Essen Techno Classica 2012 Car Show
Essen Techno Classica 2012 Car Show Photos and Stories.
Photos and story provided by Patrick Wheeler Contact Photographer for Information.
GALLERY 1
GALLERY 2
Essen Techno Classica 2012 Car Show
The techno classic tradeshow/event in Essen Germany every March is heralded as the 'start' of the European car season ... given that I often spend my conference going days in informatica speaking with vendors on technical solutions, a chance to attend an event dedicated to the physical world is one to be enjoyed ...
It is arguably one of the world's largest ...
21st March: Preview, Trade and Press day
Exhibition area:
130.000 m2 divided into 20 halls and 4 open air areas
Number of exhibitor 2011:
more than 1.200 exhibitors from 30 countries, of which are 200 Clubs and Interest Groups
Number of visitors 2011:
178.300 visitors from 41 countries
And a lot of money and manufacturers wish to ensure their place here. It being Germany, well, the german marques show up well ... and Mercedes, in a place where I do not even want to imagine the cost per square meter of conference hall space, shows their wealth by _not_ cramming the hall full of cars, still, the juxataposition of the new Formula1 pace car against an old 70's Pagoda, well, there is a reason I am at a classic car show ... no comparison at all
Many many pixels will die their final death on this day, and the preceding and following as well. Fellow event-goers are enjoying the opportunity to get up close and personal with the cars
But the true old-timers really elicit the appreciation and respect ... this one still has bug splattered license plate from the early morning when she was apparently driven to the event ... proper ... and from the decals, her current owner attends a great many of the classic events and rallies so this one sees plenty of pavement still ... very proper ...
Out in the conference halls plenty of vendors are here to show you what they can do with your classic car. I am familiar with the term frame-off restoration:
1. Frame-off Restoration:
A restoration project in which the entire vehicle is completely disassembled with all parts cleaned or replaced as necessary, so that the restored car meets the original factory specifications as closely as possible.
But this seems to even disassemble the frame and go several steps further ...
And the final version is right next to you, instead of an early lightweight 'underpowered by modern standards' classic car, this vendor will build you a rip-snorting 6.3 liter engine powered behemoth, still deceptively wrapped in sheep's clothing ... definitely not 'factory stock'
Under the hood hardly a milliliter is wasted, nothing like the original at all, except it is ... although, look closely at the bottom left and you see what looks like an AC compressor, all the looks of a classic, tyre blistering performance, and the comfort of modern climate controls ... don't ask the price, if you are asking you are not in their target market ...
But plenty of normal cars are to be found, not excessively modified other than a nice polish before landing on the floor, I've always a soft spot for the baby Ferrari Dino. However, if the Italian Lamborghini is known to be able to pass anything but a petrol stations, the Ferrari is reputed to pass anything but a Lambo or a mechanic's garage. Supposedly that is fixed in this modern day of classics, you can do a total restore and have a car you could _almost_ take down to the grocery store for the weekly necessities ...
The American makes seem to be well represented, second only to the german, although this corvair is perhaps not 'stock' as the Italian coach builder seems to have re-worked the car that Mr. Nader made a portion of his fame from as he drove it off of the American highways and byways ...
Things still plentiful in classicer rallies and events however, a lovely goat and 'stang ... awwww ... dare I mention the price to petrol mentioned on the gas station around the corner on my way into the show today, and it was mentioning prices in Euros/Liter. A sawbuck out the tailpipe every time you pressed the peddle ...
The 'jumbles' are where you might poke around looking for some bits and pieces for your own restoration project, although I have a hard time imagining actually finding what you needed in amidst the utter enormousness of the offerings ... if you were truly in the market for parts or cars, well, as they say, you'd need more than one day at the event ...
What else to do if you are a scion of the Ferrari family but have a penchant for boats? Well, have the family concern build you a hydroplane and slip a massive 12 cylinder engine up front, all engine and barely enough displacement to keep it afloat until it reaches liftoff planning speeds , then watch out!
