This weekend the annual Essen Motorshow kicked off in the massive Messe 'exhibition centre' in the German city. Originally centred around racing, it has gradually evolved into a tuner show. Usually there are enough gems amidst the massive wheels, ridiculous body-kits and scissor doors to warrant a visit. This year however the Essen Motorshow suffered noticeably from the economic downturn with virtually no manufacturers willing or able to cough up sufficient Euros for space on the floor. This gave the organisers no other choice but to close down one of the biggest halls of the venue. One of the other halls was reserved for a small track where the latest racing cars were demonstrated.
Taking centre stage were the dedicated tuning companies, led by Brabus, who had one of the biggest stands of the show. They showcased their new Mercedes-Benz E-Series based B63 S as well as the limited edition, 788 bhp EV12 'One of Ten'. Another world premier was the new 9ff Speed9, which is a tribute to the great Porsche Speedsters of the 1950s. Of the mainstream manufacturers only Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Skoda were present and they did not bring any new stuff.
For us the highlights of the show were big displays focused on Ferrari and Lotus racing cars, and a row of recent concept cars. Among the Ferraris was a prime example of the 410 Superamerica, which possessed more style and elegance than most of the cars around it combined.
We roamed through the halls in Essen on the opening morning and have captured the interesting, the odd and the outlandish in our exclusive 100-shot gallery. The show is still open to the public until Sunday and there are just enough highlights to warrant a visit.

Enjoy the links:

2009 Essen Motorshow report and slideshow