Bitte verzeiht Ihr mir das ich dieses treffen im English zusammenfasse, aber durch zu wenig zeit fehlt es mir um dies auch in Deutsch zu schreiben weil ich hier schon an grossteil meiner freier zeit in dem verganegen 2 wochen eingesteckt habe. Den zweiten grund ist das ich auch von der E34 ///M5 mailing liste nach diesem seite linken kann. Ausserdem habe ich dieser text auch am m5board geschrieben.
Danke an der Kons der den photo's online gestellt hat.
Viel spass beim lesen 
,
Raymond
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Being a member of the Organization committee for the 2003 issue of the E34 M5 meeting, I already had spent a lot of time and effort for the organization of the event. Although it was a pity that the ///M Gmbh was not able to host us for the Friday afternoon, I was glad that I could leave for the gathering place in Rauris (Austria) a few hours later and thus spending some quality time playing with my 18month old baby boy. First, I had to pick up my father who joined me for the meeting and after a cup of coffee and saying good-bye to my wife and son, we left at approx. 11.00AM. Apart from a few traffic jams, our journey went rather well. We had some (usual) incidents, one of them on the A44 from Paderborn to Kassel where an ignorant truck driver deemed it necessary to block the left road for more then half an hour. Granted, traffic was slowly progressing, but why do truck drivers have to do this? After some time, we approached a road construction site, something the truck driver probably knew, but I and with me many others didn't. But still then, I am perfectly capable to decide for myself when I move over to the right lane. Someone else does not have to decide that for me if there is no road sign that tells me to.
After Kassel, we had to switch to another highway, the A7 to Würzburg. This autobahn with its steep slopes and many high-speed curves is one of my favorites. On the A7, sheer power is subordinate to driving skills and route knowledge. The key for achieving a high average pace is rhythm. I have lost count how much I have driven the A7, but it still is fun and a challenge. I wish all the autobahns where like this. From Würzburg to Munich we didn't encounter many problems, but the traffic information warned for two large traffic jams after Munich. Since with every passing news bulletin the length of these traffic jams decreased considerably, we took the gamble to not use one of the detours. Fortunatelly, this gamble worked well for us and we reached the autobahn exit of Traunstein just after 6.30PM. The distance to Rauris still is approx. 100km from that point, but mostly large two-way roads. We passed a number of cars and not surprisingly a fellow Dutchman had to use its claxon to object to me overtaking the group he was driving in. He probably couldn't stand it that there are faster cars on the road. After a quick blast from the German/Austrian border to Zell Am See and eventually to Rauris, we arrived at the Hotel Salzburgerhof shortly after 8.00PM.
By that time, it was already dark, but some of our friends where still enjoying some petrol talks at the terrace. After shaking hands with our friends and introducing us to the new faces in the group, we dropped our luggage in our rooms and quickly joined the others for dinner. In the meantime Dick & Miranda arrived also, only about 30 minutes after my father and me arrived. Only Finn and his brother Brian had yet to arrive, but during dinner, Hermann received a phone call Finn in which he told that his car suffered from severe vibrations in the rear suspension and that he had spend the day trying to solve them. They just left then Denmark meaning that we didn't have to expect them before 6.00AM in the morning, just 2.5hrs before the scheduled departure from Rauris.
After the main table, I started to distribute the meeting program. While the others read through the program and the route for the weekend, Hermann and I completed the formalities with the hotel manager so we didn't have to do all that on the next morning. After spending some petrol-talk with the others in the guestroom and enjoying a few drinks together, I went to my room just past midnight to get some sleep for the next day. In know from experience that riving through the Italian Dolomites can be intensive and time consuming. A few others staid in the guestroom a little longer (ahummm). On the picture below you can see that (from the left to right) Konstantin, Hermann, Frank, Kevin, Dominik and Andy are enjoying their beers on the first evening.
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Why sleep out in the morning when one can enjoy a beautiful panorama in the morning? In my opinion, nothing beats a morning sunrise in the mountains. I really like getting up early on a trip like this, not only to enjoy the sunrise, but also to relax prior to spending most of the day driving my car on mainly curvy roads. Outside the hotel, I met Hermann who usually is even earlier then I am. He asked me some details about the route as he was driving alone. While I explained the route to Hermann on the map, I suddenly felt something licking my elbow. Hermann had too laugh and looking around I saw a cow that was more interested in my shirt then the rest of its group that was moved to another grazing yard.
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The 'veilchen-blue' car on the picture below belongs to Nordschleife veteran Dick Hoekendijk. Only the weekend before, he took part in the Suderia Hanseat and with this car he secured the first price in the 'experienced class'. The Scuderia Hanseat is a multiple day training-event on the premises of the Nurburgring, but only for the experienced driver. One Instructor/judge for this event is Sabine Schmitz, also known as the driver of the Ring Taxi.
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Since I arrived rather late in the Friday evening, I didn't have the opportunity to fuel up my car. To do so and not loosing time with this, I left five minutes before the others. This gave me the opportunity get back in touch with the others already before the northern tollgate of the Gross-Glockner Hochalpen Strasse. I finished fueling up when I saw five others stopping at the same petrol station also. Dominik also forgot to fuel up his car the day before.
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From the left to right: Konstantin's MY95 E34, ///M5 Touring, my MY90 E34 ///M5, Finn's MY91 E34 ///M5 and Andy's MY95 E34 B10 4.6 Touring. Behind the E34's, you can see a glimpse of Dominik's and his E38 740i. He took this car as he discovered only Friday morning his MY89 E34 ///M5 had a leak somewhere in the fuel distribution. Finn only arrived at 4.30AM on Saturday morning, three hours before the start of the first day. He also had a technical problem with his suspension that he discovered only the day before. He couldn't take part without solving but he managed to do so in time and left Denmark Friday evening at the same time we where enjoying dinner (Applause to you Finn).
The Gross-Glöckner Höchalpenstrasse is a toll road that leads from Bruck near Zell Am See to Heiligenblut. The daily admission fee is 26 Euro, for that you get a perfectly paved road all the way up to 2506mtr with a beautiful panoramic view over the highest mountains of the Eastern Alps. Below you can see the ///M5 convoy approaching the tollgate at Ferleiten.
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The Gross-Glöckner Höchalpenstrasse is tourist road, with other words, for spirited driving, you better not use this road after 10.00AM and before 16.00AM. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, there hardly are any visitors anyway so then this pass is the most fun. There are enough opportunities to overtake cars as the road is perfectly paved and wide enough. On the ascent from Ferleiten, I was blocked by a German registered Audi A6 2.5 TDI whose driver wanted to keep me behind him. When cars like that accelerate in first and second, one can almost forget overtaking them with an E34 ///M5 as they have more torque at low revs, but once they have to shift to third, the S38 engine still has 2500RPM left and then, they can't follow anymore. However, with the hairpins following shortly, one doesn't get this opportunity when drivers like the one in the Audi wants to stay in front. This is very irritating as in the hairpins I was noticeably faster as he had to lift with his brakes on every hairpin. This didn’t take to long as I soon got the opportunity to play the S38 trump cards and it was bye-bye Audi.
The first highlight of the Gross-Glockner Hochalpenstrasse is the Füscher Torl. At an altitude of 2428mtr this is the highest point on the northern side of the main road. There is a subsection that is a bit higher, the Edelweiss spitze reaching up 2571mtr. However this is a dead end leading towards a sightseeing point and one has to return to the main road from there. Nevertheless, the view from the Füscher Torl is really nice anyway. The glacier-covered mountain that is located behind the mountains on the foreground is the Gross-Glöckner. With 3798mtr this is Austria's highest mountain.
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After about half an hour, it was time to drive a little bit further to the next high point, the Hochtor tunnel at 2506mtr. Between Füscher Torl and Hochtor, a section of approx. 8 to 10km the road stays above 2300mtr, but unlike many other passes reaching this high, the road stays wide and predictable. On the first picture below you can see Finn Donati driving around Füscher Torl. The twopictures thereafter show Kevin and Gill with their English model MY95 E34 ///M5 on the section between Füscher Torl (2428mtr) and Hochtor (2506mtr).
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Just before the Hochtor tunnel we stopped for a brief moment to take some pictures. Only a few days earlier some snow had fallen down and there still was enough for a small snow-fight. The Hochtortunnel actually is the border between two of Austrian states, Carinthië and Salzburgerland.
