Welcome To The Essen Motor Show

The USA has SEMA, Japan has the Tokyo Auto Salon, and Germany has the Essen Motor Show.

To paint the picture, let’s start with the numbers. The annual Essen show, held in the Ruhr region of Germany, attracts around 350,000 visitors, more than 550 exhibitors – of which a fifth are from abroad – and wraps it all up in 30,000 square meters of exhibition space. That’s a lot of room for cars.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-269
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-345
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-261

The show is divided into different areas. You have classic collector vehicles, sport and prestige cars, aftermarket and performance parts, race and street cars. For the 2019 show, each area was full of interesting of builds, so many in fact that I’ve split my coverage into two, and you can expect the follow up to this story – which will include a huge gallery – in the next couple of days.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-340
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-291
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-246

Let’s get started…

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-321

I made my way into the show through the west entry, which led into the media and modified cars section. It only took a few minutes of walking around to figure out that the new Supra was the star of Essen 2019.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-328

Despite the A90’s mixed reception, in the short time the Toyota and BMW collaboration has been on sale, it’s already become a tuning sensation. It should come as no surprise then, that so many of the parts manufacturers showing their products at the show had a Supra on display.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-06

The first one I spotted was Piecha Design’s car, which pays homage to the MkIV Supra from The Fast and The Furious with an orange exterior and some famous graphics.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-17

Not that far away, the H&R booth featured another nice example, this time dropped on Levella wheels.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-105
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-104

But it wasn’t just all about the Supra’s appearance. The B58 engine used in the A90 was first used in the BMW F30 340i in 2015, and German tuners know it very well. Dreihundert is one such tuner based in Dresden, who a few weeks ago extracted an impressive 781hp (709whp) from their yellow Supra. To achieve this, a number of internal and fuel system modifications were made, along with the switch to a BorgWarner EFR 8474 turbocharger. Subsequent tuning on 102 octane fuel by Pure Boost and MHD Tuning netted the aforementioned numbers, with Dreihundert observing that the A90’s transmission will likely be next on the list for upgrade.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-341

One car I wasn’t expecting to see was a BNR34 Skyline GT-R brought all the way to Germany from Osaka. KRC Japan does a lot of work with RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB), and this one’s had the Nakai-san touch, too.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-79

RUF Automobile is a pillar of German car culture. Unlike local companies likes Brabus, 9FF or Techart, which are more considered as high performance aftermarket tuners, RUF is a fully-fledged manufacturer who have traditionally applied their own components (and VIN numbers) to brand new Porsche chassis. There were two RUFs on display at the Essen Motor Show this year, the first located in the Recaro booth.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-83

The CTR 2017 was inspired by the legendary 1987 Yellow Bird, and was the first RUF to be built on an original carbon fibre monocoque chassis. With carbon body panels too it weighs only 1200kg (2,640lb), which when combined with the RUF-built 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat-six engine pushing 710PS and 880Nm to the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox and limited slip diff, results in shattering performance: 0-100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds, 0-200km/h in less than 9 seconds, and a top speed of 360km/h (223mph).

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-298

The second RUF car at Essen 2019 was this SCR 4.2, which like the CTR 2017 also features a full carbon fibre monocoque chassis and shell, but also benefits from an integrated roll cage. As you can see, it looks like a Porsche 964, but the chassis is actually based on that of a 993 model, albeit with a wheelbase that’s 70mm longer to improve weight balance and stability. The engine is a 997 GT3 unit that’s been stroked to 4.2L and now produces 525hp at 8,370rpm and 370lb-ft of torque. It weighs only 1,190kg and has a top speed of 322km/h.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-61
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-18
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-307
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-157
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-112
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-158

One thing you can always be guaranteed of at the Essen Motor Show is race cars, and there was an entire hall dedicated to them.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-59
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-60

This BMW 2002 Turbo has just been built by Minichberger Motorsport for the German Berg Cup series. Power comes from a 2.0L naturally aspirated M12/7, which is said to deliver 305hp at 10,800rpm, and the whole thing weighs just over 835kg (1,840lb).

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-132
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-134

If you’re familiar with late-’90s touring car racing, you’ll definitely recognize this ex-Alain Menu Renault Laguna BTCC in its British Racing Green Nescafe livery with gold OZ Racing wheels.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-131

Despite Volvo never winning the British Touring Car Championship with its 850 Estate, no one could ever forget it – especially the image of ex-F1 driver Jan Lammers on two wheels in one. Although the wagon body created a lot of downforce allowing the car to be fast in a straight line, the Estate’s weight distribution was not ideal – even with a lot of weight taken out of it – making it slower through corners. The fact that it was out there competing was more than enough from a marketing standpoint, though.

Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-121
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-103
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-117
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-181
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-192
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-221
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-225
Speedhunters_Quentin_Fourneyron_Essen Motor Show 2019-171

That’s it for my first look at the 2019 Essen Motor Show – stay tuned for an even bigger follow up story in the coming days.

