Three fairytale days…

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

If you regularly look at our Facebook page, you may have already seen some photographs of the hot and dry Classic-Days last weekend. As every year, it was a wonderful garden-party with thousands (!) of cars and bikes. The evolution of the Classic-Days since the first event in 2006 is really impressing. I could write about so many cars this year, as there were the Napier-Railton on display, a whole bunch of American La France, the Bentleys of the Benjafield-Club, a Locomobile, a stunning Wolseley racer together with a perfect lorry for it, the little Benjamin, a Hanomag racer, at least nine(!) Horch, etc etc etc… I could also write about the hot and dry weather, as there wasn´t a single raindrop around the castle since May! Just think about Chris Williams Packard-Bentley spitting fire under this circumstances! But this year, all requirements you need for a fairytale, were present:

So let´s consider the requisites of a good fairy story!?

At first, you need a CASTLE. That is an easy one, as the Classic-Days are located on the wide area of the wonderful castle “Schloss Dyck”, a moated castle, first mentioned in the 11th century. For 13 years, the pleasure grounds of the castle are populated by an unbelievable range of old cars once a year.

Then, you need a hero. Predestinated is, of course, a PRINCE. And there was a very special and beautiful prince in the park: the 108 years old Benz “Prinz Heinrich Wagen” is of course more than dignified to be the hero of this year´s story. “Father” of this car was Prince Heinrich of Prussia (brother of German emperor Wilhelm II.), an early automobilist, who founded the “Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt”, a reliability run for touring cars in 1908. Benz & Cie. brought ten new cars to the third run in 1910, featuring very modern details like cardan-shaft-drive, double-ignition or four-valve technique. This prince was a hero with a big heart. Exactly with four ventricles of 5715cm³ in total. And he was fast (126 km/h) and strong (80 HP). But will he be able to save the…

…PRINCESS? A young and lovely princess is, of course, a “must have” for a fairy tale. Our lady is only 69 years young and on the information board you got informed, that this young noble was baptized on the name “Austin Sheerline Princess Delahaye Vesters & Neirinck”. If we decipher this name, we will find out, our beauty was born into the house of Austin. Her abundant coat was tailored by the Belgian coachbuilders of “Vesters & Neirinck”, influenced by Delahaye. But I couldn´t find out why it is titled as Sheerline, as well as Princess?  Sheerline and Princess are different cars, as far, as I know. Maybe one of our readers knows more about that mystery? According to the information board, this beauty was built to accompany King Leopold III on parades. But is she really a Princess? On older descriptions, only the title Sheerline is given. But nevertheless, with her big Lucas P100 eyes, she must have awakened the greed in…

…the DRAGON! The dragon was one of the 10 surviving Fafnir, not killed by myth hero Sigurd. It was born in 1914 as a luxury double-phaeton Type 472 and sold to a teacher. In the early 1920s, a bicycle-shop in the Netherlands purchased the car and converted it into a Pick-Up. The dragon was extensively used for all kinds of transportation jobs and found its way to the shed, where it was stored until 2004. By that time, very surprisingly, the owner offered it for sale, after he refused every request since the 1960s. Possible buyers came from New Zealand and Aachen (Germany), the city, the Fafnir was once built. The seller sent his offers for sale on the postal way, but of course, the letter reached Aachen weeks before the offer arrived at New Zealand. So this gentlemen took the chance and added the car to his collection “Gut Hand”. Shortly before he sadly passed away, he sold the car to FEV Europe GmbH in 2007, where it was restored in the apprenticeship workshop over five years with the aim to keep as many original parts, as possible. So the wonderful dragon is back on the road since five years now and on the meadow of the Dyck-Castle, we had the chance to marvel this Pick-Up with its 2.1-liter four-cylinder and hanging above it, the little squirt oiler, mounted to the hinge of the hood a hundred years ago… I know, that the Fafnir returned to our companies cave safely, but without the princess. So this fairytale has got a happier end, then most others, I know! The Princess is saved, the Hero is still going strong, but this time, the beast survived. …and it drives happily ever after!

Words and photographs by Hubertus Hansmann.

Aggiunga un commento...