The Classic Gala is actually a group of events, because in addition to the Concours d'Elégance, which took place for the 20th time from August 30 to September 1, 2024, the 12th US Classic Car Concours also took place at the same time.
And the Classic Gala is actually an incredibly beautiful and lovingly organized classic car meeting in a romantic and aesthetic setting, which is not only about prizes and recognition, but also about the joy of old metal and camaraderie.
The fact that this has remained the case over the years is not least thanks to organizer Johannes Hübner, who simply has a heart for very special cars and their owners.
Beads of sweat
In view of the onset of the meterological autumn, lower temperatures were actually expected, but things turned out differently. Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees on all three days and those who could, looked for a spot in the shade. However, if you wanted to see all the cars, you had to cover quite a few kilometers in Schwetzingen's spacious palace park. The author of these lines covered around ten kilometers on Saturday alone.
But the beads of sweat were worth it, because true automotive treasures could be seen all over the park.
Veritas in the center of
Right at the entrance, you came across a rather unique collection of more than a dozen Veritas. The "Veritas" brand was created in the post-war period when Ernst Loof, together with Lorenz Dietrich, Schorsch Meier and Werner Miethe, began converting pre-war BMW 326 to 328s into competitive sports and racing cars.
The cars were successful in racing and there were hundreds of orders for the road-going versions. However, financing proved difficult and there was no money to be made from racing.
A Dyna-Veritas developed with Panhard parts found too few buyers despite good press reports and Veritas eventually went bankrupt. A successor company also failed to get off the ground from 1951 and the Veritas story finally came to an end in 1953.
Almost all the milestones in the history of Veritas were on display in Schwetzingen, from the early racing models and the road sports cars built by Spohn and Baur to the Dyna-Veritas.
A wide range of Rolls-Royces
To the left of the Veritas exhibition, visitors came across what is probably the largest Rolls-Royce collection ever to be seen at the Classic Gala. Around 40 models documented the 120-year history of the Rolls-Royce brand. Henry Royce founded the company together with Charles Rolls with the aim of building automobiles that ran as reliably as a watch.
And to this day, the Rolls-Royce brand is associated with the best cars in the world.
Most of the important models were present in Schwetzingen, starting with the Silver Ghost, through the Phantom generations I to III, the 20/25 HP and 25/30 HP, to the post-war Silver Cloud, Silver Shadow and their modern successors.
125 years of Opel car manufacturing ...
The Opel company existed long before the first cars were built. After bicycles and sewing machines, in 1899 the company entered the world of automobile production with the patented Lutzmann motor car system.
This was soon followed by in-house developments and the company prided itself on building particularly reliable vehicles.
The company was also able to offer luxury, for example with the Opel Kapitän, or racing, for example with the "green monster", a racing car with a 12.3-liter engine in 1914. General Motors took over the German car manufacturer in 1929. The Americans subsequently exerted increasing influence on the model range, but also allowed the headquarters in Rüsselsheim to develop independent vehicles. Good examples are the Opel Kadett, but also the Opel GT or Opel Manta.
At the back of the Schwetzingen park, visitors were able to see a cross-section of the brand's history, including an Opel Corsa A and an Opel "Laubfrosch".
... and many other anniversaries
In any case, there was no shortage of anniversaries.
The Fiat 850 was 60 years old, so the Fiat friends showed many variations of the rear-engined small car, from the saloon, coupé and spider to special bodies and small series.
The "big Ponton" from Mercedes-Benz, called the Type 220 (W180), built from 1954 to 1956, was 70 years old in 2024. Of course, various Ponton models were on display, many of them painted black.
In addition, the Ford Mustang was 60 years old, Borgward 85 years old and the Isabella 70 years old.
And of course, MG's 100th birthday also provided the occasion for another small special show with beautiful cars from the brand with the octagon.
From very small to quite large
The very small cars have always been particularly cherished in Schwetzingen.
Many of today's "cult" microcars were parked in the palace gardens, such as several BMW Isetta, an NSU Print II, a Kleinschnittger, three- and four-wheelers from FMR/Messerschmitt and a Peel P50, the very small one-person car from the UK that attracts people like cheese attracts mice.
Of course, there were also big cars, such as the "Big Cats" from the Jaguar Club, but also luxury classics from Packard or Pierce-Arrow. There was also a Mercedes-Benz 600, as well as the "Big Borgward" P100.
And of course there were also some sports and racing cars on display, such as a Porsche 924 GTR or an Alfa Romeo RL.
Another typical feature of the Classic Gala was the extensive selection of cars from the Wilhelminian era, which was complemented by a few Daimler and Benz exhibits at the back.
There were also cars with wood carburetors on display, for many visitors probably the first time ever.
Exotic cars with interesting stories
Vehicles that have never been seen anywhere else are always worth a trip to Schwetzingen.
In 1973, Eberhard Scharnowski and Klaus Arndt developed their own sports car in the GDR. They aimed for the best possible aerodynamics and the Rovomobil actually achieved a Cd value of 0.23. The two-seater was technically based on a VW 1600 chassis.
The body is made of plastic and features folding headlights and gullwing doors, among other things. Only two examples were built, number 2 was parked in Schwetzingen Castle Park. The approximately 54 hp car is said to have a top speed of 155 km/h. The car was restored in 2015 and 2016 by Wolfam Scharnowski and Ronald Maibaum.
As a special feature, the 900 kg car has a plastic petrol tank, which was very innovative at the time. Rovomobil 2 was always surrounded by people who were amazed at its unusual history.
The "Sam Foose Pantera" was even more extreme than the GDR sports car. This one-off was built between 1972 and 1975 by designer Sam Foose (1934-2018).
Technically, the car was based on a De Tomaso Pantera, visually the wedge is more reminiscent of the Alfa Romeo Carabo prototype.
The car disappeared in the 1970s and only reappeared forty years later.
There is a completely different story about the NAG 219 Cabriolet from 1934. In February 1931, a luxury car was presented that was the first German production vehicle to have a V8 engine under the hood.
The cars were very expensive and so only 50 examples were produced up to 1934, one of which was the last remaining convertible that attracted attention in Schwetzingen.
Many trophies
Although not the most important thing, the 90 or so trophies that were handed out at the two Concours were still relevant for participants.
The 40-member jury selected the Bugatti Atalante from 1936 as "Best of Show".
Second place in this category went to the 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record with Graber convertible bodywork.
Third place went to the 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brougham, a truly spectacular vehicle with a unique rococo interior.
The 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner won the "Star of Classic Gala" category, also taking the US CCC top prize ahead of a 1949 Hudson Commodore and a 1907 Ford M. The second "star" was the 1964 Studebaker Avanti R2, and third was a 1954 Jaguar XK 120 Drophead Coupé.
The complete list of winners and prize-winners will be published later.
