The German Show 2013

Words & Photos by Henry Phull

 

I first attended this show back in 2010 when it first started out, and it’s amazing to see how it has grown into such a special show for German enthusiasts. The vibe is chilled out and the venue is spectacular, hosted in the lush grounds of Beaulieu in the New Forest, Hampshire. A £13 entrance fee also grants access to the historic Beaulieu Motor Museum onsite, with camping available on the Saturday night at additional cost. It certainly seems like a good deal for a great day out, and very family friendly too.

 

I spent the morning at Beaulieu, as I had another show to attend later in the day. I parked up and the first spotting was this E31 850i beast.. can’t beat a bit of V12 power!

 

 

As much as we love lowered cars here at Slam Sanctuary, there’s still admiration for the OEM and standard cars, that’s where it all starts anyway, right? Well that’s the reason The German Show is a favourite – there’s a huge variation of vehicles on display. Take this E36 M3 saloon for example.

 

 

There was quite decent turnout for the Porsche fans, including a RUF.

 

 

 

 

 

…and an amazing selection of classics.

 

 

The German Show falls on the same weekend as Bug Jam, where the majority of the VAG guys head to religiously, so it was good to see some made the effort to attend.

 

 

 

These two E36 Sport’s were looking tasty side by side with matching blue centred Style 5’s, always a winning combination on these cars.

 

 

 

 

 

I followed this French caged E21 320 coupe into the show, which looked just as good rolling as it did parked up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The E30’s were out in full force, as the show is sponsored by E30Zone.net so many of their cars were on display, including various ‘verts like this…

 

 

One of my stand out cars of the show, an V8-powered E30 saloon. I first saw this car parked up at Players Classic a few months ago so it was awesome to see it on display getting the attention it deserves.

 

 

I didn’t get the chance to chat to the owner, but it is obviously an M60 lump. A lot of people have done this swap but the execution of this one is stunning. The bay is so so clean, with freshly painted rocker covers and removal of washer bottles, it’s just flawless and sounded like an absolute beast driving in.

 

 

 

This Caddy was extremely clean for good reason, parked up on the Kleen Freaks stand. Very nice indeed.

 

 

The shark nose BMW’s are probably considered some of the most prestigious to own. I spotted this lovely E28 5 series on polished Style 5’s with black centers.

 

 

 

There’s always time for an OEM RS4, one of the finest power houses to come out of Germany.

 

 

…or forget power, how about a cleaner than clean Mk1.

 

 

Being an ex E34 owner and a huge fan myself, it was sad to see just one example, so I had to get at least two shots.

 

 

This white E34 was fully stripped out for drift days and pretty mean looking! The owner said it was the car’s last day out as he had just upgraded to a 540i/6 – where the real power is.

 

 

A Mk2 Golf sitting pretty on a set of Ronals.

 

 

I’d not seen a set of these 3SDM wheels on an E46 touring yet, but they work well especially on a silver car.

 

 

 

This E36 M3 was a very tidy example with BBS LM’s and a red Vader interior. Great colour combo, and amber indicators to finish it off.

 

 

An E36 I remember from DC13… This is a ‘vert done to perfection.

 

 

Thanks to the heatwave the UK is currently having, the grass got worse further out from the show ground, so this Jetta became slightly camouflaged thanks to its body colour! Still a fantastic car.

 

 

Another highlight, Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Cosworth, one of the cleanest I’ve seen. Just check out that engine bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A badass E39 M5 looking mean in black with huge BBS LM’s.

 

 

Check out the US-spec boot lid which features the square number plate. I think this really transforms the rear end of the E39 – great mod!

 

 

A Rallye sitting nicely on the hill.

 

 

If you’re looking for one of the cleanest classic BMW’s out there, have a look at this beautiful E21 316 in red.

 

 

At the other end of the scale, V8 M3. That is all.

 

 

It was parked alongside two stunning E46 M3’s, including this stunning Laguna Seca blue example on black CSL’s.

 

 

 

 

One of my favourite cars of all time, an E24 M635csi, completely standard.

 

 

There was a nice selection of Karmann Ghia’s dotted about the show.

 

 

 

Our Slam Sanctuary project E46 taking in the sun.

 

 

You don’t see too many of these about, a BMW Z1.

 

 

A nice Audi B5 on Merc wheels.

 

 

Another classic, a black 2002 resting under the shade.

 

 

 

A nice bonus to the show was the arena that encouraged owners to come and show off their cars and provide everyone with a bit of entertainment.

 

 

…like a bit of field drifting in a stripped 2002 and E36. Looked like a lot of fun!

 

 

The time I spent at The German Show was brilliant. As I said earlier, it’s great to see the show attracting so many attendees now. I’ll definitely be there next year, you should too.