There are two great reasons to visit Germany, one is for the beer, the other is for the amazing European sports cars. That and our freeways just can't compete with the Autobahn. As if we needed an excuse to fly to the land of beer and hot rides, there was the additional enticement of the Essen Motor Show 2005. The Essen show has been an attraction since 1968 and can be summed up as a cross between Tokyo Auto Salon and Detroit Auto Show but with over 400,000 attendees. Manufacturers bring out their new models and concept cars and aftermarket parts companies from all over the world (570-plus exhibitors in 18 halls) display their new wares.
It's a wild mix of every type of automotive interest all in one place-race cars, grocery getters, old classics, lowriders, bikes from the U.S. Daytona 2005 show, hot rods, rally runners, and everything in between. Here, car enthusiasts are able to dip into the world of motorsports and meet racing celebrities from DTM to Formula 1. As a pat on the back to the American tuner market, the Essen show featured a large number of modified American cars as a nod to being a global trendsetter.
It would be impossible to show you everything so we decided to bring to you the new releases from the biggies like Toyota and Ford. It's always interesting to see what models are sold in other countries-sometimes we are lucky enough to get them in the U.S. and other times we have to lust for them from across the pond. Unfortunately we didn't have space to show you the World's Largest Tuning Show where many of the new models presented had their premieres as tuned versions.
So if you are planning a trip to Europe next year, make sure you overlap it with the Essen Motor Show.