[Jeroen]

I am not sure to what extend the concept of Pop-up stores is known in India. So it is probably best to begin with a bit of a definition and explanation:

A pop-up shop is the term given to a shop or store that is deliberately temporary. It’s a store that “pops-up” for a limited period of time to achieve a particular goal.

Overall, pop-up retail is becoming more and more common, challenging the traditional brick-and-mortar retail of long leases and large transaction-based flagship stores.

A pop-up store can look like a regular store, but many brands use them to create unique and engaging physical shopping experiences because they provide flexibility and the opportunity to experiment with less risk.

You’ve probably already experienced pop-up retail. They’re getting more and more popular with customers and retailers. Some of them you may not have even known were pop-ups, they often look like regular stores. Many brands rum traveling pop-up shops which they install in a location and then move it to another retail location every few months.

History of “pop-up” retail
While the concept of temporary shared retail spaces has been around for centuries (think markets or fairs) the term “pop-up retail” can be traced back to the late 90s. Media entrepreneur Patrick Courrielche ran an event called The Ritual Expo in Los Angeles in 1997. It was a one day event that brought together music, food and fashion in a single shopping experience. Nicknamed the one day “Ultimate Hipster Mall”, it was hugely successful with its mix of retail stores and experiences. In the years following The Ritual Expo many big brands including AT&T, Levi-Strauss, and Motorola worked with Courrielche to create pop-up shopping experiences across the USA.

Over the next 20 years the modern pop up retail store as we know it evolved. In the face of the so-called ‘retail apocalypse’ and the decline of the traditional retail model, flexible retail and pop-up stores have come to the fore.

Source: https://www.thestorefront.com/mag/wh...a-pop-up-shop/

If you are like me, a 62 year old guy, whom is not to keen on shopping anyway, you would avoid pop-up stores like the proverbial plague. It is everything I don’t want in a store and then less!

But when I read about a pop-up classic car store I thought I better go and check it out.

It was organised by the Metropole Classic Cars. (https://www.metropoleclassiccars.com/en/verkoop/)

In all honesty, I still don’t quite understand what they normally sell or even do.

This is what is says on their website:

Metropole Classic Cars: exclusive cars with a story
Metropole Classic Cars is "the place to be" for passionate fanciers of classic & exclusive cars. In a spacious hall, adjacent to the Metropole Druten event and meeting center in a beautiful natural environment on the water, a wide collection of old-timers, young-timers and new-timers is accomodated. Metropole Classic Cars not only presents these special cars with their own story. Metropole Classic Cars is also specialized in the purchase / sale of exclusive cars and a distinguished trading place for collectors and investors.

All quite ambitious, never ever heard of them though. I would not say I know every classic car venue in the Netherlands, but I certainly know most.

They had arranged for this pop-up classic car show. It ran from early April to early May. Apparently this is the second time they organised such a pop-up event. The idea is that anybody can bring a classic car he/she wants to sell. You pay a fee, based on the asking price of your car. They do all the promotion, PR, they also have a partnership with a classic car magazine, so your car would be shown there as well.

They might have sold 50%, but it appeared a lot of cars were still left, so they opened up for a few more days. Last weekend, was Pinksterweekend (Pentocost) in the Netherlands, which means Monday is an official holiday. And they opened up on Pentocost Monday.

So my wife and I decided to go and check it out. It was horrible weather anyway, not much else to do, about a 35 minute drive from our home.

This is what the building looks like, promising!!



We parked our car, next to a gorgeous and very well maintained W123C 230. In it a couple our age, so we had a little chat about W123s. He used it as his daily drive. We talked a bit about the spare part availability situation for the W123. In particular for the Coupe and Stationvariant (the so called T-wagon) some parts, in particular most door / window rubbers have become impossible to get hold off.

Nice guy, we exchanged details as we have some more W123 stuff to discuss.

We made out way to the entrance, and the first car on display. A stunning Alfa Romeo.





All of this, before we even entered the building! We donned our face mask (yes, we still have Covid-19 restriction here too) and walked inside. Entrance is free, and in fact during our stay of well over one hour I did not see a single member of staff!!

