A few days ago, I was part of the first MeilenMacher Rally organized by good friends of mine from Munich. Something I really liked about the whole experience was the relaxed, passionate and charismatic group of guys that took part. Cars were always the first topic without it ever getting boring and we also shared a lot of laughs.

The landscapes of the Alps are something very unique, they had a big part in making the photos and cars look incredible.

A lot of people asked me on Instagram why we all had the doors of the cars open in one part of the rally. The reason was that we had almost one hour of very slow traffic without hardly moving at the border between Austria and Switzerland. It was very warm and the cars were heating up a lot and we were jumping back and forth between the van that provided refreshments – so we made it a bit of a social event amongst the drivers. We made the best of the situation here, and the rest of the experience was really exceptional!

Here’s a short interview I did with the rally organizers to find out more about what’s behind it.

Tell me about you guys.

We started our project MeilenMacher this year with the aim to connect young classic car enthusiasts. We were both born and raised in Munich and have been friends for years. Our shared love for vintage cars brought this friendship to a different level. While we both have day jobs, one in the car industry and the other in marketing, vintage cars are an integral part of our lives. Once we had the opportunity to rent an old workshop hall, we knew that we needed to start a joint project.

What motivated you to do this rally?

The MeilenMacher Rally was our first event. We wanted to kick off our MeilenMacher project with a nice event and we felt that a tour with a small number of cars would be the perfect starting point. We have so many ideas for the next months (and maybe years) to come so the motivation for events like this just comes naturally and the experiences that you collect along the way are definitely worth it.

Tell me about the name.

MeilenMacher is a German neologism (basically ‘mile maker’) and could be freely translated into covering distance and enjoying it. The name was more or less a spontaneous idea that developed over a couple of beers in our garage. We like the innuendo of focusing on the drive rather than your actual goal and just generally getting things done – or at least starting them and seeing where it leads. It kind of resembles our personal connection to classic cars. Not everything is perfect, there is always something broken or not working properly, sometimes a car breaks down, but it doesn’t really matter as long as you start your journey – the experiences and memories that you collect happen along the way.

What is the idea or the main focus behind MeilenMacher?

There are probably thousands of reasons why someone is into vintage cars – it can be the design, the simplicity, the driving experience or whatever. The most important thing is that this passion connects people. Our aim is to bring young classic car enthusiasts together and create a relaxed community here in Munich. It doesn’t matter if you are driving an old beaten up Fiat Panda or a concours Porsche. We don’t want to limit our project to a certain type of car or manufacturer – as long as you are passionate (and sociable) you are welcome in our group.

How was the first experience?

It was great. Obviously, not everything was perfect, but we had a blast. The group was amazing, there was a great mixture of cars and most importantly everybody arrived back in Munich in one piece. The best thing is to see how a group of people who don’t really know each other connects over a shared experience. A weekend trip like this shows how you can make the most out of two days and make one weekend feel like a little holiday.

How many cars were part of it?

We had ten classic cars and two support cars – in total we were 24 people. We feel that this was perfect for the beginning, especially because there was a lot to organize during our preparation phase and we did a lot of things for the first time – like creating the road books. It would be great if the group would slowly grow and there would be more cars next time. However, we want to keep the atmosphere relaxed and familiar.

Are there plans to do a rally again and soon?

Definitely. We have a lot in store for this season. Towards the end of the year, we will put together a second road trip. But we also have plans for smaller events and meetups during summer – from chilled BBQs in our garage to day trips with a couple of old cars in the vicinity of Munich. We will try to keep everyone informed through our Instagram account and we have already started a mailing list – as you can see, we mean business 😉

Follow them on Instagram @MeilenMacher