A Top Gear Top Holiday, Austrian-Swiss-Italian Alps

[AdMEL]

Haha. The car I learned to drive on was dad's Datsun, a 160B I think. Canary yellow, non power steering, manual, he took me to an empty carpark to teach. It was very large open space and devoid of any obstructions apart from a mound of sand about 1m high in the corner. Like a moth to the flame, I managed to zero in to the only thing I could hit and put the front end into it. He wasn't very impressed!!

The first car I bought with my own cash, 1 year after starting working, was back to another Nissan, a Pulsar SSS which was the last of that range (N15 model)

Great story! First car I ever drive when I was about 15 or 16 was a manual Datsun ... Always though it was a 180B ... Didn't realise they made a 160B, so it could've been that! Many memories of 180B's, 200B's and Stanza's ... From memory, a cousin had a new or near new Stanza SSS in bright yellow. Also remember them being the top prize on The Price is Right when it was hosted by the late Ian Turpie.

 

[ozkid]

The morning of Day 3 was to be, I thought, a simple positioning run from Innsbruck to Sterzing and Bressanone, which is over the border. From there I can strike out to the Dolomites. The Brenner Pass is the prime access from Milan and northern Italy into Austria through the Alps, and is serviced by a multilane autostrade that was as straight as possible, bypassed several towns, tunnelled through the mountains and bridged over valleys. However, rather than take that efficient but soulless road, I chose the original highway, SS182, which snaked up and down the contour lines and took you through the multiple towns including that of Brenner itself.

This road started almost immediately south of Innsbruck. For a lot of the length, SS182 ran parallel to the bypass, and as I took a couple of hundred curves and hairpins, I couldn't help but think how awful to being stuck on the autostrade in what looked like a convoy of trucks. In contrast, I had the road more or less to myself. And since this used to be the main arterial road, the surface was in good nick and lent itself to enthusiastic driving, which I took full advantage of.

 

[ozkid]

The next stage was to strike out east along the SS49, which hugs the Fiure river and several lakes. This eastern run followed the valley carved out by the river, and each bend around a mountain revealed yet another picturesque village nestled amongst very fertile looking farmland. It should be very fertile; a lot of open top trucks that was on the road were piled high with steaming fresh fertiliser!

After reaching the town of Toblach, we turned south and plunged deep into the Dolomites using SS51, with the destination of Cortina d'Amprezzo. And what a drive this proved to be.

The mist came down, with some rain and ice. The road was straight at times, allowing a full blast on the throttle, then sharp ascents, hairpins, long sweeps. Forest for a minute, can't see beyond the trees, then burst into an open area with lakes and fields. Stark sharp edges of the rock that gives the place its name, increasingly glistening with more and more snow as we went up the Alps. Beautiful churches. I could have been the only human left alive on the planet - the mist just hung low and laid a blanket over the landscape, and accentuated the noise of the exhaust. I didn't want this to end.

 

[ozkid]

Cortina d'Ampezzo is to Italy what St Moritz is to Switzerland, a postcard picture town surrounded by mountains and the playground of the rich. Even Superman comes here for his vacation. A lunch break, with slices of 18 month cured prosciutto crudo with crusty bread. Salty, pungent, melting consistency when it hits the mouth. Delicious.

 

[ozkid]

To link up again with the Brenner Pass road, I chose summit runs over the top of the Dolomites heading west. This takes in the Falzarego Pass, Valparoza Pass (SR48), and the SP244. At a point in the past, Italian and Hungarian soldiers went to war here, and apparently the debris of war can still be found when the snow melts and the ground gives up their ghosts.

Linked together, these roads gave me 2 hours of twisting, snaking, ascents, descents, mist, ice, summit lookouts, and deep into valleys running next to mountain rivers. Simply amazing scenery and the Mini delivered. What a way to end this amazing driving holiday.

 

[ozkid]

Final thoughts.

Next time - yes, as the Stelvio, Furka, Susten, Grimsel and a bunch of others are Still To Be Done - I would base myself in Zurich. Less of a positioning run required to set up for the alpine passes. And be back in August/September.

I've bonded with the Mini. The gearbox could be sharper, and certainly the 6th is too tall with the base engine. If it was the Cooper S, it might come back as being useful. Rear visibility, especially over the left shoulder, is dreadful top up. There are a number of other, smaller, quirks but for all of those this is one great driving car. Thanks Veronica, you were a blast, kept me safe, delivered in spades.

