So last month we posted about our plans to head to Wörthersee and why we were going. You can read that here. We’ve been back some time, but summarising a trip of this magnitude in no easy task. If you’ve been tempted to make the same trip but haven’t, then this might just be the push you need. Here’s the start of our story.
The Journey Begins.
We hit the road at 3am on a Saturday morning. The next day we would have covered over 1000 miles and reached modified car paradise; Wörthersee. This was the start of a journey we had all dreamed of doing, and we had no idea what we were in for.
Considering how early it was, spirits were high. There’s nothing like a road-trip with the guys. With Paul, Matt and myself buckled in for the journey, we were well on our way to the Channel Tunnel.
The Revo Golf R was looking mean as ever. With a fresh set of Nankang AS-2+ rubber fitted and a spruce up using the haul of cleaning products supplied by Meguiars, we were all set for the trip ahead.
Pulling on to the train was carried out with absolute precision, much to the annoyance of everyone waiting to board behind me. No-one wants the notorious Channel Tunnel finish on their wheels!
Crossing complete and all four wheels in tact (thankfully), we made a quick pit-stop to refuel the vehicles and ourselves. We got the first toll out of the way and started to make some great progress. The glorious sunshine was the only saving grace as the French leg of the trip was always going to, well, mind-numbingly boring. Maybe we should have gone for the Belgium route?
The toll booths raised an issue that we failed to prepare for. With only one passenger it meant one of us had to carry out some impressive cabin gymnastics to get through. Full launch control from every booth made this much more bearable.
Traffic was light, and we made it through France in no time. As we hit the German border it absolutely hammered it down. Rain, lightening and hunger hit us hard. The plan was to head for Stuttgart to find food and make a decision on where we were going to spend the night. After a few hours, we were no closer to finding anywhere to eat and had to settle for a Subway… hard times.
With hunger and grumpiness subsiding somewhat, we jumped back in the vehicles and decided to try a different city. Matt booked us in to a hotel in Munich and we started what was our final leg for the day to a well earned pint of Weizenbier, a schnitzell and bed.
Sat at the bar we started chatting about the vehicles. Traffic, hunger and weather aside, we had all really enjoyed the drive. The T6 you can correctly assume is built for comfort, and with the addition of Revo ECU Software pulls like an absolute train. Even more impressive when you consider it was fully laden with our entire show set up for the Worthersee Treffen show.
The Golf R also held its own. Running 500HP and fitted with some substantial performance hardware including engine mounts, it’s easy to think that I got the short straw having to drive it. However, it was a dream. Crisp low-down response, and an absolutely savage top end it was like this was designed for the autobahn. Even the engine mounts which admittedly do give some vibration on idle, (a common characteristic) were easy to forget about when rolling – really impressive.
Team Assemble.
We woke ready to take on day two and the drive from Germany in to Austria. Toni from TK Engineering in his Revo wrapped RS3 had travelled down that morning from Nuremberg. Waiting for us outside the hotel, we emerged to the rumble of a 2.5TFSI which gave an indication of what the day was going to bring. The next stop was Werk2 Automotive to meet up with Reinhard and his team of staff and loyal Revo customers.
One thing you don’t expect to see as you roll through the sleepy picturesque village of Surberg is a tuning shop. This place is a petrol-heads dream, manufacturer level cleanliness and epic projects dotted around the place. Let me give you some context; when Volkswagen AG want to build a tuned car, they call Werk2. If you’re interested in seeing behind the scenes at the Revo family of Authorised Dealers, you can check out our #BehindTheShutters series here.
After a quick catch up, a look around the workshop and some introductions to the guys joining us on the trip, we took to the road again to finish the drive in to Wörthersee. A few of the guys who have already been hinted that the drive from this point was beautiful. Honestly, nothing can prepare you for it, you really have to experience it to understand.
Just when you think it can’t get any better, a quick glance in the mirror reveals a long line of Revo powered awesomeness. More than just customers, we’re closer to family. The passion isn’t for Revo products, it’s for the experience, the adrenaline rush it unlocks. It’s easy to take this for granted sat in Revo HQ, but trips like these reinforce exactly why we do what we do, and why we love our jobs.
Rolling through some simply breathtaking vistas, it’s moments like this that make the stress of planning a trip like this worthwhile. Incredible roads, cars and people to share the experience with.
It’s difficult to put a drive of this magnitude in to words, but I think you’ll agree that Pauls face says it all.
No rest for the wicked.
After we hit the Austrian border, we pulled over to reconvene after a few sections of spirited driving had left some gaps. The energy was electric, everyone donned their #MissionWorthersee t-shirts and made some finishing touches in the form of window decals.
Werk2 boss man Reinhard isn’t known as the godfather of lowness for no reason. Joining us in the convoy was one of their latest creations, their murdered Passat on air with a generous dose of Revo power and Carbon. The pièce de résistance for this build was supposed to be the huge carbon ceramic brakes. Those with a sharp eye might notice they aren’t fitted, but as we all know too well builds rarely go 100% to plan. With an expensive set of discs lost in transit, Reinhard was still driven to get them installed for the show. I wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, but if anyone was going to sort things it would be him.
You might be wondering, what could be better than driving with a view of the mountains? I can tell you; driving through them. The Austrians know how to build tunnels, and you know what happens in a tunnel. The noise was deafening, and as much as I tried to compete, the Golf R’s 2.0TFSI was drowned out by the absolute savagery of a 5 cylinder harmony. Cheek to cheek grinning for miles. Check out the video above for some tunnel tunes.
Your eyes would quickly adjust to the darkness of the colossal tube. The headlights would light up at the same time as your inner-child. After what seemed like an eternity of DSG pops and downshifts, you would emerge from the abyss in to an incredible panorama.
We exited the highway and pulled over to wait for Alex, a Wörthersee veteran who was going to help us with shooting locations during our stay. Luckily we weren’t waiting long as we got a pretty stern gesture from a Police officer heading in the opposite direction; and rightly so.
Velden am Wörthersee
We made it! Over 1000 miles and we were finally there. The horror of the 3am start the day before quickly became a distant memory. We were now fully focussed on taking in the insanity that is the small lakeside town of Wörthersee, absolutely rammed with performance cars.
We decided the only way to announce our arrival was to head up to see the crowds at the Turbo kurve in Arneitz. I’m not sure of any other place where the people hold such an appreciation for the dedication and hard work that goes in to creating such amazing builds. It’s places like this that make it all worth while. The atmosphere was incredible, the people were super polite and it was a very special way to end the day.
The carpark was absolutely jammed full of a massive variety of cars and builds. Stanced, race-cars, vans, classics and anything else you can imagine. A full on attack on the senses, taking everything in was impossible.
It had been a long day, we were running on empty and had our minds blown by the reception, the drive down and the spectacle that was Wörthersee. It was time to retire to the hotel, refuel and prepare for the week ahead. We were under no illusion that this was just a taste of what was to come, and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in to a week of photoshoots, shows and doing laps of Reifnitz. Check back soon to find out what happened on the rest of our epic trip.
