The Techno Classica 2010 - Featuring Classic Volkswagen Vehicles

Asked to name a Volkswagen model that sells in excess of 425,000 units a year and most people would choose the Volkswagen Golf. Of course they'd be right. But if they guessed ketchup? They'd still be spot on.

At the Techno Classica 2010 in Essen - alongside a limited edition ketchup - Volkswagen is presenting a raft of diverse classic and historical vehicles ranging from the K70 which debuted over 40 years ago and the Volkswagen Iltis all-wheel drive icon which was first seen 30 years ago, to the Volkswagen Golf Country Crossover produced 20 years ago and the Tarek off-roader which preceded the Touareg.

It is also using the occasion to commemorate another 40-year-old success story and launch Volkswagen Classic Ketchup, of which just 1,000 bottles will be available. Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup was born back in the 1970s, the ideal complement to Volkswagen's world-famous curry sausage. It has a thicker consistency than standard ketchup and a unique flavour, the recipe for which is, like that of the curry sausage itself, as closely guarded a secret as any classified automotive R&D project.

In 1997, Volkswagen began officially bottling and selling the Spiced Ketchup. In that year, 20,000 bottles were sold. Since then the sauce has gone from strength to strength (numerically speaking): in 2009, over 425,000 bottles were sold and in the first 10 weeks of 2010, 100,000 bottles have already been sold. The difference between Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup and Volkswagen Classic Ketchup? Imagine the culinary equivalent of the first and sixth generation Volkswagen Golf GTIs.

Apart from the Ketchup, other highlights of the Techno Classica 2010 include:

• Iltis: all-wheel drive icon debuted 30 years ago, winning the 1980 Paris-Dakar race
• Type 181: open 'bucket' design has inspired individualists for 40 years
• Apal Buggy: beach cruiser for Europe based on the Beetle
• Golf Country: crossover trendsetter launched 20 years ago
• Tarek: rear-wheel drive through the desert to Dakar
• T3 and its successors: 25 years of Bulli with front-wheel drive
• K70: the front-wheel drive era began 40 years ago

Later this month, on 25th April 2010, the Volkswagen AutoMuseum will be a quarter of a century old. To mark the occasion, the museum will be hosting a special exhibition named '25 years of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum - from 25th April 1985 to 25 April 2010'. This exhibition covers the evolution of Volkswagen cars and features a number of classic and significant vehicles from the years 1985 and 2010. The exhibition will be open to the public from 23rd April to 19th September 2010.