The table has been set for the 11th International Concours d'Elegance AvD Classic Gala 2015. From September 4 to 6, more than 150 classic automobiles from all over Europe will once again meet in the unique palace park of Schwetzingen to face the vote of the 25-member jury for the trophies according to the regulations of the FIVA world association.
For the public, Classic-Gala Schwetzingen is an open-air museum of automotive history, garnished with selected accessories, fashion, automobilia, accessories and literature, plus live jazz with the Strangers and Austrian jazz pianist Burle Baumgartner in front of the art exhibition in the south wing of the palace. In addition, the castle's gastronomy and selected sutlers will provide catering in proper style and there will even be typical American specialties in the US Car Concours.
World premiere: Benz and DeDietrich from 1896 meet
From the carriage to the automobile - the DeDietrich from France, like the Benz Velo, dates back to 1896, but one car is more of a chugging machine and the other a chaise with comfort that has an engine instead of draft horses. For the first time, the 2-cylinder DeDietrich from the DeDietrich family estate will be driven from its castle in France to the public. Both can be seen in the castle park, as can the first Bugatti, which was also financed by Baron DeDietrich, and visitors are eagerly awaiting the visit of the great-grandson of the DeDietrich family, who does not want to miss the first public appearance of his great-grandson's car from 1896. The second French automobile sponsor, Count DeDietrich, provided the early Grand Prix car from 1909, still on wooden spoke wheels without front brakes, but still capable of 120 km/h.
The largest small car concours
More than 30 small cars from the economic miracle era jostle around the Hirschbrunnen and form a charming contrast to the fat road cruisers of the US Classic Car Concours, which is dedicated exclusively to original American cars. The small cars include the rare Kroboth as well as the Maico 500 or the Mopetta of the former racing driver Egon Brütsch, whose engine is almost as small as the single-cylinder ILO 125cc of the famous Kleinschnittiger from Arnsberg in Sauerland, whose rims made of boiling pot lids hang on an axle suspended with rubber bands.
And because German aircraft designers were no longer allowed to build planes after the war, the Classic-Gala Schwetzingen showcases the Messerschmitt cabin scooter, the Janus by Claudius Dornier, the Heinkel cabin and the Tiger TG 500 as competitors to the Goggomobil by agricultural machinery manufacturer Hans Glas and the legendary Isetta, which is also represented as a Hoffmann cabin. Schwetzingen is the first Concours d'Elegance to offer a large forum for the smallest cars - the heroes of the economic miracle era leave no eye dry.
The longest Mercedes
Fans of large automobiles can compare the huge Rolls Royce Phantom with the 1934 Maybach Zeppelin in Schwetzingen, both of which are a good six meters long. Even longer is the famous Mercedes 600 Pullman from 1966, the short and long versions of which can be admired side by side. It also beats the large Cadillac Fleetwood from 1959, which is only 5.98 m long, but is so wide at 2.03 m that its doors cannot be opened wide enough in a standard garage to get out. Not yet confirmed, but very likely, is the appearance of a Cadillac, which was specially designed by Pininfarina for Jacky Kennedy in 1960 and christened "Jaqueline".
A Bugatti made from old spare parts
Artist Armin Ciesielski and his colleague Steffi Glück are coming to Schwetzingen for the second time, this time with the legendary Bugatti Type 57 Atalante, which has been transformed from more than 6,000 used spare parts into a true-to-original work of art from the "Giants of Steel" series. The doors and hoods can be opened, but the car consists of countless old parts that have been welded together to create an amazingly authentic work of art in original size.
The only Röhr Olympier 1932
The Röhr brand, which once turned Ober-Ramstadt south of Darmstadt into a globally renowned automobile town, is hardly known anymore. In 1932, with the help of the Autenrieth company in Darmstadt, a sleek luxury car was built based on the 8F luxury saloon, which was called the "Olympier" in anticipation of the city of Berlin's bid to host the Olympics at the time and was presented at all international motor shows. After the war, it was taken to America, where it was finally kept in a museum until 2007, when the Ober-Ramstadt entrepreneur Horst Lautenschläger discovered it and, after years of negotiations, was finally able to bring it back to its place of production, Oder-Ramstadt. Now it has been fully restored and is a star of the 11th International Concours d'Elegance in Schwetzingen.
