If for Americans Detroit, in the State of Michigan, is the mythical Motor City (city of the automobile), the title of Cradle of the Automobile worldwide should be reserved to Stuttgart, in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
It was in Stuttgart and its surroundings where the internal combustion engine was developed and where the first automobiles that circulated on the face of the Earth were manufactured. Its expansion, starting in Stuttgart, changed world society and economy to the state in which we know it today.
It is not surprising, therefore, that it is there where one of the main classic car shows in the world takes place, which has been gaining strength in the particular Star Wars that it maintains with the other European giant, Techno Classica Essen.
It would be a waste of time to compare the one, Retro Classics, with the other, Techno Classica, since, even though they are rooms dedicated to the same specialty, they have their peculiarities that make the two commandments mandatory. If there is a religious obligation in relation to classic cars, loyal fans should visit both at least once in their lives.
In due course, we will have the opportunity to analyze the Techno Classica phenomenon in detail, but this article is entirely devoted, as it well deserves, to Retro Classics.
We will begin by saying that Retro Classics has been held since 2001, that is, it has reached its thirteenth edition when it opened its doors from March 7 to 10, 2013, reaching an enviable prestige in little more than a decade of evolution and improvement works. of the living room.
The Retro Classics Continent
Retro Classics takes place in the modern, functional and open-plan pavilions of Messe Stuttgart, an international trade fair strategically located door-to-door with the city's airport and on the edge of the A8 motorway, facilitating the arrival of exhibitors, visitors and merchandise. long and short routes. Huge car parks, with numerous access and evacuation routes, are provided for quick accesses, which are combined with numerous lockers and doors inside the fair, without creating long queues that are so uncomfortable to endure in other halls of the same type.
There are 9 huge pavilions that the visitor will have to face if they do not want to miss any of the essentials of Retro Classics. It should be added that pavilion No. 1 has a mezzanine that in itself has room for an independent exhibition, as is the case with the glazed atrium at the west entrance, overlooking the central Rothauspark garden, very pleasant on sunny days, where listen to the noise of artificial waterfalls. Pavilion No. 2 is subdivided into zones C1 and C2 and the available spaces are even occupied in the wide openings under the stairs and pedestrian traffic corridors. If you do a count, there are actually more than 9 areas to visit there.
As is typical in a Germanic organization, the pavilions are rationally structured by themes, specialties or interest groups. At No. 1 are the prestigious dealers, with cars for sale that can exceed one million euros per unit, while at No. 9 are grouped sellers of used parts, motor literature, toys and models, clothing , footwear for work, travel or piloting and collectibles where no one who wants them leaves without taking a souvenir in their pocket just by changing a 5 euro bill. There is a variety of articles and prices within everyone's reach.
Anything can happen on the long walk between Halls 1 and 9. Surprises await us, from luxurious restaurants to stalls of comforting hamburgers, sausages and beers served national style.
Organizer information
The indicative figures, so appreciated by lovers of statistics, provided by the organizer are the following:
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→ Flow of visitors in the order of 65.000 in the past editions, reaching 77.000 in 2013;
→ around 1.300 exhibitors;
→ presence of about 3.000 vehicles;
→ useful area of 100.000 square meters.
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Before starting the visit, it is advisable to take a look at the organizer's publications, both in the catalog magazine distributed free of charge when purchasing the ticket, and previously on the Internet.
The preparation of the visit is essential to know what are the main themes of each year and try to make the best use of the time possible, to avoid the undesirable races aimlessly from one place to another.
The visit to Retro Classics may well last two full days, divided into four days with the necessary intermediate breaks, repairing fatigue.
Those who do not have enough time, can be content with a visit of about 7 hours, which will be enough not to miss the essentials.
As a guide, in order not to panic, the first two hours can be quickly consumed between the entrance hall, the auction yard and the first pavilion, without even having completed the tour of all its corridors. At that rate, it would take 20 hours to complete the visit. Naturally, the secret of a good visitor consists of a minimum preparation prior to arrival and an elimination of everything that is not of special interest according to their tastes and priorities.
In 2013, the previous reading of the main topics offered us the following attractions:
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• Horch's story.
• 100 years of Aston Martin.
• A full pavilion of American cars.
• Delahaye, select specimens and one-of-a-kind bodies.
• Austrian classics (such as Puch, Lehner and Dauber or Austro Fiat).
• Engine development by engineers Hoffmann and Küchen.
• 150th anniversary of the Red Cross and its automobiles.
• Auction organized by the Swiss firm Toffen.
• Cars for sale by individuals in pavilion No 6.
• Official presence of the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche factories with vehicles from their respective museums.
• Club Pavilion, a meeting place for enthusiasts organized by brands.
