The weather couldn't have been better: Sunshine, just over 20 degrees - what more could you want? No wonder many hundreds of classic and vintage car owners made their way to the TCS Stockental Driving Safety Center near Thun. The crowds were so large that at certain times there was a traffic jam of half an hour in front of the entrance.
And those who finally made it into the grounds and got hungry immediately joined the next queue. But this was obviously hardly detrimental to the participants' good mood.
Soon to be a youngtimer yourself
The Youngtimer meeting in the Bern region can look back on a history dating back to 2008/2009. Initially, the focus was on BMW three-wheelers, but soon all other cars were allowed to participate. Only the date on Whit Monday remained a constant.
They moved from Schallenberg to the TCS Training and Event Center Stockental, where they were held for the first time in 2012. In the meantime, the number of vehicles has exceeded 1000 and on June 9, 2025, it is likely to have been more than this round figure, despite the entrance fee.
Younger cars
Compared to other events of a similar nature, the vehicles at the meeting in the TCS Center Stockental are certainly somewhat younger. However, a large proportion of the cars here are already over 30 years old, which is the usual definition of a classic car.
That's no wonder, after all, even BMW M3 E30, VW Golf II or all Opel Manta are already veteran-approved.
Younger participants
It's not just the cars that are younger, the participants seem to be too.
In fact, the average age of the drivers and visitors was probably considerably lower than at the events in the bull stables in Zug or similar events.
Lots of tuning
The variety of vehicles on June 9, 2025 was great, also in terms of originality. While it was possible to spot highly original classic cars, there were also a large number of cars that had been modified almost beyond recognition.
The nice thing about it was that nobody was bothered by heavily tuned vehicles, but at the same time you could feel the respect for originally preserved cars.
Hardly any super classics
Of course, among the many VW Golf I and II there was also the odd Ferrari, e.g. a Testarossa or a 348, but overall the space was largely reserved for "normal" cars, the kind you would have driven in everyday life in the seventies, eighties or nineties.
In between, however, there were some real gems to be discovered, such as an Opel Ascona 400, several Opel Manta 400s or an Audi Sport quattro (or a Look-a-like).
Stroll and discover
The great attraction of meetings like the one in Stockental is that you can discover cars you haven't seen for a long time every time you walk through the grounds. When do you come across an Opel Corsa TR or a Renault Supercing GTE on the street, or even a once frequently sold Opel Kadett D GTE?
Instead of many more words, we recommend taking a look at the extensive photo gallery.
