It was 5:00am on Monday September 11, when my photographer good friend Miklós Tóth and I set off on an journey many months within the planning. Our vacation spot – the 2023 Worldwide St. Moritz Vehicle Week – through a few particular stops in Germany.
Leaving our houses in Hungry early within the morning meant we’d arrive on the Schaltkulisse GmBH showroom in Germany within the early afternoon. From there, we’d be testing the the Motorworld Munich museum, then checking in at our lodging for the night time. Early the following morning we’d proceed the journey in direction of our essential vacation spot, St. Moritz in Switzerland.
Miklós and I reached the small settlement of Taufkirchen within the outskirts of Munich proper on schedule. The Schaltkulisse GmbH showroom is dwelling to a wide range of basic and trendy sports activities vehicles, that are both saved right here on behalf of their homeowners or out there for buy. Because it was our first time visiting, we didn’t know what to anticipate, so we have been excited to what we’d discover inside. We solely reached the doorway when the rear finish of a Lamborghini Countach LP400 S Sequence II in Tahiti Blue greeted us. We knew immediately we have been in for a deal with.
I don’t even must say that we have been in awe; we couldn’t consider our eyes. After talking with a form woman about our intentions, we have been free to take images at our leisure. An occasion within the showroom the day gone by meant the vehicles hadn’t but been correctly repositioned, however that didn’t matter within the slightest.
Amongst so many wonderful vehicles, it didn’t take lengthy for Miklós and I to identify it – if not everybody’s, then actually the childhood dream of many: a Ferrari F40. I had been ready my entire life to see this Maranello gem in particular person and it didn’t disappoint.
The showroom had many different attention-grabbing automobiles too, together with a Ferrari Dino 246 GT, Ferrari Enzo Ferrari in Giallo Modena, a Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Roadster, Porsche 996 GT3 RS, Porsche 904, Pagani Huayra BC, Pagani Huayra Roadster, Porsche Carrera GT in Fayence Yellow, a Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Aerodinamico and extra.
We couldn’t have had a greater begin to our journey than the Schaltkulisse GmbH showroom, however there was nonetheless extra to see and do earlier than the day was performed. After a brief 20-minute drive from Taufkirchen, we arrived at Motorworld München.
This can be a museum the place a number of automobile model showrooms are positioned below one roof. They embody Bugatti, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Fisker, Porsche, in addition to tuning corporations ABT, Brabus and Manhart.
Miklós and I didn’t have a lot time to spend right here, however the expertise was charming nonetheless. The complete corridor was divided by an enormous glass wall with a two-story storage space inside. Vehicles have been lined up one above the opposite a number of meters excessive.
The corridors displayed vehicles – from classics by to trendy fashions – for exhibition and sale.
In case you ever end up heading to Munich for no less than a few days, don’t neglect about Motorworld München, because it additionally features as a lodge. Sure, you possibly can ebook a room throughout the museum’s partitions.
The subsequent day we made our means into Switzerland, and at last our dwelling for the following few nights. St. Moritz is a small city located at an elevation of 1,822 meters above sea degree. Right here, you’re surrounded by mountains, making it a visually beautiful place to go to and drive round. Add some high-end automotive occasions into the combination, and it truly is automobile heaven.
The Worldwide St. Moritz Vehicle Week has been operating since 1929. It now spans 10 days and contains an unique automobile present, a number of driving excursions, a hill climb, RM Southby’s public sale, drag racing and driver coaching.
On arrival we picked up our media passes and all the knowledge on the excursions and races. On the identical time, vehicles have been arriving to be displayed on the entrance garden of the Grand Lodge Des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz. We noticed a Bugatti Chiron, Porsche 993 GT2, Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and a Lamborghini Diablo SE thirtieth Anniversary Version to call just a few being unloaded. There have been no complaints concerning the backdrop or the placement.
As Miklós and I had arrived earlier than our 4:00pm accomodation verify in time, we determined to move out to the Julier Move (altitude: 2,284 meters) – which one of many driving excursions can be heading by a few days later – as a way to scope out taking pictures spot.
As I discussed a second in the past, many smaller occasions make up the Worldwide St. Moritz Vehicle Week. The primary one is the ‘Kilomètre Lancé’, which we sadly missed this 12 months. It’s a dash race at Engadin Airport the place registered individuals can check their velocity over a 1km distance.
The second occasion ought to have been the ‘Targa Poschiavo’ for traditional vehicles produced between 1905 and 1926, however it wasn’t held this 12 months for causes unknown.
The third occasion goes by the title ‘Tremendous Stick Shift’. This can be a two-day, 750km-long tour for 2-door coupés and convertibles manufactured between January 1, 1974 and December 31, 1995. The laws additionally dictate that these vehicles don’t have digital help techniques, however should have a guide transmission.
This 12 months, the occasion was complemented by the ‘Stallion Legends Rallye’ completely for particular Ferrari fashions. There have been fewer guidelines for this tour, however sadly there have been additionally just a few individuals, which was presumably as a consequence of dangerous climate on the primary day.
Once we took our positions within the morning it was already cloudy, and it didn’t take lengthy for the rain to start out. The rain continued till late afternoon, so it didn’t make a lot sense to chase after the individuals. On the primary day, the tour lined 530km, driving from St. Moritz to the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. From there, the drivers returned to St. Moritz after having dinner within the historic city of Poschiavo and slicing by the Bernina Move.
Thankfully, the climate was a lot better on the second day, though individuals solely had 220km of the tour left to drive.
Whereas they accomplished the primary half of the tour, Miklós and I spent an hour or so outdoors the Kempinski Lodge taking images of the vehicles on show. As a result of it was a weekday, there weren’t many individuals round, permitting us to get our pictures comfortably. From there, we drove to Albula Hospiz and waited for the tour individuals to reach. There’s a restaurant on the prime of the mountain, and that is the place the tour stopped for lunch earlier than persevering with on in direction of the Julier Move.
Whereas the drivers loved their meals, we drove forward. There was loads of time to seize scenic images and get arrange on the move on the spot we had already scouted, forward of the primary automobile arriving. We watched all of the individuals come by, earlier than heading again to St. Moritz.
Within the late afternoon, there was an RM Sotheby’s public sale the place quite a lot of classic and basic vehicles went below the hammer. The spotlight needed to be the W201 Mercedes-Benz that Niki Lauda drove within the 1984 Nürburgring Race of Champions. This exhibition race, organized by Mercedes-Benz to rejoice the opening of the GP-Strecke course, featured 20 identically-prepared 190 E 2.3-16s pushed by a number of the world’s prime drivers. Lauda completed 2nd in automobile #18 behind Ayrton Senna.
Along with the particular Mercedes, different vehicles additionally discovered new houses, together with a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500 E, a 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS N/GT, a 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, a 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 By Touring, a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage, and a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Sequence III.
For Friday, solely a photoshoot in entrance of the lodge and shopping for some souvenirs was on our schedule earlier than Miklós and I headed again to Hungary, however we managed to soak up the morning apply session for the final occasion of the week – the Bernina Gran Turismo.
For this race, organizers closed the street between Bernina Move and La Rösa, permitting the drivers to push their vehicles to the restrict below managed circumstances. The street part was 5.7km lengthy, with greater than 50 curves and a 450-meter elevation change, making it a correct hill climb. It was nice to see, and particularly hear these basic vehicles shattering the tranquility one final time.
One final time, this time no less than. We will certainly return subsequent 12 months, and look to expertise all the Worldwide St. Moritz Vehicle Week. I have to prolong a particular due to my good friend Miklós for guiding us by the journey.
Tamás Molnár
Instagram: toomyphoto
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