Techno Classica Essen March 26 - 30 2008.

VIP, Preview day March 26.

20th TECHNO-CLASSICA ESSEN from 26 to 30 March 2008:
The Classic Fair of the Superlatives

Pit Lane for Historic Motorsports

For those interested in historic racing cars the TECHNO-CLASSICA is exactly the right place to be. All facets of this fascinating topic are offered here: a wide range of historic racing cars for sale, the performance of organisers of historic racing events, racing presentations of the automobile manufacturers as well as literature, accessories and automobilia of historic motoring.

Whether crushed stone road, desert piste, paved circuit or city route - motor sports was and is many-sided, attracting masses of spectators since the first car race Paris-Rouen in the year 1894. From the beginning, the automotive industry has employed state-of-the-art engineering for the competition at the racetrack to test innovations and prove the quality of their vehicles - in spectacular contests.

These masterpieces of the engineers are impressive still today - and can be experienced live at the TECHNO-CLASSICA. An estimate of S.I.H.A., the organiser of the TECHNO-CLASSICA suggests that more than 200 racing classics are for sale during the five days of the fair. The bandwidth covers the entire history of motor sports, ranging from a Mercedes Simplex of the year 1906 to a pre-war Maserati of the 4 CL-type to a Jaguar D-type of the nineteen-fifties, and further to Porsche 917 of 1971, to Formula Junior Monopostos, to race touring cars as Lotus Ford Cortina, VW Scirocco.

Those fancying the purchase of a historic racing car thus has good changes to find the object of desire in one of the 20 exhibition halls at the TECHNO-CLASSICA. Porsche fans will find what they are looking for at Benoit Couturier, since four years offering a vast supply of top-class Porsche racing cars in exhibition hall 3 at the TECHNO CLASSICA, from 904 to 906 to 917 and Porsche 935. LMB-Racing from Belgium offers this year some Lagonda racing cars from the nineteen-thirties. Also Lukas Hüni AG in hall 1 regularly offers rare unicats often with an impressive race history, just like in exhibition hall 3 Freisinger Motorsport, Sportline, Bratke, TP Engineering, DP Motorsport, Funke, Porsche Kremer Racing, Team Andexer GmbH and PS-Automobile, who are offering at their booth amongst others a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR of 1974 with an impressive racing biography.

However, also heroes of historic race fights which are not for sale can be admired, particularly at the booths of the automobile manufacturers. Audi for instance celebrates the 25th birthday of the Audi Sport Quattro in hall 7, amongst others with a Sport Quattro S1, used by Audi in the 1984 rally world cup. Audi of course designs the environment accordingly: with a complete rally service point, the partly awarded rally films of Aufi, original rally equipment and cups from the Audi racing period of the nineteen-eighties.

AutoStadt in exhibition hall 7 brings from Wolfsburg a Formula Vau of the year 1974 to the TECHNO-CLASSICA - a Monoposto on the basis of a Beetle. Besides others, also Keke Rosberg and Niki Lauda started their racing career with Monopostos. Racing enthusiasts will certainly immediately head for the victory car of Le Mans 1971 at Porsche in exhibition hall xxxxx: the Porsche 917 short-tail with the race number 22. The factory drivers Gijs van Lennep and Dr. Helmut Marko outclassed all competitors on the long straight in Le Mans with this vehicle achieving 360 km/h.

Those who like to know when racing legends can be admired in action can get information from the organisers, who are often presenting fascinating racing classics which are starting during the season. More than 25 organisers of important vintage car races and constancy courses are offering detailed information on their events, as both events taking place at the Nürburgring, AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix and the Vintage Car Festival ("Oldtimer-Festival"), with about 600 historic racing cars and sports cars starting.

Books on the issue of motor sports are a must for the literature sellers. A highlight for fans of motor sports also is the presentation of the collection of Porsche factory driver Herbert Linge, used by the auction house Seidel & Friedrich to refer to its next auction.

Sometimes even a real concert can be experienced live at the TECHNO-CLASSICA, which by enthusiasts is perceived as angel's music - this is the case if one of the exhibitors lets one of the engines roar for a short moment…