During this weekend, the biggest indoor classic Car show in Europe was held at Techno Classica in Essen, Germany. This event held between April 5 – April 8, 2017, marked the end of the classic car show season with an incredible attendance of people from all across Europe.

Techno Classic is not just popular with classic car sellers who can showcase unique and rare cars from across the European continent, but in recent years has also become a favourite place for car manufacturers to showcase their products from the past that serve as a reminder of the company’s heritage. For Techno Classic 2017, everyone from Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lamborghini were present, each showcasing their own unique themes.

Porsche’s theme Techno Classic 2017 was the 40-years of the 928, the company’s first and only production GT car that came with a front-mounted V8. BMW on the other hand were presenting the evolution of 7 Series with one of the James Bond cars. In addition, there was also a prototype of the legendary M1, the first M badge car made by BMW.

Bugatti showcased 3 different machines from three different eras in the company history at the Techno Classica 2017. The list goes by a Bugatti Type 37 from the era when Ettori Bugatti headed the company’s management, the Bugatti EB110 from when the brand was under Italian direction and the Bugatti Veyron GranSport from the Volkswagen era.

As every year, this year’s Techno Classica saw participation from many oldtimer clubs that mainly consisted of German cars and part sellers who had everything from wheels to car keys up for sale.

Techno Classica 2017 was the second time that I visited this event. Like the first time, the 2016 event too was filled with surprises and unique cars that I had never seen before. I stumbled across many rare beauties such as a Mercedes-Benz Streamliner and a Lamborghini Miura SV. I also came across a very rare Porsche 911R from the sixties which is a lightened, racing version of the 911, of which just 20 examples were ever made. The 911R had a thin fibre glass reinforced plastic doors, a magnesium crankcase, twin overhead camshafts, and a power output of 210 PS.

But for me, the most stunning cars that I came across at Techno Classica 2017 were the Alfa Romeo Super Sport with a Targa roof and the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR from the Mille Miglia.

Unfortunately, the disadvantage of such events is the problem of space. There are always too many cars and not enough place to accommodate them and visitors. The cars at Techno Classica are parked close to each other which means taking good full-body photographs becomes a real struggle. However, still a fantastic time at a great classic event which I would recommend if you are nearby to the hosted area for next year!