Retro Classics Stuttgart

Messe Stuttgart sits directly adjacent to Stuttgart Airport, which tells you something about the scale of the events it hosts. Retro Classics occupies the entire complex for four days at the end of April, one of the longest-running classic car shows on the European calendar since it was first held in 2001.

This edition leans on its special exhibitions. The Atrium honours Hans Herrmann, the German driver who raced alongside Fangio and Moss and took the Le Mans win in 1970. Hall 3 runs two displays worth the detour: roughly twenty vehicles tracing American car culture, from trucks and dragsters to coupés, and a separate set of 1990s icons that have aged into collectability faster than anyone expected. Around 1,500 exhibitors fill the halls with somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 vehicles across classics, youngtimers, race cars and commercial vehicles, alongside one of the most comprehensive parts markets in Europe.

The RETRO NIGHT on the opening Thursday evening keeps the show open late, a quieter entry point before the weekend crowds arrive and worth using if you can be there on day one. The scale rewards planning: the halls covering pre-war cars and specialist restoration exhibitors are worth a dedicated morning, separate from the parts market, which can consume an afternoon on its own.

From Zürich, the A81 north reaches Stuttgart in under two hours. The Swabian Alb begins almost immediately south of the city. The B27 and B28 through Tübingen and Reutlingen make a reasonable return route if you are not in a hurry.