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On the picture above, you can see Finn entering the 300mtr long Hochtor tunnel. Clearly visible is the fog that was coming from the Southwest and that would dominate the whether for the rest of the day. From the Hochtor tunnel to the next village in the valley, Heiligenblut, the road descents more then 1100mtr with an average slope of approx. 12%. Many tourists ruin their brakes on this section as they step on the brakes all the time. But also with a heavyweight like the E34 ///M5, one has to watch out. Staying behind tourists to long is stressful, but passing fortunately is not that difficult. Perhaps only Dick with his 340mm Movit front brakes was always on the safe side. After exiting the toll road section a few kilometers before Heiligenblut, we headed for the Iselsbergpass. With 1206mtr, this pass is not that high. In fact, it is only a transition pass from Lienz to the Gross-Glockner Hochalpenstrasse, but my father spend a lot of driving in his younger days and still remembers one of the wide hairpins in the Iselsberg village that they took with more then 140km/h!!!! But that was back in the early 1970's when traffic was not that intense and the police rather kind to speeding offences. But nevertheless, imaging them doing so with BMW 2000tii's and Opel Commodore GSE's with crappy brakes and a suspension technology of four decades ago?
The Iselsbergpass ends in Lienz, a larger town we had to cross to reach the Felbertaurnstrasse in the direction of Mittersil. Being a typical Saturday morning, the town was crowded with people shopping in the Supermarkets. Unfortunately we lost approx. 30 minutes because of this that could become a problem later that day on the Staller Sattel, a pass with a time restricted ascent and descent. Below you can see my E34 ///M5 waiting for a roundabout in the suburbs of Lienz.
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After Lienz we stopped for a while to wait for the cars in our group that lost connection in Lienz. From here, we drove a small section of the Felbertauren strasse until a place called Huben where we had to leave the main road for the Staller Sattel. With an altitude of 2052mtr, this is one of the best ways to drive to Italy. It is not that well known amongst tourists, making it a perfect alternative for the crowded main road from Silian to Dobbiaco. There are two disadvantages though. The first is that this route is approx. 40km longer. The second is that the descent on the Italian site doesn't permit cars passing each other and thus is regulated for one way traffic only. Descending traffic is allowed to enter the Italian site in the first quarter of the hour while Ascending traffic is allowed to enter in the third quarter of the hour. Both ways then have 0.5 hour to complete the restricted section. However, since we lost 30min's in Lienz, I wasn't sure if we all could make it for the time-restricted descent of this pass (the first quarter of each hour). While driving thought the valley towards the Staller Sattel, there was a road construction site for which we had to wait another 5 minutes (Arghhhhh).
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On the picture above the time-restricted descent is clearly visible on the signs. After a quick blast upward in the valley, we where in time for the opening window for the descent, but only with a five minute margin.
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Halve way down we encountered a tractor driving in the same direction. When do you see an ///M5 traffic jam like this? I planned lunch at the Passo di Giau, 75km later, but during a small stop just outside the time restricted zone, some said they where already hungry. It has just been past noon and we already drove 160km so I decided to stop here for lunch. A restaurant was nearby, but why didn't I stop on the Staller Sattel's pass height? Well, I originally planned to lunch at the Passo Giau, a pass in the hart of the Italian Dolomites, but this pass is more then 70km located to the South. As some of the participants indicated that they wanted to lunch not much later, it was obvious to lunch here instead of 70km further on the Passo di Giau.
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The next high pass on the program was Passo di Giau (2228mtr), just after Cortina d'Ampezzo and Pocol. But before the Giau, two smaller passes of approx. 1800mtr altitude had to be driven. It is in this region where you can find the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo. These are three mountains that are shaped as towers with an altitude of 3000mtr. On below picture you can see them covered in clouds.
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Cortina d'Ampezzo is a cross-section between many passes, however they are not all of them are that well indicated. In this part of Italy, the directions to passes are just small brown signs with white lettering. But unlike Austria and Switzerland, the directions aren't always placed logically. In larger places like Cortina, Bolzano or Merano it is therefore easy to get lost. We still had six passes to on the program that day, the first as already being mentioned the Passo di Giau, a smaller, but with 2228mtr above sea level one of the highest passes (if not the highest) in the Italian Dolomites. It certainly is one of the most appealing and less crowded roads as it only indicated on the more detailed road maps and thus ignored by the majority of the tourists. On the picture below you can see Finn (Sebring Grey MY91 ///M5) and Konstantin in his beautiful Daytona Violet MY95 ///M5 Touring ascending the Passo di Giau from the Eastern side.
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We stopped briefly on the Giau's pass height to enjoy a quick cup of coffee in the cafe. Some others waited outside and enjoyed the scenery. Just look at the roughness of the mountains that is so typical for the Italian Dolomites.
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After descending the Giau, I added two very small passes in the route, the Passo Staulanza (1773mtr, Forcello Staulanza on the maps) and the Passo Duran (1600mtr). Both are not that high, but especially the Duran is very rewarding as it starts in the middle of a small village leading directly into the forests. Here we saw some cars from the 'Alpenpassfahrt', a German event with a large field of participants. Judging from the checkpoints on the Passo Duran, this looks like a regularity rally to me. On the follow picture you can see Dick Hoekendijk on the southwestern descent of the Duran. During the next winter Dick will transform this car in a racecar for the Nordschleife. He bought this car for this purpose solely but he wanted to enjoy this event before doing this (kudos to you Dick).
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It was still some distance to Fondo. For this we had to take the Passo San Pellegrino. With it's 1918mtr it is not that high, but from both sides, this is a very rewarding pass to drive. We stopped briefly at the highest point as we lost Frank after the Giau. It appeared that he was relying on his satellite navigation a little bit too much, which isn't to good an idea if one is spending the most of the day on very small passes and country roads.
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After the Passo San Pellegrino, we had to drive to Bolzano via the Passo di Costalugna. It was here that I got some trouble with a recent model Opel Omega on Berlin plates that didn't want me to pass him. Both George and Dick where driving behind me and they did notice this too. I didn't make a big deal of this as overtaking was rather difficult anyway and I just decided to wait the opportunity. It soon came, but downhill after a tunnel, he was preparing to overtake a slower car. I decided this was my opportunity and with 315hp, I could overtake him easily if he didn't use his mass also on the descent that was following. This is exactly what he did and although at 140km/h I was near his driver door, he still accelerated meaning that I would at least need 180km/h to pass him. Power was not an issue as he clearly was at his max and I was still far away from full throttle, but speeds like this isn't very wise on mountain passes so I let my common sense win it from my emotion. I will never understand drivers like that 'Berliner idiot'. Why can't they bear that there are faster drivers on the road and why do they have to behave like that? This is an interesting question that may affect many of us also, but if I have learnt one thing from driving on the Nordschleife is that I don't let me self get irritated with these incidents. Later while discussing this small incident with Dick and George in the Hotel, we could only laugh.
The Passo di Costalugna eventually leads to the town of Bolzano. On below pictures you can see my car. These pictures where taken by George.
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The last pass of the day was Passo Mendola that ends directly in Fondo where we stayed the night in the Lady Maria Hotel. The approach to Passo Mendola is straight through a valley that is solely used by vineyards. With 7.15PM, it was already rather late that we drove this pass and thus there wasn't much light to take some pictures. Even though at 1312mtr above sea level this pass isn't that high, it is one of the more rewarding passes since it's Eastern side has a height difference of more then 700mtr. The tarmac has also been renewed and thus ideal for some fun. After some time spending driving through the center of Fondo searching for our hotel, we finished approx. 2 hrs over the scheduled arrival time. Upon arrival, the hotel manager told us that the chef left at 8.00PM and therefore couldn't dinner a-la Carte anymore. At that time, Konstantin, Kevin, Frank and Finn still had to arrive as they missed a crucial intersection to Bolzano. I asked the manager if the chef could stay until 9.00PM when all the others should have arrived, but this was not possible. Instead, we could choose a menu for a special price for which the chef wasn't needed. This wasn't a bad choice after all, but as always in Italy, the food is rather thin.