Thanks all for letting me share these photos and memories, hope you enjoyed my story!

 

[Austff]

To link up again with the Brenner Pass road, I chose summit runs over the top of the Dolomites heading west. This takes in the Falzarego Pass, Valparoza Pass (SR48), and the SP244. At a point in the past, Italian and Hungarian soldiers went to war here, and apparently the debris of war can still be found when the snow melts and the ground gives up their ghosts. ]

Linked together, these roads gave me 2 hours of twisting, snaking, ascents, descents, mist, ice, summit lookouts, and deep into valleys running next to mountain rivers. Simply amazing scenery and the Mini delivered. What a way to end this amazing driving holiday.


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My wife & I travelled a very challenging road in Slovenia , close to Italy & Austrian borders , thru a place called Vrsic , where a lot of 1st WW debri is also found.
The road is not as good as the ones you had the privilage with & she was scared stiff , as a result our upcoming journey in the Alps will be on the Bernina xpress but one day I hope we can do a similar driving holiday as your terrific one. Great job with your TR .

 

[TomVexille]

Fantastic TR. Loved reading it. Now I want to go do the same thing.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[drron]

Well done.A TR with a difference.really enjoyed it though I have no doubt I wont be following in your tyre marks!

 

[JessicaTam]

Fabulous trip report.

And thank you for indulging me with all those glorious photos!

 

[kelvedon]

Really enjoyed your TR. Some of descriptions are quite poetic and brimmed with enthusiasm!. Thank you, a great read.

 

[ozkid]

Thanks everyone for all the kind words. Appreciate this forum, been a pleasure to share some experiences with you

 

[boomy]

Excellent TR!
Hope you didn't have much trouble with your luggage.
I just got a Mini Cabrio today from Hertz and had to struggle fitting a small trolley and backpack to that glovebox size boot.
Apart from that, cute car and fun to drive

 

[bismarck]

Wonderful TR.

I am planning on taking 6 or so days to drive from Vienna to Paris later this year so will definitely come back to review this for good roads.

Did you look around much for different cars? I also want to hire something a bit fun but nothing in the major rental agencies has particularly excited me.

 

[AdMEL]

Wonderful TR.

I am planning on taking 6 or so days to drive from Vienna to Paris later this year so will definitely come back to review this for good roads.

Did you look around much for different cars? I also want to hire something a bit fun but nothing in the major rental agencies has particularly excited me.

What do you consider would be a 'fun' car?

 

[ozkid]

Excellent TR!
Hope you didn't have much trouble with your luggage.
I just got a Mini Cabrio today from Hertz and had to struggle fitting a small trolley and backpack to that glovebox size boot.
Apart from that, cute car and fun to drive

Hi boomy, agree that cargo space is tiny and the shape non-conducive. I had a cabin bag and a trolley case, and none of these could fit in the boot. It's long width wise, but so shallow in depth and height that only a duffel bag (preferably soft) could realistically fit. Luckily it was just me, so the carry on went into the foot well of the front passenger space and the trolley case went onto the back seat.

For those who haven't seen the inside, there is zero leg space for back seat passengers, so best to think of it as an upholstered parcel shelf...

Great to hear you got the cabrio otherwise. It is very fun, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did

 

[ozkid]

Wonderful TR.

I am planning on taking 6 or so days to drive from Vienna to Paris later this year so will definitely come back to review this for good roads.

Did you look around much for different cars? I also want to hire something a bit fun but nothing in the major rental agencies has particularly excited me.

Thanks bismarck. I agree with AdMEL, it really comes down to what specifics you want to tick as "must haves". The good news is that there are a lot of cars to choose from, so I think you should be able to find one that fits. The main gotcha for me was finding a car that was also reasonably priced. There are a lot of exotics for example, but they will bleed you quickly. Of course, what is "reasonable" is also up to you.

I tried several websites from google search, and lastly Hertz (but I haven't checked the other majors). I was pretty fixed in my pick up location, but another alternative is to try rental from a different location. Example: Vienna airport Hertz throws up a Z4, SLK, mini cabrio, Abarth 500C. On the other hand, if you instead picked up from Paris de Gaulle the SLS AMG, Maserati GT, Aston Vantage, Nissan GTR, Jag F-type all become available. If none of these appeal, check your pulse for signs of life!

Out of all of these, I'd get the F-type. Saw this in the showroom and it is stunningly beautiful, classic shape. However, the boot makes the mini cabrio look huge. It's big enough for a laptop bag.