On September 13, the ADAC Classic Car Tour will kick off in Ruhpolding—for the first time spanning five days of driving and passing through four countries. The opening event will take place in the midst of the US Car Festival, with free admission.
The starting field for the ADAC Europa Classic 2026 includes nearly 70 classic cars from 17 brands. The route covers approximately 900 kilometers, starting in Ruhpolding in the Chiemgau region, passing through Wörthersee and Slovenia to Jesolo on the Italian Adriatic coast, then back to Bavaria via Bolzano. The drive is timed but without pressure to compete.
American cars in the field—including one from Maranello
Bernd Schneider and Nicole Oehm-Schneider’s car is a perfect fit for the start of the “Route 66” US Car Festival: a 1966 Ford Mustang GT 289 Convertible. Werner and Andrea Oestreich bring the GM counterpart in the form of a Pontiac Firebird.
The “most American” car at the event, however, comes from Italy. Dwight Blackshear and Ewa Ache Przeradzka are driving a 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi—the very model that became famous as the company car in the TV series “Magnum P.I.” According to the team, a Hawaiian shirt and a fake mustache are always at the ready.
A Mercedes-Benz 220 Sb driven by Michael Schmirdorfer and Monika Bauer points in the same direction, both typographically and in terms of design: The “large rear fin” of the W 111 series has been in the family since it was first registered in 1963.
Pop singer Stefanie Hertel arrives in a Trabant 601 S de Luxe, which she knows from family vacations—this time with her band “More Than Words” (husband Lanny Lanner, daughter Johanna Mross), not to the Baltic Sea, but to the Adriatic. Also at the starting line: actor Richy Müller.
Program for the opening day in Ruhpolding, September 13
- Starting at 10:00 a.m.: ADAC Classic Area with Kids’ Corner
- Starting at 11:00 a.m.: Technical inspection of participants’ vehicles
- 1:00–4:00 p.m.: Live music by ThelifeJACKS
- 3:00–3:30 p.m.: Performance by Stefanie Hertel with “More Than Words”
- 3:30–4:30 p.m.: Autograph session with Richy Müller, Stefanie Hertel, Lanny Lanner, and Johanna Mross
Admission is free. For more information and a list of all stops: adac