First car on display inside:

I love these cut away models. This one is an old Fiat. These sort of cars/models were often on display in the Netherlands with driving schools. They were used to teach driving students a few basic things about cars and the various technical bits. We don’t do that anymore. You can still find models like these and in various smaller scales on auctions. Asking € 6,950 Note: I am using UK format. So one thousand is written as 1,000. Hundred thousand 100,000 etc



Next car was new to me. A 1997 Ascari Eccosse with 304BHP on tap. Asking € 149,000



Next one, again, unknown to me; A 1968 Bizzarini GT Strada 5300, 355 BHP, POA so probably they are asking a lot!



This is what I found on the Internet:

Bizzarrini was an Italian automotive company, founded by former Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Lamborghini engineer Giotto Bizzarrini in 1964. The company produced around 200 high performance coupés - including the 5300 Strada - before closing down in 1969.

Next some more familiar cars:

The blue car in the front is a Ghia 1500 GT. € 74,500 Underpinning all Fiat. Behind it you see Mrs D pondering about the amphi-car. A so called Amphi 770, from 1962, asking a staggering € 89.500. That is a lot of money for something that drives as badly as it sails! These days a real collector item.



You know you are looking at an amphibious car when it sports, next to its regular indicator lights, also green/red navigation lights!



When there are classic cars on display you will always find some Aston Martin’s too. Here a very nice DB5 V8 from 1972, asking € 163,000



On the next car, I must have forgotten to take a shot of the outside. A Maserati Ghibli SS, 1970, 335 BHP, asking € 249,000.

But look at this interior! Compare this to your iPad-dashboard in a Tesla and I know what I prefer!!



Of course, there were a couple of Ferrari’s too. A nice 365 GT (2+2), 1970, 320 BHP asking € 232,000. I am not saying Ferrari's should come in red, but I will say that I don’t think this particular colour does this car proper justice.



There were several Jaguar E-types, but I don’t take images of E-types anymore. I think it is probably the most overrated classic car in existence.

Now, here is for something very different and I love it!! An original Ford Transit Van, Serie 2, 1972. A whimsey 65BHP engine, asking € 24,950. During the 70s Ford Transit where the logistical backbone of many European countries. Everybody that owned a business had a Ford Transit. If you were going to rob a bank, you would get yourself, probably steal, a Ford Transit. If you had to move house, you would rent a Ford Transit. In those days my two elder sisters were at universities and moved student digs every 6 months or so. I lost count how often I helped them move. Always in a rented Ford Transit. The father of my very first girl friend owned and operated a huge rental car place in our town. He had dozens of Ford Transit for rent!



Next car is a very cute car. It will bring a smile on everybody's face. A little Fiat Topolino 500. This one packs a very small punch, 13BHP!. Asking 7,000



There were a total of some 200 cars on display. A small part of these are owned by the Metropole and are part of their permanent exhibition apparently. Mostly the vans and so, we will see some more.

They had a nice line up of all kinds of Mercedes.





They had a W123 230 with automatic box for sale. Asking € 19,000 which I thought was way too high. You must bear in mind that it is the seller who sets the price. Metropole doesn’t buy these cars, they put them on display, for a fee. And one big problem with classic car owners is that some just don’t have a good understanding of current market prices.

The nicest Mercedes on display according to my wife: A 1962 220 SE B, 120BHP, asking € 145,000



I have put up threads of various specialised classic car shops in the Netherlands, e.g.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/beyon...car-mecca.html (The Gallery Brummen, Netherlands - Vintage Car Mecca)

Very different from this set up. I suppose you can’t really compare a purpose build building and company to a pop up store. Here, it is essentially a big empty industrial hall that is filled with cars. Nothing else, no decoration, nothing on the floor, just concrete. And cars, lots of cars.

They try to give it a bit of ambience, but I am not convinced



They had various Alfa Romeo’s on display. Always gets my interest, especially the various Spiders. There have been other, and earlier Alfa Spiders. But many would argue this particular one is really what defines an Italian Alfa Spider. Small, elegant, rag top, two seater, front engine, rear wheel driven.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, 1963, 80 BHP, asking € 30,000



Under its condition category it said: “Restoration Project”. Good thing they mentioned it, somebody might think it is in concours condition!



