The Deutsche Classic has been around for a while and has been covered here before (see German Immersion). It started out a a predominantly VW show with a few other cars, but it has grown into a truly multi-marque event with most of the German brands represented in decent numbers. The venue for the last few years has been Fleetwood, PA, which is ironically a town that used to produce the Cadillac Fleetwood bodies. The car was actually named for the town and the Fleetwood Metal Body Company, who were coachbuilders that GM purchased in 1925. Today, there are only a few faded signs as a reminder.
Sounds like a good place in spirit for a car event, even if it is an all german affair. The price of admission now includes a chicken lunch, but the value is not in the food. It is in the variety and the growing number of cars that show up. The threat of rain probably kept numbers lower this year, but my eyeball count said a couple hundred at least. In attendace were Audi, Bitter, BMW, Mercedes, Opel, Porsche, and Volkswagen. As usual, the cars all come with owners, and the owners all come with stories. Original owners, and 9th owners mix freely, as do original unrestored cars and the heavily modified.
It is one thing to read and learn about the similarities and differences betwwen the marques, but it is another to be able to walk between real life examples and speak with people who are very knowledgeable on their particular model. The differences for example between a volkswagen, and a Mercedes from 1969, showing a difference in philosophy, as well as a difference in the use of technology. I liken the event to a one-day Museum. It is one of the few events where I walk around and know people in each of the marque areas. The BMW 02 guys, the early 911 Porsche guys, the VW guys, and this year a small but powerful contingent of BMW motorcycles. It is also surprising how many people own (or have owned, or want to own) multiple German marques. I am not alone.
