October 2019
A heavenly soundtrack
For the Eggentaler Herbst Classic 2019, 122 classic car enthusiasts and their passengers met for a very special rally. They were impressed by the atmosphere and the culinary delights. And left their unmistakable sound in the magical landscape.
Some events can be clearly recognized by the soundtrack at the hotel bar. If there are sentences like: “You can turn it up in second gear and let it twitch in fourth” or: “The gearbox has the greatest stress at the weekend”, then it is clear: a very special species has just arrived and is moving for a very special pastime. When such sentences fall, the Eggentaler Herbst Classic rises in and around Deutschnofen.
Lots of oldtimers enjoy South Tyrol and Trentino in an incomparable sound every year for three days. The sound of powerful and voluminous engines of the classic cars is unbelievable. And it seems as if the engines sound even more beautiful here than anywhere else, just as if not only the drivers, but also the souls of the cars, felt with every fiber, what the chief organizer, Klaus Pichler, promised when greeting: “Here, you drive in paradise ! ”
No wonder that 100 of the 122 teams of this edition where here also the last years, and for three teams this is the 10th edition. If you ask the participants what constitutes the addictive potential of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic, the answers are almost boring. The landscape. The food. The atmosphere. Peter Schmid, who is co-piloting his Triumph Spitfire GT 6 with his wife Daniela, also gives the same answers. “When we first saw it, we actually thought it was a one-off,” says Schmid, who drives around 25 rallies a year. Meanwhile he is with Daniela for the fourth time at the Eggentaler Herbst Classic and says with a satisfied expression: “It feels like vacation to us!”
They form a large family, the participants in the Eggentaler Herbst Classic, it is alto open to new members. Absolute rally newcomer is, for example, DJ John Munich, whose real name is John Jürgens and whose father Udo was one of the greatest in German-speaking show business. “I’ve never driven a classic car myself,” he says, which is why he also has some problems getting used to it: “I was actually busy enough driving the car and initially had some difficulties with the tests.”
Oldtimers rally like the Eggentaler Herbst Classic are more than just driving around the beautiful area with beautiful cars. In addition to the fun, it’s about collecting points in “controls”. The aim is to meet certain requirements as precisely as possible in a given time. As a rule, speed is not the priority. Much more does the accuracy. And of course – with all the friendship in the large family – it’s also about a good dose of ambition. Claus Dassow, for example, and his wife Christine are experienced classic car rallies. But at the Eggentaler Herbst Classic you are here for the first time with your red 911 Targa. And accordingly nervous: “I would prefer it to start straight away,” Christine admits at dinner the day before the start of the rally. “
Before the first day of the rally, there is already nervous activity on the Ganischgerhof grounds. Jürgen Strasser, for example, who runs the “Oldtimer Gallery” in Laufenburg in southern Baden, is preparing hit 190 SLR. James Latham from New York pulls his AC Ace Bristol out of the trailer after not seeing his car for almost a year since the last Eggentaler Herbst Classic. By contrast, Tony Maessen from Belgium had extensive contact with his 911. He belongs to the group that traveled through half of Europe – and organized a small internal pre-rally, so to speak.
Because the sun is part of South Tyrol, it stopped raining just in time for the Eggentaler Herbst Classic. The backdrop of the Dolomites in front of the Rosengarten and Latemar is outrageously beautiful when the first car, a spectacular Alfa Romeo 8C Monza from 1934, goes on the road with Peter Reck and Jochen Kist. And from the first meter it is clear why “the landscape” attracts the participants of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic, like a big magnet. Dolomite passes, incredible panoramas, deep blue lakes. At lunch on day two, the entire fleet of classic cars is parked directly on the shores of Lake Garda in the middle of Riva – and is therefore a popular photo motif for curious tourists. The next day, however, many participants stop at the pass of the Sella for a car driver-co-pilot selfie in front of the impressive backdrop of Sassolungo.
The food. Anyone who has been a guest at the Ganischgerhof knows how much you can be spoiled with culinary delights. For participants of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic, however, the level is even higher. The Tyrolean evening with traditional bacon, cheese or dumplings – befitting with atmospheric live music – is high up on the Ganischgeralm, 2.040 msl. Gala dinner and final evening, on the other hand, come up with a whole tuna, tomahawk steak or huge dessert buffet. The efforts of the day want to be compensated for – and they sometimes have unpleasant surprises in store. “The oil pressure sensor,” says Dr. Eberhard Arnold with a slightly desperate smile and oil-smeared pants. Shortly thereafter, however, he appears in the noble twine and carefully twirled beard in the hotel restaurant – and gives a foretaste of what will be seen at the finals on the last day of the rally in Deutschnofen.
For the Concours d’Élegance, most of the participants dress up again – after all, there is an extra rating for the best outfit. Half a Deutschnofen is on its feet to watch the spectacle in the middle of the village. It is the culmination of three days of rally fascination. And it shows what ultimately makes the Eggentaler Herbst Classic, a very special rally: the atmosphere.
The Concours d’Élegance is moderated by Michael Hagemann, the German-speaking voice par excellence when it comes to classic cars. And that sounds, for example, like this: “The Pontiac GTO, built in 1966, has a 6.7 liter displacement, 350 hp, eight cylinders, needs 24 liters – over 50 kilometers. It is endless fun when you are driving, cruising and on the go. in Gran Turismo Omologato 200km / h fast, two tons dead weight without a dog. Larry Hagman or Samuel L. Jackson, they drove such a GTO. ”Some events can be clearly recognized by the soundtrack.