Quentin Fourneyron
Instagram: _quent1n_

More IAMTHESPEEDHUNTERposts

How To join the IATS program: We have always welcomed readers to contact us with examples of their work and believe that the best Speedhunter is always the person closest to the culture itself, right there on the street or local parking lot. If you think you have what it takes and would like to share your work with us then you should apply to become part of the IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER program. Read how to get involved here.

ADVERTISEMENT

Comments



Comments are closed.

23 comments

by Oldest
by Best by Newest by Oldest
1

That Martini Scirocco though...

2

Corrado?

3

K. That too...

4

Ha, I have a corrado so it’s second nature to me now to have people say ‘cool Scirocco!’

5

looks like a great show! thanks for the coverage.

6

And the e36 soldiers onward. I wonder how many visitors to Motec wheels booth noticed that the style on the white sedan looks just like an Apex ARC-8.

Schmidt's take on the split-spoke / BBS FI - HRE P101 style is just right though.

Thanks for the pics!

7

Great show coverage! Where do I start... the Martini Corrado is by far the best! In the background is the Porsche van (not sure if it's a VW van?) and the Ghia in the same shot. What make is that burgundy wagon with full cage? That is super rad! And some of those wheels... amazing!

8

Think the wagon is a Peugeot 306 estate

Author9
Quentin Fourneyron

That’s correct

10

Man those are some sick builds out there!
Love the culture!

11

Of course, the Supra steals the show
And man they all look so good!

12

"Although the wagon body created a lot of downforce allowing the car to be fast in a straight line"

Downforce does not help cars go fast in a "straight line", it actually has the opposite effect.

13
thehellastockusdm3rdgenyaris@instagram

I really like german car culture, I hope to go there someday, despite how strict there laws are on modifications it seems to still be thriving and since the best of the best and the most perfect and well cared for and well done tuner cars make the cut with the most high quality parts, it brings out the best in creativity in people.

I hope to travel to germany someday so I can drive on the autobahn but until then I'm going to live and travel vicariously through Speedhunters.

Always interested in your IATSH program, so once the spring season rolls around here I'll be attempting to submit my work, it might not be the best but im 2 and some odd months out of practice.

I have a good eye with my phone camera but its focal point is to shallow.

Really love the cars displayed here, thanks for making such wonderful articles.

-Tofu

14

German car culture is shit. Mostly volkswagen golfs lowered on some cheap ass wheels, wrapped, and airride. Every second japanese car here is rolling on rota or japanracing knock off wheels.
The companys who are into tuning also mostly hopped on the bolt on widebody and airride wagon.

The really well done cars are often trailerqueens or not even driven, due to fear of being impounded. the most cool cars you see in this article are often from abroad, or just showcars.

The Autobahn is also boring. If theres not a construction site on the road, you can ebt 50 bucks that theres some grandma or minivan blocking the left lane.

15

Epic content here! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful photos!

Brandon

16

Anybody knows the name of the wheels on the R34 KRC kitted?........

Thank You.

Author17
Quentin Fourneyron

Superplus FSR 1 ;)

18

Love how it never ceases to amaze me the level of crap Germans put on their Skyline's, Fake ebay leds, fake rims and knight racer carbon! lol

19

"This BMW 2002 Turbo [...] Power comes from a 2.0L naturally aspirated [...]" You do know what the words "turbo" and "naturally aspirated" mean, right? ;)

The guy driving that DTM-inspired 190 "evo" is quite the nice guy. He's paraplegic but doesn't let him stop that from racing. This car is converted to hand-gas and -brake.

Author20
Quentin Fourneyron

Oups ... :/ Didn't know about the Mercedes ;)

21

That Fiat Ritmo is fire

22

"It only took a few minutes of walking around to figure out that the new Supra was the star of Essen 2019." I thought exactly the same going through the show, though I would say A90 Supras were on par with Hyunday i30N. These were absolutely everywhere.
I wasn't too fond of the Supra or the i30N beforehand, but after seeing quite a few there, I must admit they start to grow on me. The i30N seems to be quite a funny and mod friendly hatchback. The Supra, in my opinion, has a presence. I still don't find it really pretty, but I think it looks better in reality than on photographs. I could definitely see me own one someday, if someone can fix this kind of weird nose it has as a front bumper.
That red R34 though... definitely my favorite.
All in all, it's a great event for pretty much any petrolhead, with all kinds of cars : Race cars, tuner cars, modern sportscars or supercars, classics...

23

There really is no pressure at event like this, and it’s probably one of the first times builders get a chance to check out other people’s cars, too. As a truck builder I used this 28 Inch DUB Baller which are synonymous with quality. Its aftermarket wheels are engineered to the highest market standards ensuring that they give your vehicle a stylish appearance and strength.

OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS