In a blog on February 21, 2025, we expressed the hope that the Classic Days might have found a suitable venue again after several cancellations and a relocation to the Messe Düsseldorf exhibition grounds. To anticipate this: The 17th edition of the event, now held at the Birkhof manor in Korschenbroich-Lüttenglehn, from August 1st to 3rd, 2025 was a success, as the ambiguous title suggests. This was not least due to the appealing rural ambience of the three-day event. It was embedded in a golf course with its green lawns. In the middle was an old manor house with an idyllic inner courtyard including outbuildings, restaurants and long avenues. There was also a listed park with old trees, which is otherwise not generally accessible.
Visitors had access to two parking lots with shuttle connections for a total of around 5300 vehicles as well as a classic car parking lot with a further 20,000 square meters. So there was plenty to look forward to. There was some concern about the weather, as the Classic Days recently had to be canceled due to a thunderstorm warning. However, the worries were unfounded. Although there was intermittent rain on Saturday, this was manageable and Sunday was spared any precipitation.
Rare beetles
We wanted to start our visit with the aforementioned park at the manor house. But on the way there we stopped at the stand of the well-known Grundmann collection from Hessisch Oldendorf. In addition to a 1945 Volkswagen Kübelwagen converted for the post office, two remarkable reconstructions from the history of what is now known as the Beetle were on display: In addition to the Porsche Type 60, the recently completed Volkswagen 30 attracted the attention of visitors.
In general, there were some remarkable Volkswagens on display this time - such as the millionth golden Beetle from 1955, which is usually glamorously presented in Wolfsburg, and the decades older Type 1 "CCG" (Control Commission for Germany) for the military administration at the Autostadt stand. The 75th anniversary of the "Volkswagen Bulli" was also reason enough to present this model in large numbers - whether as a Sambabus or a Transporter.
But now to the park used as a temporary exhibition area. The "Jewels in the Park" exhibits were dominated by British cars. On display were Bentleys from various model years, an Aston Martin DB4 and a Bristol 400. Autostadt had brought along the Bugatti Galibier 16C concept car, a luxury touring saloon based on a Bentley Arnage, which was built in 2009 to mark Bugatti's 100th anniversary. Also noteworthy was a Mercedes-Benz 380 Kompressor fully convertible from 1934, followed by a reunion with the Leichtbau Maier prototype, which some people apparently confused with a Tatra or Volkswagen.
At the edge of the area was an "Offroad Corner", a circuit for those who wanted to experience the possibilities of all-wheel drive off-road vehicles.
Quirky vehicles
This year's Classic Days offered both the tried and tested and the curious. Museums - such as the PS.Speicher or the Autostadt - and dealers were well represented and, as always, it was worth taking a look at the vehicles of the participating clubs and visitors. Once again, steamy fantasy cars drove through the crowd and the DeLorean DMC-12 was also reminiscent of "Back to the Future".
A truly "great box" was a drivable Fiat Panda that had shrunk dramatically in width, and the sounds of a bagpipe group delighted the ears of the visitors. In contrast to previous years, airplanes were only represented by a classic biplane. "Grandma Janssen's Büdchen", which was of course also set up this time, should already have cult status.
TV stars
Cars from the era of the German economic miracle ("Lovely Heroes") were lined up around it, often small cars. Next to it, perhaps a little to the side, was the "Green House". In addition to the world premiere of the electric Volkswagen ID.Every1, a phalanx of movie cars could be seen there, mainly Japanese sports cars from the "Fast and Furious" series.
In the idyllic courtyard of the manor house, visitors were able to discover very old vehicles in the Parc Fermé before turning their attention to the interesting "Stars and Stripes" section. An impressive Cord L 29 Convertible Sedan from 1930 from Autostadt is worth mentioning as an example. Various Cadillacs made it clear once again why American passenger cars from the 1950s to 1970s are commonly referred to as road cruisers due to their dimensions.
Traffic jam or gridlocked traffic
A rather double-edged sword, however, was the 2.5 km long circuit, which led over long avenues, through the golf course, but also through the middle of the visitor area. In several heats of various categories (e.g. Bentleys, VW Beetles, "Heritage Heroes", American LaFrance or Land Rovers), spectators were able to see the cars and racing motorcycles, which had previously been parked in the other paddock, in motion. But this came at a price this year.
So as not to be misunderstood: Of course, being able to witness the action on the circuit as close as possible and from different angles is to be welcomed. But at the Rittergut Birkhof, the necessary route safety measures meant that there were frequent and lengthy traffic jams and it was impossible to get any further. Unfortunately, there was only one bridge connecting the parts of the area separated by the circuit. This is something that urgently needs to be remedied in the future. Nevertheless, the organizing team can be credited with a successful restart, not least because of the compliance with today's essential safety requirements (defined maximum number of spectators, security, etc.) and the high level of organizational effort.
Anticipation
The Classic Days have become much more compact at their new location, regardless of whether you compare them with the park at Schloss Dyck or the last two Düsseldorf editions. However, the atmosphere and ambience were just right and the range on offer was varied. We can therefore look forward to the next edition of Classic Days, which is scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 2, 2026.
