As I sit at residence in London, reflecting on the 2024 Essen Motor Present (EMS) 2024, 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 looks like I missed most of the vehicles on show. Second, whereas in Germany, I travelled over 1,300 kilometres, searching velocity 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 unintentionally. There’s no want for champagne but; I’ll save that for an additional 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 automobile fanatic Wolfgang Schöller in 1968 because the ‘Worldwide Sports activities and Racing Automotive Exhibition Essen.’ Very similar to the SEMA Present, what began as a humble affair grew into the large occasion we all know at the moment.
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 means of the halls is all it takes to see that’s nonetheless the case at the moment, with modified vehicles and aftermarket elements in all places you look.
A number of Touring and GT4 vehicles 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 way extra spectacular than most individuals realise, and I’d like to dive into that in some unspecified time in the future.
John Cleland is a British Touring Automotive Championship legend, however seeing his identify 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 autos had been displayed, however nothing just like the variety of EVs current this yr. Sure, the doorway to the present nonetheless options race vehicles and smaller tuners, however the first automobile 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 shocking two-wheeled BMW Motorrad creation. Down the corridor, Eisenmann Exhaust Programs exhibited a G80 M3 on F1-inspired wheels, a really love-or-hate selection judging by the reactions from the gang.
Bilstein had World Rally Championship legend Walter Röhrl on its stand, the place he signed autographs and posed for photographs beside a BMW M4 and a rally-spec G-body Porsche 911. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful 2.7-litre E21 BMW on the Dbilas Dynamics stand that caught my consideration.
Dbilas is famend for crafting a few of the best consumption manifolds, throttle our bodies, and carburettor setups – and after I was planning a big-power BMW M30 engine construct, their ITBs had been the one possibility I thought-about.
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 laborious to interrupt into as a result of stringent TÜV requirements and the excessive value of acquiring approval for elements.
What that does imply, nonetheless, is that if somebody is brazen sufficient to construct the outrageous vehicles that German authorities hate, they’re prone 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 obvious 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 large Shelby Raptor. Although I could also be barely biased in my desire right here…
There was one thing for everybody at EMS 2024 – from reside 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 vehicles that I’m engaged on a separate function for them. I even have tales deliberate on some DTM legends and a unusual European race collection that caught my eye. There’s quite a bit to sit up for, I promise.
For now, although, I’ll depart 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 vehicles at all times maintain a particular place in my coronary heart – not only for their outlandish appears however for his or her easy perspective.
I’ve mentioned it earlier than, and I’ll say it once more: easy vehicles 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 unbelievable, if a bit overwhelming. However in case you get the prospect to attend, I actually suggest it. The present is actually nice – and that’s not simply my nostalgia speaking.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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