Just as private equity is becoming more accessible through democratization, so too are classic automobiles. If you can't afford a classy chassis, you can experience them for the first time in the Metaverse.
«The Classic Car Trust» (TCCT) has created a digital platform to make the classic cars of yesteryear accessible to a new generation of enthusiasts. These icons can now be experienced in the Metaverse at roarington.com through exhibitions and an e-racing experience.
«We are committed to promoting heritage and preservation of classic cars in a rapidly and fundamentally changing world,» explains TCCT founder Fritz Kaiser. Roarington sees itself as spanning between real and virtual life around classic cars, wanting to inspire young and old alike, anytime and anywhere. «With digital twins, these great cars become virtually immortal,» he continues.
Classic Car Meta-Land
There are several areas to visit in Roarington, which bills itself as a Classic Car Metaland, with more to come. In the privileged «Collector Hills» district, classic car collectors can store the digital twin of their cars in private garages and showrooms. The Exhibition District is a 3D experience and a showcase of car museums, showrooms, and an events area.
Soon, classic car enthusiasts will be able to take a virtual stroll on Roarington Avenue, a boulevard for famous brands for their lifestyle. Another feature coming soon is the Club House where petrolheads can meet with others, have meetings or just talk cars.
E-Racing Experience
Those wanting to test their skills can do so on several classic race courses, including the Circuit de Monaco 1966. There is also Switzerland's Bernina GT, a 5.7-kilometer track with over 50 turns gaining more than 450 meters in altitude to reach the Bernina Pass at 2,330 meters above sea level.
There is a mouthwatering selection of cars with which to challenge the tracks, including a 1966 Ford GT40, which ended Ferrari's Le Mans winning streak in 1966. If you want to test your skills more stylishly, there is also a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and a 1963 Jaguar E-type at your disposal.
Classic Car Loving Swiss
In addition to introducing classic cars to the metaverse, TCCP also publishes a list of the top 100 most important classic car collectors online and in «The Key» magazine. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren tops the list with his collection, working his way up from fifth place in 2019. His collection of some 70 classics includes a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing built in 1955, a 1938 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic Coupe, and a 1979 Porsche 1930.
While American collectors and collections dominate the list, the Swiss have a very impressive showing with eight making the list, including the collection of Albert Spiess, who comes in eighth. He is known for focusing on one manufacturer and pursuing various models with gusto, before going on to another manufacturer. Collecting Lamborghini is an example where he obtained various models including concept cars and Formula One variants.
Other Swiss collectors and collections are Giorgio Perfetti, who is said to jealously guard his Ferrari collection, ranked 39th, closely followed at 42 by Fritz Burkard who owns and drives single-seat racing cars once driven by Italian legends and rivals Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi in the pre-Formula One days.
Carlos Monteverde comes in at number 52 on the list and is known for his collection of historic racing cars. Another collection with a racing focus is that of Carlo Voegele, number 64 on the list, whose Alfa Romeo TZ, Ferrari 330 GTO, and Maserati 300S can be seen at races.
Also on the list, is Jean Pierre Slavic whose collection featuring predominantly Ferrari, has been turned into a museum that features the contrast between British and Italian cars. He is number 99 on the list.
At number 80 on the list, the Alfa Romeo collection of Axel Marx rivals that of the manufacturer's collection in Italy in terms of completeness. The Italian company is also the main sponsor of the Swiss-based Sauber Formula One team for which Kimi Raikkonen drove until last year.
Lamborghini, Cars, and Tractors
Raikkonen, who also lived in Switzerland, buys and sells his cars through a dealership in the tax-friendly town of Freienbach in the Canton of Schwyz that features several Lamborghini and Ferraris, including a Formula 1 car from Michael Schumacher's Ferrari days. It's also where the Lamborghini next to you at a stoplight could be a Countach or the local farmer's tractor.
The love for the classics among the Swiss is evident on the roads in and around Freienbach, where such exotic cars are relatively common. But what really turns heads isn't necessarily the latest Ferrari, but rather one of its well-preserved ancestors.
For those who can't drive the real thing, there are still the races in the Metaverse where accidents are also virtual, which presumably come only with virtual repair costs and a bruised ego.
