Retro Classics 2012 fully booked up

Stuttgart automobile exhibition with high classic car competence on an exhibition area of 100,000 square metres / Special shows and premiere for the American Cars Hall

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03.02.2012 Stuttgart

The automobile exhibition Retro Classics is already fully booked up two months before its scheduled opening date. The doors to the whole world of classic automobiles will open to visitors at the 12th Retro Classics in Stuttgart from 22 to 25 March 2012. Around 3,500 vehicles will be presented by dealers, restoration companies, private sellers and clubs who will bring their historic/classic cars, youngtimers and collectors’ vehicles to the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre next door to Stuttgart Airport. 1,345 international exhibitors will occupy an area of 100,000 square metres in eight exhibition halls. Recognised premium dealers will present their products in the largest hall (25,000 square metres) at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre and private sales will take place in the well-lit Motor Gallery.

Sensational Maserati show and car-based fire engines

The highlight of the six special shows will be the Maserati Show, which will document the myth of the brand from its beginnings up to the present day by means of valuable rarities and originally preserved racing cars. In addition to other important Maseratis, the Maserati Show will feature the Maserati Tipo A6 GCS/53, the Maserati 300 S, the famous Tipo 61 "Birdcage", the post-war racing car Tipo 250 F and probably the most powerful Maserati racing car ever, i.e. the Tipo 450 S. A fire engine, which was based on a Rolls Royce car, will be the crowning point of the special show "Historic fire engines based on cars", which will be attended by exotic conversions from all over Europe. In times of alternative energies, steam vehicles from the early years of motorization are also moving to the fore again and will be displayed in the special show entitled "Steam cars". The legendary motorcycle brand "NSU" was once the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. The first "Neckarsulm motorcycle" and the originally preserved Feldberg model will form part of the large historic motorcycle show. BMW will devote itself to the 30th anniversary of the 3 Series, the best selling BMW ever. Mercedes will celebrate the 60-year history of the legendary Mercedes SL. In Hall 4 Opel will present 150 years of Opel history in a works show. The foyer will contain collectors’ vehicles from the "Neo Classics" group. Although these cars are young, thy are still classic cars on account of their equipment and limited unit numbers.

"Street’s Finest" will illustrate a very special aspect of the historic and classic car scene: HotRods which are built on the basis of pre-war models with the highest possible precision. The Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre will also have room for big trucks. "Trucks you can trust" will be the name of the large presentation by Daimler in the area of commercial vehicles, which will also include historic buses from different domestic and foreign collections. More than 100 tractors and historic machines will take part in the exhibition "Historic drive units in agriculture" (Hall 5).

Growing interest in historic and classic cars

The interest in historic/classic cars is growing continuously. People do not necessarily have to own a historic/classic car to enjoy a pleasant weekend with nostalgic flair. Historic/classic car rental companies, historic/classic car holidays and suitable hotels will be presented for the first time as a Historic/Classic Car Pavilion. More than 20 hotels, which are located in the most beautiful areas for historic/classic car trips, and a large number of tour operators and hirers of historic/classic cars will offer their services at Retro Classics 2012. Visitors will experience the Solitude myth and the world of motor racing events with exciting racing cars on two and four wheels in the Motorsports Hall (Hall 6). One new key topic will be American cars from the 1950s to the 1980s with specialised dealers, restoration garages and corresponding travel organisers for events in America. For the first time ever at a classic car exhibition, Messe Stuttgart will offer the opportunity to register vehicles directly during the event. Böblingen District Administration Office will make this possible by setting up a separate "branch office" for Retro Classics 2012. This involvement will be accompanied by certification companies, insurance companies and number plate manufacturers. A temporary classic car service competence centre will therefore be available in Hall 6.

Retro Classics as a scene meeting point
Retro Classics is the annual scene meeting point for numerous clubs and brand associations. 75 clubs and interest groups for all brands will be represented at Retro Classics 2012. They will have time for lengthy conversations and the joint opportunity to compete for the coveted trophy for the most beautifully designed stand. Triumph and Spitfire enthusiasts will meet in the original "English Corner" in Hall 7 while art will actually be celebrated and a "blow-up drawing" will be shown as an installation on the stand of the Mercedes clubs this year. The Gaggenau Unimog Club is bringing an original finding from a barn to the exhibition in Stuttgart.
Premium dealers and first-class works stands
The great names in the historic/classic car scene will be presented in Hall 1 at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre. With an area of 25,000 square metres, this hall is one of the largest exhibition halls in Germany. The works presentations by Mercedes, Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Recaro and Rolls Royce will impress visitors with lavish stands and superb vehicles. The history of the SL will be displayed on the Mercedes stand in 2012. World-renowned restorers and premium dealers such as Kienle Automobiltechnik, Feierabend (pre-war specialist for BMW, Bugatti and Alfa Romeo cars), Memminger Cabrios, the FRG Group, Horch Classic, LMB Lagonda, Schwabengarage or the Mercedes specialists Stickel und Wallner will exhibit their most beautiful products. An impressive range of first-class historic and classic cars will be brought to Stuttgart by, for example, Peter Wiesner Sports & Classic Cars from Vienna, the Franz Wittner Car Collection, the Graber Sport Garage from Switzerland, C.F. Mirbach, HC History, Axel Schütte, Arthur Bechtel, Meilenwerk and Gross & Schläger. In Hall 1 visitors will obtain in-depth and competent information relating to insurance and registration of classic and collectors’ cars from the insurance companies Allianz, DEVK and Württembergische, as well as from the certification organisations Dekra, GTÜ and TÜV.

Parts and accessories

Everything for insiders: spare parts, original gearboxes, historical lubrication plans, the most effective rust resistance agents and tools of all kinds will be available in Hall 9, the hall for ‘self-made’ restorers. Around 320 international dealers – from the United Kingdom, Holland, Italy and the USA – will sell their parts at Retro Classics 2012. Purchased parts can be left free of charge at the "parts store" for the duration of the exhibition. Visitors to Retro Classics 2012 will meet historic/classic car experts who specialise, for example, in the reconstruction of seat and armrest spring interiors, who know which material was originally used in a classic car or which equipment is the best to use to bleed brakes. Beautiful cars also need suitable accessories such as clocks, glasses, clothing, historical cases and racing suits which are based on the past period.

The automobile exhibition Retro Classics will be held for the twelfth time in 2012. In 2011 65,000 visitors came to the exhibition which covered an area of around 100,000 square metres in eight halls. The exhibitors, dealers, restorers, tradition departments of automobile manufacturers and their recognised clubs come to Stuttgart from all over Europe. In addition to aficionados of classic cars from the pre-war and post-war eras, lovers of highly traditional omnibuses, legendary trucks and tractors get their money’s worth at Retro Classics. The exhibition programme will contain a special feature with the "Neo Classics" category, i.e. classic cars of the future. These are concept cars and manufacturers’ vehicles which are currently being produced in limited numbers. The exhibition programme will be rounded off by the Retro Night as a get-together for the automobile scene, along with auctions, the sales hall and the international parts market.

Opening hours of Retro Classics 2012:

Retro Classics 2012 will be open from 15.00 to 19.00 on Thursday, 22 March 2012, from 10.00 to 19.00 on Friday, 23 March 2012 and daily from 09.00 to 18.00 on Saturday, 24 March 2012 and Sunday, 25 March 2012. During the Preview Day on the Thursday, the halls will be open specially for journalists and visitors wanting to admire the exquisite exhibits in peace and quiet. The RETRO NIGHT® will be staged on the same day in Hall 1 from 19.00 to 22.00.

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