After last year's debut of the Classic Days on the new grounds in the "Green Park" of the Düsseldorf exhibition center, the public response this year was expected to be very positive. The noise from the nearby Düsseldorf airport was criticized. The reporter, who had exceptionally scheduled his visit for Sunday, the last day of the event, was therefore full of expectation. But at the breakfast table at home, a glance out of the window had a sobering effect: it was raining heavily and continuously. When someone then dropped the word "Wacken", the mental movie showed images of cars being pulled out of the mud by tractors. A little later on the highway to Düsseldorf, however, it stopped raining and the author was overtaken by a "Big Healey", whose co-driver greeted him cheerfully. Nevertheless, this will not be an exhaustive report on the 16th Classic Days, but only a torso. This is due to the weather and should be mentioned apologetically in advance.
As last year, the area was easy to reach. There had been a brief break in the rain on the afternoon of the previous day, but the opulent program of events was able to go ahead. This was also planned for Sunday. In addition to the traditional Classic Days categories such as "Stars and Stripes" or the areas for the automobile clubs, there were new features such as the "Tuning meets Classic" section or a "Gallery 1886", which depicted the history of automotive culture. There were also special exhibitions on topics such as "70 years of the Chevrolet Corvette" or "150 years of NSU", as well as special runs on the circuit to mark "100 years of Le Mans". Particular importance was attached to mobility in the past and future. In addition to a high-profile "e-fuel talk", the Autostadt presented electric cars and the PS.Speicher showcased a wide variety of drive sources, including a steam-powered car and an Opel Kapitän with a wood carburetor.
However, as is well known, one should not praise the day before the evening, as heavy rain soon set in. Any aircraft noise became secondary, if only because it required full concentration not to step into the constantly swelling puddles. The public was also forced to seek shelter in the exhibitors' temporary dwellings. This led to encounters with other visitors and it was noticeable that, despite the adverse conditions, there was no bad mood, which the organizer also noted in his final report. Nevertheless, the rain ultimately determined the rest of the program. As a result, the author was only able to attend a tour of the Audi Tradition on the subject of "150 years of NSU" and also only a part of the presentations, which were already incomplete at this point.
Nevertheless, it was still possible to see top-class cars from Bugatti, Bentley, Ferrari and Aston Martin. Visitors were also able to discover a quirky Triumph Mayflower, and the Lectric Leopard based on the Renault 5 is not something you see every day. As expected, there were several Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs on display, but they were nowhere near as unusual as the "Gullwing" Marcos Luton Gullwing. A rare Sunbeam Venezia was on display in the "Charm & Style" section, and the Opel Rekord P2 exhibited there is no longer seen very often and therefore had its place here.
The "Tuning meets Classic" section is certainly also part of the hobby's spectrum, even if not every visitor will be able to make friends with it. In view of the rising water level on the event site, however, the extreme lowering of the cars proved to be borderline. The 1909 Stanley Steamer presented by PS.Speicher provided a special kind of experience: initially emitting only small clouds of steam, the vehicle gradually succeeded in completely immersing its surroundings in dense fog. Finally, anyone who wanted to could guess which car might be hiding under the increasingly protective rain covers.
But at around 13:00, the fun finally came to an end. Due to a severe weather warning issued by the German Weather Service, a heavy thunderstorm was to be feared, and consequently the event management announced the premature end of the Classic Days. This decision meant that storm-prone structures could be dismantled in peace and visitors were able to leave the area in an orderly fashion. It was therefore just as easy to leave the site as it was to get in. There were no crowds and no vehicles got stuck. A compliment to the organizers at this point! Even if this is ultimately only a fragmentary report, readers may still be able to gain typical impressions of this special event from the pictures.
"Everything remains different" was the author's headline for last year's Classic Days. This year, everything was different due to the weather. Despite the adverse conditions, the organizer was nevertheless satisfied with the 35,800 visitors in his final report. And when the 17th Classic Days are held in Düsseldorf for the third time next year, it will already be a tradition. At least that's what they say in the Rhineland.
