The Trabant has had a bit of a dodgy history, it was a East German produced vehicle which was pretty awful but has now gained a cult following of a icon of the former communist Germany. For visitors to Berlin there couldn’t be any more fun than going on a Trabi Safari in one of these weird little cars. This great tour takes in many of the Marxism and Leninism’s of Berlin where you pass some of the remaining Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and other interesting memorabilia from a time gone by. The cars are pretty special they have a whopping 26 horsepower and will do 30km through the Berlin streets and there is a great commentary with directions on the Trabant’s not so state of the art radio. You will see Berlin from a totally different perspective and you even get your own Trabant driving license on completion of your tour. Read the rest of this entry »
Stuttgart is the home of Mercedes Benz and in 2006 the company opened what is probably the best automotive museum in the world. This magnificent building is a piece of art as its self but houses a priceless collection of Mercedes Benz memorabilia with one of the finest auto collections on the planet. The centre is set out on a time line with the horse and buggy at the start of the journey and the future at the end with all periods of its 100 plus year represented along the way. Highlights include a celebrity gallery where vehicles owned by famous people are on display here you can see a Mercedes Benz ‘Pope Mobile’ owned by Pope John Paul II, Princess Diana’s convertible Benz, Ringo Stars Car and a range of other huge names including kings, presidents and movie stars. The centre also boasts a huge new car display area where you can see every product they produce.
Wolfsburg is a city in northern Germany that is home to the huge Volkswagen factory which produces the Golf. At their factory the company has what could only be described as a theme park called the AutoStadt with attractions, car displays and beautiful gardens plus a great factory tour. Many people flock to the park to pick up their new VW which they collect from a huge 20 story silo which looks like something from the Matrix or some other Sci-Fi film. Here brand new cars are stacked 20 high and giant lifts move up a central shaft placing the vehicle in position; it is quiet an engineering feat. VW have a similar silo at the Dresden factory where they assemble the Bentley and Phanteom luxury range of vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »
Skoda now owned by the VW Audi group is the Czech Republic’s own car and very popular throughout Europe. They have a factory about an hours drive from Prague in a town called Mlada and a great museum which is open to the pubic. Here you can see some fascinating Skoda vehicles and get an insight into their products and history. They have a very good display on their rallying and racing vehicles and plenty of historic cars all beautifully restored. Next door to the museum their is a Skoda new car showroom where you can see some of the exciting new models the company sells today. Read the rest of this entry »
Some countries are well known for their crazy drivers, and India is no exception. Our youtube pick of the week is of an intersection in India where cars an motorbikes seem to play chicken with each other. If you intend to rent a car in India make sure you option up the insurance and familiarize your self with where the cars horn is located. Read the rest of this entry »
