For many classic car enthusiasts, the joy of the open road never fades – no matter how many miles you’ve driven or how many times you’ve retraced a route. Whether it’s a spirited weekend drive or an adventurous European road trip, the bond between driver and classic machine only deepens with time. That’s something we understand well at ClassicLine Insurance, where our mission is to keep you and your cherished vehicle protected on every journey – familiar or brand new.
In his latest update,a our resident road tripper, Ben Coombs, reflects on how repeated experiences can, in fact, fuel greater appreciation. And just like the enduring reliability of a well-insured classic, some things only get better with time.
Time flies when you’re having fun, right? If ever there was a demonstration of this, it’s the fact that last Sunday, I returned from the sixth Eagle Rally – the event with which I launched Pub2Pub Adventures’ driving tours, all the way back in 2018. So, that’s six times that I’ve made the trip along the Alpenstrasse to the Eagle’s Nest, tucked away in deepest, prettiest Bavaria.
Now, you might imagine that undertaking the same tour six times would be an exercise in gradually increasing boredom; that familiarity would indeed breed contempt. However surprisingly, this isn’t the case. Familiarity has, if anything, actually made me appreciate the journey more.
I guess this is partly down to the fact that it’s impossible to become completely familiar with a 2,000-mile road trip. I mean, how could it be? They say it’s impossible to memorise every corner of the 14.1-mile Nürburgring, so what hope is there for every intricacy of a week-long tour? Each time I drive the Eagle Rally, I feel like I’m experiencing many of the places we pass through for the first time, while the traffic conditions and the other cars with which I’m sharing the trip also change, making for a different driving experience each trip. Even things you’d imagine wouldn’t change can show a different side each year – for instance, the near-100-year-old Eagle’s Nest seems to present itself differently with every visit. Some years it’s set amid a snowy mountainscape, while on other occasions it bakes in the summer sun. I may be familiar with the place, but bored by it? Not a chance.
Just like your favourite B-road, while it’s impossible to get to the stage where there’s nothing left to learn, familiarity with a long driving route lets you appreciate it all the more. The journey becomes more like chatting to an old friend, in comparison to meeting a stranger. Familiarity makes the whole experience all the more rewarding, while still harbouring the potential to surprise.
And when considering the subjects of road trips, familiarity and driving, for me the Venn Diagram overlaps on one thing more than anything – the ClassicLine Insurance sponsored Volvo. In recent times, I’ve been covering up to 20,000 miles a year in this trusty old machine, in support of Pub2Pub trips. From the Arctic winter to the Riviera sun, it’s been my home for weeks at a time, and just like with the Eagle Rally, familiarity hasn’t bred contempt. No, more than anything, it’s bred respect. That a 37-year-old classic can prove such a dependable companion on trip after trip is amazing, really. And the more trips I undertake in its company, the more respect I have for it. I’ve discovered a depth of ability there which a quick acquaintance wouldn’t have come close to revealing.
Which is just as well really, as in September I’ll be firing up the Volvo once again, to head out on my seventh Eagle Rally. And I’m looking forward to it already…
