That went just fine. An hour before the official start of the classic car rally at Schleiferplatz, it was raining cats and dogs. But luck favors the brave. The skies cleared at the start of the classic car meeting and did not release any of its wet ambassadors until the end of the event.
There were almost 200 historic vehicles that turned into their parking position via the Edelstein traffic circle and Schleiferplatz. At the entrance, the drivers received the current rally sign, the event booklet and later also the road book for the optional exit. They were greeted by Eva Grosser, Stadtmarketing Idar-Oberstein e.V. and Leonhard Stibitz (Kreissparkasse Idar-Oberstein), who also introduced the vehicles. The event was organized by the Idar-Oberstein Automobile Club. Musical entertainment was provided by the acoustic duo Tomcat, who performed contemporary songs to match the historic cars. Next to them on the stage was the Rallye Golf II of club member Sigmar Baldauf.
After the morning rain, the response from motorists and visitors was initially sparse, but when the first rays of sunshine broke through the clouds, the Schleiferplatz and then the rest of the pedestrian zone filled up, which of course benefited the local restaurants.
Visitors were able to marvel at an outline of the automotive history of the past 75 years, whereby the vehicles must be at least 30 years old to be classified as classic cars. When you see a Golf III, a Mercedes 190 or even an Audi 80, it's hard to believe that these cars have been around for 30 years or more, because they are still part of the street scene today. The situation is different with brands that have long since disappeared, such as Glas, Simca, Borgward or Austin. Some of these vehicle types could also be seen on and around the Schleiferplatz. Of course, classics such as the VW Beetle or Mercedes 190 SL were also driven into the gemstone city by their crews. The eye-catcher was definitely a replica of a Mercedes 500 K Special Roadster. It was presented to visitors in bright red and with lots of chrome. The Opel faction was well represented with the C-Kadett, GT, Manta, Kapitän and Senator models. This was in keeping with the 125th anniversary of the manufacturer's passenger car division. Compared to previous years, a large number of American cars also found their way to Idar. The three Ford Mustangs that came to the meeting were almost in the compact class compared to the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Ville or Ford LTD, which had trouble finding a suitable parking space. On the other hand, the sonorous bubbling of their powerful V8 engines was balm for the ears of the car enthusiasts.
The members of the automobile club, often classic car owners themselves, have been out and about at numerous classic car meetings in recent weeks, promoting their event. The many out-of-town license plates showed that this had been successful. But regardless of whether they were first-time visitors or regular participants, the organizers received almost exclusive praise.
This was certainly also due to the optional exit. The motorists who already had a long journey behind them preferred to stay at the Schleiferplatz, while the tireless drivers took part enthusiastically. The approx. 80 kilometers along the German Gemstone Road also invite you to cruise and compensated the participants with a route worth seeing. Anyone who thought that these classic cars would then make their way home was fortunately mistaken. Almost all of them came back and then drove through the traffic circle into the pedestrian zone for a second time.
In the end, everyone - car enthusiasts, visitors, organizers and restaurateurs - was satisfied. This will certainly lead to the successful cooperation between the automobile club, city marketing and the Kreissparkasse being repeated next year.