Forget Sema, It's The Essen Motor Show That's The Most Important Event On The Euro Calendar.
I said it last year and will say it again. The Essen Motor Show is one of the must-do events of the Euro calendar. It's our Mecca - the one pilgrimage you must make at least once in your life to truly understand the Euro scene and where it's heading.
Admittedly, it's in Germany and requires a bit of planning, especially as it's getting very cold by late November when the show takes place. In fact, it's not unusual for there to be snow, and this year was no exception. But somehow that adds to the charm.
Essen is where the bulk of Germany's tuners gather to show and sell their wares. There's everything for VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. You'll also find German tuners specializing in Alfa, Ford, Skoda, Opel and so forth.
It's not just the tuners; the manufacturers come out to play, bringing their best toys. Audi put on a fine display with its new RS4 and Q7. While the latter is an elephant-sized MPV that boasted a factory body kit and wheels, the RS4 is the hottest A4 ever. Its 4.2 V8 develops an impressive 100hp per liter with 420hp, and it revs to 8250rpm. Torque is a relatively puny 315 lb/ft at 5500rpm, but it's spread across the rev range so should be usable. The show car came wrapped in a bright red body, part of which is constructed from aluminum to reduce weight. Its 18x8" rims cover 14.4" front rotors. Zero to 60mph is a claimed 4.7sec and top speed is limited to 155mph 'cos it's German. It's a good-looking car that should put Audi back on the high performance map.
Volkswagen also put on a good display of cars, including the new 250hp R32 with DSG for Europe, a Golf GT and the Golf Speed based on the 130hp TDI motor, boasting 18" rims, color-matched interior, GTI front spoiler and roof wing as well as a central exhaust. There was also the new 150hp 1.8 5v Polo GTI, looking exactly like a mini-me Golf GTI. We also saw the new Eos convertible with its complex metal folding hardtop. This example was the 200hp 2.0T with 16x7" rims with the option of 18s. It's a pretty car with plenty of tuning potential. In the right color, with a widebody and big turbo conversion, this will be an awesome car. VW's TT, if you like.
Another new car was the Ford Focus ST. Based on the new platform it shares with the Volvo S40, this car boasts the same 2.5 five cylinder turbo as the Volvo. With 225hp, a sports chassis and aggressive appearance, it's been very well received on the Continent.
Despite all this variety, with many more besides, there were signs of a slightly depressed German economy. There appeared to be fewer exhibitors than usual and familiar faces like BMW, Mercedes and Porsche were missing in an official capacity. However, this year also marked a distinct increase in the number of upscale machinery. Where Fast & Furious influenced Essen 2004, 2005 was clearly looking toward things like Dub magazine. You couldn't move for modified Ferrari, Porsche, big Benz, a sprinkling of Astons, a few Bentleys and so forth. However, they weren't just about bolting on a set of 20s - German tuners have far more to offer.
Mercedes-BenzTake ASMA Design, for example. It had chosen two of the finest Mercedes and applied some radical transformations. The bravest was the Shark 2 on the CLS. It was sort of Judge Dredd meets steam locomotive on polished rims. It had a snowplow front spoiler with slatted full-length grille and vented fenders. The effect was incredible but possibly too extrovert for CLS customers. The company also got its hands on the new S-Class and delivered a slightly more restrained rendition. Nevertheless, the spoiler was still deep, the grille pronounced, the fenders vented and the wheels polished.