At the end of May, all roads led to Lucerne for 16 Brits driving to the 44th European annual meeting for 356 owners. It was based at the Palace Hotel, at the Bürgenstock resort, a steep climb above Lucerne and the lake. The views from the hotel terrace are among Switzerland’s most spectacular.
The meeting was remarkable for a couple of reasons. The entry fee was the highest ever and it had the least number of cars participating, with places limited to 100 vehicles (the programme listed 98), due to the hotel’s restricted parking. All were viewable in a three-level underground parking facility.
It was also notable for having the fewest presidents attending (three) at an International in modern times. Meanwhile, we Brits were the third largest national group attending, behind the Germans and Swiss.
The Louwman Museum
With signing in at Bürgenstock scheduled for Thursday afternoon, our journey began on Monday with an overnight sea crossing to the Hook of Holland for one small group, in order to visit the Hague’s Louwman Museum (something of a revelation for those who had not previously been to one of the world’s great car museums). Others chose the Dover-Calais route.
On leaving the museum, our afternoon drive ended with an overnight stop in Sedan in a hotel that was part of the town’s historic fort. The whole Brit group rendezvoused near Colmar to overnight at the Chateau d’Isenbourg before the journey on Thursday to Lucerne and up to Bürgenstock.
En route to Lucerne
On day one, all the cars enjoyed a drive through typical ‘chocolate box’ Swiss scenery and in the evening we dined on a lake cruiser. Day two offered a further drive or sightseeing in Lucerne. During the gala dinner on our last evening, Heinrich Besserer, president of the Porsche 356 Club Germany, revealed details of the 2020 meeting, to be hosted by the German club in Munich from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 May.
The entry fee will be €1756 for two participants and €1356 for one. Fees will be payable at the time of registration, opening on 1 October 2019.
For more information, click here.