Brian_Innes
Member
Ludwigsburg to Baiersbronn
The drive from Ludwigsburg to Baiersbronn in the Black Forest took about 2 hours and included both autobahn and scenic rural roads. This was my first experience of driving on German rural roads. The speed limits are much the same as in the UK, with 30 & 40 mph being the norm through towns and villages, and 50 & 60 mph on the open road. Traffic was light, and I found overtaking slower traffic on the few straight sections easy enough. Hanging back a few car lengths from the car in front, facilitated a line of sight up the inside to check if the road was clear. Mirror, signal, manoeuvre otherwise being the standard procedure. The road surfaces are smooth and the scenery superb.
My principal reason for choosing Baiersbronn was that the Baiersbronn Classic motor rally was due to finish there the day after I arrived. The hotel I had chosen for my 2 night stay was in the hamlet of Tonbach, a well known base for a few of the classic cars entered in the rally. I was not to be disappointed. Soon after checking-in at the hotel and parking my car in the secure garage area, I was roped-in to help push a beautiful Old English White 1930's Alvis roadster for boarding onto the owner's trailer. A broken starter motor had ended the rally for this particular driver. The very next morning, at the same garage, I was helping the owner push a gorgeous silver Porsche 356 1600 Cabriolet for a bump start. This car also had a failed starter motor. Fortunately the garage exit ramp was on a hill so this eased the burden of gaining enough momentum for a bump start. The flat-4 1600 fired up immediately, and with a puff of blue smoke burst into raucous, revvy life. It sounded a darned sight better than my 718! The owners, a husband and wife from Vienna, were very grateful for my assistance and we enjoyed a brief chat before they left on their journey back to Austria. The simplicity of these old Porsches are a sight to behold. The owner kindly opened up the engine cover to reveal a tiny, pristine flat-4, complete with twin Solex downdraught carburettors, skinny fan belt and a dynamo. Remember them? I was grateful to the owners of the Porsche 356 to have my photo taken next to the car before they set off.
My next plan for the day was to hire an e-bike from the hotel. The intention was to do some gentle cycling along some of the many scenic cycle paths and trails which criss-crossed the surrounding valley. I thought it may also give me the opportunity to see a few more of the classic cars assembled in the village of Baiersbronn only some 3km distant. As the weather on the day was wall to wall blue sky and pleasantly warm sun, this seemed an ideal plan. It turned out that the e-bike was a necessity, not a luxury. The steep hills on the cycle paths to the opposite side of the valley would have tested Geirant Evans the TdF winner. Even with the e-bike power setting on "Turbo" I eventually had to dismount and push the very heavy e-bike the final 50 meters to the top of the climb. The resulting views were worth the effort glad to say.
I observed a few classic cars on the roads near Baiersbronn, but it soon became clear that most of the rally competitors had already left by the time I got there. However, upon my return to the hotel a trio of 991 Porsche GT3RS's were parked outside. This was the other end of the spectrum from the venerable 356 I had inspected earlier. It transpired that these particular GT3RS's were on a separate Black Forest tour of their own, and had nothing to do with the Baiersbronn Classic event. The owners of these impressive machines had just happened to stop for lunch in the village. It was still an unusual and impressive sight to see 3 GT3RS's parked together. Later that day, as if to trump the GT3RS's, a stunning yellow and black 991.2 GT2RS was parked outside the hotel. It was certainly eye-candy time for Porsche enthusiasts. Photos are posted.
My lasting memories of the Baiersbronn Classic event, what little I saw of it, was the friendliness and openness of the owners of these precious machines to engage in conversation about their cars. There was no aloofness, no snobbiness, just fellow car enthusiasts enjoying their cars in wonderful surroundings and pleased to engage with others about their experiences.
My next stop on the tour was the university city of Freiburg, checking out FVD Brombacher the Porsche tuner, and a visit to the Schausinsland Tower by cable car.
To be continued........
Brian
The drive from Ludwigsburg to Baiersbronn in the Black Forest took about 2 hours and included both autobahn and scenic rural roads. This was my first experience of driving on German rural roads. The speed limits are much the same as in the UK, with 30 & 40 mph being the norm through towns and villages, and 50 & 60 mph on the open road. Traffic was light, and I found overtaking slower traffic on the few straight sections easy enough. Hanging back a few car lengths from the car in front, facilitated a line of sight up the inside to check if the road was clear. Mirror, signal, manoeuvre otherwise being the standard procedure. The road surfaces are smooth and the scenery superb.
My principal reason for choosing Baiersbronn was that the Baiersbronn Classic motor rally was due to finish there the day after I arrived. The hotel I had chosen for my 2 night stay was in the hamlet of Tonbach, a well known base for a few of the classic cars entered in the rally. I was not to be disappointed. Soon after checking-in at the hotel and parking my car in the secure garage area, I was roped-in to help push a beautiful Old English White 1930's Alvis roadster for boarding onto the owner's trailer. A broken starter motor had ended the rally for this particular driver. The very next morning, at the same garage, I was helping the owner push a gorgeous silver Porsche 356 1600 Cabriolet for a bump start. This car also had a failed starter motor. Fortunately the garage exit ramp was on a hill so this eased the burden of gaining enough momentum for a bump start. The flat-4 1600 fired up immediately, and with a puff of blue smoke burst into raucous, revvy life. It sounded a darned sight better than my 718! The owners, a husband and wife from Vienna, were very grateful for my assistance and we enjoyed a brief chat before they left on their journey back to Austria. The simplicity of these old Porsches are a sight to behold. The owner kindly opened up the engine cover to reveal a tiny, pristine flat-4, complete with twin Solex downdraught carburettors, skinny fan belt and a dynamo. Remember them? I was grateful to the owners of the Porsche 356 to have my photo taken next to the car before they set off.
My next plan for the day was to hire an e-bike from the hotel. The intention was to do some gentle cycling along some of the many scenic cycle paths and trails which criss-crossed the surrounding valley. I thought it may also give me the opportunity to see a few more of the classic cars assembled in the village of Baiersbronn only some 3km distant. As the weather on the day was wall to wall blue sky and pleasantly warm sun, this seemed an ideal plan. It turned out that the e-bike was a necessity, not a luxury. The steep hills on the cycle paths to the opposite side of the valley would have tested Geirant Evans the TdF winner. Even with the e-bike power setting on "Turbo" I eventually had to dismount and push the very heavy e-bike the final 50 meters to the top of the climb. The resulting views were worth the effort glad to say.
I observed a few classic cars on the roads near Baiersbronn, but it soon became clear that most of the rally competitors had already left by the time I got there. However, upon my return to the hotel a trio of 991 Porsche GT3RS's were parked outside. This was the other end of the spectrum from the venerable 356 I had inspected earlier. It transpired that these particular GT3RS's were on a separate Black Forest tour of their own, and had nothing to do with the Baiersbronn Classic event. The owners of these impressive machines had just happened to stop for lunch in the village. It was still an unusual and impressive sight to see 3 GT3RS's parked together. Later that day, as if to trump the GT3RS's, a stunning yellow and black 991.2 GT2RS was parked outside the hotel. It was certainly eye-candy time for Porsche enthusiasts. Photos are posted.
My lasting memories of the Baiersbronn Classic event, what little I saw of it, was the friendliness and openness of the owners of these precious machines to engage in conversation about their cars. There was no aloofness, no snobbiness, just fellow car enthusiasts enjoying their cars in wonderful surroundings and pleased to engage with others about their experiences.
My next stop on the tour was the university city of Freiburg, checking out FVD Brombacher the Porsche tuner, and a visit to the Schausinsland Tower by cable car.
To be continued........
Brian
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