The whole Porsche RS story
"Only 500 men will drive it" was how Porsche advertised the Carrera RS 2.7. Today, it is an expensive sports car legend. In between, the often brightly painted rear-wheel drive car experienced lively years and countless victories in sport. But demand exceeded all expectations. The first 500 were sold out within four weeks. When the last Carrera left the factory in 1974, a total of over 1,500 cars had been built. 217 lightweight variants, 1308 as heavier Touring with chrome trim and make-up mirrors and 55 uncompromising "RSR" for the racetrack, where they were homologated in Group 4. The Porsche Penske Sports Car Center Mannheim takes the AvD-Classic-Gala Schwetzingen as an opportunity to present the history of the magical letters RS without any engine noise, but with elegance, because the RS has won everything there was to win - only a trophy in a beauty contest is still pending...
Automotive artists make mobile
In the exhibition hall in the south wing, renowned artists are once again active, interpreting the theme of the automobile and mobility in their very own way. The internationally renowned "sand painter" Bernd Caspar Friedrich is bringing the vernissage of his new cycle "wheels" to Schwetzingen and will open his exhibition on Saturday, September 5, with an introduction by art historian Hella Sinnhuber in the company of many collectors and friends.
The painter and printmaker Bernd Lehmann will not only present his works, but will also paint live at various points in the park on a large-scale automobile painting, which will later be sold for charitable purposes. Lehmann completed his anniversary work "100 Years of Maserati" in Schwetzingen in 2014 and has since devoted himself to monumental interpretations of mobility.
Curd Armin Reich, known as C A R, is also at home in the large format, combining culture, history and stories to create detailed works that show the automobile in its contemporary environment and with technical details that awaken an understanding of the challenges faced by designers and drivers.
Finally, in the area of the castle restaurant, the foyer and the halls in the north circle, selected photographs from the last 10 years of the Concours d'Elegance invite visitors to compare them with the current presentation in the park.
Rarities from all over the world and all eras
The world premiere is the appearance of one of the oldest French automobiles, the DeDietrich from 1896, which had its cradle in Alsace. A Duhanot Phaeton from 1907 embodies automotive elegance for the first time.
From Australia comes the Holden Chevrolet AD of 1930 and from South Africa the enchanting Cadillac Imperial, also built in 1930.
Who else knows the French Facel Vega FV 3B, which combined Gallic chic with the unbridled power of a Chysler eight-cylinder engine in 1957, but still sold less than 100 units?
The super sports cars are called the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, represented by the winning car of the famous Scuderia Serenissima from Venice, or the Jaguar XJ 220. While the Americans opted for the powerful 10-cylinder Dodge Viper, South Africa tried its hand with the EB Tazio, which was to win over impatiently waiting Bugatti customers in 2001. In Germany, two designers used the large engine of the Mercedes 600 to power their gullwing sports cars: Mladen Mitrovic created the Kodiak near Stuttgart in 1984 and in neighboring Leonberg, Porsche designer Eberhard Schulz created the Isdera Imperator, which doubled the output of the basic engine to 500 hp. It will be on display together with the other Isdera sports cars.
International jurors as experts
A Concours d'Elegance is only as good as its judges, because only the judgment of experts carries international weight. Under the direction of pre-war car specialist Ing. Robert Schramm, the judges include long-time Rosso Bianco Museum owner Peter Kaus, long-time Mazda chief designer Peter Birdwhistle, Porsche designer Gabo Herczeg, FIA classic car expert Klaus-Peter Bender, Dutch VW designer Oona O'Brien, and the FIA's own expert for classic cars O'Brien.The FIVA experts will be joined by Dutch VW designer Oona Scheepers and Swiss classic car expert and long-standing head of the Swiss National Automobile Commission, Mark Rufer, to discuss which vehicle in which FIVA class proves to be particularly true to the original. Belgian FIVA delegate Vincent van der Vinne will be working with German historian Reiher von Dobschütz on pre-war vehicles and designer Eberhard Schulz will be exchanging ideas with well-known photographer and historian Werner Eisele before one of the 90 trophies is awarded to a winner on Sunday, September 6, 2015 at the Defilée of Candidates.
All this awaits visitors for the fair admission price of just 5 euros for the state palaces and gardens in Württemberg - AvD-Classic-Gala Schwetzingen deliberately wants to invite friends of architecture and garden art, culture and all families and fans of classic cars to enjoy this unique show of automotive history.
Further information on the event can be found in our earlier announcement or on the Classic Gala Schwetzingen website.
