As I sit at residence in London, reflecting on the 2024 Essen Motor Present (EMS), I can’t assist however really feel a bit overwhelmed.
There are three causes for that. First, regardless of spending three full days at Messe Essen, it nonetheless seems like I missed most of the automobiles on show. Second, whereas in Germany, I travelled over 1,300 kilometres, searching pace throughout the nation. However the third motive is essentially the most private.
The top of EMS marks the strategy of my sixth yr as a Speedhunter – the dream job I fell into by chance. There’s no want for champagne but; I’ll save that for one more time.
Let’s get again to enterprise: eight halls filled with a few of the wildest, most outrageous, latest, oldest and quickest machines Europe has to supply.
Now in its 56th yr, the Essen Motor Present was based by 25-year-old automotive fanatic Wolfgang Schöller in 1968 because the ‘Worldwide Sports activities and Racing Automobile Exhibition Essen.’ Very like the SEMA Present, what began as a humble affair grew into the big occasion we all know right now.
By the Seventies, the occasion was rebranded because the ‘Essen Motor Present’ with a shift in focus from motorsport to a broader celebration that included the aftermarket and tuning industries. A fast stroll by way of the halls is all it takes to see that’s nonetheless the case right now, with modified automobiles and aftermarket components in all places you look.
A number of Touring and GT4 automobiles instantly caught my consideration, particularly the Risse/Ship Motorsport Opel Kadett Coupé GT/E. Opel has a wealthy motorsport heritage throughout Europe, however within the UK, its Vauxhall namesake isn’t fairly as nicely regarded. Opel’s motorsport historical past is much extra spectacular than most individuals realise, and I’d like to dive into that sooner or later.
John Cleland is a British Touring Automobile Championship legend, however seeing his title on this South African Astra GSi Tremendous Tourer reveals Opel’s racing pedigree far past Vauxhall and the BTCC.
On my first and solely different go to to EMS in 2019, a number of electrical automobiles had been displayed, however nothing just like the variety of EVs current this yr. Sure, the doorway to the present nonetheless options race automobiles and smaller tuners, however the first automotive I noticed inside Corridor 7 was a modified Volvo EX30.
As anticipated at a German present, EMS had loads of German tuners. AC Schnitzer, a model very near my coronary heart, not solely showcased their four-wheeled choices but additionally a surprising two-wheeled BMW Motorrad creation. Down the corridor, Eisenmann Exhaust Programs exhibited a G80 M3 on F1-inspired wheels, a really love-or-hate alternative judging by the reactions from the group.
Bilstein had World Rally Championship legend Walter Röhrl on its stand, the place he signed autographs and posed for images beside a BMW M4 and a rally-spec G-body Porsche 911. Nevertheless, it was a stunning 2.7-litre E21 BMW on the Dbilas Dynamics stand that caught my consideration.
Dbilas is famend for crafting a few of the most interesting consumption manifolds, throttle our bodies, and carburettor setups – and once I was planning a big-power BMW M30 engine construct, their ITBs had been the one possibility I thought of.
It’s inconceivable to speak about EMS with out mentioning Jean-Pierre (JP) Kraemer and his workforce from JP Efficiency. The German tuning scene is notoriously onerous to interrupt into as a result of stringent TÜV requirements and the excessive price of acquiring approval for components.
What that does imply, nonetheless, is that if somebody is brazen sufficient to construct the outrageous automobiles that German authorities hate, they’re more likely to acquire fame within the business. And JP’s daring, boundary-pushing builds have earned him a well-deserved place on the high.
Vlad beforehand went into some element about JP’s empire, and his success is evident with two back-to-back stands at EMS 2024 that includes three outrageous builds. JP’s latest creations are a V12-swapped Mercedes-Benz SLC and the ‘Volto’ – a Volvo 850 with a space-frame chassis and electrical powertrain.
Over at Shelby American, my favorite of the ‘OEM’ stands, they displayed the brand new GT500 and the huge Shelby Raptor. Although I could also be barely biased in my choice right here…
There was one thing for everybody at EMS 2024 – from stay and aggressive sim-racing classes to RC drift shows and real-life driving demos. You possibly can simply empty your checking account, whether or not you’re after memorabilia or a fur coat (sure, surprisingly, they’d a stand for these, too).
I needed to cease myself from shopping for a real poster of a BMW M3 GTR Strassenversion as a result of costs at reveals are typically outrageously excessive, and I’d have by no means forgiven myself. Identical to I’d have by no means forgiven myself had I forgotten to incorporate the all-E36 BMW stand, which displayed some unbelievable, distinctive examples.
The Tuning Expertise corridor was filled with so many show-and-shine automobiles that I’m engaged on a separate characteristic for them. I even have tales deliberate on some DTM legends and a unusual European race sequence that caught my eye. There’s loads to look ahead to, I promise.
For now, although, I’ll go away you with my star of the present – or shall I say, my three-pointed star of the present?
The Koenig Specials R107 Mercedes-Benz SL in metallic black/blue with gold detailing and a white leather-based inside was as resplendent because it was outrageous. Koenig Specials automobiles all the time maintain a particular place in my coronary heart – not only for their outlandish seems however for his or her easy angle.
I’ve stated it earlier than, and I’ll say it once more: easy automobiles are sometimes one of the best. However when one thing this wild comes alongside, it’s inconceivable to not smile.
The 2024 Essen Motor Present 2024 was improbable, if a bit overwhelming. However for those who get the prospect to attend, I actually advocate it. The present is admittedly nice – and that’s not simply my nostalgia speaking.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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