Hi All,

I figured I'd make my own post in order to organize everything into one place. I have been lucky enough to get ED in Zuffenhausen for April and Im looking for advice & tips, also, I have a few questions:

1. Flights, from Canada, better to fly into a main hub and grab a local flight from there?
2. Travel routes. Two things, Autobahn and Nürburgring are two things I have in my head to check out, thoughts?
3. Should I opt for the factory PPF on the front, ($3k option). I am concerned about rock chips.
4. Locations or things to see, aka MUST SEE's? All Suggestions are welcome and why please.
5. Drop off location, what is suggested here? I didn't really want the car to be stuck there too crazy long, but if there is something worth the wait?

Anything else Im forgetting please let me know, appreciate your time!

 

Ill be right behind you first week of June for mine in Leipzig... but I was there in 2019 and recommend the following:

1.) I flew through London the first time I went and Paris the second time... Both were easy. I personally recommend going through a hub because I think the connection process is a little more straight forward or less stressful.
2.) Autobahn is a must... It takes a little while to get out of the Stuttgart area and to find a section without speed limits, but you should be able to find a section as you head north to Nurburgring (also a must). I did not drive the Nurburgring the last time I was there, but it will for sure be on the list this time!
-I would say head towards Munich as well if you have the time. I personally thought the RUF factory was one of the best things I did... they are so nice there, very welcoming and offer factory tours as well.
-BMW factory and Motor world are all in Munich too.
-You can even attempt to hit an Alps pass on your way from Stuttgart to Munich... although you might run into snow still.
3.) If you are concerned about rock chips, then pay for the PPF... I just hear that the factory option is not great... so be prepared to want to replace it when the car gets back to Canada if you have a place that you really trust... I have never had the factory put PPF on so this could be a rumor and it may be perfectly fine.. I just think if you have the option, do it... For the 992 T they dont give us the option to add it... Its only on a handful of cars.

4.) again... Autobahn is easy to find and drive... if you are exploring Germany you will get to experience this... just leave the city areas to really enjoy the long stretches.
-RUF factory Munich (Mr. Ruf is there himself most days)... BMW Museum/factory since you are already there
-When you are at the Zuffenhausen Museum, the Porsche Drive Program is there... They rent out the sports cars on a daily basis... That team has about 3-4 different 24-48 driving routes that they give customers with the best driving roads... I would ask them to give you the same map or even have them upload it into the GPS of your car for you. I did this last time and the roads they send you on are EPIC
-Black Forrest... Its kind of a long drive I think, but It is supposed to be an amazing place to drive through.

 

Thanks, I have added your suggestions to my file.

For Nurburgring, I assume this is done under "Tourist Drive"? I see they have only a few days a week, April 20th 1730-1930 available. Should I register now and get a pass?

 

1. Flights, from Canada, better to fly into a main hub and grab a local flight from there?
I'd fly into a major hub then train to your final destination. It's more efficient, a lot cheaper, and a wonderful experience to see the landscape on their brilliant rail system.

2. Travel routes. Two things, Autobahn and Nürburgring are two things I have in my head to check out, thoughts?
I presume you mean unrestricted Autobahn? Prior to my trip, people have said they are hard to come by these days. It did not feel this way. They are everywhere -- enough to satiate your appetite. For the Nurburgring, you've already mentioned it about Tourist Drive. We couldn't drive the ring because none of the Tourist Drive dates aligned with our schedule.

3. Should I opt for the factory PPF on the front, ($3k option). I am concerned about rock chips.
Factory PPF isn't very popular. It doesn't cover enough areas to be worth it. We drove our 992 over 1500km in 10 days around Germany and Switzerland unprotected. Zero rock chips. Their road systems is immaculate. I wouldn't worry too much about rock chips.

4. Locations or things to see, aka MUST SEE's? All Suggestions are welcome and why please.
Our trip highlight were the Alps and mountain passes so we'd recommend you go south (kinda counters your Ring requirements though).

 

All great info, appreciate it! This is helping greatly.

 

I would recommend leaving an AirTag in your car when you drop the vehicle back off. TYD does not track your car after ED. So the AirTag is the only way I can monitor progress.

I checked my AirTag daily, and My 992 sat immobile at the Emden port for eight weeks then moved to a location right where the Glovis Century docked. The signal has not updated in two days, presumably because it’s crossing the English Channel!

 

Also, I drove the Alpine Road— a very easy, manageable, and beautiful drive for a week.

 

Noted and a great idea.

I have a google maps route plotted, I’ll post in a bit.

