Volkswagens, Audis shine at show

by Bradley S. Pines

DeutscheMarquesAG.com

William Chapple of Marshall, a Michigan Vintage Volkswagen member, took home the Best in Show Volkswagen crystal trophy with his classic 1968 Karmann Ghia convertible during the DeutscheMarques German auto event. The green beauty has only 101,000 miles on its odometer and features sparkling chrome and a tan interior.

William Chapple holds his Best in Show Volkswagen crystal trophy with his 1968 Karmann Ghia.

A large gathering of Volkswagen owners found shelter from the hot summer sun under the shade of trees at the Gilmore Car Museum. Both classic air-cooled and modern front-wheel-drive VWs were to be found, lined up alongside The Oval.

Local VW club members kept cool by seeking a shady spot on The Oval at the Gilmore Car Museum.

Greg Calderon of Kalamazoo was the Best Daily Driver award winner, with his 2003 20th Anniversary GTI. The bright blue car has aftermarket coilovers, a hybrid F23 turbo and xenon headlights.

Greg Calderon won Best Daily Driver Volkswagen with his bright blue GTI.

The Cleanest Concours Volkswagen award winner, Jim Hanson of Battle Creek has a 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible with fewer than 73K. 

Jim Hanson's 1972 Super Beetle droptop was named Cleanest Concours Volkswagon.

As clean and pretty as that orange beauty was, the Best Special Feature Volkswagen winner, Bran Hartman of Battle Creek’s 1967 Volkswagen Beetle looked like a true survivor. Hartman is a member of The Good Volks.

This survivor is Bran Hartman's 1967 Beetle.

The Best Volkswagen of the 21st Century was Troy Cox’s 2008 Volkswagen R32, the 920th of only 5,000 made. 

Troy Cox had his R32, a narrow-angle V6 powered all-wheel-driver sleeper, named Best 21st Century VW.

Another Good Volks member, Aki Tsuji of Delton had his 1970 Karmann Ghia autostick coupe, a "retirement toy," win Best VW of the 70s.

Aki Tsuji's classic Karmann Ghia features stylish "sleepy eyes."

Winning the Best of the 1980s Volkswagen Award with their 1986 Volkswagen Cabriolet and Best of the 1990s Volkswagen Award with a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta TDI with 328K miles, and an electronic sign, Harold Walters and his family had a lot to smile about.

Harold Walter's other car featured a towed electronic sign and a turbo diesel engine. VWs are family fun.

The Best in Show Audi crystal award was won by Joel Phillips of Kalamazoo, a regular customer at Foreign Car Services, a show supporting vendor. Phillips’ 1995 S6 features a rebuilt engine with a 3071 turbo and standalone engine management system. He also took home Best of the 1990s Audi, Most Miles, 114k, and Best Special Feature - a period-correct bag phone.

Best in Show Audi and other awards for Joel Phillips and his 1995 Audi S6.

Tom Woodburn of Portage took home several awards with his 2005 A4, including Best 21st Century Audi, Best Daily Driver and a Judge’s Special Award for a huge bug spat.

Lots of awards to frame for Tom Woodburn and his 2005 Audi A4.

Please bookmark www.DeutscheMarquesAG.com for information of interest to all German car owners and please send your feedback about the DeutscheMarques German auto event to DeutscheMarquesAG@gmail.com.

Great feedback from our fans

"Awesome! It was a very classy show and very well organized. I've been to a few other shows (DeutscheMarques) did it right. Once it catches on it's going to become big. 

(The) Shirts, posters, awards, cards for the cars to display, everything was done First Class."

- HN

"I really enjoyed the show, but next year could you have it be a little cooler?  I especially like your whimsical awards and the beautiful glass (Best in Show) awards.  I have received many different kinds of awards, but nothing as nice as yours."

- BC

"I just wanted to say thanks for a great time I had at the DeutscheMarques this past weekend. I will definitely be back with my (cars) next year for the second annual DeutscheMarques at the Gilmore Car Museum."

- HW

"Thank you for a great show.  Really enjoyed it."

- BH

Please send DeutscheMarques Auto Group more feedback via email at DeutscheMarquesAG@gmail.com that we may forward to the sponsors that made this event possible, Delta Porsche in Grand Rapids, Harold Zeigler BMW in Kalamazoo and Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz in Kalamazoo. Have any suggestions for next year's event?

