D09 – OUR FIRST REUNION

It has been four years since we last saw 9A Zepplinstrasse in Nidda, Germany. It was the same day we said goodbye to our 1954 MG-TF sports car…one we had owned for 53 years. We left it in the care of Evi and Michael Stadler who promised to take care of it, possibly even better than we had.

That was more than possible since it spent the bulk of our years under a car cover in our carport. Here it lives under a hard roof in climate conditioned comfort. It even has a roommate. In this case it’s a 1929 BMW Dixie that Michael restored with his own hands.

At our last visit we were impressed by the quality of Michael’s car collection, most of it contemporary and brand new. Since then he has added another Mercedes, a SL 63 AMG.  It is a bit unusual as they covered the surface with a carbonic patterned film.  It’s companion is a Mercedes SLR McLaren.

Another part of the equipe is a Mercedes SLR McClaren and the Aston Martin DBS he purchased in 2011.  In fact, we met Michael and Evi in the Aston Martin parking lot when they were visiting the factory. Not pictured is a Mercedes SLS and a Jaguar XK8.

His most recent purchase is this McClaren 650S that blows the socks off almost anything else in the garage. Since 2011 Michael has made a change in his career direction He was hugely successful in his business career and has now decided to follow his muse by hiring staff and establishing a business to restore “old timer” automobiles…both for clients and for sale.

When he broke the news I had some concern about the MG but he said, “I am in the business to sell restored automobiles, but the MG will never be one of those.” I better understood his promise when we noticed this huge backdrop of our former baby. Evi and Michael visit historical car events and set up a booth to advertise their business. After all those years sitting under an MG Mitten, the MG has been put back to work. Not only that, she is a STAR.

Once again, I was able to join in on the Sunday night tradition of Michael’s buddies getting together to talk about cars, argue politics, eat food and drink beer.

Usually it’s a pitch-in, but Michael, ever the businessman, managed to corral the leftovers from Evi’s party so we were eating and drinking well.

The cap to each Sunday evening gathering is when he pours the schnapps into small glasses.

They sit on a custom board that Michael passes around the table. After saying,”Prosit,” the custom is to toss the schnapps down the hatch. Frankly it’s a good thing since sipping firewater is never a good idea.

As a favor, I asked Michael to bring the MG out for a final goodbye.

We stood proudly between our newest and oldest automobiles. There seemed to be no rancor or bruised feelings on the part of the MG, however we’re sure the new Audi Q5 was thinking, “What in hell kind of car is that?” We’ll see what it has to say after 53 years.

We left Evi and Michael standing in the same spot as four years ago. The difference is now they’re off on a new business venture with the MG as a working partner. Who could ever believe that?

We’re off the Liepzig, our first peek behind the former Iron Curtain.

Gute nacht from Louise and Ray