When it comes to the competition among photographers, the outsize lens contingent is not in evidence, here we can all get close so the enormous cannonball diameter lens is unnecessary ... so the prize for 'biggest gear' photography category goes to this dude. Man-oh-man, let me break it down for you: Tripod, on wheels, locking wheels at that, extension boom, by the time I snapped this he'd already dropped his camera halfway down, the sucker has a 25 foot extension at least! (serious camera lust heartbreak city!)
Speaking of getting up close, in the days before LED lights, or XenonHaloFigmentilMagico or even basic halogen and incandescent lights, cars needed some serious glass to focus the beams of light on the motorways ... this old bean is a classic all by itself ...
The headlight comes attached to a lovely old Cadillac truck, well, it looks like a car, but you can buy full size pickup trucks smaller than this these days ...
And for a real slice of Americana, the interior of a Ford Thunderbird ... awww ... in a heartbeat
There is a phrase in the classic world, 'you cannot buy patina' , I agree, this is something that only comes with time and gentle appreciation ;-)
Back among the factory representation the BMW gallery, strangely enough at the complete opposite end of the Mercedes exhibits, is doing very well indeed ... love the 2800CS Automatic ... no hang-ups on 'manly men only shift gears' here, we can appreciate a fine motoring vehicle whether the manufacturer arranges our gear shifts for us or not ...
The little racer that looks like it tried to compete with the Porsche spyder, and lost, is still pretty interesting, especially with the hatch lifted ...
BMW 700 RS 1961
Tubular spaceframe and an aluminium body, 2 cylinder 70 hp side-shaft engine; weight less than 600 kg or 1,323 lb. Depending on transmission ratio top speed between 150 and 200 km/h (93 and 124 mph)
Walter Schneider; German Circuit Championship in 1961 at the wheel of a BMW 700 RS.
Other than the fact we seem a two-cylinder opposed motor, see BMW motorcycles, the mid-engine layout is very Porsche-like but the addition of electrical cooling fans to direct air on the cooling fins is purely new innovation, strange, it seems a lot of the vendors are selling electric fans to help classic cars deal with extended hot weather and stops at traffic lights and bad city traffic ... a fun problem to need a solution for ...
Hey kid, cantcha see I am trying to get a picture here?
Actually, it was pretty cute to see how many father-son bonding moments of all ages were taking place this event. A lot less father daughter bonding events and strange to say, almost no nieces at all. Although it is decidedly a masculine crew, sort of similar to the high technology and security conferences (hmm, note to self, get back to working in the fashion industry), the ages were very disparate and everyone seemed to be in gentle good humor ...
And what better way to ensure good cheer and a positive 'brand associative experience' than a classic car with a copper lines beer dispenser popped out of it, whooaah! We be in Germany to-day and the BMW brand managers are not people to mess with, they know their market segments up one side and down the other ...
Of course exciting the pavilions for a breath of fresh spring air, am not sure if this is intended as part of the exhibit, or is just the local emergency forces ensuring a solid presence while so much flammable materials are packed into a small space, I think this is actually just the local 'firetruck' but still ...
And speaking of trucks, and beer, and Germany, well, this is a serious event and when they mention the number of people visiting, mostly men, and many of them very stout 'healthy' men at that, well, I think this is just the morning's delivery van ...
In the tent outside a barker has a rapt audience as he extols the virtues of his product ... will not mention the product itself, I was more entranced by the people, the styles of dress, and the gentle good humor of everyone involved ...
Passing back through one of the exhibits, one is struck by the shear massive number of different cars and vehicles, in many events you find an overwhelming massive amount of representation by different types of cars, here, even within a given manufacturers range, the variety is one of the mind-boggling elements of this massive event ...
And as one despairs at finding an innovative way to take yet another photo of yet another car we are reduced to asking you to notice the interplay of lights from the driver's compartment cooling fins cast of the foot well by the focused lights ... ok, it is time to put a wrap on it ...
The advice I have heard is that if one goes to Essen, it is best to go for at least two-days, however, there is a moto shop up the road with a battery I need for my old bike, there is a shoe shop downtown and the dice were kind when last at the crap table (an I _do_ owe my companion for the patience of this day) and there are canals with cattails and a setting sun to chase ...
And as the motorway winds its way but the Belgium into the late sun, I bid you a very good night ...
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