Please click on their names, above, to visit their websites and view inventory online.

When shopping for your next new or preowned German car, please support these local dealers who support local auto enthusiasts. 

Hayes Mercedes-Benz Cup, awards go to local M-B owners

by Bradley S. Pines

DeutscheMarquesAG.com

The tall silver trophy was named after the local dealership who helped make the inaugural DeutscheMarques German auto event a reality. The Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz Cup would bear the name of the owner of the car judged Best Mercedes-Benz in Show. The winner would take home a beautiful crystal Best in Show trophy.

The Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz Cup.

The competition was stiff, with an official count of 88 cars on the DeutscheMarques show field in triple-digit temps at the Gilmore Car Museum on July 7. 

Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz displayed a trio of new models right across from the DeutscheMarques registration station for the event participants to see.

Most of the Cup-eligible cars were well-loved and cared for by members of the Western Michigan Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. Its president, Marv Berkowitz, was one of the six event judges. 

Also on his team was Michael Betz, webmeister of the West Michigan Region of the Porsche Club of America and John A. Lacko, local automotive expert and former PCA and KAZOOM officer. Harvey Nuttal, president of the Michiana Chapter of the BMW Club of America, Lindsay Draime, past Michiana president and current board member, and Gary Apps, a longtime Michiana member, made up the other team.

When the judges were done, Jon and Jan Smucker’s anthracite gray 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL was named the Best in Mercedes-Benz in Show. They’ve owned their roadster with red leather interior for four years and say they don’t know how many original miles are on the car. It looks, however, as if it just rolled off the Hayes M-B showroom floor.

Jon and Jan Smucker smile with of their 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL, judged Best in Show Mercedes-Benz.

The Highest Mileage Mercedes-Benz was Richard Vaughn’s smoke silver 1990 300CE with 186,008 miles on the clock, and also won Best Mercedes-Benz of the 1990s. Scott West’s 1980 SEL, silver blue with velour interior, won Best Mercedes-Benz of the 1980s. 

Marv Berkowitz took home both Best Daily Driver Mercedes-Benz and Best 21st Century Mercedes-Benz with his 2011 E 550. The Best Classic Mercedes-Benz was won by Frederick Nugent’s 1969 280SL while the 1966 230SL of Kevin Bornhorst, unrestored with only 60k on the odometer, won a Special Judges’ Award.

Emily Michaelis holds the Best Special Feature & Cleanest Concours Awards her 2005 Chrysler (M-B) Crossfire won.

Under the skin of Emily Michaelis’ 2005 Chrysler (Daimler-Benz owned) Crossfire, lives the mechanicals of the M-B E-series. Her red crystal beauty won her both Best Special Feature and Cleanest Concours Mercedes-Benz awards.

Thanks to event sponsors Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz of Kalamazoo, Harold Zeigler BMW of Kalamazoo, and Delta Porsche of Grand Rapids area M-B owners took home eleven awards in all. 

Bill Tower, sales manager and Amy Krone, general manager, smile with The Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz Cup in the downtown Kalamazoo dealer's showroom. The first DeutscheMarques Best in Show Mercedes Benz winner, Jon and Jan Smucker, are the first names engraved on the trophy. Orrin B. Hayes was the exclusive Mercedes-Benz dealer sponsor of the DeutscheMarques German auto event at the Gilmore Car Museum. 

Please click on the sponsors' names, or on the links at right, to go to the sponsor websites. When choosing your next new or preowned German car, please buy local, and support the dealers who've supported local German car enthusiasts.

A picture gallery with all of the images from the event not yet published may be found here:

http://bradleyspines.smugmug.com/Cars/DeutscheMarquesAutoGroup/DeutscheMarquesStory2012/24148439_76x8Jp#!i=1963099468&k=5vJZ4sP

The Delta Porsche Cup, Awards won by local PCA members

By Bradley S. Pines

DeutscheMarquesAG.com

The Delta Porsche Cup sat waiting, glowing golden in the early morning sun. The DeutscheMarques show field at the Gilmore Car Museum was quiet as officials and participants had not yet arrived. Gleaming examples of brand-new Porsche excellence sat in the dew. 

Delta Porsche, the exclusive Porsche dealer sponsor of the DeutscheMarques gathering, had parked the cars the evening prior to the event, across from where local Porsche owners would display their cars. When the judges chose the Best Porsche in Show award winner, whose name would be the first engraved on The Delta Porsche Cup?

