Deutsche Marques 12

By: Vasko Naumovski

In the 1960s, Kalamazoo businessman and former Upjohn Company president, Donald S. Gilmore, acquired 90 acres of land in a small southwestern Michigan town known as Hickory Corners. It was meant to house his growing collection of vintage automobiles but eventually grew into something much larger.

Today, the Gilmore Car Museum is one of North America’s largest auto museums, with over 400 vehicles on display and over 190,000 square feet of exhibit space. The museum’s campus features numerous vintage structures, including a restored and fully functioning 1941 Silk City diner, a recreated 1930s Shell station, six on-site partner museums, and much more.

It’s highly unlikely that Mr. Gilmore would have ever imagined that his museum would one day host the largest all-German car show in North America. Yet it did once again on July 13. The event, known as DeutscheMarques, is an epicenter of all things German automotive. This year’s event attracted a record number of German cars; 646 in all. Brands on display included the usual Audi, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen, and the unusual such as an amphicar and an East German two-cylinder, two-stroke Trabant. And of course, no German themed event would be complete without food, drink and a German oompah band.

Event founder Pete Hamlett previously stated, “Our first show in 2012 attracted a few dozen cars. The growth we have seen has been amazing and it shows the interest in German cars from all around the Midwest.”

Although those “other” German brands are pleasing to the eye, what we really came for was Audi. Several members of the Chicagoland chapter met just after dawn that morning and headed east to the mitten state. Cars were parked in sections organized by manufacturer, and the Audi presence was positioned around the museum’s Pierce-Arrow building. The Chicagoland chapter joined the host Michigan chapter, whose members traveled from across the state. In total, 92 Audi models made the trip from Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana – a 25% increase over the previous turnout and a good showing for the growing Michigan chapter.

The event concluded with show awards and South Rockwood Michigan’s Joshua Lothringer of South Rockwood, Michigan took home the Audi Best in Show award for his Moonlight Blue B9 A4 allroad. Joshua has focused on achieving the look and aesthetics of a Euro/Japanese OEM+ style.

Joshua’s enhancements to the car include PSI Suspension airlift components, paint matched cladding, RS 4 rear wing and RS 4 roof rails, (imported from Germany) Maxton Design side skirts and front lip, RS style front grill and S4 mirror caps, Work VS-XX 20×10 wheels mounted via a stud conversion, oversized rotors and calipers sourced from a 4M Q7, a customized S4 quad exhaust diffuser, and a custom 3-inch Milltek Sport non-resonated exhaust with ECS high-flow cat. “I treat the allroad with a 1-foot (not a 10-foot) mentality, and certainly keep myself busy staying on top of things to keep it show ready,” Joshua shared.

Joshua’s trophy case may also need some careful modification. Since picking up the allroad just under two years ago, he’s racked up countless hours of modifications and 30,000 miles over several road trips, earning awards and accolades in Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia and Ohio. Now, he also has bragging rights in his home state.

Below is a list of the other Audi award recipients:

Best of the 2020s: Xavier Zee, Carpentersville, IL

(2023 S4)

Best of the 2010s: Stephen Ankney, Holland, MI

(2017 S3)

Best of the 2000s: Young Oh, Kalamazoo, MI

(2001.5 S4 Avant)

Best of the 1990s: Samed Salibasic, Grand Rapids, MI

(1997 S6 Plus Avant)

Best of the 1980s: Tim Post, Grand Rapids , MI

(1985 Coupe GT)

Best Daily Driver: Kal Perjesi, Elkhart, IN