Four years ago I embarked on a road trip to visit family in the south of Germany in my 1975 BMW 2002tiiLux (still available should you be interested). That trip included stops in Wiesbaden and Mulhouse, took in a visit to BMW Classic and the BMW Museum, as well as fulfilling a long-held ambition to visit the Cité d’Automobile and its fabulous collection of Bugatti’s and more. I wrote about it here, and it remains the fondest memory of my ownership of die Zitrone.
I had originally planned to make this journey last year, in the BMW again, but Covid put a crimp in that plan, so after a 12 month delay I finally got round to catching up with my extended German family again, and this time I made the journey in my 1984 Mercedes Benz 280CE; I had originally intended to take my more recently acquired 911T but an atrocious weather forecast for the first half of the week made me decide to take the C123, not least as the 911 was fresh from having had the gearbox rebuilt and a couple of other minor issues sorted out, and I thought it better to reacquaint myself with the car properly before taking on such a trip with it. In the event, the weather turned out to be much less inclement than forecast, though it was bad enough on the first Sunday.
This was a decision made just three days before departure, so I didn’t have time to get the 280CE serviced beforehand, which I would ideally have preferred to do. Still, it’s a Mercedes, right? The recent increases in fuel costs also meant I hadn’t exactly picked the best time for a road trip – more on that later.
This time around, I took a slightly different route, with stops overnight in Luxembourg on the outward journey, and in the medieval city of Trier on the return – this is the story of how that road trip unfolded.
Loaded up with luggage plus the various paraphernalia legally required in most EU countries, as well as a few precautionary items – it is a 38-year-old car, after all – I used Google Maps via my screen-mounted ‘phone to help me not just navigate, but inform me as to my progress in terms of distance and time.
As before, I had booked the Eurotunnel train service to make the Channel crossing, which meant setting off at 06.30 on a damp and drizzly Saturday morning for the 300km first leg, a straightforward blast down the M40, M25 and M20 to Folkestone. Traffic was for the most part light, getting me to the Le Shuttle terminal so early I was given the option to depart on an earlier train, which I took, and it left as scheduled, the first time that’s happened to me. As an aside, I have to say it’s going to take a while for me to get used to having my passport stamped when leaving the UK for mainland Europe.
After the 35-minute ride under the English Channel, the Mercedes and I emerged blinking into the sunlight in Calais and headed in the direction of Dunkerque, then the A25 towards Lille, the E42 in the direction of Namur in Belgium before turning south and on to Luxembourg. To be honest, this was probably the least interesting part of the entire journey, since as we all know, the Belgian landscape is largely pretty featureless so this leg was all about covering the distance to my hotel as efficiently as possible without hammering the car. Having said that, the section in the Ardennes was especially pleasant, and contrary to expectations, Â the day was actually hot, Â humid and dry.
Back in the late 1980’s I used to visit the Duchy regularly on business, and I recalled a small but very pretty city divided by a deep gorge through it’s centre. I got to my hotel on the city’s edge just before 19.00, early enough to give me time to walk around this small yet most scenic European capital and to enjoy an excellent dinner and a cold beer – it seemed little changed from how I remembered it. As an added bonus, before setting off the next morning I was able to enjoy a breakfast catch-up with an old friend and former broadcasting industry colleague; it was lovely to see her again.
Leaving my hotel at 10.30, I had a deadline to meet this day – one of my Aunts was having a birthday party that was due to start at 17.00, so I wanted to make sure I covered the 410km to get there in good time, making it necessary again to rely (mostly) on the Autobahn, I arrived at my main base for the week at 16.00. The weather was at its worst this day, including a heavy downpour in the Saarland hills, reducing speeds down to as little as 40-50kmh on the B10.
Over the next five days the 280CE and I went from house to house, relative to relative, where I basically ate and drank too much and added a couple of kilos to the Mercedes’ burden, all while suffering from a stinking cold which I had no idea how I picked up. At one stage I feared another Covid infection, but a negative test put me at ease.
In between all this however I was able to pay a return visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, together with one of my cousins, and there’ll be a fuller, separate write up about this citadel to one of the world’s most iconic – yes, iconic – motor car manufacturers. I was last there some 9 years ago and there have been a few changes, but not many.