Sunday the route has lead us to Andermatt in central Switzerland. The prospective route was approx 440km long, of which approx. 200km of the driving was in Italy. With the Passo di Gavia and the Klaussenpass to drive, the day started very good with bright and sunny whether. The breakfast was good and soon after 8.00AM we all gathered at the parking place. After checking the engine-oil, cleaning the windscreen and for Hermann a small prayer to his car, we left at a little over 8.30AM. Herman, Dominik, Konstantin, Kevin, Finn left a little before us. George and I waited a little longer for Jaap and Dick so we left only two minutes after the first group.
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Before reaching the Passo di Gavia, we had to drive approx. 80km on a larger secondary road of which 30km on a smaller mountain pass, the Passo Tonale. This road leads through seemingly endless row of small villages before reaching the Passo del Tonale.
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The E38 740i driving in front belongs to Dominik Frey, the one with the broken ///M5. At 1812mtr, the Passo Tonale isn't that high, but it is located between two mountain groups that both reach well over 3300mtr. The view therefore is beautiful, but the pass itself not that challenging. The biggest challenge is overtaking al those cars that travel from one village to the other. Given the fact that the road is rather wide, it wasn't a big problem for the three ///M5's behind me to follow. Passo Tonale shares its name with the village at its pass height. Actually, driving through this place is rather boring as it gives a deserted look. In reality however, Passo Tonale like so many places is focussed towards the winter tourist. Driving through this town doesn't take that long and while descending the pass, the hurdle of overtaking started again. The first pretender was a German registered E46 328i. While descending, I had the opportunity on a small straight between to 90 degree angled corners, but for George who drove behind me, this wasn't the gap as the driver in the 328i increased his pace also. The second victim was some sort of Skoda. The road was rather curvy, but at one point I could overview the entire road though the forest and didn't hesitate. In the meantime the two ///M5's behind me managed to pass the 328i also and could use the same gap for passing the Skoda.
The awe-inspiring Passo di Gavia can be reached from an intersection halve way down the western side of the Passo Tonale. The first 10km aren't that all that bad. A few villages, a rather wide road, everything seems easy in the first section. This changes when driving into the forest. From there, all the way up to pass height at 2621mtr, the road is steep, hardly protected and very narrow. Sometimes, the tarmac's is less then 2mtr wide and the 600mtr deep valley only inches away without any roadside protection. Not to mention that the hairpins have such a small radius that it looks like one crashes in the mountainside directly after turning in. In retrospect, the South Side of the Passo Gavia does not allow a single mistake or you are gone. Just take a look at the following pictures. They clearly show how the Passo di Gavia is like.
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Passing cars coming from the other direction requires extreme caution as shown by the following picture taken by George.
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The last 2km of the South Side of the Gavia are not really frightening anymore. The steep valleys have changed a few trenches and an easy climb towards pass-height.
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When we arrived at the pass-height of the Gavia, the group that left a bit earlier already reserved a space to line up the cars for a photo shoot. We paused for approx. 45minutes to enjoy the scenery before driving further towards Bormio.
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At pass height, there is a small shop annex restaurant with a large parking place. Unlike the more Northerly Passo dello Stelvio, the Passo di Gavia isn't that well known. Being so, it isn't touched by the tourist industry and thus it hardly changed in the past two decades. One section has been bypassed to make the road a little bit safer, but that is it. Below you can see Dick and his wife Miranda arriving at the Passo di Gavia a few minutes after the second group arrived.
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Even in a conversation with George (on the right), Konstantin (on the left) checks the oil of his ///M5 touring (picture above). This shows the dedication he has with his car. Last year he had some bad luck with a broken v-belt, but this year without a doubt he was utterly prepared. He even took a spare water-pump, v-belts & tools just to be sure. Before the trip, he had given his car a full check and as part of that he had the butterfly valves synchronized. On the occasions he drove behind me, I could clearly notice his car pulling very strong from 30-50km/h pulling onwards. I have never seen an E34 ///M5 pulling that hard from low speeds. Really amazing that a simple adjustment work makes such a world of difference.
