TravelWorld International Magazine Fall 2022

ALSO WORTH VISITING
JUST OFF THE BERTHA BENZ
MEMORIAL ROUTE:
STUTTGART, home of both Mercedes-Benz and
Porsche, and each offers a spectacular museum.
The MERCEDES-BENZ MUSEUM follows
a timeline of motorized history, through a peek into the future
and the promise of autonomous driving. My favorite car on
display there is not the iconic 1950s gullwing sports car; it is a
1930s 500K, one of the most expensive and powerful vehicles of
its time, a gleaming beauty on display in what I call Drop Dead
Red. I wore a red top the last time I visited, in its honor.
https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/classic/museum/
Small museum devoted to Dr. Carl Benz and
his pioneering “vehicle with gas engine” in
Ladenberg, Germany, where the family lived.
GOTTLIEB DAIMLER patented his own version
of what he called the “Motorwagen” in 1888, two years after
the Benz patent, each claiming theirs was the first. The two
remained fierce competitors until 1926, when they were forced
to merge by German banks in an effort to save money by
consolidating R&D and manufacturing.
The merger also was intended to make wider use of Daimler’s
talented engineer and designer, Ferdinand Porsche. But he quit
in a dispute over racing – he wanted to, Daimler didn’t. Porsche
formed his own company, which included creating – at the
request of Hitler – an affordable little vehicle, which became the
VW Beetle (Volkswagen translates as “people’s car”).
The equally fascinating PORSCHE MUSEUM
is equally divided between the company’s impressive racing
history and its cars for the rest of us. My favorite exhibit is the
“sound cones” – stand under them to hear the throaty rumbles
of different engines. Yes, there’s a difference.
https://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/porschemuseum/
Exterior of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart,
with the iconic 1950s 300SL gullwing sports car out
front. Photo courtesy Mercedes-Benz Museum
I must mention the sleepy village of WALDORF, the
town from which John Jacob Astor emigrated to America, where
he became fabulously wealthy. You may have heard of the hotel
he named after himself and his hometown – Waldorf Astoria
– now an international chain. It’s also the town where my own
beloved Oma (grandmother) was born and grew up before
coming to America.
Evelyn Kanter is a travel and automotive journalist based in
NYC, who visits Germany often.
Follow her on www.ecoxplorer.com,
where a version of this article also has been published.
Author Evelyn Kanter, after doing “hot laps”
at the Indianapolis 500 racetrack, in a vehicle
similar to those used in races on the equally
world-famous Hochenheim racetrack along the
Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Photo taken by
the museum director.
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