Soon an official count of 88 cars filled the DeutscheMarques area, many of them were Porsches, and the vast majority of those were driven by West Michigan Region of the Porsche Club of America owners. Stuttgart-made sports cars, from classic air-cooled 911s to front-engined water-cooled models to the latest mid-engined roadsters, Porsches were on display and eligible for a variety of prizes.

Charles VanWyk of Delta Porsche describes the 2013 Porsche Boxter to DeutscheMarques participants.

Michael Betz, the WMR webmeister, arrived early in the 1986 Guards Red 944 he’s got for sale, and volunteered to help finish registration packages before the DeutscheMarques participants arrived. Delta Porsche's Charles VanWyk cleaned the new Porsche sports cars and prepared his dealership’s pavilion for the coming guests. Claudio Kaempf, a longtime PCA racer and owner of Foreign Car Services in Kalamazoo, an event supporting vendor, brought his 1970 911 GT4S class racer and soon the Porsches began pouring in.

Michael Betz, in blue, the West Michigan PCA webmaster and a DeutscheMarques judge, announces awards. Betz is flanked by DeutscheMarques officials, Brad Pines, left, PJ Hamlett and Lindsay Draime, in white.

Late in the morning, the six-member judging panel began to inspect the field. The Delta Porsche Cup was waiting. Split into two teams, the Porsches were seen by Harvey Nuttal, the BMW CCA Michiana Chapter president, Lindsay Draime, past president and board member, and Gary Apps, one of the chapter’s founding members. Michael Betz served on the other team, along with Marv Berkowitz, president of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s Michigan Section and John A. Lacko, former WMR and KAZOOM officer.

Terry Scheible holds The Delta Porsche Cup and his crystal Best in Show Porsche awards.

Terry Schieble’s 1967 911S was named Best in Show Porsche. The red classic has travelled 150,000 miles including many hot laps at race tracks like Road America and Blackhawk. Schieble is the veteran WMR PCA Chief Driving Instructor. He’ll take home a beautiful crystal trophy and the Best Classic Porsche award. His name is now engraved on 
The Delta Porsche Cup, which will be on display in the Grand Rapids dealer’s showroom.

Registrar Margaret Hamlett greets Jerry Broersma in his Porsche 944, who won Best Daily Driver Porsche.

Jerry Broersma, another WMR member, won Best Daily Driver Porsche with his burgundy 944, Paul and Diana Swope, members both of the WMR and the MBCA, had their 1981 all-original 924 Turbo judged Cleanest Concours Porsche and Best 1980s Porsche.

Kathy and Mark Bonnema smile with their award-winning Boxter S.

Mark and Kathy Bonnema’s 2008 Boxter S was named Best 21st Century Porsche and David Solleveld’s 1987 944 was given a Judges’ Special Award for its custom 924 GT look. Kaempf’s Foreign Car Services 911 racer won the Best Special Feature Porsche award and Jeff Krisel’s 1998 911 was named Best 1990s Porsche. Rick Riley’s beautiful Gulf Blue 1975 Carrera was named Best 1970s Porsche, continuing a sweep for WMR members.

Rick Riley's Gulf Blue 1975 Carrera has only 102,725 miles on the clock.

Charles VanWyk of Delta Porsche ended the awards by holding a drawing and giving away free use of a Porsche Panamera four-door for a getaway weekend. 
While the inaugural DeutscheMarques German car event at the Gilmore Car Museum is now history, plans for next year are already underway. 

Please send us feedback via email at DeutscheMarquesAG@gmail.com that we may forward to the sponsors that made this event possible, Delta Porsche in Grand Rapids, Harold Zeigler BMW in Kalamazoo and Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz in Kalamazoo. 
Please click on their names, above, to visit their websites and view inventory online. 
When shopping for your next new or preowned German car, please support these local dealers who support local auto enthusiasts. 

This website, www.DeutscheMarquesAG.com will continue to be a vital information source for all German car fans, creating an online community for you to join. 
Please bookmark the site or hit the “Join by email” button to be alerted to frequent updates.


