Solitude Revival 2015 - Tradition comes to life in a crescendo

Name: Brabham BT 3 Climax 1962
Brand: Brabham

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Created on July 20, 2015

Text:

Bruno von Rotz / Balz Schreier

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Balz Schreier

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Balz Schreier

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Porsche 917K (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing sports cars and prototypes" group

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MG TA Q-Type Kompressor (1938) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Porsche 917K (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Porsche 917K (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Lola T70 Chevrolet (1969) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Cooper T61 King Cobra (1963) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 907 Coupe (1967) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing sports cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 907 Coupe (1967) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 911 2.7 RS Safari (1974) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Abarth 2000 Proto SE021 (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Abarth 3000 V8 (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 906 Coupe (1966) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 906 Coupe (1966) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Porsche 908/3 (1971) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing sports cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 908/3 1971 () at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Ford GT40 X1 Roadster (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 906 Coupe (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 906 Coupe (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Porsche 904 GTS (1964) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 718 RS 60 (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing sports cars and prototypes" group

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Brixner-NSU Spyder (1969) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Abarth 3000 V8l (1971, right) and Abarth 2000 Proto SE021 (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Lotus 17 Climax (1959) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Elva-Porsche MK7 (1963) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Lotus 11 Le Mans (1957) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Mercedes-Benz W194 Slicer (1953) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS (1957) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing sports cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche 550 Spyder replica (1962) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Allard K1 (1947) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Fiat-Abarth Biposto Cuneo (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Porsche _718 RSK (1959) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS Porter (1957) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

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In the paddock at the Solitude Revival 2015 - Steinmetz Opel in rank and file

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Impressions of the Solitude Revival 2015

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Cooper () at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Brabham BT3 Climax F1 (1962) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Porsche 718 F2 (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Lotus 69 Ford F2 (1971) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Brabham BT16 Ford F2 (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Lotus 59 Ford F2 (1969) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Chevron B18 Ford F2 (1971) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Brabham BT36 Ford F2 (1971) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Brabham BT6 Ford FJ (1963) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Lotus 22 Ford FJ (1962) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Simca Deho F2 (1948) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Cooper T56 BMC FJ (1961) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

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Benetton-Ford B194 F1 (1994) at the 2015 Solitude Revival

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Porsche 914/6 GT Recaro (1971) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 356 Abarth (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 911 ST (1971) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Abarth-Simca 2 Mila (1964) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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MG A Racing (1955) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Lancia Flaminia SZ Corsa (1960) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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DKW Monza Solitude (1956) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ (1959) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Jaguar E-Type LW (1968) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 356 B 2000 GS (1963) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Shelby Cobra Daytona (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA (1967) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Opel GT 1900 Steinmetz (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Opel GT 1900 Steinmetz (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 356 (1956) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Marcos GT Fastback (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta (1957) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Honda S800 Coupe (1969) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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NSU Wankel Spider (1967) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 356A Coupe (1958) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 911 RSR 2.7 (1975) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 911 RSR 2.7 (1975) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Porsche 928S Trigema (1983) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 911 Carrera (1984) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Opel Commodore GSE Steinmetz (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Porsche 911 Carrera RS (1985) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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BMW 3.5 CSI (1974) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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BMW 2002 Ti (1975) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Morris Mini Cooper (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Jaguar MK2 3.8 (1961) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

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Maserati 8CM (1933) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Bugatti T35 B (1929) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Buick C8 (1939) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Aston Martin International (1937) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Lancia Aprilia Barchetta (1938) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 (1934) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Maserati Tipo 26 (1926) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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MG A Sports (1934) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS (1929) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Riley 12/4 (1938) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Alvis 12/70 Special (1939) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Alvis Experimental (1938) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Wolseley Hornet Special (1935) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "pre-war racing cars" group

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Alvis 12/70-SP20 (1938) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Pre-war racing cars" group

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Porsche RS 60 (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Porsche 907 Coupe (1967) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Porsche K8 Spyder (1995) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1961) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Ronart W152 (1969) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Extra" group

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Grosser Werkmeister (1952) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Extra" group

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Porsche 911 Rallye Monte Carlo (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Gulf Porsche 908/3 (1971) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

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Benz Gaggenau fire engine (1925) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Bentley 4 () at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Ford T model (1911) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Cadillac () at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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MG Midget (1930) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Porsche 356 B (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Porsche 356 SC (1965) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Fiat-Abarth OTS (1966) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Simca Huit (1951) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Borgward Isabella (1960) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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VW 1302 (1970) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Opel GT 1900 (1969) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Kaiser Darrin 161 (1954) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "Corso Classico" group

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Buick Electra (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Lincoln Continental Mk3 (1958) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Opel Diplomat A (1966) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

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Motorcycles and sidecars at the Solitude Revival 2015

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Gruppe 3 Fotos - Vorkriegs-Renn- und Sportwagen

Gruppe 4 Fotos - GT/Tourenwagen Revival

Gruppe 5 Fotos - Langstrecken-Rennwagne

Gruppe 4 Fotos - GT/Tourenwagen Revival

Gruppe 5 Fotos - Langstrecken-Rennwagne

Gruppe 6 Fotos - Grand Prix Revival

Corso Classico + Extra Fotos

Exactly 50 years ago, the last race took place on the Solitude, an 11.71 km circuit nestled in the countryside southwest of Stuttgart. For several years now, the glorious days have been commemorated with the Solitude Revival, and on July 17-19, 2015, the time had come once again.

