Classic car fans can get their folding chairs and coolers ready for July 8 and 9, because the ADAC Heidelberg Historic is on the road again. For the first time, the route will also take in the Enzkreis district, and the field of 180 vehicles will also drive through the Rhine villages in the northern district of Karlsruhe, the Kraichgau, the Kurpfalz and the Odenwald as far as Brehmen.
If you set up your observation post in your own yard, at the roadside or at one of the - partly moderated - checkpoints, you can wave at the highly polished gems for around three and a half hours - from the first to the last vehicle - and marvel at the technology and design of past decades.
Rare classics
For example, the Lancia Aprilia Berlina from 1937 with starting number 10 is the oldest surviving Aprilia and one of the last cars to have been developed with the involvement of company founder Vincenzo Lancia. As its first owner had walled up the vehicle during the Second World War to protect it from the army, it has been so well preserved.
But the likeable Fiat Topolino, built in 1953, with the starting number 70 also has a special biography. With its 16.5 hp, the vehicle covered a distance of 20,000 kilometers on a round trip from the East Coast to the West Coast in the USA in the 1990s.
Real beauties are the BMW 2600 L, the so-called "Baroque Angel" from 1963 or the Jaguar XK 120 C-Type from 1966. According to the regulations of the World Oldtimer Association FIVA, the event is listed as one of the few "International Events". "The drive is like a museum on wheels for spectators.
We are proud to have 13 vehicles from the 1930s alone at the start," emphasizes Jürgen Fabry, Sports Director of ADAC Nordbaden e.V.
Presentation of the vehicles for spectators
Presenters will introduce each individual vehicle to the audience at several stages of the event, for the first time on Thursday evening before the first stage of the day in the courtyard of the TÜV Service Center in Sinsheim during the technical inspection of the classic cars.
On Friday, the commentators will comment on the field of participants during the first stage of the day on the town hall square in Weingarten from 10.45 am, on the Heidelberg market square from 3 pm, at the special stage in Spechbach from 3.45 pm, in Mühlhausen on the church square from 4.30 pm and then at the finish in front of the Technik Museum in Sinsheim from 5 pm. On Saturday, the day's stage leads into the Odenwald and the rolling legends will be greeted by the presenter in Neckarbischofsheim from 7.30 am. The vehicles will be in Brehmen from 9.15 am and in Zweiflingen from 11 am.
During the lunch break at the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm from 12 noon, there will also be plenty of time to take a closer look at the parked beauties after the vehicles have arrived. At the Alte Kelter in Stockheim, you can watch the start of the special stage from 2 p.m., and in Sinsheim-Weiler the drive-through inspection from 3.15 p.m.. The first vehicles will finally cross the finish line in Sinsheim at 3.30 pm.
Uniformity in demand
On the other hand, concentration is required from the participants during the two daily stages. First and foremost, uniformity and accuracy of driving style are important. In accordance with FIVA regulations, the average speed on no part of the route exceeds 50 kilometers per hour.
Deviations from the specified target times are penalized with penalty seconds. The co-driver must use the symbols in the logbook to give the correct instructions if the journey is to be a sporting success rather than just a pleasure trip. "In addition to the regular time and drive-through checks, 18 special stages have to be completed. The circuit through Spechbach or the ride through the vineyards in Stockheim are particularly popular with the public," reveals Fabry. Local clubs provide hospitality and a great atmosphere.
Where the field of drivers will be introduced by moderators and all other information can be found on the rally website, where the detailed route will be published from July 7, 2022. The start and finish will be in Sinsheim in the Technik Museum courtyard.
