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

Globally Largest International Emporium for Classic Automobiles

More than 2,500 vehicles are on offer at this year's TECHNO-CLASSICA. Renowned dealers from all over the world as well as private vendors offer an unsurpassed range of historic automobiles for discerning enthusiasts - from world class to everyday classic cars.

A study prepared in the year 2006 in cooperation with DEUVET* gives evidence that an annual turnover of more than five billion Euro is achieved by German classic enthusiasts in the range of historic vehicles. Approx. 275 million Euro is allotted to the scope of "private sales of vintage cars".

The TECHNO-CLASSICA is participating to a considerable share in these sums, because about 2,500 classic cars are for sale at this year's TECHNO-CLASSICA in the scope of classic car trade. According to estimates of the organiser, S.I.H.A., all vintage cars, classic cars, prestige cars and racing classics exhibited at the TECHNO-CLASSICA represent a value of well 200 million Euros - whereas the showpieces and unique exemplars of the automotive industry, which are not for sale, are not included. About 40 percent of the sales offers will find new owners during the five days of the TECHNO-CLASSICA.

No other classic fair of the world has a larger offer of historic automobiles. There is no other classic fair in the world with as many cars sold. There is no other classic fair with a higher sales rate. And no other classic fair has such an international range of dealers. "In the last years, the share of international car vendors has considerably increased", confirms Anton Leon Franssen, S.I.H.A. managing director. "Particularly professionals from Spain, Portugal and Italy are discovering the German Market."
* DEUVET: German Federal Association of Classic Vehicle Clubs ("Bundesverband für Clubs klassischer Fahrzeuge e.V.")

The internationality and the appearance of a large part of the most renowned classic dealers even has positive side effects. Classic car dealers exclusively offering top automobiles, as for example Lukas Hüni and Christoph Grohe from Switzerland, Benoit Couturier and La Galerie des Damiers from France, Galerie Brummen and Strada e Corse from The Netherlands, Frank Dale & Stepsons as well as Coys of Kensington, Red Triangle and Bonhams from the UK, RM Auctions from the USA, Beacham Jaguar from New Zealand and Eberhard Thiesen, Klaus Werner and the vehicle sales department of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center from Germany automatically contribute to the consistently high quality of the cars offered at the TECHNO-CLASSICA and also of its competitors. The effort of long transport to the TECHNO-CLASSICA pays off only for high-class vehicles with good chances to be sold. A quote of an anonymous dealer in an internet chat speaks volumes: "There is no need to bring second-class cars to the TECHNO-CLASSICA, they have no chances there."

Another argument motivates companies as also Oldtimer Center Osnabrück, Christoph Dorscheid, TP Engineering, Maranello NL, Galleria Style + Auto, Horch Classic GmbH, Historic Motoring, OMTS, Fusco Automobile, Mirbach, Martin Kölnberger and Brinkert, to make special efforts and conjure up treasures which otherwise are offered to special customers only: the Best of Show Cup is annually awarded by the TECHNO-CLASSICA to the overall most beautiful, most noble and most rare classic car of the entire dealer offering.

An international jury of competent professional journalists, experts and designers selects the best exemplars from the professional offers - and next to the overall winner also nominates some category winners, as for instance the most beautiful convertible of the TECHNO-CLASSICA. Winning is not related to any prize money; however money cannot buy the ideational value of the cup and the gain of image for the dealer.

Besides quality, also quantity counts: where in the world can classic enthusiasts examine functional classic cars at one place, as for example Porsche 356, Jaguar XK-types, Mercedes-Benz "Pagode" or exclusive collector's items as Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, 540 K, Ferrari 250 GT, Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 or Lamborghini Miura. The answer is: nowhere except for the TECHNO-CLASSICA. The international classic world market is assembled here within walking distance.

However, the TECHNO-CLASSICA is more than an emporium for buyers and sellers: it also has the function of a business barometer. Fluctuations in the market can be noticed at first here.

The news have been consistently good over the last years: unimpressed by all international economic crises, the global classic car market always showed a solit trend upwards. Except for an increasing number of visitors and exhibitors, the barometer TECHNO-CLASSICA pointed out this development also with constantly increasing sales prices. Some extreme examples of the past years even indicate a boom - however for particularly requested classic cars only. Thus, two perfectly restored Mercedes-Benz 300 SL have been purchased directly from the vendor's exhibition stands - at a price of 600,000 and 610,000 Euro respectively. Two years ago the price for such top-restored cars was approx. 450,000 Euros…

For this year the barometer is also rising in the forerun of the TECHNO-CLASSICA. This is indicated by the offering of the professional dealers, which again increased compared to the previous year. This year's highlights include a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 in an early version with acrylic glass covers at the Galerie Brummen, the third position of Le Mans of the year 1931, a Talbot 105 factory racing car at LMB Racing, a Wanderer W 25 K at Steenbuck Automobiles, a top-restored Bizzarrini 5300 GT Stradale and a Mercedes-Benz "Mannheim" type 370 S sports convertible of the year 1931 at E. Thiesen Automobile Raritäten.