Legends Grand Prix: tradition meets modernity

Salzburg will be the venue for a top-class classic car event in two years' time: from October 2 to 5, 2025, the city of Mozart will not be hosting classical music for once, but historic racing and sports cars. Around 250 classic cars will meet at the Legends Grand Prix on the Salzburgring. Monoposto racing cars, sports prototypes and racing touring cars (GT) from the 1920s to the mid-1980s will be on display during demonstration drives on the circuit just outside the city gates.

The Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD) is responsible for the sporting management of the event. Lutz Leif Linden, AvD Secretary General and President of the FIA GT Commission: "The Legends Grand Prix will bring together what belongs together: fascinating racing cars and great racing history."

In addition to the AvD, organizer Joachim Althammer can count renowned supporters among the field: Racing legend and Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim 'Strietzel' Stuck, ex-Formula 1 driver and TV commentator Christian Danner and Ferdinand von Habsburg, 2021 World Champion of the LMP2 sports car class.

"I regularly experience how much people enjoy classic cars," says "Strietzel" Stuck about the Legends Grand Prix. "You have to praise any activity that takes care of history and preserves the vehicles that were and still are part of our lives." His racing colleague Christian Danner is also looking forward to the event: "The Salzburgring is a fantastic race track that has a lot to offer in terms of driving. And with the unique natural grandstands, the Legends Grand Prix will also have the same goosebump atmosphere that thrilled me here as an active racing driver." And Ferdinand von Habsburg, great-grandson of the last Austrian Emperor, sees the historical connection: "My grandfather once said: You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you are and where you've come from."

To ensure that the event not only makes an effort to honour history, but also fits in with the times, it will be largely climate-neutral: "The Legends Grand Prix is set to become the first motorsport event in Austria with an environmental certificate," says organizer Althammer. To this end, the historic racing and sports cars will be largely powered by synthetic fuel (e-fuels). During combustion, only CO2 is released that has previously been extracted from the air. This makes such fuels climate-neutral.

During a test lap on the Salzburgring, Leopold Prince of Bavaria's 1976 BMW 3.0 CSL demonstrated how easily old cars can tolerate modern synthetic fuels. Christian Danner was completely taken with the e-fuel after the test drive. "This means that not only the existing fleet of cars with combustion engines can be operated in a climate-neutral way," emphasizes Lutz Leif Linden from the AvD. "e-Fuels also offer a sustainable perspective for owners of historic vehicles." After a tax exemption, these fuels would also become financially interesting. At present, they still have to be taxed like fossil fuels.

The organizer has already secured 10,000 liters for the Legends Grand Prix 2025. After all, the event aims to combine tradition and modernity. (aum)