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20 years of the Ennstal-Classic - classic car rarities, celebrities, growth and capricious weather conditions

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Created on July 5, 2012

Text:

Daniel Reinhard

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

42

Daniel Reinhard

42

The cockpit of former Head of Motorsport Mario Theissen's BMW was filled with sleet just before this bridge. It was impossible to continue driving under these circumstances, as the hailstones would have shot the driver's face. At the stop on the open road, the grains of ice filled the interior of the car

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20 years Ennstal Classic! Sir Stirling Moss returns the cap signed by him to the fan. Over the years, the Ennstal Classic has developed from a fun event into the second-largest classic car rally after the Mille Miglia

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The weather in Styria was and is the big surprise factor every year! It often doesn't stop at great cloud formations.

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In September 1995, there was even plenty of snow to hamper the Stoderzinken mountain test. Only this Porsche 356 1600 had the right equipment for the occasion

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Rain and darkness bring a mystical atmosphere to the rally. Whether coupé or convertible, both have to contend with extreme conditions, with one the windows tarnish, with the other the glasses become a problem

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Under these circumstances, hardly a road book stays dry. Stopwatches are difficult to read and the driver also has a hard time locating the course of the road

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A thunderstorm or downpour like this can completely change the road conditions in a short space of time. Here the Ferrari 250GT Competitione was stranded before the road was made "normally" passable again by the fire department

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Streams can become raging rivers ...

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It's not just the weather that makes the rally exciting, the many cows can also completely disrupt the painstakingly driven 50km:h average. The picture shows Karl Wendlinger with Walter Totschnig in a Mercedes 300 SL.

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Peter Müller in the Porsche 904 is in no way disturbed by the four-legged friends

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The original raspberry paintwork of the 300SL even amazes the cows standing behind the crash barrier

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The free, almost untouched nature will remain in the participants' memories forever

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Cows chewing their cud at the roadside watch the approaching horse in the form of a 250 SWB

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Everything with a system. They stand side by side in rank and file. The two SL W107s, with the Styrian cow standing in awe between them!

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Attention lotus-loving police cows!!!

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Let us be impressed by some atmospheric landscapes. The "Three Wheeler" Morgan plunges into the morning mist!

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Mercedes SSK close to the menhir

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Red Alfa Romeo Disco Volante in lush green

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Along the stream between cows and horses!

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They have to get through this alley. The Bugatti 35 speeds through the narrow gorge with a crazy sound.

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The Porsche 550 along the waterfront promenade

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The BMW shortly before the top of the Sölk Pass

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The MG L1 escapes the dark storm clouds

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The sun retreats behind the mountain backdrop while the A110 hurries to the finish line

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Unfortunately, the Lagonda driver only sees the sunset in the mirror ...

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... in contrast to the "dog bone" escort

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The Devin Porsche enjoys the twilight

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Klaus Wildbolz's Riley in front of a perfectly fitting backdrop

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John Surtees in the 300SLR, all manual, without any electric or hydraulic assistance

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Since his fire accident at the Nürburgring, Niki Lauda has only climbed into racing cars in suitable clothing

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Style study by John Surtees in the 300SLR. The car has power, but the brakes are weak!

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Sir Stirling Moss signs his traffic circle. A gift for the 70th birthday of the municipality of Gröbming!

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Perfectionist Walter Röhrl leaves nothing to chance. He checks the last few meters of the Stoderzinken mountain stage in thick fog!

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Karl Wendlinger greets Helmut Zwickl after a serious accident in Monaco

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He is not only responsible for the fastest F1 racing cars of our time, but also likes to work on his own cars - Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey

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Formula 1 World Champion, Indy 500 winner, Champ Car Champion and Le Mans participant Mario Andretti enjoys the Ennstal Classic ...

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... as well as the other two Marios, Theissen and Illien

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Sebastian Vettel in the Porsche is well advised by Klaus Bischof!

