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July 2003 I got a call from journalist Andy Willsheer asking me to show my bike at the Essen Motorshow (D). As this is a famous show, I agreed. Besides: they offered me an impressive payment of expenses :-) | |||
After sending me two contracts (one for the Essen Motorshow and one for CMT 2004 in Stuttgart, next January), I was sent a CD-Rom. On it CD was my bike, classed under 'Unique motorcycles'. Click the picture for an enlarged view of this screendump. |
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November 23th I brougth the bike to Essen, just after 'Stage III' was finished. I was not the first one delivering a 'Unique motorcycle' ... | |||
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... this wooden trike already joined the club. | |||
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Jan and me visited the fancy opening ceremony on the 28th of November. It was a parade of celebrities, like former F1-driver Jacky Ickx. | |||
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Last year 416,000 enthousiast visited the Essen Motorshow. This year the organisation expected even more. | |||
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My bike was presented under a nice spotlight in Hall 1A, called the 'Show Center'. The CBX was surrounded by very extreme and extravagant 'Unique motorcycles'. I wondered: was it a 'Show Center' or more a 'Freakshow Center'? | |||
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Like always there was a constant stream of filming and photographing. | |||
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Talking about freaks: look at Simon Whitlock's 48 (!) cylinder called 'Tinker Toy'. | |||
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There were some familiar 'faces' as well: I met Malcolm Green and his 'Reliant Rodent' at the Bulldog Bash in 2002. | |||
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Like every year all the winners of Daytona Beach Bike Week 2003 were present. Extreme Harleys of course, and extreme expensive as well. | |||
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Like this bike called 'Triangular'. An angular approach, like my bike, but slightly different ;-) | |||
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Another angular design proving New Edge-design is still 'hot': the gilded roadster 'Xeno III'. It is powered by a 500 HP V8 speedboat engine with compressor. | |||
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Very nice: the futuristic 'Sbarro Tricycle', powered by a Yamaha R1 engine. | |||
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I wondered why this BMW R1100 was presented next to the tricycle. Just a walnut paintjob alone doesn't make a bike a designstudy, does it? | |||
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My kinda car: the Peugeot 4002. A perfect mixture of classic and futuristic features, a sheer beauty and the nicest object of the Essen Motorshow. | |||
Fascinating to see that this car offers you so little grip on its front or rear side; only mirrors and lamps give you a clue. Both sides have their own style and still it's a unity. | ||||
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Not bad either: BAT, a dragster based on a 1939 Chevy, with no less than 2500 Horsepower! No need to mention it's powered by an 8.6 liter Chevy V8. | |||
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Far out: 'Pura Vida', a lowrider from the USA. Keywords: pink, metallic, gold, weird. | |||
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No, this pictures is not flattened. This is ... a Volvo, just 92 cm in height. | |||
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Schumi's toy was present as well thanks to the special exhibition '55 Years Ferrari in Formula 1'. | |||
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In a big contrast to the fancy show center was the overcrowded market selling e-ve-ry-thing from bolts to Lamborgini's. | |||
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Just fill up your Nissan Micra up with audio explosives. | |||
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Essen Motorshow 2003: impressive and exhausting. Take a look at Jan and see what a one day's visit can cause. |