One of my all-time favourite Alfa Romeo is this GT: Many of these have been modified for classic car racing and rallying. Even in standard version it is a very special car to be driving. The underpinning and the engine are similar to the later Spider. In fact both the Spider as the GT are known as the serie 105/115 (Europe, US specification respectively). The GT got independent suspension all round which was a big improvement over the Spider 105/115 series.



A few shots across the various rows of cars. Mrs D has lost interest as is heading for the exit







Not quire sure what this is, other than it is cute!



Another unusual and rare car; An NSU-Fiat Jagt 770, 1963, asking € 19,500
NSU fiat was a German company, building car under license from Fiat. This one is essentially a Fiat 600 in disguise



A good old Citroen Traction. Asking only € 15,500



Another quite rare car, these day; Mazda RX7. One of the few successful cars with a Wankel engine. I believe this is either the first or the second series. In all, just over 800,000 of these cars were produced. Anorak fact: the Wankel engine could also be ordered with a turbo!! . Asking € 14.500



This is a bit of automotive history, a 2004 Santanna PS-10, 125BHP, asking 9,999.

It is essentially a Landrover Defender. But it comes from an Spanish company, heavily subsides by the Spanish government at the time, to help unemployment. They build Defender in license, but got themselves into a fight with Landrover, lost and subsequently build this monstrosity. Very noisy, very thirsty, very uncomfortable, very slow, but it still makes you feel king of the road. I would love one.



The British always had this need to make anything with four wheels into a three wheel version as well. Who would want to have a three whee lorry? If you are in the market, here is one: A Scammel Scarab 61, asking € 16,500

From Wikipedia:

The Scammell Scarab was the successor to the Scammell Mechanical Horse and production began in 1948.[1] Its name is commonly believed to be derived from the rounded bonnet that resembled the elytra (wing covers) of a Scarab beetle, but the name really comes from a more conventional source. It was a portmanteau of Scammell and the Arab horse which the Mechanical Horse replaced in British Railways usage. The official Scammell Lorries advertisement film makes reference to this. It was extremely popular with British Railways and other companies which made deliveries within built-up areas. The Ministry of Defence also used the Scarab and trailers for predominantly internal transport on large military bases.

Actually, I love Scammel trucks. Look them up; Trucks don’t get any more butch than a Scammel. Except this one that is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scammell

[Jeroen]

Still more cars!

There is a market for every car they say. And there is certainly a market for classic hearses. Maybe a bit of a morbid market , but still. Essentially there are two kinds of people that buy a classic hearse. Professional undertakers, as there are people who want to driven in a hearse to their last resting place. And enthusiast who happen to have an interest in hearses. Hearses are very often modified existing models.

Have a look at this classic 1959 Italian Fiat 600 Multipla Allemano, asking € 22,500. (and it had a sticker saying it was sold!)



Classic VW busses are all the rage these days. There is a company in the next village from us that rents them out. They have several dozen. Depending on which version and how well it has been preserved, restored, these things demand serious money!. An original T1 will do around € 100.000. The front one in this little line up was not exactly original though.



I really liked this Borgward. In fact, next to the Alfa GT I thought this was the most desirable car on the premises. Somehow it was stashed away in a corner, no information. Just look at those curves!





And a few more images showing a couple of interesting rows of classic cars





At the rear you must have noticed the two Mini Coopers. A very early one, and a 90’s version. The early ones command high prices, at least € 50,000 whereas even a good later version from the 90s will cost you upwards of € 20,000.

I have owned a regular Mini and so did my spanner mate Peter (whom has owned just about any car you can think off). We have done quite a bit of spannering on our Mini’s. Other than access to the engine, which is limited to say the least, spannering is easy.

When I retire I would like to do a ground up restoration. I haven’t made my final choice, but a Mini would be high on my list. Primarily because they are easy to work on by yourself. I can still lift a Mini Engine by myself.

If you are in the market for a Mini Cooper do you research on the car in minute detail. There are probably more fake Coopers out there then you can shake a stick at. Problem is that when it comes to visuals, it is very easy to turn a regular Mini into a Cooper. You might end up with still a very nice car, but paying way too much for it!