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The eternal runner-up Stirling Moss with the young 2-time world champion Sebastian Vettel

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Well equipped for the next special stage

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A bath in the masses

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And soon the 20th Ennstal Classic will start

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Das Wetter in der Steiermark war und ist alljährlich der grosse Überraschungsfaktor! Oft bleibt es nicht bei tollen Wolkenformationen.

Im September 1995 behinderte sogar reichlich Schnee die Stoderzinken-Bergprüfung. Einzig dieser Porsche 356 1600 trug dazu die richtige Ausrüstung

Regen und Dunkelheit bringen eine mystische Stimmung in die Rallye. Ob Coupé oder Cabrio, beide haben unter Extrembedingungen zu kämpfen, bei dem Einen laufen die Scheiben an, beim dem Andern wird die Brille zum Problem

Unter diesen Umständen bleibt kaum ein Roadbook trocken. Stoppuhren sind schwer zu lesen und der Fahrer bekommt auch seine liebe Mühe den Strassenverlauf zu orten

So ein Gewitter oder Wolkenbruch, kann die Strassenverhältnisse in kurzer Zeit total verändern. Hier strandete der Ferrari 250GT Competitione bevor die Strasse von der Feuerwehr wieder „normal“ befahrbar gemacht wurde

Bäche können da schon mal zu reissenden Flüssen werden ...

Summary

2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the Ennstal-Classic. From a small event with 35 teams of drivers, it has become the second largest classic car rally in Europe. In this report, observer, participant and photographer Daniel Reinhard describes extraordinary events, but also the essence that made the Ennstal-Classic one of the most popular classic car events ever, illustrated with many unique pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

It started in 1993 with 35 vehicles
Steady development work and a well-coordinated team bring success
Unique Ennstal
When the weather goes crazy
Prominent participants right from the start
Stirling Moss, Jochen Mass and John Surtees
No relaxing vacation for Mr. Bean
On to the 20th edition

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Last year, we introduced our readers to the first Ennstal-Classic (1993). This year, the tour is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It therefore deserves a review of the last 19 events. Not many people have experienced all the events as I have. I have photographed 18 times and in 2004 I was behind the wheel myself for once. My great love for pre-war racing cars grew, slowly but surely, year after year in the Enns Valley. It started in 1993 with 35 vehicles But let's start from the very beginning and look back to 1993. The Ennstal-Classic started with 35 teams back then, today around 350 teams compete for the coveted 230 starting places. Back then there was no hustle and bustle, there was plenty of time for conversations and happy get-togethers. I was even able to photograph the Fiat 1100S for the Austrian AutoRevue during the event. We always found time to take a few shots as soon as a suitable spot or an impressive background presented itself. Later on, such activities became more and more difficult, today they would be unthinkable.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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Images of this article

Das Wetter in der Steiermark war und ist alljährlich der grosse Überraschungsfaktor! Oft bleibt es nicht bei tollen Wolkenformationen.

Im September 1995 behinderte sogar reichlich Schnee die Stoderzinken-Bergprüfung. Einzig dieser Porsche 356 1600 trug dazu die richtige Ausrüstung

Regen und Dunkelheit bringen eine mystische Stimmung in die Rallye. Ob Coupé oder Cabrio, beide haben unter Extrembedingungen zu kämpfen, bei dem Einen laufen die Scheiben an, beim dem Andern wird die Brille zum Problem

Unter diesen Umständen bleibt kaum ein Roadbook trocken. Stoppuhren sind schwer zu lesen und der Fahrer bekommt auch seine liebe Mühe den Strassenverlauf zu orten

So ein Gewitter oder Wolkenbruch, kann die Strassenverhältnisse in kurzer Zeit total verändern. Hier strandete der Ferrari 250GT Competitione bevor die Strasse von der Feuerwehr wieder „normal“ befahrbar gemacht wurde

Bäche können da schon mal zu reissenden Flüssen werden ...

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