Compared to its South side the North side of the Gavia is still narrow, but not that frightening anymore, as the valley near the road is not that deep and a little further located from the road. Dominik, Finn and Hermann (as usual) already left a few minutes before the rest of the group. I was leading the convoy, followed by Konstantin. Directly thereafter where (in no such order), Kevin & Gill, Katrien & Jaap, George & Marie-Claire, Dick & Marianda and last but not least Frank & Mary. On the Gavia, both Konstantin and I managed to pass a few slower cars towards Bormio, but the rest of the convoy couldn't find a gap and got stuck behind a slower car. The Gavia ends in the southern valley of Bormio. From the first villages onwards, the road gets a little bit wider allowing the hopping passing tactics. Basically this means driving towards the car to pass while maintaining speed (usually between 100km/h and 140km/h), check if the situation allows immediate passing. If so, pass one or more cars immediately or otherwise wait until the next safe opportunity. Often this means that one passes one or two cars in a single move, keeping the speed under control when there is a need to move back into the convoy. If one performs this tactic rather well, overtaking convoys of cars on even twisty roads isn't that difficult or risky. However, this tactic is only for the experienced driver, as this technique requires quick anticipation abilities while at the same time having a complete control of the car.
Until Bormio, the second group with Konstantin and I leading was able to stay more or less together. On the following picture (taken by Gill Payne), you can see the convoy still intact just before the intersection between Passo di Foscagno (2291mtr) and Passo dello Stelvio (2758mtr).
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After the wide hairpin, we had to turn left for the Passo di Foscagno and Livigno. Livigno is a tax-free region between the borders of Italy and Switzerland. Therefore the Foscagno is a very busy pass, especially during weekends when all the Italians go shopping there. The first 15km are a mixture between middle sized or smaller villages on close distance (usually less then a single km) with lots of curves. Combined with the intense traffic, it was hardly impossible to pass other cars, but Konstantin and I managed to hop around a few cars. However, the two ///M5's behind us (Katrien and Kevin) couldn't use the same opportunity so they lost the connection in the second part of the Foscagno. For me, this was one of the nicer drives of the entire meeting. Granted, I have some knowledge of this pass, but Konstantin is very talented in passing cars and most of the times he could use the same gap that I used. Although my 3.6 is one of the better performing cars that has survived and is able to outrun many of the 3.8's, Konstantin reduced the gap that was created during overtaking in only a few seconds. This is very impressive because his MY95 E34 ///M5 touring weighs more then 100kg heavier then my E34 ///M5 3.6 sedan and second he still had do decide whether he could use the same gap as I used for overtaking. His 3.8 really flies and certainly is one of very few cars left that still performs as on the day the car left assembly plant many years ago. What a simple adjustment procedure can do. At the highest point of the Passo di Foscagno, a customs checkpoint has to be crossed for entering the duty free zone of Livigno. We took the opportunity to visit a duty free shop annex petrol station (see picture below). The second picture shows Konstantins ///M5 touring at the exit of the same parking place.
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[Blockierte Grafik: http://www.e34s.de/Bilder/treffen/Alps-pics/7%20Sep%202003%20031.jpg]
Fuelling up in Italy is always a hassle as they always rely on cash paying machines. On the day before, Jaap tried to pay with a 20 Euro bill somewhere near Bolzano, but the machine just collected the bill without giving access to the pump. I didn't want to risk a 50 Euro also so I waited for the next opportunity in Livigno itselfe. Just 1km before Livigno, on the descent of the Passo d'Eira (2208mtr) Hermann and the others already waited for us at another gas station. The Eira is just the Western subsection of the Foscagno, but with another name. In the mean time, George & Marie Claire and Dick & Miranda had passed us when we where shopping so we where the last to arrive at the place where Hermann was waiting for us. There, Hermann received a phone call from Dominik that he and Finn missed the intersection to Livigno and had driven all the way up to the Passo dello Stelvio (2758mtr). This (small) error dropped them back with at least one and a halve hour compared to the rest of the group, so they decided to use the Umbrailpass (2503mtr) for approaching the to Albulapass (2312mtr) and wait there for the rest of us coming from Pontresina.
