{"id":81423,"date":"2026-01-23T14:26:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcobcur.com\/ver5\/?p=81423"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:30:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:30:36","slug":"interclassics-maastricht-2026-legends-of-the-rising-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tcobcur.com\/ver5\/interclassics-maastricht-2026-legends-of-the-rising-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Interclassics Maastricht 2026 – Legends of The Rising Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

MECC, The Netherlands, 15-18 January 2026: Interclassics Maastricht celebrates its 31st anniversary with The Legend of the Rising Sun as the theme. Japanese car brands have been around for over a hundred years now and have proven they are fast, reliable, and collectible, with models like the 2000GT, Corolla AE86, RX-7, and Skyline, to name a few. In addition to this edition’s theme, the supercar Foyer was added, which brought several iconic supercars to MECC. The right combination, which attracted over forty-four thousand visitors to the Maastrichts Expositie en Congres Centrum (MECC). As usual, Interclassics kicks off the Dutch classic car scene with a brand, model, and year for every taste, including over 700 pre-war cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Text: Benjamin Wefer, Roley Richardson
\nPicture: Roley\u202fRichardson, Benjamin\u202fWefer<\/p>\n

Interclassics kicked off with a preview night on Wednesday, 14th January, during which around 700 visitors had the opportunity to get their first glimpse, followed by four days when they could admire, sell, and\/or purchase the classic car of their dreams.<\/p>\n

One of the interclassics magnets was the Supercar Foyer, where Esser Automotive, Munsterhuis Sportscar, Next Level Cars, and other supercar dealers showcased the best of their collections. \u00a0From a Ferrari Testarossa to a Ferrari Enzo (399 units ever built), or a TechArt GTstreet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

One car that certainly caught the visitors’ attention was the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12. This track-only masterpiece was designed by Lamborghini\u2019s racing division, Squadra Corse, which was introduced in 2020. It has a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine that produces around 820 horsepower and was limited to 40 units.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But the ones who stole the show at the Supercar Foyer section were the collection brought by Esser Automotive. A Pagani Huayra in striking blue carbon fibre with Italian flag striping, A Koenigsegg Jesk Attack in purple-tinted carbon with refined champagne accents, and the Koenigsegg Gemera, just to mention a few. The Gemera is one of the newest models from the Swedish brand, limited to just 300 units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

But the icing on the cake was for sure the Koenigsegg Sadair\u2019s Spear! The Sadair\u2019s Spear was introduced in 2025 and is a tribute to a legendary racehorse ridden by the father of Christian von Koenigsegg in his final race in 1976. The Sadair\u2019s Spear is a high-performance variant of the Jesko, limited to 30 units. It has a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that produces over 1600 horsepower and features a flywheel-free, nine-gear light-speed transmission (LST).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This year’s Interclassic editions were dedicated to the Japanese brand. Although European brands dominated the floor, there were quite a few JDM cars for sale. \u00a0And of course, the center of attention was the exhibition floor (The legends of the rising sun). The Interclassic team brought quite a few special cars to MECC. As per tradition, visitors can also take a guided tour of the exhibition section, led by Ton Stoffelen (Saturday). Of course, we took the opportunity to take the tour. Ton himself is a car enthusiast who lived in Japan for 5 years and raced endurance races in a Ford GT40 and rally cars, making him a perfect match to give visitors a glimpse of the JDM car\/racing world. Ton selected a few cars to give visitors a detailed history lesson, as most of these cars have a rich, long history and can take up to several hours.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The tour started with the holy grail of JDM, the 1967 Toyota GT2000, presented by Louwman & Parqui. Only 351 units (62 left-hand-drive) were made, including two cabriolets. The cabriolets were specially built for the James Bond film, You Only Live Twice. It had to be a convertible, as Sean Connery didn\u2019t fit in the hardtop one. The 2000GT is powered by a 2.0-liter six-cylinder (straight) engine, which was produced in partnership with Yamaha. The current value of a 200GT is estimated between $1 and $1.2 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Not only road-legal cars like Nissan Skyline, Honda NSX, and Lexus LFA were displayed during the interclassic weekend, but also tribute was paid to the racing community. For instance, the legendary Mazda 787B, which is the first Japanese brand to win the 24 Hours of Leman and so far the only rotary-driven car that has ever won leman. The 787b had the R26B quadrotor Wankel rotary engine, a naturally aspirated 2.6-liter unit that produces around 700 horsepower.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But of course, Interclassic is not a car show but more a car fair, and this year many sales have been made at extraordinary prices, up to over one million euros. And, as per tradition, this year the Interclassic awards were given only to the best of the best. This year\u2019s top honor, Best of Show, went to the 1955 Fiat 8V Berlinetta Pininfarina. The best pre-war went to a 1936 Alvis Speed 25. Best Sixties went to the 1965 NSU Sport Prinz. Best of the 70s went to a 1974 Isuzu 117 Coup\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The 31st edition of the Interclassics in Maastricht looks back at a successful edition. With a decent visitor increase compared to previous years, and a sold-out Preview night. Numerous cars changed owners during the interclassic weekend. The next Interclassic will be in Brussels at the end of the year. Enjoy the photo gallery<\/p>\n

MEDIA GALLERY<\/p>\n