AutoClassiqa 2026 & World of Supercars at Jaarbeurs Utrecht: Première Night and a Full Weekend of Automotive Excellence, May 8–10

There is something fundamentally different about standing next to a real car versus looking at a picture of one. The scale. The materials. The way a Ferrari's bodywork catches light differently depending on exactly where you stand. The sound — even at idle — of a Lamborghini V10 in an enclosed hall. These are experiences that no screen can replicate, and they are exactly what AutoClassiqa 2026 and the first-ever World of Supercars are built to deliver.

From Friday evening, May 8 to Sunday, May 10, 2026, the Jaarbeurs Utrecht hosts both events simultaneously — covering the full automotive spectrum from 1950s classics and rare youngtimers through to the most extreme contemporary supercars on the planet. And new for 2026: an exclusive Première Night on Friday, May 8, from 19:00 to 23:00 that opens the halls before the weekend crowd arrives.

One ticket covers both events. Tickets from €15 at eventonline.nl. Age 13+.

AutoClassiqa: The Netherlands' Premier Classic Car Fair Returns for Its Second Edition

When 402 Automotive launched AutoClassiqa in 2025, the brief was straightforward but ambitious: create a classic car fair in the Netherlands that matched the quality, curation, and atmosphere of the best automotive lifestyle events in Europe.

The launch worked. Jaarbeurs Utrecht's own announcement for the 2026 edition describes it as returning "after a successful launch in 2025" — and the second edition builds on that foundation with two specific additions that the first edition didn't have: the Première Night and the simultaneous launch of World of Supercars.

The 40,000 m² of Jaarbeurs exhibition space filled with 350+ classics in the 2025 debut edition — a scale that confirmed Utrecht as a genuine home for the kind of automotive event that the Netherlands' enthusiast community had been waiting for.

The Vehicle Categories at AutoClassiqa

The editorial approach of AutoClassiqa covers a broader automotive spectrum than a traditional classic car fair:

Classics — the pre-1980s cars that form the cultural and financial heart of the collector market; British roadsters, Italian grand tourers, American muscle cars, German precision engineering, and the French automobiles whose combination of style and engineering character made them objects of desire from the moment they left the factory. The classic car market has grown consistently in value over the past two decades, with the classic car index significantly outperforming traditional investment assets in multiple years.

Youngtimers — cars from roughly 1980–2000 that have crossed from second-hand to collectible status in a relatively short period; the Golf GTI Mk1 and Mk2, the BMW E30 and E46, the original Porsche 993 and 964, the Ferrari Testarossa and 348 — cars whose combination of recent memory and increasing scarcity has driven prices sharply upward and whose presence at AutoClassiqa represents the current front line of the collector market.

Supercars — the performance cars that sit at the boundary between road car and racing car; present throughout AutoClassiqa and specifically celebrated in the adjacent World of Supercars section.

Classic trucks — the commercial and utility vehicles that are increasingly valued alongside passenger cars; a category that gives AutoClassiqa a specifically Dutch quality, given the Netherlands' deep commercial and maritime history.

Collectibles — the scale models, automotive literature, original advertising, period photographs, and mechanical memorabilia that surround the cars themselves; for many of the most serious visitors, the collectibles floor is as carefully studied as the vehicle displays.

Car Catwalk: The Cars That Move

The Car Catwalk is the feature that distinguishes AutoClassiqa from a static exhibition — a live demonstration format in which cars drive on a dedicated track within the hall, rather than standing motionless on stands.

For classic cars, this means hearing the engine at operating temperature. Seeing the suspension working. Understanding the proportions in motion rather than at rest. The Car Catwalk is consistently cited as the highlight of the AutoClassiqa experience — the moment at which a show becomes a real automotive event.

MotoClassiqa and Special Sections

Alongside the cars, the AutoClassiqa floor also features:

• MotoClassiqa — a dedicated section for classic motorcycles, within the same hall as the car displays
• Movie Cars — vehicles whose cinema history is as interesting as their mechanical specification; the James Bond cars, the Bullitt Mustang, the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee, and others depending on the 2026 bookings
• Autosport section — racing cars and motorsport history within the classic car context
• Super and Hypercars — present throughout and further developed in the adjacent World of Supercars

World of Supercars: The First Edition of a New Utrecht Tradition

World of Supercars is entirely new in 2026 — its absolute first edition, created specifically to give the top end of the automotive market its own dedicated space within the Jaarbeurs automotive weekend.

The concept is direct: an impressive and diverse collection of supercars, covering both historical icons and current production cars, from manufacturers who represent different philosophies about what a performance car should be and feel like.

The Confirmed Manufacturer Presence

The confirmed brand list at World of Supercars includes:

Lamborghini — the Sant'Agata Bolognese manufacturer whose cars are the most visually extreme expression of Italian automotive design; from the angular, outrageous body language of the original Countach to the current Huracán Tecnica and Urus Performante; a manufacturer whose cars are genuinely unlike anything else on a public road.

Ferrari — Maranello's output is the point of reference against which all other supercars are measured; the combination of Formula 1 heritage, V12 and now V6 hybrid powertrains, and the specific emotional quality of the Cavallino Rampante badge makes every Ferrari on the World of Supercars floor a subject of sustained attention.

Aston Martin — the British grand tourer manufacturer whose approach to performance is based on restraint, refinement, and the specific pleasure of very fast, very quiet, very beautiful progress; the DB12, the Vantage, the DBS 770 Ultimate; a different answer to the question of what a supercar should be.