For many more images from the DeutscheMarques event, please see this picture gallery:
http://bradleyspines.smugmug.com

BMWs compete for The Zeigler BMW Trophy

by Bradley S. Pines

DeutcheMarquesAG.com

The competition was as hot as the scorching temps to be the first name engraved on The Zeigler BMW Trophy. Only the Best in Show BMW winner would have that honor.

During the inaugural DeutscheMarques German auto event at the Gilmore Car Museum on July 7 Harold Zeigler BMW of Kalamazoo was the event’s exclusive BMW dealer sponsor. The tall winged trophy was given in their name.

Beautiful BMWs help fill the show field at the inaugural DeutscheMarques auto event on July 7.

Many BMWs, a large number of them owned by members of the Michiana Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, filled the show field of 88 examples of German automotive engineering. Bimmers, from a tiny two-cylinder classic to a gleaming white V12 coupe, were displayed by their proud local owners.

Zeigler BMW client advisors Andy Cone, left, and Shane Thompson hand out gifts, answer questions and display new BMW to the event participants and Gilmore Museum visitors.

Zeigler BMW client advisors Shane Thompson and Andy Cone were on hand to display several brand-new BMWs, answer questions, and hand out gifts with an event logo on them.

Andy Cone, left, and Shane Thompson of Zeigler BMW talk with the crowd as
the panel of judges award the trophies and awards.

A panel of six judges, including the Michiana BMW CCA Chapter’s President, Harvey Nuttal, Lindsay Draime, membership chair and past president, and Gary Apps, a longtime chapter member, chose the award winners. So that the judges could enter their cars, the BMWs were judged by Marv Berkowitz, President of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s Michigan Section, Michael Betz, the West Michigan Region of the Porsche Club of America, and John A. Lacko, well-known automotive expert, photographer, and former member of the PCA, BMW CCA and KAZOOM. 

Hector Orlandi holds his Best in Show BMW trophy with his 1958 BMW 600.

The tiny, yellow, two-cylinder 1958 BMW 600 owned by Hector Orlandi of Kalamazoo, was named Best in Show BMW, and Orlandi’s name may be seen on The Zeigler BMW Trophy soon to be on display in the Kalamazoo dealer’s showroom. Orlandi took home a beautiful crystal Best in Show trophy.

New BMWs from Zeigler BMW in Kalamazoo joined owners' cars on the show field.

Best BMW of the 1990s was awarded to Austin Floyd of Portage, another Michiana member, for his Dakar yellow 1999 M Roadster. Scott Gerding of Perry, won both Best BMW of the 1980s and Cleanest BMW with his 1988 M3 with only 19.5k on the clock. The 1991 850ci V12 coupe owned by Gary Apps of Kalamazoo won Best Classic BMW, Jim Prihoda of Richland had his 2001 BMW 525i Touring named Best BMW Daily Driver. Tom Bordan of East Lansing, another Michiana member, was recognized as Most Miles on a BMW with his white 1980 633csi with an amazing 206k.

The Best BMW Daily Driver went to Jim Prihoda. 

DeutscheMarques founder Pete “PJ” Hamlett’s gleaming blue 535i received both Best 21st Century BMW and Best Special Feature for his very, very low profile tires. The judges’ Special BMW Award went to the red 1998 M3 that collected a poor little bird on its way to being the first arrival at the 2012 DeutscheMarques event. It is owned by your reporter, another Michiana member.

Tony Bonazzi, Sales Manager, and Brooks Weber, General Manager, smile with The Harold Zeigler BMW Trophy, which will be on display at the Kalamazoo dealer. The first DeutscheMarques Best in Show BMW winner, Hector Orlandi, is the first name engraved on the trophy. Harold Zeigler BMW was the exclusive BMW sponsor of the 2012 DeutscheMarques German auto event at the Gilmore Car Museum.

Thanks to event sponsors Harold Zeigler BMW of Kalamazoo, Delta Porsche of Grand Rapids and Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz of Kalamazoo, area BMW owners took home ten awards in all. Click on their names, or on the links at right, to go to the sponsor websites. When choosing your next new or preowned German car, please buy local and support the dealers who've supported local German car enthusiasts.

A picture gallery with all of the images from the event not yet published may be found here:
http://bradleyspines.smugmug.com/Cars/DeutscheMarques

Other picture galleries may be found on the right side of the website.

Winners picture gallery online now

Paul Swope smiles with his DeutscheMarques Awards and his Porsche 924 Turbo. There are 21 images in an online picture gallery of winners from the event at the Gilmore Car Museum.

