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Automotive Lifestyle
AUTOS: Germany’s Motorsports, Tuner Show
The Essen Motor Show, the European equivalent of SEMA in Las Vegas, blends diverse facets of auto enthusiasm into one sprawling event.
A Porsche 917K in Gulf livery is a highlight of the display of Le Mans winners at the Essen Motor Show in Germany. (Photo: Ultimate Car Page)
This weekend, the 45th annual Essen Motor Show opened its doors to the public. Originally aimed at motorsport enthusiasts, the event has gradually branched out to cater to the aftermarket and tuner fans.
This has resulted in a unique mix, which offers enough for it to be both the largest motorsport event and tuner event in Europe. This year all 12 halls were again filled with exhibits ranging from an indoor track to booths where anything from the smallest parts to complete racing cars was offered.
There was also a special display celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911, and a collection of historic sports racers was assembled to mark the first 40 years (1953 - 1992) of the World Sports Car Championship.
Our photographers ventured to the Messe Essen during the relatively calm media preview to weed through the vast exhibition center, resulting in this 120-shot gallery, which includes the highlights and some of the more exotic machinery on display. The Essen Motor Show remains open through Dec. 9.
The tag line of the 2012 Essen Motor Show was “For drivers and dreams,” and to a large extent, this covers the nature of the event, which caters to both the tuner and motorsport enthusiasts.
Although the tuner displays can be a bit overwhelming, Essen has achieved a workable balance between the two main themes. There were a relatively large number of manufacturers on hand, showcasing both their latest racing cars and their lines of aftermarket options.
For the more tuner-orientated visitors, the show once again boasted a small track on which the latest drifting machines were exercised. As always, the remainder of the 12 halls was filled with a wide variety of exhibitors offering all the automotive related merchandise one can dream off.
50 Years of the Porsche 911
Although a few months early, the Essen Motor Show marked the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911. The legendary machine was introduced in the fall of 1963 and has since been a remarkable success both in the salesroom and on the racing track.
Not surprisingly, the competition exploits took center stage in Essen with a packed display on the stand of Techno Classica organizer SIHA. Among the cars featured were several works-prepared examples such as the 911 that was used in the Paris-Dakar Rally back in the early 1980s and the more recent 911 GT1, which scored a one-two victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998.
Also on hand were several models fielded and constructed by the Kremer brothers. The most famous of these was the 935 K3, which was raced on both sides of the Atlantic with great success. Finished in the ever-striking Jagermeister colors, the example on display was campaigned in the 1980 DRM Championship by Jochen Mass and Rolf Stommelen.
Toyota Motorsport GmbH
Following Toyota's withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of 2009, the company's motorsport subsidiary in Cologne, Germany, was forced to seek out new opportunities to keep their staff employed.
TMG bounced back remarkably well, renting out their advanced wind-tunnel to the likes of Ferrari but also by developing new Toyota racing cars. These ranged from the relatively standard Yaris R1A to the highly advanced TS030, which made its competition debut at Le Mans earlier this year.
This has resulted in a unique mix, which offers enough for it to be both the largest motorsport event and tuner event in Europe. This year all 12 halls were again filled with exhibits ranging from an indoor track to booths where anything from the smallest parts to complete racing cars was offered.
There was also a special display celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911, and a collection of historic sports racers was assembled to mark the first 40 years (1953 - 1992) of the World Sports Car Championship.
Our photographers ventured to the Messe Essen during the relatively calm media preview to weed through the vast exhibition center, resulting in this 120-shot gallery, which includes the highlights and some of the more exotic machinery on display. The Essen Motor Show remains open through Dec. 9.
The tag line of the 2012 Essen Motor Show was “For drivers and dreams,” and to a large extent, this covers the nature of the event, which caters to both the tuner and motorsport enthusiasts.
Although the tuner displays can be a bit overwhelming, Essen has achieved a workable balance between the two main themes. There were a relatively large number of manufacturers on hand, showcasing both their latest racing cars and their lines of aftermarket options.
For the more tuner-orientated visitors, the show once again boasted a small track on which the latest drifting machines were exercised. As always, the remainder of the 12 halls was filled with a wide variety of exhibitors offering all the automotive related merchandise one can dream off.
50 Years of the Porsche 911
Although a few months early, the Essen Motor Show marked the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911. The legendary machine was introduced in the fall of 1963 and has since been a remarkable success both in the salesroom and on the racing track.
Not surprisingly, the competition exploits took center stage in Essen with a packed display on the stand of Techno Classica organizer SIHA. Among the cars featured were several works-prepared examples such as the 911 that was used in the Paris-Dakar Rally back in the early 1980s and the more recent 911 GT1, which scored a one-two victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998.
Also on hand were several models fielded and constructed by the Kremer brothers. The most famous of these was the 935 K3, which was raced on both sides of the Atlantic with great success. Finished in the ever-striking Jagermeister colors, the example on display was campaigned in the 1980 DRM Championship by Jochen Mass and Rolf Stommelen.
Toyota Motorsport GmbH
Following Toyota's withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of 2009, the company's motorsport subsidiary in Cologne, Germany, was forced to seek out new opportunities to keep their staff employed.
TMG bounced back remarkably well, renting out their advanced wind-tunnel to the likes of Ferrari but also by developing new Toyota racing cars. These ranged from the relatively standard Yaris R1A to the highly advanced TS030, which made its competition debut at Le Mans earlier this year.
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