The Passione Caracciola took place for the fourth time from June 20 to 24, 2018. It was named in memory of the famous German racing driver Caracciola. The regularity rally is aimed at discerning classic car owners who like things to be dignified but are not afraid of driving challenges.
Lots of stars, but not just
The "presenting sponsor" of the rally is Mercedes-Benz, and the starting field was well aware of this. A good half of the participating vehicles were sporty models with a star, from the 300 SL Gullwing to the 300 SE and 220 Cabriolet. It goes without saying that there were also many Pagodas among them.
But anyone who would have suspected a one-size-fits-all event was proved wrong when studying the list of participants more closely or watching from the roadside.
Mixed in with the stars was an interesting selection of rare and special classics, such as an Ermini 1100 Sport, which is fun to watch with its sonorous exhaust sound.
There was also no shortage of elegant vehicles, such as the Citroën SM in light blue metallic or the Maserati Indy.
There was also no shortage of horsepower, as demonstrated by the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona or the Dodge Polara.
These were joined by other sports cars from the 1950s to 1970s, such as the Fiat Otto Vu (8V) with Rappi bodywork, the Triumph TR3A or the Lancia Flaminia as a touring coupé.
The other German manufacturers were also represented, BMW with a 3200 CS, Porsche with two Porsche 356s and a 911.
Mention should definitely be made of the early Aston Martin DB2 from 1952 and the only pre-war classic, a Fiat 508 C from 1937, which, however, did not make it into the final ranking.
In the footsteps of Rudi Caracciola
The 2018 route was an almost purely Swiss affair, if you ignore the short detour to Italy on the last day of driving. The start was in Geneva, then it was along the beautiful Lake Geneva and via Château-d'Oex to Interlaken.
The second day took the entourage via the Brünig and a stopover on the Bürgenstock over the Klausen Pass and the Kerenzerberg to Bad Ragaz.
Although the rally participants drove over the Klausen Pass in the opposite direction to Rudi Caracciola during his six victories between 1924 and 1930, they were certainly aware of the driving challenges that the German racing driver had to face.
On Saturday, the road book guided the participants via Splügen and Maloja to St. Moritz, where the rally came to an end.
Culinary delights, but different
Once again, host Paolo Spalluto and his team placed just as much importance on the culinary and gastronomic aspects of the multi-day rally as on the routes and special stages. One example of this was the "wine tasting" on Friday evening in Bad Ragaz.
The taster was the internationally renowned sommelier Paolo Basso, who not only provides Air France with exquisite wines, but also produces his own wines. Each participant was given six glasses of red wine and was allowed to try to identify them under expert supervision. As this is difficult for non-experts, Basso helped with his comments on the individual wines, two of which came from Switzerland, three from Italy and one from France. The sommelier's explanations were very informative and the fact that tastes are very different was demonstrated by the vote at the end on which wine tasted best. The Italians were in the lead, but the result was far from clear.
Exclusive and intimate
Of course, there were exquisite dinners and exquisite breakfasts to enjoy in the first-class hotels where the guests stayed. However, these were not only a physical temptation, but also an opportunity to talk to the other rally participants. Many a business deal has been struck during a Passione rally, Paolo Spalluto told us proudly. Bringing interesting people together and giving them a memorable experience, including a go-kart ride in 2018, is his passion.
Winners too, of course
Of course, times were also recorded and penalty points noted.
Marc Uwe and Anne Cathrin Fischer did best in their 1959 Porsche 356 A Convertible, followed by Michael Dutsch and Marc Heikaus in their 1958 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet.
Urs and Susanne Müller came third in the Aston Martin DB2.
Jürgen and Maik Wurster in a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL won the group for cars built up to 1970, while Frank and Nadja Rickert in a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Cabriolet won the group for the youngest cars.
Best conditions
Probably the most memorable experience of the fourth Passione Caracciola, however, were the drives over breathtaking mountain passes, including the one over the Klausen.
The Alpine panorama was certainly particularly enjoyable when the weather was fine but the temperatures were not too high.
