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3rd Schloss Bensburg Classics brings Five-Star Attendance
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At the Concours d'Elegance at the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2011, traditional legends, exclusive one-offs and unusual prototypes were all presented in the splendid inner courtyard of the Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg. A jury of international automobile experts judged the vehicles in accordance with precisely set criteria
‘Old is Gold’ maybe a term far too clichéd when it comes to describing some of the world’s most iconic vintage and classic cars that even today live on as legends in the world of automobiles. However, their limited numbers and the ‘glorious past’ that they carry with them is what makes them the perfect candidates for an exclusive annual ‘Classic Car’ congregation, the likes of the Schloss Bensburg Concours D’Elegance, that in its third edition attracted as many as 4,000 spectators.
With one of the largest Baroque castles in Europe as its pristine backdrop, the A-rated Classic Car event took place between the 16th and 18th of September this year, and once again was witness to numerous rarely seen classic cars like the 1956 Lincoln Continental Mk II, a 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLK Aluminium Coupe, the 1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe etc all present in mint working condition. Also gracing the event were a select few one-off sports cars like the Lamborghini Miura Roadster, the Porsche 550 Spyder A and the Maserati 300S.
1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLK Aluminium Coupe
40 of the most beautiful vintage cars in the world entered the competition, where winners of individual categories like the ‘Best of show by jury’, ‘Best of show by public’, ‘Pre-war open’, ‘Pre-war closed’, and five other clearly defined categories were picked by a very elite panel of jury members. Internationally renowned auto experts, motorsport legends and global auto corporation group heads the likes of Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, Christian Philippsen, Luc Donckerwolke, Jacky Ickx, Wim Oude Weernink , Bernd Ostmann Eckhard Schimpf and Jürgen Lewandowski made up the carefully picked evaluation squad for the 2011 Concours D’Elegance held at the Grandhotel Schloss Bensburg.
As has become the tradition with this internationally recognized annual classic car gathering in Cologne, Germany, the show literally ‘got on the road’ with the commencement of its ‘Rallye Historique’ that required all the glorious Bentleys’, Alfra Romeos’, Rolls-Royces’, Mercedes-Benz models of their time setting off on a tour around the Bergische Land region; well-known for its many inclines and slopes the path proved to be a challenge worthy of the well-preserved thoroughbreds all roaring away to pride. It was one of those few events in the calendar year that makes the owners and revivers of these classic beauties feel like it was all worth the effort.
1967 Porsche 911 Targa
Numerous well known celebrities from the world of film and sport also took up the driving challenge. Hans-Joachim Stuck drove a 1961 Porsche Type 356 B. Christiane Paul took to the road in a 1956 Beetle ‘Mille Miglia’ Ovali. Racing legend Jacky Ickx was behind the wheel of a 1956 Porsche 550 A Spyder and finished fourth overall. Erol Sander mastered the course in a 1975 Karmann Ghia TC 145. Also in the starting line-up were actors Thomas Heinze, Herbert Knaup and Peter Nottmeier, as well as anchorman of the German news programme Tagesschau, Jan Hofer.
The criteria for the competition and the parameter for winning however were far from being lenient towards the eloquent old timers. Driving precision was at the very heart of the competition, with results being decided on millimetres and hundredths of a second. The competition judged the cars on a range of varied uniformity tests and included separate evaluations for mechanical and electronic instruments. Ninety classic cars (1924-1986) as rare as the 1935 Horch Sport Cabriolet 853, a 1954 Dannenhauser & Stauss and a 1926 Bugatti Type 35 T to name a few took part in a 190-kilometre-long tour, but ultimately it was Hanns Werner Wirth and Dr Ursula Wirth’s 1958 Chevrolet Corvette that took home the crown.
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