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European Event of the Year 2018

Barrie and Sheila Hope attended the European Event of the Year in Switzerland, and wrote this report:
We left home on 2nd August and headed for The Shuttle at Folkestone getting to Calais local time at 6:10pm. We stayed one night at Tilques, only some 35 minutes from the terminal then the next day travelled to Vianden in Luxembourg to meet up with Maurice and Christine Standish in their 1939 WA 
 
After 2 nights in Vianden we travelled to Colmar for another 2 nights and on our final leg to Switzerland called in to the Cite de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, mainly containing Bugattis of unimaginable value, with some Rollers and Bentleys thrown in as well as Peugeots, Citroens and goodness knows how many others. We arrived in Flims after some 830 miles.
 
The 5 day event in Flims was to say the least, challenging, particularly an evening trip to Alp Nagens, normally reached by cable car. The final part of the journey was a mere 12km with an estimated time of 29 minutes along a single track road, mostly very steep! In that short distance of 7.5 UK miles we rose 3400 feet! Unfortunately 2 cars well ahead of us kissed, causing a long delay on a slope that the ZB found difficult to contain on just the handbrake, but with the engine switched off and first gear engaged we stayed put. Further problems were caused by several cars in the 120+ cavalcade overheating and having to let off steam with bonnets up. I guess we took well over an hour but I am delighted to say the ZB did not flicker one little bit - nor did Gunter's which was just a couple of cars ahead of us.
 
Coming down was even worse because not only was it dark after we had eaten, it was also foggy. Engaging second gear did not provide sufficient braking so the pedal was used quite a bit, causing some offside front wheel bearing grease to escape, but to no detriment.
 
After the event, the four of us headed for one night in Freiburg in Germany, then Baden Baden for 2 nights, and Heidelberg for 1 night, after which we parted company. Maurice and Christine headed off north to Amsterdam to get the ferry to Newcastle. Sheila and I stayed one night in Aachen then a final 220 miles back to Tilques for one overnight stay then home on Saturday 18th August - a trip of 2030 miles.
 
It was quite a daunting trip, not helped by many days with temperatures between 32C and 38C but great fun. It was a delight to be approached by all manner of people wherever we stopped, and the scenery was stunning.
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  • Magnettes at the Heidihof