The last race at Solitude took place on July 18, 1965. Although most of the track fragments still exist today, they are primarily used to serve the residential area and are signposted with mostly low speed limits. Peace and consideration are required all year round.
But once every two years, the tone changes on the 11.7 kilometers in the southwest of Stuttgart.
Then twelve-cylinder engines roar, two-strokes screech and brute four-cylinders with 14 liters of displacement thunder. The Solitude Revival not only brings back memories, but also the cars and motorcycles of yesteryear.
Great interest
The event is popular: on the weekend of July 20 and 21, 2019, around 12,000 visitors came to enjoy the hustle and bustle on the revived racetrack.
The fact that the racing cars had to drive behind a pace car, were usually only allowed to complete just two laps in a 20-minute slot and the pace remained modest compared to the past did not seem to bother the enthusiastic spectators along the track.
Keeping an eye on tradition
Not only could the track be driven on almost unchanged, but the buildings and paddock were also reminiscent of the good old days.
Instead of only being able to catch a glimpse from afar, as is the case with modern racing, visitors were able to get up close and personal with the "racing drivers" and admire the cars up close.
Two, three and four wheels
Everything that was already on the road at Solitude at the time and a few more things that were probably only built in the following years were raced. Motorcycles, sidecar sidecars, cars with geared and free-standing wheels, it was all there, even the pre-war faction was there with a wide range of vehicles.
Anyone interested in Alfa Romeo was just as likely to find what they were looking for as fans of the Trabant or Volkswagen Formula Vee.
Porsche Festival
Zuffenhausen, the home of Porsche sports cars, is only a few kilometers away from Solitude. No wonder, then, that the presence of the Swabian car manufacturer was immediately noticeable. With its own tent and an exhibition of museum vehicles, the brand's racing history was explained to the interested public.
Important milestones in Porsche's history could also be admired on the track, including, of course, the Porsche 917, which is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2019.
Also on display were the brute Porsche 917/10 and 917/30 as well as the graceful Porsche 550 Spyder, Porsche 718 and the Abarth version of the Porsche 356 Carrera.
At the wheel were Porsche drivers from Hans Joachim Stuck to Neel Jani, both past and present.
The opponents from back then - Porsche 804 and Ferrari 156
The presence of the Porsche single-seaters from the early sixties was also something special. Both the 804 and the 718 F2, in which John Surtees took second place at the time, were on display.
Fittingly, they were accompanied by two Ferrari 156 Sharknose monoposti from the same era.
None of the original cars survived, but there were two extremely successful copies at the start in Stuttgart.
In honor of Linge and Mitter
Many heroes of the past were honored, including Gerhard Mitter, who died 50 years ago in a racing accident. A Mitter DKW could even be tracked on the race track.
A special run in honor of Herbert Linge commemorated his achievements as a racing driver, but also as a developer at Porsche.
And thoughts also turned to Eberhard Mahles' victories in 1959, the man who had managed to win two out of three races back then.
Colourful hustle and bustle
Meanwhile, the different fields alternated on the track. A green Porsche usually drove ahead as a pace car, and some drivers would have liked to overtake it.
However, they had to drive significantly slower than Jim Redman had managed on his Honda over 50 years ago, when he recorded the fastest motorcycle lap ever driven at Solitude at 160.614 km/h.
Even today, "Gentleman Jim" still reminisces about the good old days, and in an interview he also shared his memories with the Revival visitors.
430 vehicles
With over 400 vehicles, the 2019 Solitude Revival was well represented.
However, it was noticeable that the Messerschmitt and FMR Tiger, which were so well represented at the time, were missing, as were official delegations from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. How nice a race with a field of BMW 700s would have been ...
Successful event
Overall, the 2019 Revival was convincing, in principle there was something for everyone. But let Hans-Peter Koch, Chairman of the Solitude Revival e.V., "speak" the closing words: "We are thrilled with what was on offer this weekend at Solitude. We would like to thank the sponsors and all the participants who were on the track with their historic vehicles. To the visitors who created a unique atmosphere here. And last but not least, to all the helpers, without whom this event would never have been possible."
