Last weekend the Rittergut Birkhof, close to Düsseldorf, Germany, became again the mecca of the classic cars scene. Thousands of people joined to celebrate the 17. Version of the Classic Days, second time in Rittergut Birkhof. The weather played along this time and one could see only smiling faces.
Great cars were presented, especially the original Ford GT 40 (1966), a Porsche 917 (the David Piper car) and the Formular 1 Embassy Hill car from 1975. AUDI museum showed the famous Bugatti Royale and the AUDI Quadro Rally race car. The Jaguar Classic Center was present with a D-Type and a C-Type race car.
Also, the classic motorbike scene was very much present. “The best driver of all times”, fifteen times world champion Giacomo Agostini gave his debut at the Grand Meeting. He brought along his famous MV Agusta which he drove at the demonstration track alongside many MV Agusta friends, including German TV celebrity Horst Lichter.
Speaking of legends, Derek Bell (five times LeMans winner) participated together with Vanina Ickx, daughter of Dereks team made Jacky Ickx and a well-known race driver herself, accompanied by Freddy Hunt son of Formular 1 Champion and party legend David Hunt.
In an interview with collectorscarworld Derek Bell disclosed that he never got the change to race a GT 40 (only a test drive) back in the mid-1960s, because Jacky Ickx was always a little bit older and more experienced than him, but luckily he later was hired by Porsche, which made him a LeMans hero in the early 1970s and 80s. Vanina Ickx shared her experience with the big guys of the time. “They welcomed me at the beginning, because I was a good-looking lady and Jacky`s daughter until I surpassed them on the track”! And that’s what she did many times (7th overall in LeMans 2011 with a Lola B09/60 and a couple of podiums in the LeMans Series). From that time on she was a serios competitor in race circus.
Freddy Hunt participated for the first time at the Classic Days. Asked why he did not played the role of David Hunt in the movie Hunt versus Lauda, said, that some of the casting team in fact came up with that idea, but the producer was not willing to take the risk, since I was not an experienced actor. What a pity, since he looks very much like his father and is a great character. If there is a part two one day the movie industry should reconsider its position!
Concluding, the Classic Days 2026 was a great event which brought together car enthusiasts of all ages, men and women all united in the spirit of car loving, which means freedom and great fun for many people. We all look forward to the Classic Days 2027!