Not too many BMW here, in fact just one:



These DKW will always bring back memories. My dad first car was a DKW very similar to this one. In fact his first three cars were all DKW! I was a very small boy at the time. He would put me in his lap and let me drive, well at least steer the car on empty parking lots!

Every year we went on holiday to Germany in these pokey little DKW. We were a family of six. My three sisters on the rear seat and I would sit in my mum’s lap in the front. No seat belts, let alone air bags in those days. That was just how it was done.

Not so sure about the colour though. I don’t think that is original. I recall DKWs mostly in boring, or at least very subdued colours.



Somehow I managed, again, to take only an image of the cockpit, not the whole car. This is a 1930 Vauxhall 20/60 T80, asking € 129.500. Love these cockpits. Eat that Mr Musk!



Very often at classic car shows and venues you will run into a traditional London Black Cab (taxi). Here too, although this is the later model. Although it does have a certain charm, it is no match for the original as far as I am concerned.





Another very, very special car. A Peel P50.



For a long time advertised as the smalles car in the world. Made immortal by Topgear Jeremy Clarksson who drove to work in it. Literally, as he drives into the BBC building, into the elevator, offices etc. Have a look, it is hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfSS0ZXYdo

The metropole claims to have a lot of automobilia too. I did not see much evidence. They had some model cars on sale, including this set of TinTin model cars. I think it is the complete set, going for € 440. I own one of these models, The truck from the Blue Lotus edition. Nice model!



And another Alfa Spider. This time a 1959 Spider 2000, asking € 98.000. These are quite large cars, certainly for its time, but it still is. Especially when you compare it to the nimble, petite Spider I showed earlier. This is the 2 liter version, there is also one with a 2,6 L engine.



Another Ferrari, red too this time! A 1968, Dino asking € 136,000



And another Amphi-car too, 1963, imported from the USA and restored. Asking € 74,500



Believe it or not, but this is also an amphibious car, a more modern version though:



The Metropole has its own, small, collection of classic cars, mostly vans. This is something quite special. This one is based on a 1976 Saab 95, but they put the shorter nose of the Saab 93 on, and replaced the engine with a 1,5L V4 Ford. All done to this Saab 95 by the people of the greatest nation in the world, the USA.

I am not saying it is not done well. Because it actually looked immaculate. But what a waste of a good Saab 95.



Final image, some more vans of their permanent collection



All in all, we did enjoy our very first Pop-Up Classic Car Store. The ambiance of the venue leaves lots to be desired, but then again, we are here for the cars. And it was certainly an interesting collection of cars. Would I buy here? Not sure, I would have to do a lot more homework.

Jeroen

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[moralfibre]

Wonderful thread Jeroen. Loved the walkthrough and the concept. The closest I've come to such was a swap meet in the US. It was quite different than a pop up classic store but was a great way to walk around classics and classic car parts.


One store I never missed visiting in all my trips to California was - Fantasy junction. https://www.fantasyjunction.com/ . Just to get a glimpse of eyecandy that we could probably never afford

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for the effort made to take all these delightful photos and sharing them. I actually love these everyday cars of the 1940s to 1970s much more than the 5-metre long marques from the 1930s and 1920s which the common man could not buy. Lovely thread.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

When there are classic cars on display you will always find some Aston Martin’s too. Here a very nice DB5 V8 from 1972, asking € 163,000

This car looks identical to a 70's Ford Maverick.

But look at this interior! Compare this to your iPad-dashboard in a Tesla and I know what I prefer!!

Likewise. Love my buttons, knobs and gauges.

Thanks for sharing. That building looks like some old factory or a warehouse of some kind.

[Everlearner]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

For a long time advertised as the smalles car in the world. Made immortal by Topgear Jeremy Clarksson who drove to work in it. Literally, as he drives into the BBC building, into the elevator, offices etc. Have a look, it is hilarious.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=dJfSS0ZXYdo

Thanks Jeroen for this wonderful post. I especially enjoyed the world's smallest car details . It still does make a lot of sense to come up with such a car today in EV form. We did have Reva in India earlier, but it was not commercially successful and as usual Mahindra bought, played with it and discarded the company.