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Car shows have always been one of the most redeeming parts of automotive culture, especially for enthusiasts in the Volkswagen and stance communities. Each year, both come together at an annual motoring event in Austria called Worthersee, which is basically Europe’s response to America’s H2Oi. And just like H2Oi, there are often cars with stretched tires and slanty wheels that police don’t particularly like to see on the roads, even if they aren’t from the area.
A convoy of ten cars set out to take their projects to Worthersee this week, making the trek from the UK in order to attend the event in Austria. Unfortunately, their trip was cut short after attracting the attention of the police when they entered Germany.
Reportedly, the group made it about 300 miles from their home before stopping for food just over the German border. While (hard) parked, the flashy cars were noticed by the local police who approached the cars and began to inspect them. It didn’t take long before the vehicles were deemed to be unfit for German roads.
Nine of the ten cars were subsequently impounded, ending the brigade’s road trip only a third of the way into their journey. The owners of the cars and their luggage were left at the service station as their cars were towed away, a place where they remained until 3:00 a.m. before finding accommodations.
According to the owner of the Volkswagen Lupo in the Instagram post above (lewdeak), the owners of the cars reached out to the local British Embassy regarding the matter. They were reportedly told that the cars were to remain in Germany until at least mid-next week before being released. However, the cars will not be permitted to be driven away from impound. Instead, the owners will be required to have their cars transported out of Germany by a private hired towing company. The cost to trailer the car out of the country is expected to cost around $502 (400 Euros) per car.
A controversial GoFundMe has been set up to help ease the impact of the individuals who had their cars seized. At the time of writing, it has raised the equivalent to $710.
As a former owner of a car with slanty wheels and air suspension, this is a situation that I’ve seen far too often at H2Oi. The truth of the matter is that the owners were unfortunately unfamiliar with the rules of the road while traveling in a different country. While fines and towing costs totaling nearly $7,000, this will be a lesson that many won’t soon forget—until next year’s Worthersee.
