My goal with car photography has always been to capture all aspects of car culture. Something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember is photograph the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) race cars from the 90s in action.
This summer I was finally able to realize that long-cherished dream.
Every year, Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix takes place in Bellahøj Park in Copenhagen. As one of the few events of its kind in Denmark, it attracts thousands of visitors. I only recently discovered it and decided to go there during a family vacation.
When it is on, the streets around Bellahøj Park are transformed into a 2.4 km long race track with tight turns and challenging chicanes, and the park itself becomes a hub for all kinds of extra activities.
I entered through one of the event gates, which happened to be closest to the Via Retro car show – a great place to start.
This show area was full of cars from various Danish clubs including Porsche, Lancia, Land Rover, MG and others. Some clubs showed models I had never heard of.
An example of this is this beautifully preserved 1970s Lancia Fulvia Sport, a streamlined, fast and sportier variant of the Fulvia Coupé.
Another notable car was this J5 from Kellison, a California kit car manufacturer active in the late 1950s and 1960s.
These types of events always feature special cars on display, but for me the best part of a car festival where racing is the main focus is the paddock.
The 2024 Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix featured seven classes racing over three days. These ranged from the Youngtimer category for modern hatchbacks…
…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 1960s. Japanese vehicles were scarce, but I did spot a Datsun 240Z.
Although I am a Japanese car lover at heart, I appreciate vintage events featuring classic cars the most. They just feel “grown up.” Maybe it’s because I’m a thirty-something dad, but there’s something unforgettable about watching these time machines whiz by.
For me the highlight of the event was clear: the Tourenwagen Legenden.
Before the 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.
While it wasn’t necessarily bad, it didn’t prepare me for the excitement I would experience seeing these touring cars roar past with my own eyes.
There was variety to 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 didn’t expect to see.
Kristian Poulsen, winner of the race on Friday, pushed his BMW E30 M3 DTM to the limit. Mechanical problems prevented him from completing the race on Saturday, but Kristian still took second place on Sunday. This BMW was without a doubt my favorite car of the entire weekend.
Although the DTM class was the highlight for me, I also loved seeing all kinds of cars racing around the street circuit.
While writing this post, I realized it would be cool to photograph these iconic cars using period analog camera equipment to capture their true essence. Trevor’s 35mm photography inspired me to investigate this further.
I still have more to learn about shooting on film, but until then you can check out many more photos from the 2024 Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix below.
Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazeta
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