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V8 Power on tour - V8 Register: Cruising Germany

See subsequent report provided by Al Barnett with a photo from Mario Kllostra. More

Updated: 150930
Posted: 150922

A report of the V8 Tour 2015 to Germany prepared by Kai and Claudia Knickmann has come in via tour organiser Walter Kallenberg. Report

Kai has prepared the translation below whilst on a flight to the Far East.

V8 Tour 2015 to Germany
From ancient Roman city to modern rolling road, from harbour cruise to English garden - there was something for everybody at the V8 Tour to Germany that took place the first week of September in Moers in the lower Rhine area.
The V8 Register of the MG Car Club has run multiple tours in various corners of the UK in past years, but this time Germany was the chosen destination. Bookings were coming in fast and numerous so the tour was quickly overbooked - all in all 33 MG V8 took up Brigitte and Walter Kallenberg's invitation. Nearly all versions were present, MGBGTV8, V8 Roadster and RV8 as well as one ZT280SE, complemented by an MGC and an MGA. Most participants were V8 Register members from the UK, but there was a good following as well from Portugal, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and Sweden.
On arrival we all met at the Hotel van der Valk in Moers which would be our hub for the next few days. A fabulous dinner and a long evening at the bar gave plenty of opportunity to say hello to many well-known and new V8 enthusiasts.
On Thursday morning after a splendid breakfast and a short briefing the activities started with typical themes of the Ruhr region. The road book guided us towards the river Rhine, where we took a ferry to cross the river. First stop was the impressive coal-fired power station at Walsum, where the head of operations and one of his chief engineers were so kind to explain the size and processes. The first units were supplied with coal directly from the adjacent coal mine. Now the mine (like nearly all others in the area) has stopped production and the coal today is shipped all the way from South America.
We drove further to Duisburg where we participated in a beer seminar at a local microbrewery - the brew master did a great job to introduce us to the art of brewing beer in a very entertaining way and in perfect English, having worked previously in New Zealand and the UK. The seminar finished in style with a beer tasting - of course mainly for the co-drivers. The afternoon was spent on an extended harbour cruise at the ports of Duisburg, the biggest inland port of Europe before calling it a day at the bar in the hotel.
The second day's route took us into the Netherlands to Onixx Starcraft in Lichtenvoorde. Onixx is a respected specialist for engine tuning with an excellent reputation not only in the MG community. Kitty and Hans, the proprietors, made us very welcome and at home. And I'm sure many of us would have loved to move into the workshop, as it included not only everything you would need to tinker with your MG (including a four wheel drive rolling road capable of handling 1000 PS) but a proper English pub on the mezzanine level and a fully outfitted kitchen/dining area.
On our way back we were constantly chased by looming rain clouds. But before they finally caught up with us, we were still able to pay a visit to the English garden at the Reidelhof in Goch. The anglophile owners had planned, planted and extended this marvelous park continuously over the past fifteen years.
Saturday brought us to Xanten. The area occupied 2000 years ago by the ancient Roman city of Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Today it is home to the biggest archaeological park in Germany - including an amphitheatre, temples, bathhouses and a shipyard.
We finished with a fabulous farewell dinner Saturday night including standing ovations to our hosts Brigitte and Walter Kallenberg and V8 tour coordinators Carolyn and Bob Owen. On Sunday morning many of us participated in a guided tour of Essen, a city with a fascinating mix of industrial heritage around the now defunct coal mine "Zollverein" and lush parks around the huge mansion of the Krupp family. Others left after breakfast in order to catch their ferry crossings back to the UK.
Finally once again a big thank you to our hosts and organizers for such a fantastic event and of course thanks to so many V8 members making the effort to come all the way to Germany.