[Blockierte Grafik: http://www.e34s.de/Bilder/treffen/Alps-pics/dscn0479.jpg]
Fuel in Livigno is cheap. There is no tax or VAT so a liter of Euro 95 unleaded requires only Euro 0,62. Unfortunately, Super Plus 98 or Optimax isn't widely available in Italy and Livigno is no exception. But Since I never had any trouble with fuel in Italy from major brands, there was no risk involved. This unlike France where I would avoid the nameless or that from a certain 'French company'. We didn't really enter Livigno as we took the intersection towards Forcola di Livigno. This pass with an altitude of 2315mtr above sea level leads towards the Berninapass (2328mtr) in Switzerland. Also here, Konstantin and I played the passing game rather well. We saw Hermann doing the same a few cars in front of him, but we didn't try to catch him. This wouldn't have worked anyway as there simply was too much traffic and we could only catch up with him by driving much faster, i.e. impossible. We caught up with Hermann at the border because the customs spend a thorough check on him, this unlike the non-Swiss citizens who where allowed to pass without the customs checking their passports. The Forcola di livigno ends on the Berninapass(2328mtr) in the Southern part of the Swiss Engadin region. They still talk the retro-roman language in this part of Switzerland, a language that I can't understand at all. The idea was to enjoy lunch at the hospice on top of the Berninapass, but when we arrived, its manager saw the 18 persons and denied us, as their staff wouldn't be able to cope with such a large group. Also the restaurant on the other side of the road didn't want to host more then five people. I was really disappointed in a behavior like that as it showed some typical customer unfriendly decadence. From now on, they will not see me ever again on both places, not even when I am with a group of less then five persons. We then decided to drive down to Pontresina, a larger town at the Western approach of the Berninapass.
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[Blockierte Grafik: http://www.e34s.de/Bilder/treffen/Alps-pics/dsc01173.jpg]
The view on the Bernina however is beautiful, at least when visibility allows since the Eastern Alps only 4000mtr peak is located in this region. With 4049mtr, the Piz Bernina surpassed the 4000mtr mark, while the Piz Palu with 3997mtr is only a few meters away from this status. Anyhow, the mountain group is high and large and nowhere else in the Eastern Alps are the glaciers so large as those coming from the Piz Bernina and the Piz Palu. This is clearly shown on the following picture that I made in the summer of 2002.
[Blockierte Grafik: http://www.e34s.de/Bilder/treffen/Alps-pics/dscf0074.jpg]
From the Italian-Swiss border to Pontresine, the Berninapass is a very wide road. Judging at the speeds with that we drove towards Pontresina, we all have had it with the decadence of the restaurants above. Sometimes these where above 160km/h on a two-way road with slopes of 8% to 10%. In Pontresina, we saw one of BMW Alpina's rarest cars for sale. The car in question was a MY94 E34 Alpina B10 3.0 Alrad for sale at a former BMW garage. Looking at the power figures, it looks like its engine is identical to the current M54B30 engine (LOL).
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Finding a place for lunch in Pontresina was not as easy as we thought. After checking a few places, we entered a hotel and asked if they could host our group for lunch. The waitress was not a really bright light and probably somewhere else with her thoughts and therefore not able to give a satisfying answer. We then left to try another place. We already where 50mtr further when we suddenly heard a voice that sounded like an approval. Errrr, why look further then? So we walked back and took our seats around two tables. It took a minute before everyone got settled, but the waitress was clearly confused and not concise with taking the orders. She first asked only a small part of the group, but the other 14? They'd have to wait. After approx. 15minutes, I had about it with the confused waitress and asked her when she thought to ask the rest of the group? Even this simple question was somehow troublesome for her which became very evident when another serving staff-member brought the tables that where first ordered. Only about a quarter was according to our order, the rest? Who knows? At that time it became clear to me that we where about to exceed our timetable as the waitress just started to acquire the orders of the rest of our group. In Dutch, I joked to Jaap & Katrien that if I were the manager I would suspend her from her duties. Jaap, as always being blunt and cynical joked back: " But you aren't". Despite the pretty confused waitress, the rest of the staff made no further errors (thank you). All in all, we needed 1hr45min for this lunch so I decided to remove the Klaussenpass (1948mtr) from the route reducing the distance with 70km. Instead, we used the more direct Oberalppass (2044mtr).
