Oktoberfest, bratwurst, pretzels… one guess to where we (my husband and I) are heading.

That’s right! We are planning a visit to the birthplace of the Porsche. As I begin compiling our list of “must see and eat”, I know we have to incorporate Porsche into the mix. After all, we wouldn’t want to have our PCA membership revoked.

My research, thus far, has led me to Stuttgart, Germany and the Porsche Museum, of course. Stuttgart even plays host to the Hotel V8, which features car themed rooms. The “Petrolheads” room is inspired by the Martini Porsche Boxster and sports a racecar bed. But would a car enthusiast trip really be complete without renting a sportscar and cruising on the famed autobahn?

Autobahn is simply the name for the German highway system. It is one of the few public roads that include stretches with unrestricted speed limits.  There is a suggested “Richtgeschwindigkeit” (an advisory max. speed), of approximately 80 miles per hour, however, this limit is just a suggestion and not enforced.  While a few areas on the highway have strict speed limits due to construction and weather, its is estimated that about 70% of the autobahn falls under the Richtgeschwindigkeit rule.

“German drivers can be aggressive on the autobahn. When they pass you and suddenly cut in front of you, with a much smaller comfort zone than is normal in North America, don’t take it personally. It is just the way they drive.”

That is a quote from the first article I read about the unofficial “rules of the autobahn”.  You can read the whole article here.

Then, there are the videos – some raving about the experience while others negating those reviews. Which leads me to the question:  Is it worth it? 

Perhaps it’s all the pictures from Porscheplatz that are in this month’s galleries, or Walt Hyjek’s article on IMSA’s 50 years at LRP, or DE’s recap of their recent event that has me intent on the need for speed in Germany.

So, I ask you: Have you ever driven on the Autobahn? What was your experience? 

After all, as Joe Kunecki reminds us, it is the 25^th anniversary of the Boxster and wouldn’t it be appropriate to rent one and drive in the land of its creation? In the meantime, I’ll settle for the rush of this month’s jam packed Challenge.

Enjoy and please do share your tips on Germany with me!