As I sit at home in London, reflecting on the 2024 Essen Motor Show (EMS), I can’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
There are three reasons for that. First, despite spending three full days at Messe Essen, it still feels like I missed many of the cars on display. Second, while in Germany, I travelled over 1,300 kilometres, hunting speed across the country. But the third reason is the most personal.
The end of EMS marks the approach of my sixth year as a Speedhunter – the dream job I fell into accidentally. There’s no need for champagne yet; I’ll save that for another time.
Let’s get back to business: eight halls packed with some of the wildest, most outrageous, newest, oldest and fastest machines Europe has to offer.
Now in its 56th year, the Essen Motor Show was founded by 25-year-old car enthusiast Wolfgang Schöller in 1968 as the ‘International Sports and Racing Car Exhibition Essen.’ Much like the SEMA Show, what started as a humble affair grew into the enormous event we know today.
By the 1970s, the event was rebranded as the ‘Essen Motor Show’ with a shift in focus from motorsport to a broader celebration that included the aftermarket and tuning industries. A quick walk through the halls is all it takes to see that’s still the case today, with modified cars and aftermarket parts everywhere you look.
Several Touring and GT4 cars immediately caught my attention, especially the Risse/Send Motorsport Opel Kadett Coupé GT/E. Opel has a rich motorsport heritage across Europe, but in the UK, its Vauxhall namesake isn’t quite as well regarded. Opel’s motorsport history is far more impressive than most people realise, and I’d love to dive into that at some point.
John Cleland is a British Touring Car Championship legend, but seeing his name on this South African Astra GSi Super Tourer shows Opel’s racing pedigree far beyond Vauxhall and the BTCC.
On my first and only other visit to EMS in 2019, several electric vehicles were displayed, but nothing like the number of EVs present this year. Yes, the entrance to the show still features race cars and smaller tuners, but the first car I saw inside Hall 7 was a modified Volvo EX30.
As expected at a German show, EMS had plenty of German tuners. AC Schnitzer, a brand very close to my heart, not only showcased their four-wheeled offerings but also a stunning two-wheeled BMW Motorrad creation. Down the hall, Eisenmann Exhaust Systems exhibited a G80 M3 on F1-inspired wheels, a very love-or-hate choice judging by the reactions from the crowd.
Bilstein had World Rally Championship legend Walter Röhrl on its stand, where he signed autographs and posed for photos beside a BMW M4 and a rally-spec G-body Porsche 911. However, it was a gorgeous 2.7-litre E21 BMW on the Dbilas Dynamics stand that caught my attention.
Dbilas is renowned for crafting some of the finest intake manifolds, throttle bodies, and carburettor setups – and when I was planning a big-power BMW M30 engine build, their ITBs were the only option I considered.
It’s impossible to talk about EMS without mentioning Jean-Pierre (JP) Kraemer and his team from JP Performance. The German tuning scene is notoriously hard to break into due to the stringent TÜV standards and the high cost of obtaining approval for parts.
What that does mean, however, is that if someone is brazen enough to build the outrageous cars that German authorities hate, they’re likely to gain fame in the industry. And JP’s bold, boundary-pushing builds have earned him a well-deserved place at the top.
Vlad previously went into some detail about JP’s empire, and his success is clear with two back-to-back stands at EMS 2024 featuring three outrageous builds. JP’s newest creations are a V12-swapped Mercedes-Benz SLC and the ‘Volto’ – a Volvo 850 with a space-frame chassis and electric powertrain.
Over at Shelby American, my favourite of the ‘OEM’ stands, they displayed the new GT500 and the massive Shelby Raptor. Though I may be slightly biased in my preference here…
There was something for everyone at EMS 2024 – from live and competitive sim-racing sessions to RC drift displays and real-life driving demos. You could easily empty your bank account, whether you’re after memorabilia or a fur coat (yes, strangely, they had a stand for those, too).
I had to stop myself from buying a genuine poster of a BMW M3 GTR Strassenversion because prices at shows tend to be outrageously high, and I would have never forgiven myself. Just like I would have never forgiven myself had I forgotten to include the all-E36 BMW stand, which displayed some incredible, unique examples.
The Tuning Experience hall was packed with so many show-and-shine cars that I’m working on a separate feature for them. I also have stories planned on some DTM legends and a quirky European race series that caught my eye. There’s a lot to look forward to, I promise.
For now, though, I’ll leave you with my star of the show – or shall I say, my three-pointed star of the show?
The Koenig Specials R107 Mercedes-Benz SL in metallic black/blue with gold detailing and a white leather interior was as resplendent as it was outrageous. Koenig Specials cars always hold a special place in my heart – not just for their outlandish looks but for their simple attitude.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: simple cars are often the best. But when something this wild comes along, it’s impossible not to smile.
The 2024 Essen Motor Show 2024 was fantastic, if a bit overwhelming. But if you get the chance to attend, I certainly recommend it. The show is really great – and that’s not just my nostalgia talking.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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The 2024 Essen Motor Show on Speedhunters