When we left, George and I switched cars as I know George likes to drive my ///M5 and I wanted to drive Marie-Claire her ///M5 touring again. We left Pontresina in the direction to the Albulapass (2312mtr) that is located 20km more to the Northwest. Before entering the Albula we had to wait for a train and thus we got stuck behind some slower cars. Some of them caused small troubles when we passed them, but I took it rather easy as I didn't want to push George and Marie-Claires ///M5T to hard. I quickly changed the EDC program from 'S' to 'P' because the harsh ride of the sports mode is not very comfortable. The S-mode doesn't add anything to the cars handling anyway so it isn't a big loss. The 'P' mode however is really good. The ride is much firmer then in a 3.6 without EDC and also there is more feedback from the suspension.
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[Blockierte Grafik: http://www.e34s.de/Bilder/treffen/Alps-pics/dsc01180.jpg]
We stopped briefly at the Albula's pass height to enjoy the view and to wait until the rest of the traffic had cleared. I can say over and over again how special pass driving is, the Albula being no exception. Parallel to the Albulapass there is a train-track that on a few occasions turns 360 degrees in tunnels and bridges. It was already after 4.00PM and we still had approx. 150km to drive via the Lenzerheide and the Oberalp pass (2044mtr) so we increased the pace again. The Lenzerheide was crowded and passing cars almost impossible so we decided to take it easy until Reichenau where the long prelude of the Oberalppass starts. From Reichenau to Andermatt is approx. 90km, of which the Oberalp only is a 30km long part. I pushed the touring a bit harder, and clearly noticed it's handling deficit compared to the sedan, but it isn’t to bad considering the extra 200kg for the example that I drove. The 3.8 engine is a jewel. Whereas the 3.6 needs to be revved over 4000RPM, the 3.8 can be left in fourth or fifth and already starts pulling after 3000RPM. This makes the 3.8 more docile and ultimately the better engine. I occasionally rev my 3.6 over 7000RPM, but with the 3.8 this is not necessary anymore. Since it wasn't my car, I restricted myself to 6250RPM max. All in all, driving one of the best tourings that still exist makes me wanting one as they have so much class and presence on the road, not to mention their rarity. The EDC, at least in 'P' is a considerate improvement to the non-EDC suspension of the 3.6 and with a healthy 3.8, why do I want to keep my current 3.6? Actually I have considered doing so earlier this year and I have gone so far to try a good home for it. However, this meeting made me clear that I own one of the better-kept 3.6's in Europe and I really like how the car drives. George attested that after we returned the keys to each other on the Oberalp's pass height. He, like Konstantin experienced my car as being very fast for a 3.6, which is a real compliment to my car so right now I am glad I kept my car. So, do I still want a touring? Yes, but not at the cost of my current E34 ///M5 so for wanting a touring, I have to convince my wife to let me buy a third hobby car. This will be an almost impossible task, but will be a nice challenge.
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We stopped briefly at the Oberalp's pass height for a quick drink. From here it was less then 15km to our hotel in Andermatt where we arrived at approx. 6.30PM.
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[Blockierte Grafik: http://www.e34s.de/Bilder/treffen/Alps-pics/dsc01193.jpg]
After the people who stayed in the hotel got settled, it was time for dinner where we talked about our experiences and shared some ideas for next year. Organizing and planning of an event like this takes a lot of time, but even if our goal is to work out all details, there is always something that goes wrong. What I don't want is an outlaw driving-event for the glory of only a few. This is not a road-race, but a touring rally for the enthusiast and mature E34 ///M5 owner. I want the participants to be able to look back with pleasure, not with second thoughts about possible absurd driving. After speaking with all the participants, I think we as organization did our jobs quite well.
Since George & Marie-Claire as well as Hermann live in the neighborhood, they didn't need to spend the night in the hotel so they left us at approx. 10.00PM. The persons that remained spend the rest of the evening in the hotel bar until approx. 0.30AM when it closed. Some walked down the road to find another opened café. I went to my room to get some sleep for the long journey back to my wife and child the next day. The next morning, I woke up at approx.7.00AM and half an hour later I walked down to the breakfast room. Apart from Finn and Brian, the others showed up not much later. During breakfast, we shared some thought's about the meeting and Dick told us about his fourteen year long Nordschleife experience, but time flies and it didn't take long before we had to leave. First, Jaap & Katrien left us as they had a business meeting in Zurich. We took another cup of coffee and left the hotel at approx. 9.30AM.
Es waren auch fur uns sehr schöne tagen.
