[DeTomaso] Report from Austria

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

Hey guys,

It's a beautiful, sunny morning in the mountains of Austria, with the sun 
just coming up over the high mountains.   We had an uneventful although not 
especially pleasant drive from Strasbourg yesterday.

It was a bit of a nightmare getting out of the city, as our hotel was 
buried right in the center of the town, and signage left a bit to be desired; 
eventually we found the right road and got on it, in any direction, just to be 
on it.   A moment later we were able to figure out we we were going the 
wrong direction, but it took a bit to get turned around and pointed the right 
way.

Once free of Strasbourg, we were looking forward to the unlimited speeds of 
the autobahn as we crossed into Germany.

Yeah right.

The autobahn was completely jammed from one end to the other, with traffic 
in the places that were flowing smoothly, and paralyzing traffic where it 
wasn't (which was much of it).   We would occasionally zoom up to 90 mph (even 
cruised at 120 mph for about one minute), but much more often we would be 
trundling along at 45 mph through construction zones, and spent a lot of time 
in stop-and-go traffic.

This is the autobahn???

After many hours of this, we finally made a command decision to abandon the 
'fast' roads in favor of the two-lane country roads.   The various GPS 
devices in the four cars started squawking and going crazy as we deliberately 
ignored them, but I was armed with something even better--a smart guy with a 
map!   So we took the lead and had a very pleasant remaining drive along 
two-lane roads.

At one point I wicked it up a bit; the road was twisty enough that third 
gear was all she could stand, but we were having a lot of fun.   Then a dump 
truck pulled in front of us and we had to grind along for a few miles.   It 
pulled off just as we entered a little village, and right past his turnoff 
stood a pair of beady-eyed men in uniforms with a radar gun.   Their 
disappointment was palpable as two Panteras, a Lamborghini and a Maserati swept past 
at a sedate 20 mph or so!

We reached the hotel at about 6:30, three hours behind schedule.   Charlie 
and Amaya McCall arrived shortly after, having been caught up in the same 
traffic dreck that we were.

There were a substantial number of Panteras here already, and as I was 
greeted by the event organizers, I was amazed to learn that when we reach 
Modena, there will be some 75 Panteras and 120+ people present!

It took quite some time to clear the parking lot, as I kept running into 
friends, some of whom I'd met at past events, and others who I only knew by 
e-mail but had never actually met in person before.   

After a quick change, we dashed down to a reception where there were some 
50 people present, and after some opening remarks, we were presented with a 
spectacular five-course meal, the likes of which is rarely seen in the USA.   
I chose to abandon my group and insinuate myself among the small German 
contingent, all of whom spoke excellent English.   This was a blast from the 
past, because one of them had given me a ride around Imola in his Pantera at 
the 1996 International Meeting.   He knew who I was now, but didn't remember 
that I was the same fellow he'd kindly chauffered back then.

After dinner most of the group migrated to the outdoor patio where we were 
able to sit outside with short-sleeve shirts, and I had to force myself to 
go to bed at about midnight.

Today is a designated free day, and well-deserved at that.   There is a 
cable car which will take people to the top of a nearby mountain for some 
spectacular views.   However, I'm hearing rumors that the natives are getting 
restless, and there is an urge to drive the cars instead!   So we may be going 
on a gentle cruise along back roads to a nice little restaurant adjoining a 
beautiful lake, for a relaxing lunch, before returning mid-afternoon and 
spending the rest of the day tire-kicking in the parking lot. :>)

It's really a shame more Americans aren't here this year.   It appears to 
be an event that will be remembered for years to come!

Mike


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