There is something undeniably sexy about classic cars. Some of them with soft curved lines like Paul Newman’s face, others with more excessive yet charming shapes like Vincent Cassel’s – either way, they all demand your attention and admiration by implacably radiating their personalities. Their character melts together with that of the riders and they certainly evoke emotions and find their way into the hearts of many. This is the idyll Chopard has perfectly associated itself with.
The engine roaring inside Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard, has taken the company to scenic race tracks across Europe to patron the revival of legendary competitions and of course makes a statement about Chopard to the classic car audience. The winding roads of Italy on the Mille Miglia, the prestigous F1 track on the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique in the Principality and the Ennstal-Classic in the magnificent Austrian Alps attracts nothing less than the best drivers, the most awesome veteran cars and the peaks of timing excellence. Enthusiastic owners have the dates of these events marked in bold red in their calendars and prepare themselves as well as the cars to roll out on the road with fellow friends. The magic of the good old, non-computerized full-mechanical race cars sets a totally intense mood that spreads from the elder to youth making sure the love and tradition continues.
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The last paradise...
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With a motto like “Driving in the last paradise”, Ennstal-Classic calls for a 3-day joyride in the green mountains of Austria. Funny enough, I have spent a considerable amount of time in the very same region, but only sliding down the slopes in winter. Therefore, the mountains, the roads and the villages showed me their completely different but equally stunning face. The race, organized between 9-12 July this year, started 22 years ago; the last 7 were made in a partnership with Chopard. In 2014 the race opened with a 400km Geolyth-Prologue on the first day, followed by a Marathon of 500kms on the second. The finale was on Saturday, accompanied by the Chopard Racecar Trophy, an independent co-existing event brought alive by the brand in 2013.
Drivers of the past and the present met one another as well as their fans. Legends like the six-times Le-Mans 24 and Dakar winner Jacky Ickx, winner of many Formula-1 races and the 1955 Mille Miglia Sir Sterling Moss, or Peter Sauber patiently distributed hundreds of autographs. Classic car enthusiasts and drivers, who take part in most of these events and know each other well, socialized in the tents and around the cars. Thus, Ennstal-Classic is far from being just another competition, it is more of a family reunion.
Chopard Ennstal Classic Chronograph 2014 Limited Edition
Paying tribute to the 22 years of the Ennstal-Classic, Chopard presented a 22-piece limited edition chronograph last month at a boutique show in Vienna. Mark Webber, who recently changed the saddle of an F-1 car to one in Porsche’s new Le Mans Prototype 1-Hybrid (LMP1-H), drove to the shop in a 1957 Porsche 550A/1500 RS Spyder wearing the all new Ennstal Classic Chronograph 2014 Limited Edition. The watch is available with 3 different watch straps: red Barenia leather strap with white stitching, dark blue Barenia leather strap with white stitching and white natural rubber band with Dunlop tread. The Barenia is male calf leather possessing more elasticity, a bit of gloss, and is very delicate like tanned leather. Interestingly, Hermès, the company well famous for breathtaking leather works used it for its saddles.
The self-winding certified chronometer is housed in a stainless steel 42mm diameter case. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters, has a power reserve of 42 hours, and the silver dial is adorned with the red logo of Ennstal-Classic, just as the case back.
Porsche
Talking about Porsche, being the partner of Ennstal-Classic, the company brought 11 fantastic cars from the Porsche Museum housing herds of horses to participate at the races. Behind their wheels were Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Jacky Ickx, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche and members of Porsche AG’s management. My stylish favorites, the 356 models came back to Austria where they were born, since the first temporary factory of Porsche was in Gmünd before production was moved to Stuttgart in 1949.
In the heat of the engines and the smell of the gasoline all kids wanted to become racing drivers and all grown-ups became kids again. Isn’t it beautiful?
Photo credits: Chopard, Ennstal-Classic, Loupiosity.com.
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