People who were considering attending DM12 looked at the weather report the morning of Saturday, July 13, and saw something remarkable: A zero-percent chance of rain all day long! They came out in droves as they drove to the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.
“Droves” is not an understatement. 646 beautiful German cars filled the GCM
grounds to overflowing. It was another record year – a 14% increase over 2023!
In fact, DM attendance has grown every year since it began in 2012,
thanks to the many wonderful German car enthusiasts across the Midwest and
Canada.
As always, there were many remarkable cars to see. An East German two-cylinder
two-stroke Trabant. Not one, but TWO Mercedes-Benz Unimogs. An Amphicar 770 (that
previously won so many awards in the ‘Other’ category, they asked not to be
part of the 2024 judging).
Speaking of judging, we want to give a special thanks to the 17 attendees who
volunteered their time on this beautiful afternoon to look at hundreds of cars
and choose their favorites from an astounding field. And “favorites” it is, as
most of these are not trained professional judges. BMW drivers looked at a
different marque, like Porsche. Porsche folks might judge Volkswagens. Audi
owners perused Mercedes-Benz. And so on.
All in all, judging is meant to be fun. Except, maybe, when it comes to the
coveted “Best in Show” trophies. These elegant awards went to the six “best”
cars in each marque. And we had a history-making “two-fer” in the results.
Here are the people who took home the crystal:
Audi was well represented by Joshua Lothringer from South Rockwood,
Michigan. His 2017 A4 Allroad in Moonlight Blue Metallic over Nougat was a showstopper,
with its airlift suspension and imported European roof rails.
BMW sported a highly modified 1988 M3 we
wouldn’t want to run against on a track. John Kosmas brought it from Niles,
Illinois to be part of the party. 187K miles and still going strong.
Porsche Platz displayed a gorgeous 1965 356SC named Heinz, owned by Peter and Dorothy Dykema. They drove all the way from Hickory Corners, Michigan (that’s a joke! GCM is in Hickory Corners)! It was originally a California car and even has the correct Porsche factory tools.
Volkswagen provided an opportunity to repeat the names of the previous “Best in Show” winners, Dorothy and Peter Dykema. Their 1968 Type 3 Notchback stole the hearts of the judges with its sunroof, bamboo trays and side lites. We are glad they brought it from just down the street.
And although there were only five cars in the always interesting ‘Other’ class, they were all unique and special. Most special, according to the judges, was a 1961 Borgward Isabella Coupe. 35 years ago, Karl Krumrey drove it from California to Manistique in “da UP,” as he calls it. Two years ago, he finally started his resto project and his handiwork took the “Best in Show” crystal trophy.
Congratulations to all our “Best in Show” winners, and thanks to the other 640 of you who have made DeutscheMarques America’s largest all-German car show!
