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Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014 – Report and Photos

Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014 Julien Mahiels
Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014

The AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014 was staged 8-10 August at the famed Nurburgring Circuit in Germany, with 600 participants and more than 60,000 spectators enjoying the 42nd running of the historical races. This year’s Oldtimer saw a total of thirteen races and a large number of demonstration runs and presentations that put seven decades of motorsport and automobile history at the forefront.

Visitors to the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix saw an abundance of on-track action. The evolution of open-wheel racing was documented, from the races of the historic Grand Prix vehicles up to 1960 and the Formula One racers up to 1965, through to the Historic FIA Formula One Championship with fields extending to the mid-eighties.

Dedicated races were also held for the feeder categories of Formula Junior and Formula Three. The FIA Masters Sportscars Championship and the races of the two-seat racing cars and GTs up to 1960/61 featured excellent fields that make sports car history palpable, while Touring car and GT fans enjoyed the revival of the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM), the AvD Touring Car Trophy and the Gentlemen Drivers (GTs up to 1965). The oldest vehicles of the weekend were featured in the Vintage Sports Car Trophy for pre-war vehicles.

The 2014 edition of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix also featured a BMW race and demonstration runs that included special cars from the BMW factory collection such as legendary M3 cars that caused a sensation in the German Touring Car Championship and the 1997 BMW McLaren F1 GTR Longtail that was in a class of its own. Ex-BMW drivers such as Johnny Cecotto, Marc Hessel, Leopold Prinz von Bayern, Harald Grohs and Marc Surer participated as well.

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Similar to the 2011, 2012 and 2013 historic car races, photographer Julien Mahiels also documented the Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014, offering the following excellent picture gallery that shows the entrants battling the famous Nurburgring.

AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014 – Main Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture)

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[Source: AvD; photos: Julien Mahiels]

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9 Comments

  2. The narrative on the 2014 Oldtimers Gran Prix was interesting and exciting in the Gentlemen Drivers, Pre 1963, race, regarding how McInerneys Griffith 400 which came in second, and after waiting 29 seconds or more got back on the track to take second place. Yet I didn’t see one picture of the car in all these photographs.

    We concluded that the Marque was totally overlooked in favor of the AC Shelby Cobras, 250 Ferraris, Corvettes, Jaguars, and Porsche 904’s. Yet, the TVR Griffith beat all those cars, yes even after going off the track and getting on again, for second place.

    I guess I’ll have to down there next time and give some photo coverage to a great racing team and their powerful car-The Griffith 400 of Michael and Sean McInerney. And a big Hurray for Jack Andrew Griffith who told Carroll Shelby that he could built a car that would beat his Cobras.

    Chuck Pineda
    United States of America
    Proud owner and original owner of a 1966 Griffith 400.

    1. Dear Chuck,

      Editing of 3000 pictures is never an easy task and it happens that sometimes some cars are being left out.
      If you are willing to stand in the rain for 2 days walking over 20km non stop for 2 days you can indeed join me next year.

      I am sorry if you didn’t find what you were looking for in the gallery.

      1. Juliian: Last time we were in England we had little rain. My wife and daughter enjoyed the Eye. If I was back in the 8th Army I would have recommended you for the Victoria Cross of Auto Photography. I did see one of the TVR dealers who had more cars than the factory at Blackpool. Here, in the states, Shelbys Cobras were supported by Holman Moody, who did the fantastic engineering work, and Ford. Jack Griffith was so busy selling the Series 200’s that he did not support his cars in SCCA racing. So, single owners had to compete against hundreds of thousand of dollars and technology in the middle sixties.

        The AC Bristol was no racing sportcar with the Ford V/8 due to its crude independent rear suspension which was like the Corvettes (leaf springs),however, Holman and Moody with their racing experience did wonders for the chassis and brought the bacon home for the Shelby organization.

        Fellows like Tom Lynch an engineer and an independent campaigned his Series 200 against Carroll Shelby, Ford, and Holman and Moody and their financial resources. I, personally, saw Tom Lynch in his Griffith soundly beat Ken Miles and Dave Mcdonald for 8 laps or until some slower production car in that race scattered rocks on the course at Goleta (Santa Barbara), California causing the winning car, at that moment the Griffith, to hit the rocks and blow his left rear tire and causing him to DNF.

        The crowd was in shock as no one had heard of a Griffith and seeing the best of Shelbys drivers and cars 91 and 96, the fastest of the Cobras, who had lapped the Corvettes at the Riverside Gran Prix,1965, being soundly beaten was astonishing! I was supporting Scooter Patrick in his superfast Porsche 904 as I had a 356A, Class E, Production car. The Cobras were losing yards to the Griffith and one could see Miles with a determined grin, to no avail, trying to catch the Series 200 Griffith.

        I walk about a half mile and talked to Tom Lynch who was looking at the blown left rear tire from a distance and conveyed to him that no one had heard of a Griffith and that we were suprised that it could beat Shelbus best cars and drivers. Some of my friends were looking at the racing program to learn more about the Griffith as it was small, light gray in color, a had won the pole position on Saturday. Tom stated that he was running the same engine as the Shelby AC Cobras, however, was about 500 pound lighter than the Cobras. And that is how I learned about the Griffith, and love to see pictures of them.

        The McInerneys and Shipmans Series 400 Griffith today show the racing public what a fantastic racing team with some support, I see the Shell sign, on Shipmans, Niguel Reubens light green Griffith 400 can do for a car. Jack Griffitn could have done the same and the rave about the Shelby Cobra would have subsided or their would have been a battle of the Ford engines, however, with unequal wishbone suspension all around and 300 to 400 pounds lighter the Griffith 400 would have been the A Production champion-See 2011 Silverstone, Gentlemen Drives, race, UK, U-tube.

  3. This Photo Gallery is a wonderful tribute to the Oldtimer GP. It features most of the fascinating cars, gives you a idea of the torrential rain on Friday at the Nordschleife, the big crowd following this magnificent spectacle and action in abundance, however, it does not (cannot) grasp the wonderful atmosphere, especially of the race on Saturday into the night – you will have to come yourself in order to personally experience this exciting event!

    Franz Ortenburg,
    VP of AvD

  4. Thank you so much! As a major Porsche and BMW Fan I always look forward to the annual Oldtimers event as it’s one of, if not the finest display of vintage race cars in the world. You are a gifted photographer. I thank you and sports car digest for bringing smiles to many faces. Cheers!

  5. This is a great picture of Jason Wright’s GT40, here driven in the first session by Michael Gans. It really gives a perfect feel for the Nordschliefe in the rain: what Jackie Stewart really meant by the “Green Hell”. They were beating everyone by a country mile until the race was red flagged due to the rain. Why after the restart the powers that be took the restart positions from three laps before the red flag and not the usual one lap, nobody knows. So super-pro Frank Stippler was able to hunt down Jason Wright and win by 8 seconds after the restart. Even the Team Gotcha Jaguar winning drivers, Frank and Marcus, apologised to second placed Michael and Jason on the podium! But what a great picture – thanks Julien, I bet you would have been willing to stand all day in the rain for just one picture that good.