Lotus 17 Climax (1959) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

And the organizers had come up with a few ideas to revive the memories of the great days of the Solitude Ring. The original race track could, as far as possible, be driven on again in its entirety and the major vehicle manufacturers Porsche and Mercedes-Benz had pledged their support and brought fine vehicles to the paddock at the Glemseck.

Late start, early finish

Despite all the preparations, the start of the event was slow, laps were canceled and spectators waited patiently. The race was aborted all the more hastily on Sunday after the driver of a Ronart Jaguar, a sports car modeled on the Formula 1 racing cars of the 1940s and 1950s with Jaguar mechanics, lost control of the car in a long bend and left the track over the straw bales, overturned and only came to a halt in the wooded area behind it. The crew, there was also a co-driver on board, suffered serious injuries, but the marshals also sustained injuries from the flying bales of straw, although these were less serious than those suffered by the driver. The race organizers decided to stop the race immediately, which was certainly the right decision given the situation.

Well attended

Saturday was already well attended in partly sunny and humid weather, and many spectators also flocked to the Glemseck on Sunday. A total of around 10,000 visitors are said to have been counted. And there was plenty on offer for them.

Porsche 911 2.7 RS Safari (1974) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Extra" group

Test and race track

The Solitude-Ring was a natural race track, i.e. its layout was adapted to the existing topography. This can be compared to the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. And like the latter, it was safety considerations that put an end to the track in 1965. Unlike the Nürburgring, however, parts were renaturalized.

In the fifties and sixties, Solitude was not only a race track, but was also often used for test drives, whether by the motor press or by car manufacturers, who were able to put their racing and sports cars through tough tests there. In 1953, the lap record was unofficially broken when the young Hans Herrmann drove a W194 successor, known as the "Hobel", faster than anyone before during test drives. This "Hobel" then did its laps again in 2015.

Mercedes-Benz W194 Slicer (1953) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing cars and prototypes" group

The heroes from back then

Of course, not only vehicles were celebrated, but also the people who drove these cars to success. One of them is Kurt Ahrens, who celebrated his 75th birthday on April 19, 2015. The former prototype and formula driver took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice with the Porsche 917, but retired both times with a technical defect. His greatest victories include success at the 1000 km race in Zeltweg in 1969 (with Jo Siffert) and at the 1000 km Nürburgring in 1970 (with Vic Elford.

Porsche RS 60 (1960) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Corso Classico" group

It was nice that the sprightly pensioner, together with the second Solitude legend Hans Herrmann, also sat in a Porsche in 2015 and drove a few demonstration laps. Even nicer that an entire parade was dedicated to him.

The legendary vehicles of yesteryear

Of course, it is above all the legendary racing cars from back then that still draw the crowds today. So when Porsche puts on a whole pack of former Le Mans racing cars as part of the "Endurance Revival", this is certainly to the taste of the spectators.

Porsche 917K (1970) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Le Mans - racing sports cars and prototypes" group

The Porsche 917, which won the race at Le Mans in 1970, was there, as were various Porsche 550s, RS60s, 904s, 906s, 907s, 908s and 910s, which had prepared the ground for the big overall victory with numerous class wins over the years. These cars were accompanied by other endurance and sports car legends.

Free-standing wheels like back then

The formula cars, which thundered around the track under the title "Grand Prix Revival", also attracted a lot of attention. A number of former Solitude cars were at the start, such as the 1962 Brabham BT3 Climax, which was already whizzing around the Hedersbach bend in 1963, or the 1960 Porsche 718 F2, which started at the Mercedes time trial in 1960. Monoposti from Formula 1, 2, 3 and Formula Junior as well as other racing classes from various model years revived the racing atmosphere of the sixties.

Brabham BT3 Climax F1 (1962) at the 2015 Solitude Revival in the "Grand Prix Revival" group

The motorcycles, which are particularly spectacular when it comes to tearing around the bends, also generated a lot of enthusiasm. The sidecars were just as appealing to the eye; for a short time, it was like being transported back to the old Solitude days...

Motorcycles and sidecars at the Solitude Revival 2015

A colorful mix of touring cars

There were spectators who simply felt a desire for "historic air" and were happy to be transported back to the old days. Others came because of the pre-war vehicles, or just because of the motorcycles... But still others came mainly because of the varied field of touring cars, which of course was once again at the start in full force this year. It's a pity, however, that a field of BMW 700s or FMR Tigers, as was the case back then, is no longer possible today.

Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA (1967) at the Solitude Revival 2015 in the "GT & Touring Revival" group

Entertainment in the paddock

Actually, you could have spent the whole day in the paddock, being so close to the racing cars and drivers is always inspiring and at the Solitude Revival, the paddock was particularly relaxing due to its spacious layout on the ADAC traffic training grounds.

In the paddock at the Solitude Revival 2015 - Steinmetz Opel in rank and file

The vehicle locations were of course organized according to the divided fields, so there were several tents per field where the race cars were checked again or polished...

Impressions of the Solitude Revival 2015

Solitude Revival 2017?

Will the Solitude Revival take place again in two years' time? We hope so. Can it still be improved? Certainly, but you shouldn't underestimate the work of the organizers, because in this day and age, planning such a major event is extremely demanding and you wouldn't believe how many people and offices want to be involved. It makes you wonder how it was even possible to organize an event for 200,000 or more spectators 50 years ago. But those were different times and the revival brings them back to life, at least a little.