3rd Schloss Bensburg Classics brings Five-Star Attendance

‘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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1928 Bugatti Typ 44 D`Ieteren

With the ‘Rallye Historique’ setting the exclusive classic car event in full motion, the following day (Sunday) saw the commencement of the much awaited Concours d’Elégance gathering, where 40 of the most extraordinary and extremely rare automobiles were presented to spectators at the magnificent inner courtyard of the Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg. With as many as nine awards to be won across categories, it was the ‘very important cars only’ that took their place in the competition. Looked their absolute best, the historic automobiles were soon at the absolute mercy of the judges and the gathered spectators, who in the course of the evening were faced with the challenge of truly picking the ‘best’ from the best.

Choosing the best from a line-up of champions was a heartfelt task, but from the 40 cars that took part in the 2011 Concours d’Elegance at Schloss Bensburg it was a just select few that left the judges and gathered spectators alike spellbound with their presence. Stealing the show first up was the Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Vesters & Neirinck, that was the pick of the jury. Winning the ‘best of show by public’ award was the Mercedes-Benz 680 S Saoutchik Torpedo Roadster. Both the Bentley 41/4 and the Mercedes-Benz 680 S were also picked as the best of the lot in the Pre-war closed and Pre-war open categories respectively. The sensational full-blooded Italian sports car, the Lamborghini Miura Roadster was the winner in the ‘show cars’ category. Considered by many as the most beautiful car ever built, the 50 year old first E-Type every built by Jaguar in 1961 won the post-war closed category award.

Hispano Suiza H6C Transformable

While limited participation in any international classic car consortium adds to its overall charm, the 4,000 plus spectators that turned up for the Schloss Bensburg Classics this year is a clear indication of the event’s growing popularity and global recognition. With next installment of the Schloss Bensberg Classics already scheduled to be held from the 7th till the 9th of September 2012, the stage is set for another star-studded event that will once again pay homage to automobiles, whose names will forever be an inspiration to stewards who will inevitably build the industry’s seemingly bright future.

1932 Tatra T80

Concours d'Elegance 2011 : The winners
Best of show by jury:
Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Vesters & Neirinck
Best of show by public:
Mercedes-Benz 680 S Saoutchik Torpedo Roadster
Pre-war open:
Mercedes-Benz 680 S Saoutschik
Pre-war closed:
Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Vesters & Neirinck
Post-war open:
Volkswagen Rometsch Beeskow Cabriolet


Post-war closed:
Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Litre Coupé


Italian elegance:
Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet S1


Show cars:
Lamborghini Miura Roadster
Race cars:
Maserati 300S