Report & Gallery: The 49th Edition of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix

Submitted by Marcel Hundscheid on September 6, 2022

By Marcel Hundscheid – Speed-O-Graphica

During mid-August, the 49th edition of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix took place at a summery Nürburgring. Over 30,000 spectators found their way to Germany’s largest historic motorsports events, featuring more than 20 race and regularity tests.

This was the event’s first outing after COVID19-related spectator restrictions and a cancellation due to the flood disaster in the past two years. A packed programme in perfect midsummer conditions compensated the vast crowd as well as teams and drivers for the long waiting time, and ensured a great atmosphere at the Nürburgring.

After the end of the travel restrictions due to the corona pandemic, our international friends were finally able to take part again. Amongst them were four racing series of the British “Masters Historic Racing” organization, which contributed one of the most spectacular races with the field of Formula 1 racing cars of the Cosworth era. But the sports car and GT starting fields of the other ‘Masters’ series were also well occupied and made for a vibrant atmosphere at the Nürburgring.

Amongst the many highlights was the first guest appearance of the DTM Classic Cup, seeing many of the stars of yesteryear climbing back in their cars from the golden era of touring car racing. Former DTM drivers such as Olaf Manthey, Volker Strycek, Kris Nissen, Marc Hessel, Roland Asch and Leopold, Prince of Bavaria, did the honors in the series, which brought unforgettable vehicles such as the BMW M3, Opel Calibra, Mercedes-Benz 190 Evo and many others back onto the track.

Another highlight were the Formula 1 cars from the Cosworth- era gathered into Masters Racing Legends. Besides the Formula 1 cars, Masters Historic Racing from the UK were present with the Masters Gentlemen Drivers, Masters Endurance Legends and Masters Sports Cars. Like in previous editions of the Oldtimer Grand Prix, the Nürburgring turned into a time machine, which made it possible to travel back in time to race cars from the past 100 years. The oldest cars that entered the track were from the pre-war era as part of the Vintage Sports Car Trophy.

Amongst the remarkable cars that were on track was this unique Ford Mustang Probe GTP as used by Zakspeed Racing in the 1985 IMSA GT Championship. Originally, Ford built the Mustang GTP in 1983 based on the Ford Mustang road car. The car was powered by a 2.1 liter turbocharged Cosworth BDA straight four engine, producing around 600 hp and remarkably fitted in front of the car. As the engine proved to be extremely unreliable, Zakspeed replaced the car with the Ford Mustang Probe in 1985.

This car was based on the Ford Probe road car, designed by Paul Brown and developed and built by Zakspeed from Germany. The car that was present during the event was one of the six cars built and equipped with a 2.2-litre four cylinder turbo engine.

The Audi 200 Quattro dominated the 1988 American TransAm Championship, thanks to the familiar five- cylinder engine and very free racing regulations. Although the car had a very short career, lasting no more than a single season, the impressive 200 Quattro won eight out of the 13 races.

For racing in the TransAm series, Audi created a silhouette racer based on the Audi 200 road car. The engine was a five cylinder 2.1-litre turbo engine generating 610 hp. Combined with the four-wheel drive system, the car was no match for the V8s, but it won the championship and 4wd was banned. Three cars were deployed: one raced by American Hurley Haywood, the other two raced by Germans Hans-Joachim Stuck and Walter Röhrl. Haywood won the championship and Audi grabbed the constructors’ title. Protests led to changes of the regulations and as a result four-wheel drive was banned. Therefore Audi left the TransAm series and switched to the IMSA championship.

The 49th edition of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix was a brilliant return to form for the classic event, which was sorely missed during these last tumultuous years. We look forward to it returning to its regular schedule, and to many more outings in the time machine.