An exciting day

Spectator at the Classc Expo 2014!

In October of each year the Classic Expo takes place in Salzburg, Austria. This fabulous classic car exhibition was etablished 10 years ago by the Salzburg Rally Club (SRC), who to date is the official organizer of the event. Over the years it has become a popular meeting place for collectors and classic car fans, both nationally and from around the world. This is certainly attributed to the increasing interest in classic vehicles as a lucrative crisis-proof investment; and the yielding values are going up by much as 10% per annum and progressively rising. 

This year as many as 250 exhibitors from eleven different nations presented a wide range if Youngtimer, automotive collectibles and rare models. Such is its popularity that many motor cars were sold at the Expo Preview that is held the day before the main event; this demonstrate the huge market and demand for classic and rare vehicles. In celebration of the 10th jubilee, the three-day's program included events such as auctions, and in particular an automobile parts sale or "auto-jumble" as many people like to call it these days.

Feature and themed exhibitions that honoured racing legends like 'Otto Maté' and 'Helmut König', and an exhibition hall for private sellers and clubs. This also kicked off the start of the 14th 'Salt and Oil' Rally ; these three days attracted more than 25,000 visitors! 

The reason for my visit to the Classic Expo was a pre-arranged appointment with Roy Bolks of Potomac Motors. We first met online, on a private member network. Since I work as an agent for cars and luxury goods, alongside my creative work, I thought that a personal and face to face meeting with Roy was necessary, as I truly believe that this is an esstential key when it comes to building a strong rapport and for further business relations. As Salzburg is close to Munich, I decided to travel by train and then took the bus. So I was very surprised when I arrived early at the fairground that two-hundred other people had the same idea. The entrance was fully packed with visitors, so I was relieved when Roy managed to get me in and through the crowd very quickly! Roy is not the typical "behind the desk" Car dealer and enthusiast, but rather like a nomad, that travels from one classic car show to the next.

He brought eight cars with him from Holland. One of these cars was a beautiful 'Aeromax' by Morgan, also two amphibious cars, the so-called 'Amphicars' and some others.

His colleague was also there with a yellow Porsche and an Opel GT.

He actually sold four cars at the fair. I'm sure, I'll see him there again next year. Some impressions from the dealer hall:

Classic car driver's accessory

Automobil Art by Ferencz Olivier

 

One day trips will require detailed planning if you are a fashionable woman. Questions like "what to wear?" and "which handbag to take?" are important and will define your day. I was quite unlucky with the weather, it was cold, grey and rainy and so I decided to take with my heavy duty army jeans bag, instead of an elegant bag. I gave it a unique style; I adorned it with some denim fabric and leather. However I love this bag, you can carry a lot in it and I also use it as a type of backpack. It's perfect for a one day trip, even it has no Hermes 'Kelly Bag' Image. My trendy look for the day was a blue parka, my beloved brown boots by Zara, a traditional skirt from my own collection, a green pullover, and a woolen scarf. I also brought my Blackberry Playbook, Samsung Galaxy, Blackberry Bold and an umbrella by Knirps.

When I left the fair, I enjoyed a nice walk from the Central train station to the historical district. The Mirabell garden is beautiful, even if there was no sun, in the distance you could see the Hohensalzburg Castle.

My way to the famous cathedral of Salzburg, lead me over a small bridge and I was quite fascinated when I saw two Japanese tourists doing their own group-selfie!

In the late afternoon, after visiting the cathedral, the residence place, the place with the view of the castle and the golden sphere plus a few other little streets and alleyways, I ended up getting very tired and I was freezing.

Beautiful cathedral

I was more than glad, when Bernhard, who I also met online, had time for me. He is working in Salzburg as a tax advisor, but has also lived in Milan, Italy. He took me to a nice bar, called "Steinterrasse Club Bar Lounge", with a great view of the cathedral and the castle. I ordered an apricot juice spritzer and it drained all my tiredness away. You really need to taste it, if you should ever visit Salzburg. After that, I took a walk back to the Central train station to await my train back to Munich.

 Summary                                                                                             
Experiencing classic cars, networking and some historical sightseeing in one single day is actually possible, but it is very tiring! I would suggest spending two days in the town of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, because although Salzburg is a wonderful little city, the weather is a tad gloomy and grey. It takes time to discover the impressive historical buildings, the small side streets, the shops and cafes of which the aura and ambience is quite incredible and delightfully charming. I'm sure I will return, at the very least to visit the next Classic Expo. 

This is a picture of the army jeans bag that I brought with me on the Classic Expo trip, just so you can see what I meant in my article. I actually customised this myself by sewing on the patches of denim and leather!