There were already long queues of fully-laden exhibitors’ vehicles at the early-entry gates on the Thursday before the actual set-up day.
The first sellers were allowed onto the VETERAMA premises from 2 pm onwards to set up their stands and get ready for the big rush.
And on Friday, the gates were then opened to around 2,500 further exhibitors in the outdoor areas and in the Hall.
Many of the traders were still busy setting up when the holders of premium tickets were allowed into the premises as “insiders” at 12 pm and started hunting down sought-after parts for their vintage cars.
In the Veteran Parts Depot, the “booty” of spare parts soon started to pile up for later collection by their new owners.
On Friday, we had real “golden October” weather, allowing attendees to “barter, haggle and do deals” well into the twilight hours.
And even afterwards, they weren’t ready to leave by any means because this is the time when people get together and socialise on the stands and in the three catering tents.
The typical VETERAMA atmosphere was back again, just as it always had been before Covid-19.
On Saturday, the long queues started to form early at the twelve ticket booths, as everyone wanted to be the first to get inside when the visitors’ doors opened at 8.30 am.
The sun was hiding behind the clouds for much of Saturday, but the weather stayed dry and it was pleasantly warm. It wasn’t long before happy customers could be seen walking across the premises with items that they had purchased and the Depot started to fill up again, allowing them to carry on shopping unencumbered.
Those who wanted an easier way to cover the long distances across the 260,000 m² VETERAMA premises could take a ride on the “Bimmelbähnchen” to get from A to B. The little train even transported guests to the rear section of the premises, where both vintage cars and modern classics were on sale on the VETERAMA market place. It didn’t take long before the first “Sold” sign could be seen on some of the cars, and an especially high rate of sales was recorded by Saturday evening.
There’s no doubt that this year’s good atmosphere was partly on account of the beautiful weather. But it wasn’t just this …
Over the course of the decades, VETERAMA has developed into a cult event.
And yet VETERAMA has always stayed just as VETERAMA wanted to be, “conceived and created by and for people who love messing about with cars.
Looking back to our beginnings, we had the feeling that somewhere in Hamburg there would be a starter motor lying around that someone in Munich urgently needed. And perhaps there would be an alternator lying around in Munich that someone in Hamburg could use,” says Winfried Seidel, who came up with the idea of organising this classic car market together with Walter Metz.
This year in the VETERAMA Hall, it was especially clear to visitors how much things have developed since the founding years.
Not only could this be seen from the many exhibition stands, arranged in long rows, some set up in a very professional manner.
It was also demonstrated by the many club stands that had been set up around the entire perimeter of the exterior walls. These gave their members the opportunity to relax and unwind after the long march across the premises.
Borgward, BMW, Citroen, Amphicar, Messerschmitt, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Adler, NSU, Hanomag or Jaguar – there were places to sit down and take a break everywhere.
And there were also a number of classic car clubs there, providing oases of peace and quiet with some wonderful exhibition vehicles.
The presentation set up by the “Rhine-Neckar” VW Friends was particularly impressive. They created a perfect street scene with a zebra crossing and eight air-cooled vehicles from the Wolfsburg factory. Of course, the VW street soon became a top attraction for amateur photographers.
And when the inevitable loud speaker announcement came at 4 pm on Sunday to say that the 2022 VETERAMA Weekend had come to an end, you could hear people on many of the stands saying their farewells with the words: “It’s great that VETERAMA is back again. See you next year.”