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This is an article for people thinking about taking a vacation in Europe, specifically Germany. Of course, as part of the Porsche club, I have included an automotive twist to it. Sure, walking down the Champs Elysée in Paris in the spring is nice and all, but wouldn’t it be better to trace the route driven in the underground cult film Rendezvous? (For those who have never seen it, it is a nine-minute film by Claude Lelouch in Paris in 1977, which shows the forward view of a Ferrari 275GTB, as Lelouch raced through the streets of Paris. Forget duplicating this today. I tried it in the 944. I just sat in traffic.)
Obviously, one of the highlights for going to Europe would be a trip to the Porsche factory. This is located about 30 minutes north of Stuttgart in Ludwigsburg. When I was there last, about 2 years ago, they were working on the museum. At the time, it was quite small. I know an RSR member’s garage that is bigger and nicer than the Porsche museum I saw. Still, they have interesting cars there, ones you typically don’t see in America. This is also the same place where you would pick up a European delivery Porsche, or take a factory tour. However, you have to schedule the (English) factory tour well in advance.
If you decide to hang around the Stuttgart area, you can visit the Mercedes, er, I mean, DaimlerChrysler museum. This is a pretty nice complex that lies within the DaimlerChrysler facilities. The only way to get to the museum is to take a shuttle bus into DaimlerChrysler. The coolest thing in the museum for me was seeing thes first two cars invented, one by Gottlieb Daimler and one by Karl Benz, both in 1886. The first motorcycle, invented by Daimler, is also on display. Someone who was giving some American executives a tour even started up Benz’s car while I was there. I found it a unique experience to see and hear the first car invented actually running.
Not far from there, in the Mannheim (and Heidelburg) area, is the Sinsheim Museum. You can see it from the autobahn - it’s the one with jet fighters-on-a-stick out front. This museum has the largest collection of cars I’ve ever seen, as well as other types of vehicles. Ever see a twenty-foot long crankshaft? No, it doesn’t come from NASCAR. Or the Blue Flame, the rocket car that formerly held the World Land Speed Record (622.3 mph)? What’s this American record car doing in a German museum? Beats me.
The Sinsheim Museum is also near Hockenheim, where they hold the yearly German F1 parade. However, less than two hours away is the most awesome race track in the world, the old Nürburgring North Loop. You can try to beat the Porsche 911 GTR’s 7 minutes 56 seconds around the ’Ring, but it generally takes me 15-20 minutes. And that’s going as fast as I dare. Still, that’s not bad for DM22 per lap. That’s a little over a deutschmark-a-minute, a pretty reasonable track rate, if you ask me.
You should, however, check their track schedule before going there. Car companies such as BMW will typically rent the track to test their latest cars. They would prefer that you stay away, of course, as a great deal of the track is open to anyone just wandering by the Eiffel Mountains. Staying away would avoid accidently taking pictures of test cars zooming by, ruining your vacation film.
After driving around the ’Ring while avoiding gnat-like bikers constantly passing you at breakneck speed (literally), most people are ready for a drink. I would recommend driving five hours to Munich and going to the typical tourist fares, like the beer garden in the English Gardens or the Hofbräuhaus. While in Munich, you can visit the BMW museum in the northern part of the city. This museum is part of the BMW headquarters. It’s the “bowl” next to the “four cylinders” building. The museum is designed as a spiral that keeps leading you up. It’s one of the best manufacturer’s museum I’ve ever seen.
Afterwards,
you can go across the street and have dinner at the top of the
Olympic Tower (make reservations at the bottom of the tower first).
It has a wonderful view of the city, and more importantly, the
BMW buildings.
Finally, if you come to Germany in September this year, then along with the Bavarian Oktoberfest, you can go to the Frankfurt auto show, held every two years. Don’t even compare this to the Detroit auto show. It is much bigger. In Frankfurt, Mercedes, er, DaimlerChrysler and BMW will sometimes rent their own building.
What if you’re not going to Germany, you ask? Well, if you visit Italy, for example, there’s a little town called Maranello, near Modena, worth visiting. Try to go when Ferrari is testing its F1 car. You’ll know when they’re running it at their test track. You can hear it from anywhere in town. It’s a sonor-ific treat. You can also try the restaurant across from the Ferrari factory, where some guy named Enzo used to eat (probably burgers, I would guess), as well as visiting the Ferrari museum around the corner dripping in Ferrari red. (I couldn’t find Lamborghini’s Sant’ Agata on the map, so I never made it there, but it’s in the same area.)
If you’re in France, about three hours west from Paris is a little town called Sarthe. All around this area are the roads that make up Circuit des 24 Heures Du Mans. You can drive most of the race course, and try to equal the top speeds of the fabled Porsche 917 race cars, but you’d have to contend with strategically placed traffic circles designed to slow local traffic when there’s no race. There is, of course, a museum at the main race stadium.
I tried to make this short, as I’m limited by space, but there’s still more to see, like VW’s new version of Autoworld. However, for more information, you can check out my website at www.emansworld.com (go to Travel). I think I even have maps and phone numbers there. Or just send me an e-mail to . Wherever you go, have fun, and bring lots of money for gas.
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(The BahnStormer is the official newsletter of the Rally Sport Region (Detroit area) of the Porsche Club of America. You can contact the editor at .)
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