The Monte Carlo Rally’s 100th birthday is getting a last hurrah at this year’s Essen Motor Show – which opened in the German city last weekend – thanks to the display of famous Monte cars heading the show’s classic section.
The AC-6 Sport (below) that Victor Bruce and William Brunel drove to victory in 1926 and the Hotchkiss 686 GS, which Jean Trevoux and Marcel Lesurque entered in 1949, are lined up with Allard-founder Sydney’s 1952 P1 Coupe, which he and Guy Warburton campaigned across the Alps in ’52.
Adding to the theme is the Jaguar Mk VII (lead image above) that the trio of Ronnie Adams, Frank Millar and Leslie Johnson entered in the annual regularity event four years later.
Additional highlights – in support of the show’s other centenary celebrations, the birth of Juan Fangio in 1911 – include the 1953 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000CM (below), which the five-time Formula 1 champ raced. It’s making a return to the Essen Messe for the second year running.
No event can escape the E-type’s 50th anniversary either but the Essen Motor Show has a different take on it, thanks to Tobias Aichele’s battery-powered example (below), which recently won the RAC’s Future Car Challenge.
Also impressing is the show’s selection of classics for sale, with standouts including a 1973 Porsche 2.4S Targa at €98,000 and a Pinin Farina-bodied 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Cabriolet (below) on offer for €145,000.
The Essen Motor Show runs from 26 November to 4 December. Entry costs €16 (€8 for parking).
Story and pictures courtesy of Mario Laguna.
