If you live in Germany and own a classic or collectible car, the name Classic Remise won’t be unfamiliar to you. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, maintain, or simply store your desirable or rare car, these facilities do it all.
For anyone who has a passion for cars, visiting Classic Remise is a great way to see a lot of interesting vehicles in a very casual setting. The facilities are open to the public, and they truly feel like museums more than anything else. Classic Remise has a location in Berlin – which Vladimir toured last year – along with Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf. Today, I want to take you on a tour around the latter.
The Classic Remise Düsseldorf facility is located in a restored locomotive roundhouse that is today under Germany’s monument protection, so it fits the theme of the preserved cars within very well. Illuminated by a translucent ceiling, the center hall is full of cars being offered up for sale by the on-site dealership.
Surrounding the hall are rows of cars displayed behind glass, many of which are privately owned. During my recent visit, the display was filled with a mix of newer sports cars, as well as classic icons, including two Aston Martin DB5s. As you’ll see while you scroll through this image gallery, there’s real diversity here.
The cars in the facility naturally change as business goes on, but the ones that are present at any given time feel like a cherry-picked showcase. And for those who are keen on rare specs and special models, you’ll always be pleasantly surprised by the curation.
Case in point, this Porsche 930 Turbo Flachbau that was for sale. Also known as a flat nose or slant nose, the option of pop-up headlights on the 930 was inspired by the 935 race car’s silhouette. The model came with a hefty price tag as the front-end modification was made off the production line, hence why original flat nose 930 Turbos are uncommon and a worth a lot more than ‘regular’ 930 Turbos.
The side intake was a feature only seen on the Flachbau 930 Turbo and the WLS or Werkstattleistungssteigerung (Works Performance Increase) 930 Turbo – the latter being an option pack that included a larger turbo, 5-speed manual gearbox, oil cooling, and special body panels.
Don’t fancy the Turbo model? Well, Classic Remise’s Porsche selection is pretty big, so you’ll surely find one that suits your needs. I saw everything from the original Ur-911 to legends like the 2.7 RS and 964 RS, as well as a couple of transaxle cars, such as the 928S.
Classic Remise Düsseldorf’s current supercar collection is also rather diverse. I never imagined seeing something as exotic as an Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato so casually.
There was no lack of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens either.
Need something that goes off road? Take a look at this Mercedes-AMG G63 4×4 Squared.
But what if supercars aren’t your cup of tea? Well, I found this JDM Honda City Turbo II sitting between a group of exotics. It seemed totally out of place at first glance, but it shows that anything goes inside the facility, as long as it’s unique and well maintained.
But by far the most interesting car for me was this black BMW M1. Based on a 1979 model, this was a project between C.A.R. – a Mannheim-based engineering company – and race driver Harald Erlt, supported by BP to promote liquid petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternate fuel. Known as the BP Autogas M1 or the BMW M1 Turbo, the car received two turbochargers to bump power up to 410hp, while its lightweight Kevlar-reinforced plastic body was designed for high speed runs. The car eventually achieved its engineering goals and broke the world record for the fastest LPG-powered car with a top speed of 301.4km/h.
After a troubled exchange of ownership in the 1980s, the BP Autogas M1 was last seen in 1993, before it finally surfaced again in 2019 as an abandoned car in a warehouse just outside of London.
The story continues with my visit to Classic Remise Düsseldorf, where the restored car sits today next to an original M1. I’d really love to have a chat with the people responsible for bringing this special BMW M1 back to its former glory.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bemused when I saw this Daihatsu Materia on display. It turns out though, that this was the very last Daihatsu officially brought to Europe before the automaker closed up shop here in 2013. The car was signed by everyone who worked at Daihatsu’s European office and in its dealerships at the time of closure.
Tucked away in a corner of the facility was this original, one-of-28 Gemballa Avalanche, a staple of tuned ’80s supercars. The wide body with pronounced side intake looked pretty wild from a distance.
This is the 1967 Bayer K67, also known as ‘Kunststoffauto’ or ‘Plastic Car’. Designed by Hans Gugelot with engineering help from BMW and Bayer AG, the K67 was one of the earliest cars to feature an extensive use of plastic. The main structure uses glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) sandwich construction, with the inner parts filled with foamed polyurethane. Out of the five examples that were ever built, only two survive today, including this one at Classic Remise Düsseldorf.
While many people choose to store their cars privately in their homes, I praise those who display them at facilities like Classic Remise Düsseldorf where everyone can enjoy them. If you’re ever in town – or near any of the other Classic Remise locations – I highly recommend you make time for a visit. You won’t be disappointed.
Steve Edward
Instagram: stevedwrd
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