Too close to ignore the opportunity. 2000 km through Europe within five days. A couple of hundred more won't hurt so Michiel and I decide to pay a spontaneous visit to Duesseldorf. After Berlin this will be another Meilenwerk tour we have done.
Before we hit the road Michiel straps the maxicosy into the Isofix. Our small section of CFX for today will be completed by the probably youngest petrol head. Abel is snoozing when we cross the border. Fastlaning towards D-dorf. Woken up by the stop and go traffic close to our destination he remarks: "the people here speak a different language, all the numberplates are white!".
We enter the half circled building and sniff up the glorious smell of oil and patina. "Look there, two "Snoeks" (Citroen DS) next to each other! We take a quick look, where do we start? To much input. Meanwhile a low revving 911 Speedster slowly finds its way through the hall, looking for a private garage. The workshops, classic dealerships and boutiques are located at the outer rim of the old tram station. In the Gulf shop I ask for the price of a Steve Mc Queen tee. No thank you, highly overpriced. The re-branding of the classic petrol brand has had its peak. Too much, too easy, too expensive. Martini please!
We stroll across the outer galleries, taking pictures en enjoying the reflections on steel sculptures. Click, click, click. Have you ever seen this Alfa? Most of the cars are hard to capture, stored in glass boxes, oil on the floor. I try to wrench my camera in between the panels to get a clear view. Abel has discovered his own playground. Fifty cents and you are master of the universe for a couple of minutes in a world full of model trains. Meanwhile I take a peak outside the building. The parking lot around the Meilenwerk has its own hidden treasures. A beautiful brown coupe from Maranello, edged lines and minimalistic surfacing. A Monteverdi Safari behind the fence, Suisse Ranger avant la lettre.
Back inside we work the main hall towards the centre. My highlights are a fine selection of Porsches, a Talbot racer and the Toyota 200 GT. Abel has a different view. Pointing at a Jag S-type track car:" look a Cars-car, but it is not talking back to me!" Pancakes in the restaurant, all dressed up as a fifties drive inn, boots with fat cushions. Time for some last shots on Duesseldorfs beauties. The ambient light in the building changes from blue to red to purple and has a psychedelic effect on hoods and fenders. Maseratis transformed into hot rods with flame jobs.
Miles and more, I could spend a couple of hours more here to capture the spirit. A good CFX'd sunday goes to an end. We will be back one day. For those of you who plan a visit, try to come early to enjoy the natural light and stay late to see cars go disco. Meilenwerk, two down, one to go. Stuttgart anyone?
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