STORIES | THE NEED FOR SPEED…The Day I Lost My Innocence

I’m sure everyone remembers the story of their first time.  That is their first encounter with the adrenaline rush that accompanies a burst of serious speed (cmon guys, what did you think I was talking about?).  To some that moment comes earlier than others.  Eventually, however, everyone has a close encounter with the need for speed and is changed forever.

I was a relatively late bloomer.  For most of my youth, my idea of speed was going 80 on the local highway.  It wasn’t until I was 23 years old that I experienced what speed really was.  It was my first trip to Germany.  I was traveling with my father and older brother on a trip that was, well, all about cars.  My father had been put up to it by a good friend of his and I was just along for “the ride” (or more accurately “the drive”).  We had just left the Ruf Automobile factory in the small town of Pfaffenhausen (about an hour west of Munich) and were on our way to visit the city of Augsburg.  Each was riding solo in our respective rentals (everyone wanted to drive of course). I was driving a Boxster S, my brother a 911 Carrera and my father had a RUF 3400S tuned Boxster.

As I tail my brethren at the back of the line we finally hit the onramp onto the legendary Autobahn.  I remind you again that before this day my impression of going fast on the highway was cruising at 80mph.  As we are about to enter every speed demon’s dream and I begin to squeeze the gas I look back to oncoming traffic to assure a smooth entry.  When I return my eyes to the road I suddenly realize the gentlemen I am meant to follow are long gone.  I see them in the distance and they are pulling away fast.  All I can hear is the roars of their respective engines as they quickly shift from second gear to third, then fourth, then fifth and finally sixth gear.  I quickly accelerate (or so I thought) through the gears and they are still disappearing in the distance until I lose them altogether.  Clearly they had long lost their own innocence.

Now what?  I have no maps, no cell phone or even any idea of the name of the hotel.  All I had was a two way radio that was out of range given the gap they had pulled on me within seconds.  And all I know is the name of the city we are meant to end up in.  Worry sets in as I put the pedal to the metal and hit 120 mph.  (sidenote:  120 mph on the Autobahn feels very smooth.  Almost like cruising half as fast on the roads back home.  Gotta love german engineering)  Surely they are just around the bend and I’ll be tucked back in line in no time.  As I continue my chase at 120mph, both eyes ahead in search of my driving party, the sound of another roaring engine catches my attention.  I turn to see what the ruckus is about and there is a woman blazing by me in her BMW station wagon with the kids smiling merrily in the back seat. “So it is true” I say to myself half amazed and half embarrassed.  Then it dawns on me that I am in no ordinary place.  I am in Germany.  And in Germany everyone takes their driving seriously.

It isn’t until I arrive in Augsburg and wander lost through the city for about half an hour that I finally establish radio contact with the crew and get them to wait for me somewhere in the center of town.  This is the day I lost my innocence and made a promise to myself that I would never be left behind again.  And so it has been.

On future visits to the speed aficionados motherland I have frequently reached speeds (197mph!!) my father never has.

Tell us the story of your first time!

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Tagged as: AUTOMOTIVE, CARS, DRIVES, PORSCHE