Techno Classica
Written by Keith Fudge

Last April, Dennis Gage had the rare opportunity to attend the largest indoor show on the vintage international car scene. Billed as “The Classic World Fair,” the Techno Classica in Essen , Germany , was celebrating its 15 th birthday. After Dennis arrived, he realized that there was a bit of a language barrier, and that English wasn't quite as prevalent as might be imagined; however, there was one universal language, the love of vintage automobiles.

According to a press release concerning the show, there were approximately 100,000 visitors and 2,000 cars present at the event. There were also 820 vendors from 15 countries present for the show. Dennis was stunned at the incredible examples of European automotive design that were on display. There were beautiful examples of Italian cars including Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Maserati, and others. Of course, there were also historic examples of German automotive engineering from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche, however, Dennis made his way to one of his passions, the Jaguar display area. Here, Dennis ran into Tony O'Keefe, Curator of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. While there were several historic Jags on display, the car that drew most of the attention was also the newest member of the trust collection, the Jaguar featured in the James Bond film, Die Another Day . Fitted with rockets and machine guns, this Jag is powered by a Ford Mustang 4.6 liter engine and sits on a Ford Explorer four-wheel-drive chassis. Speaking of Ford, there was also some vintage American iron on display as Hans Buunk presented some of his early Fords. He talked to Dennis about his love for these vehicles and the fact that they are easily restorable! Finally, Dennis spoke with Holgar Lapp who is associated with the BMW Mobile Tradition, a traveling exhibit offering the public an opportunity to see some classic cars from the history of one of Europe 's premier automotive producers.

Even with the barrier in language, it was obvious that everyone was there for a common love—the love of the automobile. Dennis and the crew had a great time in Essen and hopefully you enjoyed seeing the sights with them.