So with the car back from service, it was time to set off on the overdue roadtrip, which for one reason or another, was pushed out from last year. It was also the first time taking the 993 on the continent; excitement and nerves in equal measure, especially as I'd convinced my wife it'll be more rewarding than flying out to a relaxing beach destination!
uh:
The general order of the route as follows:
>>> Eurotunnel UK>FR
>>> Metz, FR
>>> Baden Baden, DE
>>> Lake Constance, DE (via B500 Black Forest High Road, DE)
>>> Innsbruck, AT (via Hahntennjoch Pass, AT)
>>> Grossglockner High Alpine Road, AT
>>> Karlsruhe, DE
>>> Reims, FR
>>> Eurotunnel FR>UK
We really wanted to cover Silvretta High Alpine Road on the way into Innsbruck, however it was still shut from the winter (only just opened in recent days), so we headed to Hahntennjoch instead.
Credit to fellow 911uk'er infrasilver :thumb: - his past trips, reports and personal correspondence aided our route mapping. The aim was to cover no more than 400-450km a day. A previous trip in the pre-911 days had seen us cover up to ~725km in one hit :yawn:, we knew that was just too much to make an enjoyable trip for us both.
All in all a manageable ~1,805 miles or ~2,905 kilometers were covered over 9 days, with 2 nights in Reims (champagne tour of course :salut
and 3 nights in Innsbruck (small city with a cool vibe).
On to some photos, starting with the almost obligatory one:
Not too many photos along the B500 - it was so enjoyable - free flowing, fast moving roads with sweeping bends... we covered most of it without stopping
. Certainly lived up to expectations and it definitely won't be the last time we visit the Black Forest 8).
On our way into Lake Constance, we came across a pleasant surprise. We'd earlier seen a blacked out Porsche '992 test mule' absolutely flying - I'd not seen a vehicle move so quick 'in the wild' for a long time. Turns out we were heading into the same town, so after we caught him up and swapped a headlight flash/hazard light exchange, stopped at a petrol station:
He was indeed a test driver for Porsche and a very friendly one at that. They have felt coverings which they have to apply across the whole of the dash, centre console, door cards, etc. whenever parked up to prevent uninvited photos. The 992 has an interesting dash/gauge :wink:.
A quick comparison...
I preferred mine...:shutup: :lol:.
Onto the Lake, a nice buzz at the waterfront and a perfect place to eat/drink/relax after the B500...:thumbs:
Heading into Austria, the scenary became rather spectacular...
Hahntennjoch Pass definitely lived up to it's
dangerous roads tag; at times the pass can get quite narrow and often without any barriers :what:, pretty intricate, and not too many overtaking opportunities (unlike the B500). This technical nature of the road, with its very tight back to back hairpins coupled with a steep ascent at pace, meant I worried about grounding out a few times! It was a thrilling drive with some breathtaking views along the way 8).
In fact the route we took leading into the Hahntennjoch Pass was just as enjoyable & memorable - catch the 200 from Müselbach and follow it into the 198 around Warth all the way until Elmen for the pass :thumb:.
Innsbruck:
Next up, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Not much more to say other than it lived up to the billing of one of the best driving roads in Europe :worship:. Definitely allow more time than you think; you'll be stopping more often than you expect to take in the phenomenal landscape...
The change in weather from bottom to top was also quite dramatic!
We headed back into Germany via the Autobahn where the 993 managed to stretched it's legs
- satisfying to know that despite it's age, performed well and remained pretty stable at high speed.
I think the car feels better for it! :lol:
Finally, we stopped at Reims-Gueux on the way back to Calais...
Finishing with 2 of my favoured images from the trip:
Difficult not to be impressed with the 993's curves from above :cloud9: :
The tone of the trip was set from the outbound Eurotunnel; a gentleman from the next carriage up came over to check out 993 during the journey. Lots of appreciating nods of the head or waves were exchanged across France/Germany/Austria which was quite cool too
.
Along the way, we saw a handful of pre-'89 911s, maybe 8 to 10 964s out and about, and maybe 20+ 997s (by far the most friendliest, always offering a wave! :bye
...but only ONE 993 - a stunning French plated C2S in Arctic Silver. Where are the others all hiding? :?
We're so glad we did the trip, we came back buzzing - whilst it wasn't a relaxing break there was a real sense of adventure. Massively relieved the car behaved, too (I carry a spare DME relay in the car, but other than that... :-| ).
In future we hope to experience either the Spanish Pyrenees or the Italian Dolomites. Hopefully both! :thumbs: