News Spies Hecker Calendar

The new Spies Hecker Calendar “Passions 2013” presents a diversified mix of vehicles from different decades – some elegant, some laid-back and some athletic. Bodyshops from different countries opened their doors to the Cologne paint manufacturer.

Sporting a Lincoln Continental Mark II, a Ferrari 250 GTE, a Fisker Karma EC and a Mercedes 190 SL, the broad range of spectacular vehicles in the new Spies Hecker Calendar is quite something. “For the coming year, we’ve chosen an exciting mix, with automotive gems from the last six decades,” Peter Wingen explains. “We kick off with an extraordinary model, the ‘Volksrodder’ from Knud Tiroch – a converted and tuned VW Beetle with cult potential.” One of his works can also be seen on the March sheet, a 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner GTX Magnum with an extravagant paint finish.

A glimpse of bodyshop skills in the Far East and High North
May brings us a remarkable selection of old and more recent classic cars. The Schenk bodyshop in Grossheubach, Germany, lined up four Mercedes models from 1956, 1968, 1978 and 1994 for the Cologne Spies Hecker team. This year the Far East is contributing to the popular calendar project for the first time, with China supplying the BMW X5 for July. Scandinavia is strongly represented this time. “A total of four masterpieces come from Europe’s High North,” Wingen reveals, adding: “Here, again, we have an intriguing combination – in fact a journey through time. Everything here from a solid classic dating back to 1956, the Lincoln Continental Mark II, to the Fisker Karma EC with a hybrid drive – a perfect blend of aesthetics and function.”

Remember the Seventies? “That was when the Opel Ascona A was the must-have for young people,” Wingen stresses. A gold-painted model in outstanding condition was found at Tønder Autolakering in Denmark. “We immediately realised that this Opel would suit the calendar perfectly.”

Cars embodying the spirit of the age
However much the vehicles in the calendar may differ – be they classics old or more recent or even magnificent modern-day vehicles – the selected models all have one thing in common: “Every one of them communicates a certain lifestyle and passion for the car.” Each picture of the month also includes the bodyshop owner, refinisher or vehicle owner. “It was important for us,” Wingen explains, “to again bring the people behind the vehicles and the paint finish to the fore. Because it is through them that each picture gains its true significance.”