 

Good advice from @woobiee . We may see you in Zuffenhausen - we’re picking up our car the last week in April and have planned a clockwise loop south from Stuttgart that includes Lake Constance, the Julier Pass, St. Moritz, Lucerne, Lausanne, Baden-Baden and back to Stuttgart for drop off.

We’ve been twice now - once for an ED in September of 2015 and the second time for the 70th anniversary celebrations in June of 2018. Both times involved drives on the Autobahn, in the alps and on backroads through Germany and Austria. Both times we flew into Frankfurt and took a direct train from the station at the airport to Stuttgart. It’s easy to find the train terminal in Frankfurt (and there’s a Starbucks if you’re trashed from the flight).

As for driving experience, the unrestricted Autobahn is sort of fun, but you’re just going really fast in more-or-less a straight line. The first time we were there, it took me a little bit of time to trust that other drivers were actually paying attention and following the same rules of the road. They were, but when you’re going 100 kph or more faster than the car to the right, it takes a little bit to adjust and trust. Your experience may vary, but after the novelty wore off, the only use I had for the Autobahn was in getting quickly from one place to another and what we enjoyed more was touring through the countryside on small roads or driving the fantastic alpine roads. In other words, there weren’t many times that we were trying to just blast from one place to another. I don’t know if it’ll be open when you / we are there, but the Grossglockner Pass in Austria is HUGE fun (I think it opens in early May).

We opted for the PPF from the factory. Our car picked up a handful of rock chips when we were there in 2015 and the cost is a rounding error on the car we’re getting, so it seemed worth it to not have to worry. I have to imagine your configuration is locked at this point though.

 

Great info... How realistic would it be to try and do both Grossglockner and Stelvio in the same day? We are going from Leipzig -- Nuremburg -- Munich -- Innsbruck, and then from here the plan was to go down to do the Stelvio Pass and then head west to spend the night in Bregenz (right on the coast at a friends place)... It looks like the Pass you recommend is south east of Innsbruck. Maybe it makes sense to go from Munich down to that Pass first, then head over and spend the night in Innsbruck and make a whole day out of Stelvio and getting to Bregenz?

 

Good question about doing both the Stelvio Pass and Grossglockner on the same day. It looks possible, but guessing it’s a long day, and yeah, you’d have to think about from where you start that day. Not that you need more places to think about, but we found this hotel to be an 11 on a 10-point scale: https://www.mama-thresl.com. That part of Austria is breathtaking.

 

I haven't driven on those passes but I'd probably recommend trying to take your time on them. The passes offer spectacular views that nowhere else on earth can quite replicate. Take it in, you'll stop often to take photos of the scenery and your car. There are many pull overs for you to do so.

 

Haha thank you! We are going to be leaving Munich around 3pm in the afternoon on June 9th and wanted to get about 2-3 hours closer to the Passes so we could wake up bright and early on the morning of the 10th and spend the entire day exploring before ending in Bregenz Austria for the night of the 10th.
I was originally thinking Innsbruck for the night of the 9th... but the place you just sent looks beautiful. Its not as close, but it still gets us out of Munich and into Austria so our long day of driving the Alps isnt quite as long. I will give this some thought...

 

Yes! I have been watching a bunch of videos on Stelvio and It for sure is a "take your time" kind of drive... lots of bikes and narrow sections.
I drove the Julier Pass in 2019 and one of my biggest regrets was not stopping more to take photos (I was in a rental car that trip, so I was less focused on capturing the car)... this time, my new Rubystar 992 Touring is going to take every photoshoot opportunity I can get!

 

Has anyone done a tourist night at Nurburgring?? With that being north and most of these passes south, I don't think we will have enough time for both. We're only there for 6-7 days. I am leaning towards Nurburgring...

Here is the route I have thus far. We land on the 17th in Frankfurt and will take the train to Stuttgart. Departing date is the 23rd from Frankfurt, so we will likely head to Frankfurt the night before the flight on the 22nd.

I need to fill the 19th and 21st with something that makes sense on this route... Suggestions?

April 17th, Arrival
April 18th, Delivery of Car and drive through Black Forest to Baden Baden to stay the night + Thermal Spa.
April 19th, Open...?
April 20th, Drive to Nurburgring, 1730-1930 Drive ring, stay the night.
April 21st, Open...?
April 22nd Drop car at Sindelfingen (I think), train to Frankfurt for the night.
April 23rd, Depart

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/mwCbbBtjghoti8AT6

EDIT: Dropping the car off in Frankfurt would really be ideal, but I am not sure if that would add weeks to North American delivery time?