It is a relative and above all subjective concept. The most beautiful, the best, the most striking, the most surprising classic of an event is often determined by personal preference. Or through a carpenter's eye. Everyone has his or her own reasons for choosing a favourite. Me, too. Last weekend I was in Bremen, and during the Classic Motorshow I put together my personal top ten.
The Sonderschau Biedermann & Brandstifter showed a few sure candidate top ten residents. Two of them were family. The Ford Capri RS 2600 was the counterpart of its modest brother, the Capri with the 1.5 V4 engine that is also known from (for example) the 15m of yesteryear. Both Fords showed their lines in a beautiful condition. And that stretched, low design of the Capris from the first series continues to charm. Moreover, the Capri construction offered plenty of room for endless variations. The specimens in Bremen showed this even more than the other Biedermann & Brandstifter pairs. You looked great with every Capri, especially with the condition that the beautiful Fords displayed in Bremen. The specimens in Bremen had a magical appeal, and immediately ended up in my top 10.
The Sonderschau with the two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles was also a different story. The visitors encountered beautiful two- and four-stroke pairs there. Many classic motorcycles took a favorite role there, in the end I thought the Suzuki 750 GT was the most impressive bike in terms of the two and four-stroke show. The “Water Buffalo” was the first motorcycle with a water-cooled (two-stroke) power source, which divided its capacity over three cylinders and was good for a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour.
As far as I'm concerned, the most beautifully designed motorcycle of the Sonderschau was the Moto Guzzi Astore, a form-technically clever piece of craftsmanship in the 500 cc class. With its great source of power and its beautiful design, it symbolized the motorized journey of the nations. A third engine that stood out already came forward in the Bremer pre-announcements: the regularly won prizes Triumph T120 Tiger from 1948, a fully custom trimmed classic motorcycle, and truly the jewel within the Classic Custom Motorcycle Lounge.
Back to the cars. In the shadow of the familiar themes I suddenly came across a beautiful green one Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Super, for me still the driving technical and cosmetic diva among the classics. More than sixty years after its introduction, it has not lost any of its green appeal Alfa in Bremen was the desirable proof of this. There was also a lot of beautiful things on the stand of Robert Wagner Classic and Sportscars. The Pagodes were competing for a top-10 spot, but the fully restored Austin Mini 'Cooper' Countryman stood out on Wagner's stand. You could still smell how fresh the mounted ash wood was, so to speak, and the adjusted specifications (1275 cc Cooper S engine) give this beautiful classic even more bite.
At the stand of CC-Cars from Denmark I saw the Datsun 240 Z, which alone competed against all Porsches present in Bremen. However, it is not only his solitary appearance that earned the Japanese a place in the top ten favorites list. Its delicate technique, layout and appearance mean that I have always found this sports Datsun more beautiful and better than the classic Porsche 911. It gets even more under the skin, it is also a matter of feeling.
The counter now stands at eight. But which classic cars or motorcycles complete the top ten? That's difficult. The green Jaguar XJC, the BMW 2002 Turbo, the Lloyd 'Scheunenfund', the VW Typ 3 Variant on the stand of the Red List of everyday cars were certainly candidates. This also applies to the beautiful Audi 100 Coupé S in Hall 6. Or what about the Moto Morini Corsarino and the BMW Wartburg pre-war car? They all just fall short of the top ten, although the last two classics mentioned certainly deserve a special mention, just like the BMW 2002 Turbo.
Number nine on the list is a restomod. The Lada 1200 RS3 quattro under construction was very special. Heemann has been converting the Lada into a restomod with RS3 technology for several years now. That means: extending and widening the body, which has also been completely modified under the skin to mount the 2.5 TFSI engine and the quattro drive. An extraordinarily original project, which scored more likes on our Facebook page than the post in which we included it. In everything he shows the infinite possibilities to upgrade a classic in his own way, and to provide the historic character with a new and surprising impetus.
A little further on - at the TÜV Nord stand - was number ten from the overview, and this classic became my favorite. A truly stunning Austin 1300 GT (Flame Red with black vinyl roof) caught the eye. The red 1300 GT was a fairly late introduced and luxurious / sporty equipped ADO 16 (built as Morris and Austin), with a wonderful interior. It also had the 70 DIN hp 1275 cc engine on board (larger cylinder head with 11 bolts, sharper camshaft, high compression pistons, reinforced connecting rods) and was a very tasty and sporty alternative in its time. Of all released ADO16 variants I find the one presented in October 1969 Austin and Morris 1300GT models most harmoniously. In addition, they demonstrated the shelf life of the ADO16 model series, which had already been in existence for more than seven years. The copy in Bremen got under the skin and captivated with its largely original condition, its compact design balance and its current rarity. The Austin showed in full regalia why the ADO16 is becoming an increasingly sought-after classic. He took the top-1 position in Bremen for me. Please give me the keys.
The trade fair report of the Bremen Classic Motorshow 2023 can be found here here.
ADO16 has offered me a lot. In 1965 a brand new MG 1100 green with gray leather upholstery, then an 1100 in which the previous owner had put a 1275 cc engine. The third was a Wolseley with front collision damage, therefore the grille of an MG was mounted. Luxury transport. The fourth was a Spanish MG 1300, very luxurious, made even more opulent by my sun who tinkered with a VandenPlas interior. The ADO16 concept deserved further development.
Ado 16, I had him. Yes, also red, vinyl folding roof, separate strips and hubcaps. With non-original wooden dashboard. And on LPG. The quality of everything was only Lala and the hydraulic pipes were replaced by real copper water pipes. And now they are wanted, but then I was happy to be able to sell him for fl. 600. Finally, I heard he went to Wallonia, a father with a group of sons. Masterful move to create a family bond for life. Or split permanently