The XIII AutoClássico Porto 2015 Salon was a real treat for lovers of classic cars and motorcycle legends. In this partnership between the affable people of the north and many Spanish fans, the salon was a success.
What distinguishes the AutoClássico do Porto from other classic car shows? We could just stick to the size of the hall itself, but sometimes quantity is not quality. The Salão do Porto is not only gigantic given the dimensions of the Exponor venue, it is gigantic because of the rarities brought by the exhibitors, which transport us to a world apart within the world of classics. Anyone who was there from the 2nd to the 4th of this month knows what I'm talking about…
With a structure of six pavilions and two access roads, some machines gave way to a magnificent parade that surprised at all levels.
In an overview of what this Hall was, we started at Pavilion 1, where the parts and retro furniture market immediately left us perplexed, such was the number of exhibitors. For those looking for special collector's editions of the automotive press, you can't say that the offer wasn't generous either. With the right budget it wouldn't be difficult for a petrolhead to lose himself as a woman in a mall.
If they collect miniatures and haven't been, then they can't even imagine what they've lost. It was possible to find “almost” any car in varying levels of detail, scale and prices. The models with competition pedigree filled most of the exhibitors and I wanted to buy them all…
In Pavilions 2 and 3, the focus was the car exhibition and it was mainly in this area, that we found ourselves almost entering a parallel universe. The stuffing of dream classics is so eclectic and of such quality that it's painful to take your eyes off a car and start drooling over another.
As if it wasn't enough for us to be surrounded by dream classics, this 2015 AutoClassic Salon was filled with celebrations related to ephemeris that are very special for “aficionados” like us. With birthdays for all tastes, we don't even dare not highlight the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Fiat 600 and the famous Citroën “mouth of frog” which also blew its 60 candles and was the biggest star of the Salon due to the massive presence of the DS .
But Peugeot was the brand that had the most reason to celebrate: it is not every day that the 230th anniversary is celebrated, complemented with the 402 anniversaries on its 80th anniversary, the 60th anniversary of the 403, 50th anniversary of the 204 and no less important 40 years of the 604. For Mercedes-Benz fans, the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the 190SL was the delight of many – not least because our brothers from the neighboring country were kind enough to bring to Porto a magnificent example of a 190SLR .
BMW was also well represented for the 60th anniversary of the Isetta. However, the 2002 Turbo and the M1 of Procar seem to have robbed the little Isetta of some prominence. At the MG stand, the MGA was the king celebrating its 60 years and we can say that the range of MG's chosen was, at least, “top” in every way.
The ephemeris closes with the 105th anniversary of Alfa Romeo, a brand very well represented in models, restorers and parts. In fact, the fact that we have a GTAm for sale in one of the stands was more than enough reason to take us to Porto.
In Pavilion 4 and 5, emotions were running high, because the autoClássico was actually a double show in one. The Motorshow stage had a semi open circuit between these 2 pavilions, with several cars and drivers making the delights of the spectators. If we had to choose the highlight of the Motorshow, it would undoubtedly be on Sunday 4 October, as the four-time Rally World Champion, Juha Kankkunen, was present on the circuit, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.
In gallery 5, the presence of several clubs completes the support for classic owners, with a no less impressive car showcase.
We ended our tour of Porto's AutoClássico 2015 in Pavilion 6, transformed into a “mere” car park filled with magnificent classics. The presence of Portuguese classics and the help of Spanish classics present, brought another life to this space. Citroën and Alfa Romeo were, without a doubt, the brands that most disputed the stage of attention.
In the end, the Salon fulfilled all expectations and we can't wait for the AutoClássico Porto 2016, as this was a real treat in every way! Until next year.
