Fahrvergnügen

Driving the Nürburgring

Ask any car enthusiast about the Nürburgring and you’ll probably see the little boy or girl in them make a brief appearance. It’s hard to hold back the excitement and reverence that the indoctrinated have for this track

The Ring is one of the pinnacles of modern automotive racing. Built in the 1920s, it has seen nearly 90 years of competitive action. Lucky for you, you don’t have to be a professional to experience it. Anyone with a valid drivers license, a few euros, and some courage is welcome on the track during most weekday early evenings and weekends.

And so today I got to experience a piece of automotive history by driving my new 335d on the Nordschleife.

For three laps I experienced all that is holy in the automotive world. The roar of the engine, the whoosh of the air whipping by at 135mph, the rocking and pitching of the car in tight turns, and the thrill of coming out of your seat one moment and being thrust back in to it the next. Quite simply, it’s the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever done.

Alas, pictures and video while on the track are prohibited. But rest assured I’ll be reliving those moments in my head for a lifetime.

Königin Freue

For several weeks now, Johanna has been asking me what I was going to name my new BMW. Her black Ford Focus is already a named member of our household, going by the ever appropriate “Schwarz” (black in German).

I’ve never named a car, so this was an odd task. How do I name a car I haven’t met? What should I be considering when naming it, anyway? Is it male or female? And how the hell do I pick a good name? Ugh, this was going to be complicated.

So I set out to just wait and see. Experience the car, let it come to me and tell me what to call it. While the sheer emotion of the first couple days with the car were powerful, I was getting closer but not quite there…

The car was… Fast… Agile… Safe… Exciting… Joy…

And that’s when I consulted Johanna and my German dictionary: “How do you say ‘joy’ in German?”. The answer is in BMWs German slogan: Freude am Fahren. “Joy in driving”.

And so, with some slight adjustments for the English-speaking ears around me and some editorial license in naming, I give you:

Königin Freue
(Koo-ni-gin Froy-ya)
The Queen of Joy