The ‘Schloss Dyck Masterpieces & Style’ Is The Best Concours You’ve Never Heard Of

July 18, 2017

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Photography by Ted Gushue

Drive about 25 minutes outside of downtown Düsseldorf and you’ll find yourself deep in the understated agricultural countryside that Germany is so well known for. If you weren’t paying attention to the signs there’s little chance that you’d notice the Teutonic castle with a funny name, Schloss Dyck, lying off the main arterial roadway. Now to say that this particular Schloss is off the radar isn’t particularly fair; it’s been host to “Classic Days” for ages, which will see something north of 8,000 cars descending upon the property with a proper “Goodwoodesque” atmosphere.

Up until recently, Classic Days was also home to a top notch concours, but as these things go it began to take on a life of its own, and just three years ago they split the event into two separate ones, resulting in what you see below: Masterpieces & Style.

If you haven’t heard of Masterpieces & Style, you’re forgiven. The event is almost comically private. Waivers were signed by all guests (of which there were only about 250) to agree to not photograph the faces of car owners. The only way that we were allowed to photograph and publish any images was by reaching a special agreement with our friends at A. Lange & Söhne to be granted such access.

At any rate, the event was just spectacular. Imagine a baby Pebble Beach, with cars of that caliber from all over Europe. Cars like Hans Hermann’s 908/03 works car that he drove at the Nürburgring, pictured above and below.

On display you’d also find GT40 P/1079 which was delivered new from Ford Advanced Vehicles to Mr. Jean Blaton of Brussels, Belgium. Who is he? Well, Jean was one of the few privateers to enter a GT40 in Le Mans, with this particular car being a few kilograms lighter than the other cars entered, as it was one of the very last cars to be built by John Wyer. You may know him from 917 fame, but he’d been in the game far earlier.

Oh, and that funky looking 917 showing its rump in the header photo? That’s the works prototype 917/10 Can Am Car. Yeah.

This was easily one of the most beautiful 904 Carrera GTS examples I’ve ever seen. From the registry: “Originally delivered to well-known Parisian privateer, Jean Kerguen.” Having raced, among others, a Zagato-bodied Aston Martin DB4GT, Mr. Kerguen was a seasoned and quite respectively fast gentleman racer. With 904-041, he obtained the following results:

– June 20th, 1964, wearing #32, with Jacques Dewez (using the pseudonym “Franc”), 12th – Le Mans 24 Hours;
– July 5th, 1964, again with Dewez, 16th – Reims 12 Hours;
– September 20th, 1964, 6th – Coupe de Paris at Montlhery;
– October 11th, 1964, with Dewez, 9th – Paris 1000 KM at Montlhery;
– June 19th, 1965, wearing #38, with Dewez, DNF – Le Mans 24 Hours;