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Beetles fans have a ticket to ride
By Qiu Yijiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-02 10:06 German Richard Hausmann could never have imagined how challenging a drive to his Beijing office could be. He felt the breeze from Bavaria, soaked in the grand scenery of the Siberia Plains and ate the dust of the Gobi Dessert, all from behind the wheel of a humble little VW Beetle. The 60-year-old car was part of a fleet of four classic vehicles, which traveled 11,000 km in the Erlangen-Beijing Vintage Volkswagen Challenge 2009. "The experience is just unbelievable," says Hausmann, president and CEO of Siemens China. "What makes me more thrilled is that my beetle celebrates its 60th anniversary here, together with the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Germany." As a fan of classic Beetles, Hausmann had the idea of driving from Germany to Beijing three years ago. He found several vintage car fans in Germany and they got a start from Schlossplatz in Erlangen on July 30. Over the past four weeks, participants drove along the Siberia Railway, crossed Poland, Lithuania, Russia and Mongolia.
"Nothing is more fulfilling than making dreams into reality," he says. "It is admirable to have courage and determination along the way. I feel touched and also envious of them." Michael Schaefer, Germany's Ambassador to China, welcomed the dust-covered drivers at the finish line. The group was then greeted with flowers, hugs and kisses from families, colleagues and friends, and of course, a nice mug of German beer. Hausmann's wife Anna says her husband phoned home everyday to keep the family informed of difficulties, challenges and interesting discoveries on the road. Husmann's two sons now take a great interest in the places and stories they heard over the phone in the past month. "However, it takes much passion and persistence to travel a long distance with an old car. We might just fly there," Moritz Hausmann says. |