The pictures of the 2012 DeutcheMarques event award winners are online in a 21-picture gallery on the photographer's website. Click on an image's small thumbnail to enlarge it, and be sure to copy the URL in your browser to share the picture on Facebook or other social media or via email.

Here's the link to the picture gallery. There will be more pictures taken at DeutscheMarques posted soon. Add your email to with the "follow by email" button at the right side of this website.

http://bradleyspines.smugmug.com/Cars/DeutscheMarquesAutoGroup

Foreign Car Services wins at DeutscheMarques

by Bradley S. Pines
DeutscheMarques Auto Group
BSPines@gmail.com

Claudio Kaempf, who races the Foreign Car Services Porsche 911, is no stranger to victory circle. He has brought home the checkered flag in many Porsche Club of America races, standing on the podium more often than not. This time his blue Porsche race car, with a bright Swiss flag on its roof, won while standing still.

The car was selected Best Special Feature Porsche by a panel of judges, including officers from the West Michigan Region of the Porsche Club of America, The Michiana Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America and the West Michigan Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America during DeutscheMarques German auto event at the Gilmore Car Museum on July 7.

The Foreign Car Services Porsche 911 racer across from the Delta Porsche display at DeutcheMarques on July 7.

Foreign Car Services, located at 1104 Portage Road in Kalamazoo, was a supporting vendor at the event, the DeutscheMarques exclusive independent auto shop.

DeutscheMarques, an annual gathering of German cars, owners and enthusiasts, was sponsored by Delta Porsche of Grand Rapids, Zeigler BMW of Kalamazoo and Hayes Mercedes-Benz of Kalamazoo. All three dealers brought several new examples of the brands they offer in the showrooms. 

Claudio Kaempf at Foreign Car Services.

Kaempf, however, prefers more classic models. Little remains from his light weight 1970 Porsche’s days as a street car. “Only the steering wheel,” is still a street piece, he says. His shop, Foreign Car Services, is equipped with the latest technology to diagnose and repair the latest offering from premium import brands.

Watch a video of Claudio Kaempf on sports car racing.

A secret pleasure of Kalamazoo-area car buffs is to cruise past the FCS parking lot to see what exotic examples of automotive engineering is awaiting his attention. Many local Porsche, BMW, Audi, M-B owners are his regular customers, as are many midwestern weekend racetrack drivers.

Hot laps while testing at GingerMan Raceway.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call Foreign Car Services at (269) 342-6994

or visit www.Foreign-Car-Services.com.

A note of thanks from the Founder

First of all, many thanks to our sponsors, Harold Zeigler BMW of Kalamazoo, Delta Porsche of Grand Rapids and Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz of Kalamazoo for being so generous with their beautiful new automobiles and for spending time with us on such a very hot Saturday, July 7 at the Gilmore Car Museum.

Thanks, too, to our supporting vendors, Claudio Kaempf of Foreign Car Services and Bob & Kay's Car Wash. Without our sponsors, DeutscheMarques would never have come to be.

Thank you, everyone, for bringing your incredible German machines to the show field on such a hot day. Many of you told me that it was great for them to meet other gearheads and to find the excellent local car clubs that each marque, or brand, brings to the our motoring community. For me to see so many people enjoying each other’s company, sharing their passion for their cars, gave us a meaningful reward for the hard work and time our crew put in to bring DeutscheMarques to life. 

My special thanks go to the members of my own club, the Michiana Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, for their help and support from the day I brought up the idea of an all-German car show back in February. Thank you especially to Harvey Nuttall, chapter president, Lindsay Draime, past president and membership chair, and Gary Apps, attorney-at-law. Gary gave away bags full of Hot Wheels and other miniature diecast cars, just so that our participants could say "I got a new (Porsche, BMW, M-B) free at DeutscheMarques!"

Other clubs were also very much a part of the creation of the first DeutscheMarques event. Michael Betz, the webmaster at the West Michigan Region of the Porsche Club of America not only volunteered to serve as a judge, jumped right in to help get registration packages ready before our event began. Marv Berkowitz, president of the Western Michigan Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, also served as a volunteer judge. They, along with many other local car club members, like the Michigan Vintage VW Club, brought beautiful examples of their favorite car to display on the DeutscheMarques show field. Check back here soon for pictures and stories.

