Retro Classics Stuttgart opened its doors this Thursday and will await visitors until Sunday, the 2nd of March (for further information, visit their website). The show is among the top-tier classic car events, and with 10 halls to fill, it has a lot to offer. Retro Classics has several decades of history, and the organisers built up an entire series of events, with Retro Classic Bavaria and Essen (taking over from Techno Classica).
The main event is located at the Expo area, on the outskirts of Stuttgart. The 2018 edition was also chosen as the “Show of the Year” in the Historic Motoring Awards, and the edition we visited in 2020 was the last car show before COVID. It may not have reached the peak of Techno Classica or Retromobile, but it was the last car show on earth for quite some time.
This year’s show occupied 8 halls and two additional areas and offered something for enthusiasts of all categories, epochs and sizes. The show encompasses historic and classic cars, youngtimers and exotics, US and Japanese cars, historic motorcycles trucks and buses, as well as a vast accessory market.
Factory stages are often the key highlights of classic car shows, and Retro Classics did manage to gather several brands attending with compact but elegant stages. Porsche presented a unique selection of exhibits and specimens to connect the brand’s past and innovative present.
These include the carbon black Porsche Le Mans Prototype 2000 and several iterations of the Targa series honouring the model line’s 60th anniversary. Also, the iconic Porsche 959 celebrates its 40th birthday this year, and the organisers even enlisted a Carrera GT, which is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.
Mercedes built a stage similar to the Retromobile, with a Classic Center dedicated to the expertise and experience, as demonstrated by technicians working on parts.
The key decoration is a Mercedes‑Benz 300 SL (W 198) from 1955, which is currently being restored. The bodyshell of this iconic vehicle was on display at the exhibition stand.
Mazda built a small pavilion with a selection of their favourites from the Mazda Museum (located about 2 hours from Stuttgart).
The new brand of this year’s show is Aston Martin, showcasing its brand new Vanquish. Their stage in the central square of the expo hall enlisted additional exclusive models.
Opel honoured two anniversaries. Owners gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Opel Manta B and the Opel Ascona B models.
Opel’s favourite stingray became a popular tuning object, there were no limits to the craze: from discreet to flashy, from the convertible to wide-body with ‘Testarossa look’ and gullwing doors. The organisers managed to dig up several crazy specimens, including the iconic hero car from the Manta Manta movie.
The Ascona B and Manta B debuted at the same time in 1975 and shared almost 100% of the technology. Despite the cooler looks of the stingray, the Ascona B achieved the most motorsport successes. An Ascona won the 1979 European Rally Championship with the Kleint-Wanger team and the unlikely victory in the 1982 World Rally Drivers’ Championship, driven by legendary German Rallye ace Walter Röhrl, triumphing over the high-tech Quattros.
BMW celebrate 50 years of the 3 Series at the Retro Classics, with the help of BMW Clubs and some rarities from the Museum vault.
The second theme marked the 70th anniversary of the BMW 507 with an exclusive special exhibition. The exhibits included several outstanding examples of the BMW 507, including an early prototype and vehicles from Series I and II.
Here, we will take a rhetorical break to continue with the special exhibitions dedicated to particular themes.
