Another year, another Essen Techno Classica as I visited Germany with a pair of fellow Porsche nuts. The 2014 show weather was gorgeous all the way through, prompting a half day sitting by the Rhine, watching the world go by rather than slogging around seventeen halls of old cars.
In three days, we ate enough pork to fill a 911 and drank enough beer to sink one. We drove there in a Saab diesel estate, which did all the European miles on one tank of fuel: impressive. Even more impressive was the amount of Merlot crammed into it on the way out of France.
There are always Porsches at Essen, but the number of classic Porsche cars on show in 2014 was lower than in previous years. Some very lovely 356s, a handful of pre-1968 911s and not as many impact bumper (IB) cars as two years ago. I spotted one or two 928s, but 924s and 944s were thin on the ground.
A good showing of Porsche 964 911s this year. A yellow 964 Speedster below was tucked in one hall: seemed like a sensible Essen price circa €120k but I didn’t study it too hard after finding a few details lacking. One Lemon Yellow Porsche 911 3.2 Speedster was a favourite car this trip: on the lottery wish list.
You’ll need a lottery win if rising IB Speedster prices keep at it. One of my travelling companions owns a 3.2 Speedster in black with less than 20k miles and full Porsche history. As a low-mileage narrow-body 3.2 Speedster recently sold for £250k at auction, he’s overdue an updated Porsche 911 agreed insurance valuation.
Life doesn’t get much better than a road trip into Germany with beer-loving friends. I highly advise you to follow my lead.