We owe another great big "thank you" to the hosts of our inaugural event, The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners. David Hatfield of the museum's staff braved the triple-digit temperatures to conduct a series of VIP tours of the museum's treasures. Michael Spezia was invaluable behind the scenes in helping launch our gathering. Other members of the staff brought us everything we needed to welcome almost a hundred cars and their owners.

Another unseen hero was Nate Bailey, our account executive at Promotion Concepts in Kalamazoo. Nate took our custom-designed logo and put it, along with the appropriate sponsor logos, on The Delta Porsche Cup, The Harold Zeigler BMW Trophy and The Orrin B. Hayes Mercedes-Benz Cup. He guided us in the selection of those new annual awards and suggested spectacular crystal trophies which would accept our Best in Show design.

The man who saw this vision like no other, and ran with it like no one I have ever seen, was Brad Pines. The name, DeutscheMarques, a pun, was his suggestion. Brad's background as a journalist was the key for him to build a website, write the content, design the DeutscheMarques logo, create the Inaugural event poster, design the trophies, awards, window cards, forms and dash plaques and the list goes on. He has incredible drive and even served as the event’s master of ceremonies. 

My last thank you goes to my wonderful, supportive family, Margaret, my wife, our daughters, Monica and Corinn Hamlett Wooster and Lewis Wooster, my new son-in-law. You were there when I needed you the most. 

I am truly blessed by the people who make me strong.

Please hit the "Follow us by email" button on the right side of this screen because we've got lots more good stuff coming soon on an improved website. You won't want to miss it. Tell your gearhead buddies about www.DeutscheMarquesAG.com.

Thank you again everyone,

"PJ"

Peter J. Hamlett,

Founder

Deutsche Marques Auto Group

www.DeutscheMarquesAG.com

DeutscheMarquesAG@gmail.com

The Hamlett clan, from left, Monica, Margaret, Pete "PJ" Corrin Hamlett Wooster & Lewis Wooster, look chic in their DeutscheMarques Auto Group black t-shirts, available online here soon. 

Best of Show winners 2012

By Bradley S. Pines

DeutscheMarquesAG.com

(Click on images to enlarge)

Six Best in Show trophies were awarded by the panel of judges during the inaugural DeutscheMarques German auto event at the Gilmore Car Museum under scorching hot skies on July 7, 2012.

Terry Schieble of Portage, Michigan, will see his name engraved first onto the Delta Porsche Cup as his classic 1967 Porsche 911S was named Best in Show Porsche. The tall gold trophy will be on display in the Grand Rapids Porsche dealer’s showroom. Schieble says his red sports car is an original S model and has some 150,000 miles on the clock. Many of those at speed at during hot laps of Road America, Blackhawk Farms and other road course race tracks. Schieble is a longtime member of the Porsche Club of America and is the veteran Chief Driving Instructor of the West Michigan Region of the P.C.A.

Holding the Delta Porsche Cup and his crystal Best in Show trophy, Terry Schieble smiles with his 1967 Porsche 911S.

Hector Orlandi won the Harold Zeigler Trophy and holds his crystal Best BMW award with his '58 BMW 600.

Hector Orlandi, of Kalamazoo, will see his name as the first engraved on the Harold Zeigler Trophy after his 1958 BMW 600 was named Best in Show BMW. The car, which only has 27,000 miles, is in original condition. The tiny yellow car sports a 582cc boxer two-cylinder air-cooled engine from the R50 motorcycle producing only 23 horsepower. Developed from the smaller Isetta, the 600 has seats for four with the door at the front of the vehicle. A fully restored similar BMW 600 sold at auction in 2010 for $74,250 with buyer’s premium. 

Jon Smucker smiles with the Orrin B. Hayes Cup and his Best Mercedes-Benz trophy with wife Jan in their 1970 280SL.

Jon and Jan Smucker may travel from their home in Goshen, Indiana to Kalamazoo to see their names engraved first on the silver Orrin B. Hayes Cup. Their crystal Best in Show Mercedes-Benz trophy is theirs to keep next to the 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL they’ve owned for four years. The beautiful gray roadster features red leather interior, a 2.8 liter ohv inline six-cylinder engine and was rated with a 0-60 time of 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 121 mph.

Joel Phillips holds his crystal Best Audi award with his 1995 S6 sedan.