Come the weekend and it was time to set off on my return journey, this time with an overnight stop scheduled in Trier, considered to be the oldest city in Germany, and one that I was visiting for the first time. For this leg, I had enough time not to need the Autobahn, giving me the opportunity to drive at my leisure through some beautiful countryside and through many picturesque small towns and  villages, such as Weidenthal, Speyer, Neustadt, Nonnweiler, as well as the city of Kaiserslautern. I particularly liked Frankenstein, with its ruined castle atop a hill overlooking the village; all that was missing was the toll of the church bell.
It was a very warm day, so I was happy to be able to drive sedately with my window open, and there is something reassuring about seeing that three-pointed star in front of you. I pitched up at my hotel in Trier at 16.00, giving me time for a shower and then a wander around this historic city, supposedly the oldest in Germany, full of wonderful old buildings such as the Roman Porta Negra (Black Gate), Konstantin Basilica which dated back to the 4th century,  the beautiful Baroque Electoral Palace that backs on to it, which was added in the 17th century, and the spectacular Dom or Cathedral, built over many years.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to see any of them properly as I had chosen the city’s busiest weekend of the year for my visit. It was hosting its Altstadtsfest, and the place was heaving with people, young, old and those in-between. It was as if every spare space had either a beer, wine or food stand on it, and in each of the main squares, stages had been erected for live music performances, some of them not bad at all, though the German Ska band was a step too far for me. Still, the atmosphere all evening was great, and even I had fun.
An early start was required the next morning, as I needed to get to Calais by 13.30, so I resorted to the Autobahns and Autoroutes again for the next 445km, which I covered in a fairly comfortable 6 hours, repeating my feat of an early arrival and being able to get on an earlier train. I have to say that although it’s expensive, the Shuttle is absolutely the way to cross the Channel. Despite the Sunday afternoon traffic on the M25 in particular, the Mercedes trundled into our driveway just under four hours later.
The coupé received occasional recognition on our travels, a little less perhaps than the bright yellow 2002 four years ago, but then, it is a more subtle presence on the road.
Of course I kept my eyes open for other classics and I did spot a few during the trip, although I saw more on the last UK leg of the journey than I did the rest of the trip combined, though I think this might have been due to a combination of it being a Sunday and sunny, so it’s likely that a number of classics were on the road here on their way to events. Still, a couple of 914’s – both yellow, a metallic green Viva HB, and a metallic brown Peugeot 504 cabriolet were among the more outstanding spots. Unfortunately, as I was driving at the time, I couldn’t photograph them so you’ll just have to take my word for it. I did however manage to photograph a few when I was on foot, including a stunning MB 280SE W108 at an autobahn rest stop, two W118 450SE’s (the second actually near the Benz museum, a soft-top Cadillac in Luxembourg and a Studebaker Champion in the forecourt of what looked like a derelict service station.
How to sum up such a trip? Compared with when I made the similar journey in the 2002, this was a more relaxed, more comfortable drive – not surprising, really, as these are two quite different cars.
The big red 2-door did all that was required of it without fuss or bother, although it almost blotted its copybook on the day I began my return journey by refusing to start for the first time in my two years’ ownership. My cousin and I – well, my cousin, really – traced the problem to an electrical connection where it that looked as if a small creature had taken a nibble. A piece of gaffer tape provided a temporary solution.
The Benz also developed a judder under braking that I’ll have to get looked at, as well as a steady high-pitched squeal that seemed to disappear by the time I got home, but it’s another thing to get checked. Despite these minor niggles, the car performed well, sitting at a steady 110 – 120kmh on the stretches of highway. It’s not a particularly economical car either, and with fuel prices reaching ever more eye-watering levels, I had obviously picked one of the worst years for such a long drive, but it’s not like I was going to do this often.
As it is, we covered 1552 miles or just under 2,500 km in total, most of it at the beginning and end of the nine days, and I bought 285 litres of fuel at a cost of £539 with the 80-litre tank still showing roughly half-full at the end. Had I made this trip four months ago, it would have cost me about £100 less, such has been the increase in the price of petrol recently. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable trip, lovely to catch up with my extended family again, and the 280CE proved a thoroughly comfortable and stylish travelling companion. Next time, though, I have to do it in the 911.
