DTM legends from the 90s and beyond at the historic Copenhagen Grand Prix

’90s DTM Legends & More At The Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix

My goal with car photography has always been to capture all aspects of car culture. Something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember is photographing 1990s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) race cars in action.

This summer I finally made that dream come true.

A7300260

Every year the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix is ​​held in Bellahøj Park in Copenhagen. As one of the few events of its kind in Denmark, it attracts thousands of visitors. Since I only recently discovered it, I decided to go there during a family vacation.

A7300381-Edit

When it’s on, the streets around Bellahøj Park are transformed into a 2.4 km race circuit with tight corners and challenging chicanes. The park itself will become a hub for all kinds of additional activities.

HAZ07047-Edit
HAZ07053-Edit

I entered through one of the event’s several gates, which happened to be closest to the Via Retro car show – a great place to start.

HAZ07080-Edit
HAZ07066-Edit

This show area was filled with cars from various Danish clubs, including Porsche, Lancia, Land Rover, MG and others. Some clubs showed models I had never heard of.

HAZ07075-Edit

An example of this was this beautifully preserved Lancia Fulvia Sport from the 1970s, a sleek, fastback and sportier variant of the Fulvia Coupé.

HAZ07054
HAZ07058-Edit

Another highlight was this J5 from Kellison, a California-based kit car manufacturer active in the late 1950s and 1960s.

HAZ07112-Edit

There are always special cars on display at these types of events, but for me the best part of any car festival that revolves around racing is in the paddock.

HAZ07113-Edit

The historic 2024 Copenhagen Grand Prix featured seven classes of racing over three days. These ranged from the Youngtimer category to modern hatchbacks…

See also  Nissan: A guide to everything you need to know
HAZ07144-Edit
HAZ07351

…to the Formula Junior category with single-seaters such as the Lotus 22 and Lola Mk5A, and the Sixty-Fivers for cars from the late sixties. Japanese vehicles were scarce, but I did spot a Datsun 240Z.

HAZ07129-Edit
HAZ07136

Although I am a Japanese car enthusiast at heart, I appreciate vintage events featuring classic cars more than anything; they just feel ‘grown up’. Maybe it’s because I’m a dad in my 30s, but there’s something about watching these automotive time machines whiz by that makes the experience unforgettable.

HAZ07122
HAZ07028-Edit

For me the highlight of the event was clear: the Tourenwagen Legends.

HAZ07492-Edit
HAZ07392-Edit

Before the historic Copenhagen Grand Prix, my exposure to DTM racing was limited to archived Eurosport replays and YouTube montages, often set to German rock ‘n’ roll music.

A7300031-Edit

While this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it didn’t prepare me for the excitement of seeing these touring cars fly by in person.

A7300547-Edit
A7300680-Edit

There was variety on the grid with Porsche 996 GT3 Cup cars, Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24s, BMW E30 M3s and Mercedes-Benz 190 E EVO I and EVO IIs all racing together. It was a spectacle I did not expect.

A7300003-Edit

Kristian Poulsen, winner of Friday’s race, pushed his BMW E30 M3 DTM to the limit. Mechanical problems prevented him from completing Saturday’s race, but Kristian secured second place on Sunday. This BMW was undoubtedly my favorite car of the entire weekend.

A7300148-Edit
A7300368-Edit

Although the DTM class was my highlight, it was great to see all kinds of cars racing around the street circuit.

HAZ07217-Edit

While putting this post together, I realized it would be cool to photograph these iconic cars with period-correct analog camera gear to capture their true essence. Trevor’s 35mm photography has inspired me to explore this further.

See also  Tether Closing In On Historic $120 Billion Market Cap Milestone

I need to learn more about shooting on film, but until then, enjoy many more photos from the 2024 Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix below.

Alen Haseta
Instagram: Hazeta

Touring car related stories on Speedhunters

A7300445-Edit
HAZ07201-Edit
HAZ07194-Edit
HAZ07465-Edit
HAZ07098-Edit
A7309963-Edit
HAZ07126-Edit
HAZ07184-Edit
HAZ07483-Edit
A7300335-Edit
HAZ07210-Edit
HAZ07130-Edit
HAZ07124-Edit