The Essen Techno Classica opened its doors to the public yesterday and awaits visitors until this Sunday. This is the 33rd edition, and organiser SIHA promised around 1,250 exhibitors from more than 30 countries. Indeed the show makes full use of the entire Essen Expo area again, making it one of the largest Techno Classica we ever saw, at least in terms of exhibition area.
Size does matter, but it is not everything, and this year’s Techno Classica is still far from the best pre-pandemic editions. It is nevertheless a massive improvement to 2022, which was not a good year for car shows, even if most of them rebounded pretty well this year.
Last year, the show was already quite big but lacked much of the ingredients that used to put Techno Classica above all others, namely the factory stages. The organisers promised the return of manufacturers, and they did deliver on that promise. We will give you a glimpse of that factory show, but you will find more details here:
The Classic divisions of the Volkswagen Group returned to Techno Classica after 2019 flashing several brands from the Group. Volkswagen Classic, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimers, Audi, Škoda, and VW’s Autostadt itself bunked in on a large stage in Hall 3.
Unfortunately, the high-end brands stayed away, especially Porsche is a significant loss, as they were filling half of the VW Hall in earlier years.
Mercedes also returned, occupying half of Hall 1. The Classic division’s stage was reinforced with clubs, specialists and traders.
Ferrari was represented with a similar stage as last year, with reinforcements from the Factory Museum announcing their upcoming exhibitions.
Aston Martin was again represented by a smaller stage loaded with modern and classic models. Lamborghini was honoured by several milestone classics at the organiser SIHA’s stage.
Ford and Honda were hosted on a stage with low-key decoration but interesting specimens, while others were represented by clubs. The East German Melkus is a recurring guest, and their club is very active, often bringing in help from the former factory.
With fewer factories, clubs became an essential part of the show. As usual, some clubs outdid themselves with rare specimens and lively decorations.
Since the pandemic, Techno Classica no longer hosts an auction. This is a significant departure from 2019, when RM Sotheby’s joined the traditional in-house auctioneer Coys.
Given that all three auctioneers were in Paris during this year’s Retromobile, the Techno Classica still has some leeway to catch up. At least for now, RM Sotheby’s and Artcurial participated with a smaller stage.
While most traders focus on sales, some deliver a great show. Lukas Hüni’s stage is always a show on its own, usually centred around a particular topic. They returned after the absence of last year and delivered an impressive display with half a dozen Ferraris from the ’60s.
Similar to last year, the largest part of the show is produced by traders who brought some astonishing specimens, sometimes crowding over 10 million euros in a small exhibition area. Everyone will find their favourites here, from pre-war monsters through young-timer touring cars to modern-day exotics.
The show ticked all the boxes (especially if we the small stages for the auctioneers), from live-act bands to simulators with a considerable wow factor. We can’t say that the show is back to its pre-pandemic level, but fans will undoubtedly find what they were missing during the pandemic year(s). The show is open until Sunday, but we recommend seeing it before the busiest day (for more info onopening and access, see their website).
