), Countach (3), Miura (3) ... a rare XJ220, in short, which is a real embarrassment.
Evidently the "Italian heart" Alfa, Lancia, Fiat and their derivatives was exceptional; Whoever wants an Integrale, Alfa Spider or Fiat Spider, just to name a few examples, should come to Padona; but to buy, if to see all the variants and versions live.
Questions and negotiations
The prewar, to the misfortune of a servant, they were merely testimonial; Of the 4.500 vehicles present, there would be only 50 cars manufactured before 1940, although some of them are truly exceptional. Their prices have been in clear decline lately, so I can only rate what I saw as cheap. I will also say that, in general, they sold a lot better than I expected. Perhaps it is a ray of light and hope for fans of the most classic classics.
Again in general and outside the pre-war period, the reader should know that the prices displayed at this fair, like those of others of the same size, are very high; although, like everything in life, they generally admit negotiation. And that's where you can find the bargain: With my own eyes I saw a 91 Blue Testarossa being traded, for which the "Dealer" he wanted 140.000 ... and for which a Swiss couple offered him 118; shortly after the car carried the sign of "I sell."
In conclusion, I cannot stop naming the numerous museum exhibitions and Italian clubs that were inside the room, with a truly exceptional staging. Without a doubt my advice is that, if you can, book a plane ticket for next year.
