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Maastricht's vibrant history and its situation at a crossroads of European cultures, languages and trade routes lend it a unique charm and international flavour. Dutch visitors to this most ancient, most European and most southerly city of the Netherlands find Maastricht so un-Dutch that they feel as if they are abroad, while foreign visitors tend to feel perfectly at home in its international atmosphere. The saying that many roads lead to Maastricht (its population is currently about 123,000 people) is borne out by the fact that year after year it is one of the top three conference cities in the country. Nestling where the borders of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany meet, Maastricht is an undoubted beneficiary of the European integration process. Maastricht and the MECC have hosted many top international conferences, the most notable of which culminated in the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1991 - the final countdown for the appearance of the Euro. The Maastricht Exposition & Congress Centre (MECC) is an ultra-modern, dynamic organisation that organises and provides accommodation for fairs, conferences and major cultural and sporting events with superb exhibition facilities under one roof. The twelfth international vintage, veteran and classic car show "InterClassics" was held in the rooms of MECC between January 11-13 and welcomed about 22,500 visitors and enthusiasts in total. The MECC contacted the "Ferrari Club Nederland" six months ago to display Ferrari automobiles as a special theme and the FCN said immediately : yes - we will got for it. The response of Club members and of Ferrari importer Kroymans was incredible - 46 Ferraris built between 1948 and 2001 were the result and were presented in two marvellous arenas. Information about each Ferrari (type, year of construction, coachbuilder, s/n….) were given on small boards in front of each car - nicely done indeed. I have to send my feeling of gratitude to Anthony Mark van Waay (President of "Ferrari Club Nederland") and to Nico P.H. Koel for his support to make the FCN display possible. Visitors could find about 30 further Ferraris and Dinos spread over the large hall, which were presented by their owners or by classic car dealers for sale. The wide range of tipos included cars like : 250 GTE 2+2 series
III (s/n 4097GT) Needless to say, enthusiasts of other brands like Lamborghini (a superb Miura), Maserati (a fully original 3500 Sebring SI), Jaguar, Bugatti, Mercedes …. found many cars to admire. As usual a wide range of stands offered Automobilia (collectors books, brochures, badges, scale models and spare parts). The three days of the InterClassics brought us a big surprise and a remarkable event in the 2002 calendar, thanks largely to the many Ferrari owners who showed their cars. We may look forward to InterClassics 2003. The organisers and myself have to find another theme and we are thinking about "Coachbuilders": Scaglietti, Pininfarina, Boano, Touring, Zagato, Frua, Ghia, Bertone, Ellena, Fontana, Motto, Vignale…good idea to bring a few Ferraris to Maastricht. Click here to return to the Ferrari Happenings page.
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