From September 28 to October 2, the 21st edition of the German Creme21 Youngtimer Rallye was held. The event started in 2002 with 41 participating teams. Today there are waiting lists, and the chance that you will be drawn is greater than that you participate. The event is immensely popular in Germany, and this year the organizers set the maximum number of teams at 210. Sicco Dijkstra from Dijkstra Classic Cars and Youngtimers invited us to the German rally with a wink to drive. We debuted in the cream21. This one made a big impression. That is why we will report on the cult event in several companies in the near future. Today part 1: the run-up and the chosen car.
The surprise is great when Sicco sends me an app on August 22. Whether I feel like driving the Creme21 Youngtimer Rallye with photographer Spijker. I am stunned by the offer, this is one of the dreams I have in the automotive field. And Sicco offers us a huge opportunity to be there, to make the dream come true. The only thing that needs to be organized is at home, and that also applies to the work in my other profession. But we're going, that's for sure. Sicco offers us the choice of four cars from the collection: a Corvette C3, a Corvette C5, a Porsche 944 S2 and……the VW Golf Cabriolet 1.6 in Quartett painted in Alpinweiss from 1987.
My choice is immediately made. Autumn beckons. Sicco says that the welcome day and the start of the rally will take place at the Nürburgring. And then I already know for sure in which direction the rally is going. Even though the route is unknown to me at that time. First I suggest Bart the choice of car, he immediately says ja when I mention the Gulf. Bart is traditionally a convertible driver. Moreover, the prospect of open and agile touring under a beautiful autumn sun beckons. And I'm sure like I said around we're going to do that. I text Bart and inform him that the route probably leads via the Eifel, the Hunsrück and Saarland to the Black Forest. When I receive the confirmation letter from the organization a week later, the hunch turns out to be completely true. And I'm incredibly happy about that. Everything falls into place.
The choice of car therefore falls on the Golf. The Golf Cabriolet is a direct derivative of the first Golf generation, even though it stems from Wed copy from 1987. The Golf II was never built as a factory convertible, stronger: the first Golf Cabriolet ran off the production line in Osnabrück for no less than fourteen years. It is still one of the best-selling convertibles of all time. The Quartett version is tasty, including two-tone light metal, fender flares (reattached by the last owner with stainless steel screws!), heat-resistant glass and a beautiful finish. These and other features make the delicious and truly excellently maintained Golf Cabriolet even more attractive. In addition, the convertible will be given a thorough overhaul at VAG specialist Terpstra, a stone's throw from Dijkstra Classic Cars & Youngtimers.
Bart and I both cherish many memories of the first generation of the Golf in our own way. Bart himself drove his business trips for years with a Golf C Diesel, the car that my parents also had for five years. I also have many other memories of the first Wave generation. The Cabriolet is going to add a new chapter. And a nice detail beforehand: the welcome letter states that we will receive crew number 35. And that is exactly the age of the white convertible.
Despite the attractive prospect, our participation is in doubt, and I am loosening those screws myself. Because Sicco calls me on Monday. He tells that he and his wife Wilhelmina unexpectedly do not travel to Germany. I have trouble with the idea that they are not there, and we are going to enjoy it. Moreover, we have also been invited by them. But Sicco insists that we drive. And later in the day, Sicco again indicates that he really wants us to drive the rally, and that he is also supported by his family. In the end I decide that we as 35 team traveling to Germany, but that is by no means an easy decision.
The hesitation gently fades into the background. And on the day before our departure, the white Wave is ready. I talk for a while with Jente, Sicco's son-in-law. I hand in the keys to the V50 and take those to the Golf. A little later I drive from Sexbierum to home base Leeuwarden. Everything feels familiar, I know this car like the back of my hand. The standard sports seats embrace me firmly, the handling of the beautiful Golf is all-round. I already feel at home in the car, which is relaxed to drive. And that is also the intention for the drive to Nurbürg, as it were we drive into the Golf again, because the VW has run very few kilometers in recent times.
But I notice it right away. It drives like a Golf, it feels like a Golf, but a little heavier. That makes sense, the Cabriolet carries more weight than a regular Golf 1 because of the reinforced body. This car, with the 1595 cc 75 DIN-hp engine on board, will become our reliable compass in Germany. In addition, it received a thorough technical service at Hessel Terpstra. The Golf also leaves no room for technical inconvenience. The evening falls, the next morning the alarm will go off at 3.15 am. I agree to pick up Bart at half past five in Oosterstreek. The reason for the early hour: we have to report to Nürburg before noon. And that's what we're going to do. You read in part 2 everything about the drive to Nürburg, the welcome day at the circuit, and the official rally start on the Ring. And you can read the experiences during the driving days part 3.
Many thanks to Sicco and Wilhelmina Dijkstra
A very nice start to a probably even more fun rally experience. Look forward to the next release.