Auto e Moto d'Epoca closes in Bologna on 25 October with foreign exhibitors up 30 per cent, Honda's Motegi museum bikes and Ferruccio Lamborghini's own Miura SV on show

The 43rd Auto e Moto d'Epoca ran from 22 to 25 October 2026 at BolognaFiere and closed with a clear message about where the classic trade is going. Organiser Intermeeting said exhibitors from outside Italy rose 30 per cent on the previous edition, with an identical rise in international visitors, who came from 34 countries. That is the number that matters at a fair like this. Bologna is now a buying trip, not a local weekend out.

The scale was set out before the doors opened. BolognaFiere's July announcement put the edition at more than 235,000 square metres across 14 halls, with over 5,000 vehicles and visitors expected from 40 countries. Tickets ran from 58 euro for the Thursday opening day down to 27 euro for a Saturday or Sunday, with a four-day pass at 143 euro.

The factory museums turned up in force

For a heritage desk, the interesting part was how much of the display came straight out of manufacturer collections rather than private garages. Honda Motor Europe curated the motorcycle side and brought machines from the Honda Collection Hall at Motegi in Japan, including the NSR500s raced by Eddie Lawson and Mick Doohan and the RC211V of Valentino Rossi. The Honda area was split into four themed zones covering Grand Prix machines, off-road bikes, production models and two-strokes. The Youngtimer Dreams section had an RC213V-S, the road-legal MotoGP derivative that almost nobody gets to stand next to.

The Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum sent the Miura SV that belonged to the founder himself, in the Miura's 60th anniversary year. Ferrari history was represented by the 348 TB once owned by Ayrton Senna and the 166 MM Barchetta bought by Gianni Agnelli. The oldest car in the halls was a 1904 De Dion-Bouton Type V. Lancia marked 120 years with a Stratos in Alitalia colours, a Fulvia HF and a Delta Integrale in Safari trim.

The main themed exhibition, Icons of Speed, Endurance Legends, covered Le Mans, Daytona, Monza and the Nürburgring with twelve cars in the entrance hall, among them a Porsche 917, a Porsche 956 in Rothmans colours, a Sauber C9, a Bentley EXP Speed 8 and a Lancia LC1. The National Corvette Museum from Kentucky took its first official stand in Bologna.

What the market said, and what it means here

The organisers were honest about the trade. Demand is strongest for rare cars, limited editions and vehicles with documented history and originality. Cars under 50,000 euro are feeling the squeeze. Club ACI Storico reported membership rising by roughly 25 per cent a year over the previous two years, which says the club base is still growing even as the cheaper end of the market stalls.

Two things follow for Indian readers. First, provenance is the currency. The cars that moved in Bologna were the ones with paperwork, factory certification and a traceable life, which is exactly the discipline Indian owners need to build before an engine gets swapped. Second, the calendar. Intermeeting has added Padova OnlyClassics from 26 to 28 February 2027, restricted to cars and motorcycles built up to 1977, and the 44th Auto e Moto d'Epoca is set for 21 to 24 October 2027.

Sources

• AUTO E MOTO D'EPOCA 2026: Bologna si prepara ad una nuova edizione da protagonista in Europa, BolognaFiere, 17 July 2026
• Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2026 chiude con +30% di espositori esteri e visitatori, Affaritaliani, 25 October 2026
• Auto e Moto d'Epoca Looks at the Future Preserving its Legacy, Auto Class Magazine, 26 October 2026
• Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2026 apre a Bologna, il Fatto Quotidiano, 22 October 2026
• Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2026 a Bologna: prezzi biglietti, date e orari, inSella