Grand Meeting is Germany’s most vibrant summer garden party celebrating mobility, racing and lifestyle – and so much more than just another car show. Fourteen festival areas, extraordinary variety and a quality that sets the standard. Here, you stroll between legends on both two and four wheels, raise a glass of champagne, loose yourself in the paddock and breathe in the scent of petrol and history at the same time. High octane meets high elegance. Authenticity meets passion.
It is the summer gathering of friends and families – a community that comes together year after year at the Rittergut Birkhof. This is the place to be. This is the Grand Meeting.
Moët & Chandon Champagne Terrace
Grand Meeting has never been an ordinary car show – it is a celebration for all the senses. This year, guests can look forward to the Moët & Chandon Champagne Terrace in the park: a place where automotive elegance meets the lifestyle the festival has embodied for twenty years. Glass in hand, surrounded by icons on four wheels – that is what a summer’s day should feel like. And all of this alongside one of the most historic brands in international motorsport.
A growing Guest List
Lance David Arnold – a popular face in motorsport, who most recently turned heads at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in the HWA EVO.R – a modern tribute to the legendary Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II – finishing second in class SP-X.
Klaus Ludwig – three-time DTM champion and three-time Le Mans winner – will be joined by his son Luca Ludwig, an active racing driver in his own right. The next generation of the Ludwig family is coming to Birkhof.
Kurt Ahrens – one of the fastest German drivers of his era in the late 1960s and a long-standing Porsche works driver – has also confirmed his attendance. An encounter that brings motorsport history vividly to life.
Joining Vanina Ickx, Grand Meeting welcomes another strong woman to the festival: Katrin Becker. The 2022 German Rally Championship winner most recently took class victory at Tour Auto 2026, finishing fourth overall – across 2,200 kilometres from Paris to Biarritz at the wheel of a 1970 Porsche 911 S/R 2.3 Rallye Monte Carlo. Since the start of 2026, she has competed exclusively in historic vehicles.
Eckardt Schimpf – the man behind the legendary Jägermeister racing team since 1972. Racing driver, entrepreneur and one of the most distinctive personalities in German motorsport.
Gianfranco Bonera – close companion and world championship rider of Agostini during the golden era of MV Agusta. Together they wrote motorsport history on two wheels.
Steel, Chrome and Great Stories
Grand Meeting 2026 presents vehicles that are not just beautiful to look at – they have lived. Leading the way is the Ford Capri MK2 with a 3-litre V6 engine: the original ONS car, used primarily at the Nürburgring – and present in 1976 when Niki Lauda suffered his near-fatal accident at the German Grand Prix. An authentic piece of Ford, motorsport and Nürburgring history without equal.
Also expected is the legendary BMW 3.0 CSL – the “Batmobile” – one of the most iconic touring cars in motorsport history. And a very personal highlight: Jacky Ickx’s own G-Class Mercedes.
In the Off-Road Park, a world of its own awaits: veteran Land Rovers heavy with patina and real adventure stories come face to face with former Camel Trophy participants – vehicles that don’t just look like they’ve seen the world, they actually have. Mud, patina and great stories – welcome to Rittergut Birkhof.
Land of the Rising Sun
Japanese classics and youngtimers take their own stage at Grand Meeting 2026 – in the “Land of the Rising Sun” special, presented by Motor Klassik. Elegant lines, technical sophistication and an attention to detail that has defined Japanese automotive culture for decades. A showcase that proves automotive passion knows no borders.
Not Just Permitted – Positively Encouraged
Bringing your own picnic makes it stylish. Being self-sufficient makes it personal. And when you reach a cool glass of white wine over the hay bale to the neighbouring picnic, the ice is broken. Colourful picnic spots on colourful picnic blankets – a summer countryside party within the festival. At Grand Meeting, picnics are not just welcome, they are actively encouraged.
Those who prefer to go on a culinary adventure will not be disappointed either: 2026 sees the debut of a central food court at Rittergut Birkhof, featuring a carefully curated selection of catering stands – hand-picked from many applicants with a clear focus on quality. The food court is located right alongside the magnificent chestnut avenue, just after the start of the circuit – a spot where you will want to linger.
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