Imagine a paddock filled to the brim with some of the greatest tin top race cars of all time, sporting the most iconic liveries from your favourite eras of racing. Now imagine those same cars running bumper to bumper on the Nürburgring with zero care for damage.
That’s a dream, surely? Well it’s not, it’s real and they run in support of the Nürburgring 24 hour race.
Playing second fiddle to the more modern ADAC Total 24h Race is a tough gig, but the Nürburgring 24h Classic Race and Touring Car Legends Races must win Oscars for ‘Best Supporting Role’. Group A heroes like the Ford Sierra RS500 rub shoulders with Super Touring masterpieces like the Opel Vectra. The mix is seasoned with Porsches from every era and there’s even screaming DTM beasts too.
It’s like a chocolate selection box filled only with the cult classics, so it’s strange to think that neither race event is the top billing during the N24h weekend.
There’s so much to take in that it is a little bit of a sensory overload. Straight-sixes, boxers, V8s and inline-fours all sing with a variety of carburettor or fuel injected amplification. It’s a symphony of motorsport sounds.
If you can’t find a car you like watching in these races, I’d be interested to hear what makes you tick.
If, for you, the essence of saloon car racing is the idea of celebrating everyday vehicles, then this type of racing is absolute heaven. I’m just torn between who to support – the Toyota AE86, E30 BMWs or maybe some of the old Opel stuff…
Can I get three flags, please?
Ryan Stewart
Instagram: 7.nth
ryan@speedhunters.com
Photos by Daniel Nikoden
Instagram: BMWJogge
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
All the early DTM and ITC are so amazing. Maybe some technical photos?
More photos Please! Engine and Suspension if you got them.
Man, those DTM Mercedes really bring back the memories. Such an amazing time.
A lot (most?) of those pictures aren't from the 24h Classic race. There were different historic races on the weekend, the 3 hour 24h Classic race on the full circuit on Friday and two 30 minute Touring Car Legends races on the GP track on Friday and Saturday. The latter is where the old DTM and ITC cars raced. It's all on Youtube.
I concede to you on this point, you're right. The extra spicy Group A, Supertouring and DTM cars run in the Touring Car Legends races, the copy has been updated to clarify this. Thank you for your comment and keeping me on my toes.
Amazing!
Amazing shots as usual
Man the DTM and ITC cars are awesome!
it almost looks like you took a bunch of diecasts and then put them into real photos.
I think you need to take it down a notch. Criticism is fine, spamming the comments section with inane observations is not.
now let's see you try to attempt better. Oh, wait, maybe you can't. Find somebody else to pick on ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
these photos are nice but they also don't tell enough of a story, it looks like you ran out of inspiration or time or something it just, dosent feel right. its lacking. well written and interesting but lacking.
Stop moaning about this site, if you don't like go somewhere else. It seems like it's on every article.
So the D2 on the hood of the Merecedes is the same D2 that sells coilovers and other suspension products?
Whoah, i just saw the coilover-D2 logo for the first time. What a blatant ripoff of the telecommuincation logo.
From what I remember D2 was a German mobile phone provider, so the D2 suspension company just copied that branding
Exactly. D2 later became Vodafone Germany.
Vauxhall\Opel Calibra, now there's a car that used to be everywhere, but has completely disappeared.
The Calibra is an original Opel Motorsport car from 1995, raced in DTC and endurance series. Now we have converted it to a sprint-racing car.
w.jp-stone-racing.com
They didn't do so well with rust, and a lot had their engines harvested for smaller Opel/Vauxhall conversions.
Good point, I seem to remember a lot of them got stolen and destroyed as was that era....
Deffo not enough Merc C Class content. a DTM/ITC spec machine the is the dream racecar.