Early call: Alpentour 2014

[gerryvz]

I have regaled you many times over the past 10 years with photos and stories from the annual "Alpentour" that I take with the Munich/Freising group through the Alps. The Tour is opening up and for any of you who are so inclined, you are welcome and encouraged to participate! Guaranteed to be a great 3+ days of mountain driving, great sights, awesome food and evening drinks, and sweet cars (and yes usually plenty of Benzes).

The next Alpentour for 2014 will be in and through the Dolomite mountain range in northern Italy. The drive will encompass some spectacular passes.

The 2014 Alpentour is happening Thursday, June 19 through Sunday, June 22nd. The 2014 Tour's main hotel will be the Piccolo Hotel in the town of Andalo, in the mountainous Trentino region of northern Italy, with the first night (Thursday night June 19th) being near Innsbruck, Austria. Registration for the Tour will open up around Christmas. Cost for the event is around EUR 30 (includes lunches, road-book, etc.) and the hotels are typically around EUR 70-100 per night, and depending on the number in your party. You can see an image of the hotel's rooms, attached.

Here's a review of the 2013 Alpentour, where we drove in the very northeastern part of Northern Italy, including a full day driving in the hilly country of western Slovenia.

If any of our European 500Eboard members are interested in doing the tour, please let me know. Americans, too!! Guaranteed to be a great time! English and German both spoken. You may even get to hear me give a speech in German....

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[Maui]

I bet the chicks dig that round bed!

So, does one rent a Merc for the trip?

 

[gerryvz]

Nope... Loans from collector friends ... 280SL Pagoda, R107 280SL, C107 350SLC ... Etc.

 

[emerydc8]

A little off subject, but those heart-shaped things that look like pillows are actually down covers. They are about 4 feet wide and 6 feet long and are not even large enough to cover a short person! This is one of my pet peeves about Europe (one of just many). I could never figure out why the Europeans give you a double bed and two undersized covers instead of one large cover. Maybe the European Parliament has something to do with it.

I guess since most of the hotels don't have any air conditioning anyway they figure you don't need covers. The hotels with air conditioning are not allowed by the local authorities to lower the inside temperature more than 10 C below the outside air temperature. Try sleeping during the day when the outside temperature is 34C.

I won't even get into the concept (or lack thereof) of a "coffee to go, in a Styrofoam cup" or a small washcloth in the bathrooms./rant

 

[gerryvz]

More details on the Alpentour logistics and route.....


Liebe Freunde der Alpentour,

die Planung für die Alpentour 2014 ist schon sehr weit fortgeschritten.
Wir starten entweder in Mutters, Götzens oder Axams also oberhalb von Innsbruck.
Bis Zur Mittagspause im Gasthof Patscheider am Ritten (oberhalb von Bozen sind es ca. 120km)
Von dort bis Andalo ins Hotel Piccolo sind es nochmals ca. 125km. Also in Summe ca. 250km.
Am nächsten Tag drehen wir eine Schleife die und bis Arsierio (östlichster Zipfel) führt. (ca. 260km)
Mittagspause gibt es vermutlich auf einer Agritourismo „Ranch“, also ähnlich der Käseverkostung am Passo di Rolle.
Der Rückweg führt dann über das Ultental, Meran, St. Leonhard, Sterzing zum Gasthof Lamm in Matrei am Brenner (179km).
Wer keine Lust auf Pässe hat kann sofort bei Mezzolombardo oder über den Mendelpass oder die MEBO von Meran nach Bozen auf die Autobahn zum Brenner (Abfahrt Matrei). Spätestens jedoch wie vermutlich die meisten, dann in Sterzing.

Das Ende ist wie immer in Hetztenhausen (bei Freising).

Noch ein Wort zum Termin…
Ja, es ist Fronleichnam, was aber bedeutet, dass ggfs. unsere nördlichen Teilnehmer am Mittwoch nur bis Hetzenhausen fahren, dort bereits übernachten und wir dann in kleinerer Gruppe am Vormittag gemeinsam über „Umwege“ Richtung Mutters, Götzens oder Axams zum Start Treffpunkt fahren.

Also diesmal etwas weniger km…..
Merkt Euch schon mal den Termin vor…. 19. – 22. Juni 2014.
Neue Teilnehmer und Freunde herzlich willkommen, also weitersagen!
Alles weitere dann demnächst auf der Homepage
www.alpentour.org

 

[bing]

Cost for the event is around EUR 30 (includes lunches, road-book, etc.)

Is that it , 30euros?? How much to Loan a car or is this a Gerry deal only ?

 

[gerryvz]

No 30 Euros is the registration/participation fee. Has nothing to do with the car. I get the cars for free (I pay fuel costs).

 

[gerryvz]

More details on the Alpentour 2014 have been posted. http://s442926945.online.de/Alpentour 2014/alpentour 2014.html

If you are interested in participating (500Es and 126s are welcome) please let me know!

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[036/199]

Very interested if I get the 500 ready by then!
Other cars made in Zuffenhausen are welcome?

 

[Ron500E]

I have never been on the Alpentour but I have taken my car, a 1957 356 Porsche, through the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. Those roads should be on EVERY car guys bucket list. And even non car guy's list too. The scenery is not to believed, the word "breathtaking" does not do it justice.
And since you're there with a car may I suggest a book called "Great Motor Highways of the Alps" by Merrick?
http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Motor-Highways-Alps/dp/B000V6MTOS
Although written in 1959 they generally don't move mountain roads. The book covers all the great passes, St Gotthard's, Furka, etc., etc.
To get an idea the Furka Pass, near Andermatt, was used in one of the great travelogue movie franchises of all time - Ian Fleming's "Goldfinger."

Kind Regards,

Ron

 

[gerryvz]

Very interested if I get the 500 ready by then!
Other cars made in Zuffenhausen are welcome?

Yes, absolutely. Normally there are several hopped-up 911s on the Tour.

If you can download it, here's the 12-minute video for the 2012 Alpentour which features 4-5 Porsche 911s... warning, it's a big download but the video is spectacular !! I drove the 280SL Pagoda camera car, and everything was filmed in HD video with full-size video cameras and GoPros. You can see me at several points in the video checking out the cars

Just right click and "Save Link As..." to your hard drive. It's 400 MB & will take a few minutes to download in the background. The video gives you an excellent flavour for the event during the days and the evenings Pretty much only German is spoken.

http://www.500eboard.com/alpentour.mkv

Over the 9 years I've been doing the tour, we've done pretty much every Alpine pass that has a road over it. The video is titled "The 10-Pass Tour" and lists all of them right in the opening credits....

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[doolar]

More details on the Alpentour 2014 have been posted. http://s442926945.online.de/Alpentour 2014/alpentour 2014.html

If you are interested in participating (500Es and 126s are welcome) please let me know!

Cheers,
Gerry

What other cars are welcome? Thinking of the E420. I have about 740 miles to the starting point...

 

[gerryvz]

All cars are welcome, yougtimers and oldtimers are preferred, but anything is cool. For this year's 2013 Tour, the "chase car" was a M103-based 124 coupe. I put a few hours behind the wheel of it...

If you are interested, make a decision quick. The limit is 20 cars, and usually fills up.