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Retro Classics content
As it is an impossible mission to describe in detail the quantity and variety of vehicles exhibited, as well as the events, celebrations and meetings that take place throughout the four days that each Retro Classics edition lasts, a representative summary must necessarily be made by following some criteria that can satisfy the greatest number of readers, but that will inevitably have some subjective component.
A small method of work could group the cars by their places of origin.
GERMAN-MADE CARS
The proximity of the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche factories make these two brands the best represented, both officially, with vehicles loaned by the respective museums, and with cars in the hands of merchants, clubs and private collectors.
At the Horch exhibition, a streamlined 853 coupe from 1937 stood out, recreated down to its smallest details according to the original. The car was commissioned by the driver Bernd Rosemeyer from the Erdmann and Rossi firm in Berlin and was known in its time as "Manuela". The Audi house commissioned a painting whose action is set at the Nürburgring, where Bernd Rosemeyer and his wife the aviator Elly Beinhorn appear next to the car.
As it could not be otherwise, the Porsche Museum celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 911, a fact that we have been commenting on throughout 2013. One of its most interesting demonstrations was the restoration process of a 911 2,7 1973 RS, Using the original molds to better respect all its dimensions.
Also striking was a curious type 745 engine, an experimental precursor to the 911, with two cooling turbines instead of one.
Possibly more attractive was a pair of 904 GTSs from 1963. Also two by two the bmw 507 roadster of which only 250 copies were made between 1956 and 1956. Albrecht von Goertz's design is highly appreciated by his compatriots.
Mercedes-Benz would need a separate article, we will have to limit ourselves to highlighting one of the cars loaned by the museum in a carefully prepared frame. It is a luxurious 770 Grosser from 1931, escorted by a Simplex bus from 1904 and a 460 Nûrburg from 1926.
In different panels you could see the manufacturing quality of the parts, even the most modest, such as the hubcaps for 14-inch wheels used on the W107, W108, W109, W111, W113, W114, W115, W116 and W123 models.
Tributes to Mercedes-Benz are frequent and varied. On this occasion, a special space was dedicated to the women of the family, Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz, and their daughter, Clara.
At the luxurious Thomas H Rupf booth, a perfectly restored Veritas RS was reminiscent of the brand's presence at the Nürburgring.
Although it is not a car, the Opel brand put in a special place a July 1926 bicycle, which is precisely the one that completed the million bicycles manufactured by Opel, proof of the diversification of its products.
FRENCH MADE CARS
Alpine, Matra, Renault, were not lacking in abundance. However, the Delahaye Club booth deserved the honors for having collected 25 copies with unique or very limited production bodies. A 235 1952 with Faget-Varnet bodywork, unique, and a 135 from 1949 Saoutchik cabriolet were the subject of conversation between the author and the president of the club.
Not for modest would I avoid mentioning a Citroën 2cv Sahara type A from 1965, with its two independent engines, front and rear. In Spain, some copies of this model were made available to the Civil Guard patrols.
The Peugeot 402 type E4 Eclipse can be considered the forerunner of the "coupé-cabriolet" fashion, with its roof that can be accommodated in the very long trunk to keep track of weather changes. The complications made the weight of 1.419 kg excessive for the modesty of its 2-liter, 58-hp engine. The exposed specimen, of which 80 specimens were manufactured, has been recorded in the records since March 1936.
ITALIAN MADE CARS
In 1949, Julius Kubinski adapted a 6 Alfa Romeo 2300C 1938 for an architect named Valenta from Brno. The car was on show and although it could be said that its appearance is not very handsome, it was not lacking in admirers.
Taking a leap in time, the 1976 Lancia Stratos shows the evolution of design and sports performance. It is rare to find a copy, such as chassis number 1760, that is in original condition, unrestored and without having suffered the rigors of competition.
A large group of Abarth-Zagato It allowed us to observe the diversity of bodies that had small displacement mechanics that, thanks to the extreme preparations, became a serious threat to other giants that doubled them in power.
There were models from 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1965, not two being the same. Good observers can be distracted by identifying the differences in hoods, tires, air intakes, fairings, etc.
We will dedicate special mention to an enigmatic blue vehicle, which separated from the dominant red and which did not allow its association with any brand recognizable at first glance. A conversation with the owner discovered to the author that this is something truly exceptional since it is the first car designed by Giotto Bizzarrini on a Fiat 500 Topolino mechanic. Who would have guessed it?
We will not close this chapter in our tour of the European classic car shows without mentioning the scale model presentations. The CMC firm brought to its showcases the world presentation of a series limited to 2.000 copies (per version dedicated to each country) of a Bugatti type 35, including the one dedicated to Spain. Perhaps a reader can identify with which team or drivers the model presented participated in its time.
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