Off we went again to Austria! This time to collect, so a somnolent slow journey towing a trailer… No hanging around ‘en route’ in workshops, just GO GO and GO, because the next 2600 km had to be covered as quickly as possible! After a very long drive and a stay 70 km before Salzburg we arrived in Carinthia again.

We secured the ‘Amillioncar’ in the trailer, after having visited a friend of the seller. The seller is a great enthusiast who owns many great Puch motorcycles, a modern 300SL and even an Abarth Monomille GT! The seller loves Mercedes and so does his friend, who owns a 170V B Cabriolet, and several more. We had a nice chat in the garden with the sun shining and view on a very impressive castle ruin on the mountain top. The good man showed us some nice pics and files as well as one of his Mercedes.

We couldn’t stay long because we had to hurry back… So when the ‘Amillioncar’ had been loaded and fully set tight and all the files that came with the car had been handed over, we had to leave… sadly. If my dad had not been in such a hurry I could have stayed much longer in Villach, but we still had to cross the boarder into Germany to reach our Bayrische chalet style hotel again.

We knew that crossing the boarder wasn’t going to be easy because of the extra police controls due to the refugees issue! It took two long and nerve breaking hours before we finally reached the policeman who had been given the authority to decide who could move on and who had to go into the tent! Surprisingly he started chatting with us and this went on for some 10 mins… all very relaxed, while there was two and a half hours of Stau (queue) waiting behind us. The police officer asked us where we were heading and what was in the trailer. We told him it was an Amilcar, a vintage racer. He first thought it was an American car, but then he understood. The conversation quickly became very friendly. We told him we had just bought the car in Austria and had to drive back to the Netherlands, but first get some sleep. When he asked where we were from in the Netherlands we told him that we live west of Rotterdam, on the coast right behind the dunes. He then said that he had spent a holiday there and visited a great Caribbean beach club… We know the place and asked him if it was in Rockanje and he said, YES that was it! We told him we live in Oostvoorne a town close to Rockanje… From that moment on everything was just fine. There you go this is how you cross a border! ; )

The hotel in Törwang was perfect, very quiet in a village with Pinocchio houses all over the place, you know… My dad loves such hotels! The residents of the town get up early and so the church bell, immediately next to our room, started sounding LOUDLY at 7.00 AM! After that ritual we also heard the people singing in the church, which reminds me of Louis de Funès in the Gendarme de Saint-Tropez series, the first episode… We liked this hotel because it seemed a safe place to park our car and trailer with the ‘Amillioncar’ hidden in it. Although it seemed safe, the night was very restless… Each of us got up twice after delivery vans had stopped in the town square for night deliveries! The return journey was very boring with again a lot of Stau and, worst of all, thick fog in all of north-west Germany.  Incredible how fast most people drive after dark in thick fog… Once home we were quite tired of a long and tiring drive!

The idea was that the ‘Amillioncar’ would be housed in our living room during the winter, because what is better than to have a car in your living room?! Sadly the Amillion car was 2 cm too wide to pass through the terrace doors… That is why we took the car the next day to Erik’s workshop, where I am doing my apprenticeship now. Probably even better, because now I can look at my new car all day long. You may remember that I start at 7.00 AM and leave late in the afternoon…? Sadly this storage is only temporary, so let’s have a look at what will be the next home for my ‘Amillioncar’ for the winter! Perhaps a museum? I think my ‘Amillioncar’ has the looks to adorn any fine automobile museum! : )

Perhaps you wonder why I call my 1925 Amilcar CGS the ‘Amillioncar’? Well, a dear Bugattist friend, Kjeld Jessen, who had advised me to get in touch with the seller of the car, came up with this name! I think it is great! Thanks a million to be allowed to be the caretake of this priceless Amilcar… just MAGNIFICENT! Restored to the finest detail… I mean this Amilcar has been restored with so much love and care! Even the smallest details look perfect… just how a true craftsman would do it. For instance all the cables are fabric wrapped round! : )

I am truly the luckiest person in this world and am simply blown away by the fact that I just start in the vintage society with a car like this, GREAT! : ) I look forward to go to as many events as possible next year with my Amillioncar! But first we have to get through the winter and get the car licensed in the Netherlands!

Again, I want to thank the seller of what is now my Amillioncar. It was a great pleasure meeting him! I promise I will take very good care of the car! Its neighbor in Erik’s shop is a lovely Pinocchio Brescia owned by a great friend, so the Brescia can reassure my Amillioncar… ; )

I have planned to sign up with several (cyclecar) clubs. I understand that the cyclecar world is very active…! But also other vintage car clubs seem to organize some great events! I Look forward to doing as many GREAT events with my Amillioncar as possible! : )

Also check out the Cyclecar-Amilcar Club site by clicking here. It is a register of Dutch and Belgian cyclecars and my Amillioncar is already included!

The name Amillioncar seems not to be all that original, since the Amilcar CGSS of Joris Bergsma of PreWarCar fame was once also called Amillioncar…

Next up some technical/mechanical stuff! : )

Written by Rosemarijn Atalante Veenenbos