Porsche — Stuttgart's approach is systematic, incremental, and ultimately more compelling than almost any of its competitors' more theatrical offerings; the 911 GT3 RS, the 718 Spyder RS, the Cayenne Turbo GT, the Panamera Turbo S; the manufacturer that produces cars across the widest price and performance range of any in the supercar category while maintaining a quality consistency that its competitors rarely match.

And much more — the confirmed manufacturer list suggests a floor that covers the full contemporary supercar market as well as significant historical examples from each of the key brands.

The Car Catwalk at World of Supercars

The Car Catwalk at World of Supercars is a different experience from the classic car version — these are vehicles whose performance capabilities make even a slow-speed demonstration in an indoor hall an event.

The Catwalk format means:

• Cars move rather than stand still
• Visitors experience the sound — a Ferrari V12 at idle in an enclosed hall is an acoustic event that people who have only heard recorded versions are not prepared for
• The scale of the cars becomes clear in motion — a Lamborghini at walking pace is a very different object from a Lamborghini on a poster

The Supercar Lounge

The Supercar Lounge is the World of Supercars' exclusive provision for participating owners — the people who have arrived at the event in one of the cars on display, or whose car has been selected for the exhibition.

It is a dedicated networking space: quiet, comfortable, and separate from the general event flow. The owners' community at this level of the market is small, relatively close-knit, and actively values the connections that events like this enable. The Supercar Lounge is the physical expression of that community's needs within the World of Supercars framework.

The Première Night: Friday, May 8, 19:00–23:00

Première Night is described by Jaarbeurs Utrecht as "new this year" — the exclusive Friday evening opening that gives the event a genuinely different entry point for visitors who want to experience the cars in a quieter, more atmospheric setting before the weekend daytime sessions.

The format is simple: 19:00 to 23:00, the full hall — all of AutoClassiqa and all of World of Supercars — open for four hours with a smaller crowd, evening lighting, and the specific quality of an automotive exhibition at night when the cars are lit and the daytime noise of a family crowd is absent.

The Première Night is one of three available entry options at eventonline.nl — alongside the Saturday and Sunday daytime sessions. All tickets are from €15, age 13+.

Jaarbeurs Utrecht: Location, History, and Access

Jaarbeurs Utrecht is the Netherlands' largest and most significant indoor exhibition complex — a venue whose history in Dutch trade and culture stretches back to its foundation in 1917 by Queen Wilhelmina, who granted the original royal charter.

The complex is located at Jaarbeursplein 6, 3521 AL Utrecht — directly adjacent to Utrecht Centraal station, with pedestrian connections that put visitors from the train onto the exhibition floor in approximately three minutes. This accessibility makes Jaarbeurs the most practically convenient large-format event venue in the Netherlands.

For AutoClassiqa 2026, the venue's multi-pavilion structure allows the classic car and supercar sections to occupy appropriately sized, separately branded spaces while remaining functionally integrated under the single-ticket cross-access arrangement.

Utrecht Beyond the Event: The City Worth Exploring

Utrecht is the Netherlands' fourth-largest city, with approximately 360,000 residents and a medieval city centre that is one of the best-preserved in Northern Europe.

The event runs until 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday — leaving the full late afternoon and evening open for the city itself:

• Oudegracht (Old Canal) — Utrecht's defining urban feature; the double-level canal quay (unique to Utrecht) whose lower terraces are lined with bars, restaurants, and cafe tables from spring through autumn; a 10-minute walk from the Jaarbeurs
• Dom Tower (Domtoren) — the 112-metre Gothic tower at the heart of the city; the tallest church tower in the Netherlands; visible from the Jaarbeurs rooftop on a clear day
• Domplein — the open square between the Dom Tower and the Dom Church, created when the nave of the cathedral collapsed in a 1674 storm; one of the most historically layered public spaces in the Netherlands
• Utrecht University Quarter — the oldest university city in the Netherlands after Leiden; the campus buildings in the city centre contribute to an atmosphere that is simultaneously historic and young

Practical Information for May 8–10, 2026

Event dates and hours:

DayDateHoursPremière NightFriday, May 819:00 – 23:00Day 2Saturday, May 910:00 – 17:00Day 3Sunday, May 1010:00 – 17:00

Venue: Jaarbeurs Utrecht

Address: Jaarbeursplein 6, 3521 AL Utrecht, Netherlands

Ticket price: From €15 per person (age 13+)

Ticket sales: eventonline.nl

One ticket covers both events: AutoClassiqa + World of Supercars

Organiser: 402 Automotive — info@402automotive.com

Getting there:

• By train (recommended): Utrecht Centraal is served directly from Amsterdam Centraal (26 min), Rotterdam Centraal (40 min), The Hague Centraal (45 min), Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (37 min), Eindhoven (40 min); 3-minute walk from Utrecht Centraal to Jaarbeurs
• By car: Utrecht is served by the A2 (Amsterdam–Eindhoven), A12 (The Hague), and A27 (Breda–Hilversum) motorways; Jaarbeurs has paid parking on-site and nearby park-and-ride options
• By bike: Extensive secure bicycle parking at Jaarbeurs; 5 minutes from city centre by bike

Note: May 8 is a regular working day; May 9 (Saturday) and May 10 (Sunday) are the main weekend days. May 10 is also Mother's Day in the Netherlands — a weekend where family attendance at the Jaarbeurs is typically high.

The Cars Are Already There

Three days from Friday, May 8 at 19:00 to Sunday, May 10 at 17:00. Two events under one roof. 300+ classics, youngtimers, movie cars, motorcycles, and the first-ever World of Supercars — Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Porsches in a hall where the Car Catwalk lets them move, sound, and perform.

Tickets from €15 at eventonline.nl. Three sessions to choose from: Première Night on Friday or either daytime session on the weekend.

Verified Information at a Glance