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[Jay Ramey is the owner of ClassicBlog.net. We enjoyed his coverage of the 2012 Citroen Rendezvous, and now he's brought us a story on German Car Day 2012. Enjoy the images and his article below -- Hooniverse.com]
If you live in the northeast and have been diagnosed as a gearhead, chances are you’ve been to Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA, more than a few times. If you haven’t, the museum is situated in scenic Larz Anderson park just outside of Boston, and is known for its exciting lawn events during the summer and fall months. Every year the museum holds as many as 20 lawn events, often two on the same weekend, dedicated to either a single make or cars from one particular country. Larz Anderson’s lawn events attract cars and owners from all over New England.
German Car Day is exactly what is sounds like, and this year’s show attracted very impressive crowds, exhausting the parking space in the park well before 11:00am. German Car Day is in the top three best attended lawn events at Larz Anderson, alongside Tutto Italiano (Italian cars) and British Car Day. With well over 100 cars from about 10 different manufacturers, German Car Day took place under spectacular weather conditions, and featured some very impressive classic and collector automobiles. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
Owned by Gary Farias, this 1984 Opel Senator CD 3.0 just about stole the show. As you may have guessed, this is the only example in the country, and has been in Gary’s garage since it was imported new. This car has served as Gary’s daily driver, and features all the toys one can typically find in a premium 1980′s German full-size sedan like heated seats and mirrors, cruise control, a trip computer, and tilt steering. The 3.0 liter 6-cyl engine is good for 185 bhp, with CD being the top trim level. Gary owns a number of Opels, with the earliest being a 1951 Opel Olympia. By the way, the next-gen Opel Senator B model from 1987 is now eligible for importation by virtue of being over 25 years.
Another crowd-pleaser, and a frequent visitor at German Car Day, was this 1980 BMW M1 owned by Neal Heffron. This M1 has some celebrity ownership in its past, purchased new by Christopher Cross after his 1979 self-titled album collected five Grammy awards. The M1 of course features BMW’s 3.5 liter inline-6 good for 273bhp.
Originally a South African car, this 1974 Audi 100 Coupe S is one of about 600 that remain in the world, and one of just five Audi 100 Coupes in America. It is also the only one in the country in RHD, as one might guess. Owned by Rob Petschke, this wonderfully preserved two-owner example has just over 85,000 kilometers on the clock, and is powered by a high compression 1.9 liter engine. One of just 30 thousand built between 1969 and 1976, this car lived in South Africa until 2009, and we have the climate there to thank for its condition today.
One of several Audi Quattro Coupes in attendance at German Car Day this year was this brilliant-looking example.
This nicely preserved 2002 Baur Cabriolet, built in small numbers from 1967 till 1971, features a canvas canopy. Few of these have survived in condition such as this, as the canvas top required regular attention.
An original Porsche 356, in unrestored condition. This was one of several 356s in attendance this year, and it attracted quite a bit of attention.
This wonderful 1965 Glas 1300 GT Coupe is owner by Christopher and Alexander Wider. The Frua-designed 1300 premiered in 1964, and after BMW’s takeover of the company in 1966, the 1300 received a 1.6 BMW-built engine, and was sold with a BMW badge. This is one of Glas’ original examples. A later BMW 3000 GT was also present at German Car Day this year.
This 1973 BMW 3.0 CSi in Fjord Metallic is owned by Andrew and Cindy Wilson. Andrew first found this car at a local BMW specialist, and borrowed it for the day while his BMW X3 was in for service. A couple weeks later, the car was his.
One of a number of BMW E24 6-series coupes at German Car Day 2012.
This impressive 300SL Roadster drew admiration from showgoers.
Perhaps the oldest car at German Car Day this year was this wonderful DKW F5. The front wheel drive F5 was made for just two years, 1935 and 1936, and was available in two wheelbases. The F5 was powered by a couple of two-stroke engines whose output did not exceed 20bhp. Nevertheless, the light construction allowed the F5 to achieve speeds of up to 50mph.
Original: Hooniverse
by Jeff Glucker
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