A Look Back at the Grand Meeting 2026

With “Grand Meeting”, the event successfully reached new and broader audiences across the full spectrum of community interests: classic cars, gatherings, automotive heritage, racing vehicles, tuning, picnics, style, club meetings and a vibrant atmosphere across more than 12 festival areas. Grand Meeting is the whole world of classics – and so much more. The great summer garden party, relaxed and convivial, always high-octane and always full of highlights. As the motto “all in one” suggests, Grand Meeting 2026 left its fans, visitors, collectors and petrolheads with no shortage of memorable moments.

The Bugatti Royale Type 41 Coupé de Ville with Binder coachwork, from the collection of Volkswagen and the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, gave Grand Meeting the privilege of showcasing one of the most luxurious and valuable automobiles in the world.

Built in 1932 as the Esders Cabriolet, this Royale received its Coupé de Ville body by the Parisian coachbuilder Henri Binder in 1935. Chassis 41-111 thus lived two lives with two spectacular coachbuilding-bodies.

On the circuit, a dedicated Porsche special run thrilled the crowds: the thunderous 917 ex David Piper led the way, followed by a 907, a superfast 906 and the iconic 356 record car – a 356 Splitwindow Coupé Langheck Carrera. The Dünen-Express from the Grundmann collection made its rounds on the circuit and on Sunday served as the vehicle of honour for the driver parade, carrying Freddie Hunt, Derek Bell, Vanina Ickx, Klaus Ludwig, Lance David Arnold and Katrin Becker. The concept car “Alamagny”, based on designs by Gabriel Voisin, was seen in dynamic action on the circuit, before the Auto Union Typ 52 – the “Schnellsportwagen” from Audi Tradition, powered by a supercharged engine – left the spectators utterly speechless.

Every area of the festival was alive with energy. Visitor numbers on Saturday and Sunday were almost equally strong, after the Check-In Friday had already sold out a full week before the event. The only headache for the organisation came from the exceptionally dry fields used for parking on grain stubble. Temporary irrigation measures proved insufficient in places, and partial closures with shuttle bus diversions became necessary. For some visitors, the arrival became a frustrating experience. Once on site, however, all guests were rewarded for their patience. The weather conditions created a genuine logistical challenge for car park management, and not every scenario could be anticipated or planned for in advance. A shuttle bus that suffered a near-total loss of its diesel tank caused disruptions to the arrival traffic concept for approximately five hours on Saturday. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Beneath the magnificent chestnut avenue, visitors spread out their picnic blankets. In the Herrenhaus park, the Concours d’Élégance and the Drivers Legends Terrace drew the crowds – a place where autographs were signed and memories were made. In the courtyard of the historic Rittergut Birkhof, twelve Bentleys awaited their turn in a special run. At the COMCO Leasing stand, Kurt Ahrens was among the distinguished guests, while Jaguar Land Rover Heritage presented a special run featuring remarkable models from the brand’s Le Mans history dating back to 1951. The Off-Road Parcours “Grand Desert” was a spectacular success, with over 55 vehicles in almost continuous action throughout the weekend. They all drove from „dust til dawn“.

In one section of the paddock, Giacomo “Ago” Agostini and Gianfranco Bonera drew enormous crowds to the MV Agusta Club Deutschland e.V. stand, with autograph sessions that were besieged from the moment they opened. More than 40 MV Agusta motorcycles – led by the two legends, followed by TV star Horst Lichter and some of the rarest World Championship machines the brand has ever produced – took to the 2.8 km circuit in a breathtaking special run.

The volunteer association Classic Days e.V. – the non-profit body behind Grand Meeting – drew a thoroughly positive summary on the evening of Sunday 3 August 2026, together with the Rittergut Birkhof Foundation and the relevant local authorities. The date for Grand Meeting 2027 is already confirmed: 30th July to 1st August 2027 – mark it in your calendars.

Thank you for your attention and your loyalty – please spread the word. Over the coming days, we will be sharing images and stories from the festival across our social media channels, in this newsletter and on the website. You won’t miss a thing.

We wish you all a wonderful weekend and a fine summer with your classics.