Joel Phillips of Kalamazoo was awarded Best of Show Audi for his 1995 Audi S6. He says his car has had a rebuild including its 3071 turbo. The sleek all-wheel-drive sedan, which has travelled 114,000 miles, is the high performance sport model of the executive A6. The engine is a 2.2 liter inline five-cylinder turbo and was rated with a quick 0-62.1 mph sprint in 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 146 mph.

William Chapple and his Best VW 1968 Karmann Ghia roadster.

William Chapple of Marshall took home a crystal Best in Show Volkswagen trophy for his 1968 Karmann Ghia droptop. It’s run some 101,000 miles and Chapple says he’s owned the classic green beauty for 19 years. Chapple is a member of the Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Club. The Karmann Ghia is based on the standard VW Beetle chassis and also shared its air-cooled flat four-cylinder engine. Agent 86 of CONTROL, Maxwell Smart, drove one on the classic TV spy spoof series, “Get Smart.”

Gloria and James Tiller at the stern their 1966 Amphicar, the Best Other German “car.”

Gloria and James Tiller of Kalamazoo were in the right class when they won Best in Show in the Other German Marques category. Their 1966 Amphicar 770 is in a class of its own, as both a car and a boat. The plate on the stern says it all “I FLOAT.” First introduced in 1961, the German vehicle is powered by a Triumph 1147 cc four-cylinder producing only 38.3 bhp. With top speeds of 7 knots in the water and about 70 mph, one owner was quoted as saying, “We like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and the fastest boat on the road.” Only 3,878 were produced. Gloria and James Tiller own and operate two Kzoo Books new and used bookshops in Kalamazoo.

Please look for more event coverage with pictures and picture gallery links, so be sure to bookmark the DeutscheMarques Auto Group website, www.DeutscheMarquesAG.com.

A great beginning!

Wow!
What a great day. Thanks to all of the German car owners who shared the show field at the Gilmore Car Museum, the inaugural DeutscheMarques event was a huge success.

It was great meeting all of you, and seeing so many wonderful German cars. The selection of new models, brought by Harold Zeigler BMW of Kalamazoo, Delta Porsche (Fox Imports) of Grand Rapids, and Orrin B. Hays Mercedes-Benz, was great to see. Remember, without the support of those three dealers, there would have been no DeutscheMarques.

PLEASE send us an email at DeutscheMarquesAG@gmail.com with your comments about the show. We'll pass them on to the sponsors as feedback. We're already planning for next year's Gilmore Museum gathering, so please add your suggestions, too. Your comments will help insure sponsorship for upcoming events.

DeutscheMarques officials, including Brad Pines, hat, Michael Betz, in blue,  PJ Hamlett in black, and Lindsay Draime, announce awards during the inaugural DeutscheMarques German auto event at the Gilmore Car Museum on July 7.

We'll be posting photographs of the Best of Show winners soon, with the other award winners soon after. Please check back in a few days. Thanks for all of the great comments on our inaugural poster.

We still have a few chic black uber-slimming t-shirts and posters available, and we're working on a way to make them available to order right here on our website. Please stay tuned for more information soon.

Again, on behalf of all of us organizing our inaugural event, thanks for making it a great start to a new tradition at the Gilmore Car Museum. Special thanks to the great team of judges and volunteer officials manning the registration and keepsake table. Without your help, DeutscheMarques gathering would have not been possible.

If you're an officer or member of a German car club, please send us an email so we may help create a common calendar of events for all car fans to enjoy. We'll also add a link to your club website, if we haven't already done so.

DeutscheMarques fans, let's stay in touch!

- Brad Pines
Communications Director

Stay cool and see hot cars

The temps may be high, but stay cool in several large air conditioned buildings at the Gilmore Car Museum, site of today's inaugural DeutscheMarques German auto event.

Browse through classic and modern cars, eat at the Cafe and shop at the museum's gift shop, all in a large new, cool building. Park your German car with the DeutscheMarques event, enjoy three VIP guided tours of the world-class museum and stop back to watch the judges hand out more than 60 awards in six classes.

You may also pick up collectable Inaugural keepsakes - the event T-shirt & poster are available, and the first 200 entrants will receive a free dash plaque.

Please join lots of German car enthusiasts at the Gilmore Car Museum today to help us make history - the first of many years to come!