Events : Report – InterClassics & TopMobiel Maastricht 2017

AROnline’s first show report for 2017 comes from the beautiful town of Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands. Snowy gales, frosty temperatures and copious amounts of salt on the roads made classic car spotting in the parking areas a rather fruitless game, but inside the nicely heated halls of the Maastricht Convention Center a very rewarding show was offered to all those who made the journey.

Words and photography: Alexander Boucke

Despite the cold and ugly weather with heavy snow showers the 24th InterClassics in Maastricht marked a good start into the 2017 season. Not amongst the biggest shows, the well-organised event has earned a firm place on the agenda of dealers and visitors over the years. Ecent Director Erik Panis was happy to announce that there were more than 26,000 visitors during the four days and that the traders present reported strong sales.

Two special exhibitions again formed the heart of the show this year.

Ferrari

For the 70th Anniversary of Ferrari a spectacular display showing cars from the Enzo Ferrari-era was assembled, including the 1960 Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, the MM 166 and the F40. The Ferrari 500 Superfast Speziale once owned by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands was also on display. We liked, in particular, the 1967 365 GTB/4 Daytona prototype, still without the characteristic nose, and the one-off 166 Mille Miglia Berlinetta Competizione built by Pininfarina in 1953.

 

Facel Vega

The prestigious French make Facel Vega was presented by the Amicale Facel showing an impressive display of the complete range of all models from the original FV, to the ultra-rare, Austin Healey-engined Facel 6. Although mechanically very conventional, the large cars show wonderful attention to detail at a scale that must have looked out of place in most European towns in the late 1950s. In addition to the special display, some dealers used the chance to offer Facel Vega cars – the total number came to nearly 20 cars.

Cars on sale were of large variety and, with a bit of haggling, something to fit every wallet was available from a basic Citroën Visa to supercars commanding high six-figure prices. The traditional British roadster seemingly does not follow the trend of rocketing prices – good news for those looking for an affordable classic car not meant to be an investment. In between the omnipresent Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari-crowd, plenty of 1960s and ’70s family cars were looking to get new owners.

 

For less than €10,000 you had the choice from Beetles, Volvo 144, Princess 1800 HLS, Alfetta 2.0, Fiat 500 or a neo-classic in the shape of a BMW 323ti – all in excellent condition. Meanwhile, at the other end of the market, a significant number of present and past supercars were inviting the potential owner to ask for the price. MGB, Triumph TR5 and 6, but also older cars like Traction Avant and MG TD looked good value for money with prices ranging from €20,000 to €35,000.

 

A slightly smaller area for club displays and a variety of autojumble stalls rounded the show off.

Alexander Boucke

5 Comments

  1. A great range of exhibits. Those Facel’s look wonderful! I also liked the MK2 Golf & Alfetta 2 litre (one of my former colleagues had one as his company car in the late 1970’s) Thanks to Alexander for sharing these pictures and report.

  2. Once again an excellent report from Alexander.

    The collection of Facel’s look lovely, the Princess looks in good nick, and one of my all time favourites – Toyota Celica GT – looking good too.

    Was the Fiat Samantha based on the Fiat Dino, and could the front end have been an inspiration for the X/19?
    Lurking to one side of the Espada, is that a De Tomaso Managusta?
    The Fiat 130 looking imposing, and modern “classics” coming in too.

    All in all, despite the weather, wish I could have been there.

    • Mike,

      the Samantha has a 4 cylinder twin cam engine, so it is not based on the Fiat Dino.

      And yes, there was a Mangusta next to the Espada – reallz a hard choice which one was more eye-catching…

      • The Fiat Vignale Samantha was build on the platform of the Fiat 125. Circa 100 examples where build, some in S form with 5-speed gearbox an d 100 bhp, some in RHD. Nice cars!

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