From 25 to 27 October, the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden hosted CLASSICSNL for the fifth time. The organization - this year for the first time under the leadership of Gerda Brouwer - promised renewal. There were indeed shifts in accent, but to speak of a new coat is going too far. What remained was the quality of the exhibition, which offered a mix of good atmosphere and a well-preserved selection.
Speaking of the offer: that was more than in other years grouped on the basis of the country of origin. Great Britain, America and Germany were well represented, the French were somewhat less visible and the Japanese unfortunately again played a very modest role this year. The Italians were also underrepresented, but they made the delicate difference. Take the one sprayed in Giallo Ocra Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, an absolute masterpiece in private ownership. It was a pearl, one of the most beautiful cars in the WTC Expo. The Bertone from 1970 (with original Dutch license plate) was spoken of with admiration in Leeuwarden. CLASSICSNL 2019 showed more top pieces, such as Olger Groen's Chevrolet 210, the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino and the Buick Sports Wagon on the stand of the Classical Club Fryslân and the Cadillac Series 62 by Folkert Alta, which was on the Fifties theme square.
Theme squares
Talking about this: the 1950s square housed more beautiful things at CLASSICSNL 2019, such as André Boer's Corvette C1, that immaculately beautiful MG MGA and a very early Volvo PV. The second theme also appealed. That was the Volkswagen square, which was fully taken care of by Wagenfolks. It housed exceptional classics. What do you think of the Kanis and Gunnik T1 Fire Brigade Combination, the VW Hebmüller and the pre-war and extremely rare Standard Superior by journalist Paul Schilperoord? Unique cars, and Schilperoord also gave two more lectures on his car and its designer, Josef Ganz, on Sunday. The third theme square was dominated by the British car industry, and showed a number of British classics in a condition width from barnfind to top condition.
Small stands with surprises
The smaller stands also fascinated. We mention a few. The NSU Club Netherlands stand was dominated by the theme of "Sport", including the NSU TT Randstad replica by Marco van den Broek and other historical work. Ludwig Pieper of GP Exclusief took an Opel Manta A in a rally trim. And what about the Ford Taunus M-club. He also loosened the tongues. The Ford Adepts delighted the public with the exhibition of a number of beautiful specimens. Very nice and interesting: the stand of Rogier Smilde and Pieter Wijnstra, who are currently breathe new life into Eldon with great enthusiasm. They attracted many visitors, proof that the small and low lightweight sports cars appeal to the imagination. And that also applies to the Eldon. Rightly so, because Smilde and Wijnstra had a lot to say about their passion.
Pake syn Wein
Furthermore, the exhibitors of stands with automotive cosmetics (Meguiars, Passie voor Glans), miniatures, restorers and automobilia provided a pleasant interpretation. A special feature was the launch of the book Pake syn Wein, a most charming book with a selection of photos and stories, which deal with cars from the time that each province still had its own license plate. Troubadour and car enthusiast Piter Wilkens focused on the Frisian B license plates in collaboration with Tresoar, and after the presentation he sang about his fleet, with a Mercedes-Benz epic center.
Existing core values with variation
Finally, many visitors from previous editions returned, and they were impressed by the reactions. Moreover, they received value for money, and also the necessary variety in terms of activities. The organization thus continued the image of previous years. The real innovation was not forthcoming, but variation was made across the board within the existing core values. However, it goes too far to speak of a next level.
Quality as usual
In our opinion, the generally high level and corporate identity were therefore maintained at one of the most beautiful fairs in the Netherlands, and that was good enough to match the number of visitors last year. Because a small 10.000 people enjoyed beautiful and special classics, which were also exhibited in a pleasant atmosphere.
