Classic Car Road Trip

IMM 2024 Geiselwind, Germany: The IMM 2024 took place near the small market town of Geiselwind in Bavaria, Germany. 2024 is a special year for the Mini, because 65 years ago, the first Mini rolled off the production line at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham and 60 years ago, Paddy Hopkirk won the Monte Carlo Rally in a Mini Cooper S. The IMM 2024 was organised by the MINI IG Bamberg. Geiselwind is located not far from Bamberg, where the IMM (International Mini Meeting) took place in 2010. We were only able to attend the IMM in Geiselwind for only a few days, because we were invited to Normandy to celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The IMM 2024 was rescheduled to a later date, so the two events occurred almost at the same time. We decided to stay at the IMM for three days and then drive to Normandy. The weather forecast for Bavaria and other regions in the southeast of Germany was really bad, but we survived the storm and heavy rain showers at the IMM in Bristol, so we weren't worried to much. From all over Europe, thousands of Mini owners traveled in their iconic classic Mini or New MINI to Bavaria to attend the IMM in Geiselwind. During the IMM, heavy rain showers passed over the camping site. The ground around our tent became soaked and dirt roads on the camping site turned into mud puddles. Despite the bad weather, we made a number of short trips in the surrounding area of Geiselwind. It was still raining when we left Geiselwind. We made this short road trip in a fifty years old classic Mini, our own 1974 Mini Authi.

➔

➔

1. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: From all over Europe, thousands of Mini owners traveled in their iconic classic Mini or New MINI to Bavaria to attend the IMM in Geiselwind. Geiselwind is a small market town in Bavaria, a state in the southeast of Germany. The IMM (International Mini Meeting) is an event where Mini owners meet.  

2. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: On the way to Geiselwind to attend the IMM (International Mini Meeting), we spotted hundreds of classic Minis, at almost each gas station and Raststätte (rest area) along the road there were a number Minis. Since 1978, every year the IMM takes place in a different European country.

3. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: The event took place nearby the small market town of Geiselwind in Bavaria, Germany. The International Mini Meeting was organised by the Mini IG Bamberg. We stood in line for almost two hours before we could enter the IMM camping site. The sky became dark and it started to rain.

4. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: A rooftop tent on top of a classic Mini. During the IMM, heavy rain showers passed over the camping site. Due to the heavy rain, the camping ground became soft and wet, the groundsheet underneath many tents were dirty and soaked with water, but the owner of this Mini kept his feet dry. 

5. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: A Mini Moke in a tent. The Mini Moke was originally designed as a light military vehicle for the Britsh Army that could withstand a parachute drop and be lifted by a helicopter. Moke is a British slang word for donkey. In 1963, the Mini Moke was introduced as a civilian vehicle.

6. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: A Mini Clubman Estate, a two-door classic Mini. The Mini Clubman Estate would be manufactured until 1981, the Mini Clubman Estate has decorative wood-like metal strips down the sides and also on the rear doors, most notable are the exposed rear door hinges, characteristic for the classic Mini Clubman Estate.

7. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: Our own Mini Authi on the IMM camping site, situated in the rolling hills of Bavaria. We visited Bavaria before, but this was the first time in a classic Mini. Geiselwind is situated in the heart of the Steigerwald Nature Park, a mountain area covered with pine and deciduous forests, small lakes and vineyards.

8. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: Our tent next to the Mini Authi. On the 2nd day of the IMM, the weather institute had issued a code red weather alert for Bavaria. Due to the heavy rain, the ground around our tent became soaked and dirt roads on the camping site turned into mud puddles. Fortunately, everything in the tent remained dry.

9. 

   Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: The Mariengrotte (Mary's Grotto) in Geiselwind was built in 2018. The Mariengrotte is situated on a meditation route, there are twelve wooden angel sculptures along the route. The Mariengrotte is situated on the grounds of Autohof Strohofer in Geiselwind, the location where the IMM 2024 took place.

10. 

    Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: The classic Mini was designed by Alec Issigonis, a Greek-British automobile engineer and designer. The classic Mini was introduced to the market in 1959 and became a cultural icon. The Mini was, and is still, popular in Brittain, in Europe and in many other countries, among them the Australia, the United States and Japan.

11. 

    Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: Mini Authi in front of theTown Hall of Geiselwind. The town hall has a half-timbered red and white facade, the building dates back to the 15th century. The town hall is situated in the idyllic Market Square. The yellow half-timbered building is among the oldest houses in Geiselwind.

12. 

    Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind: Our own Mini Authi in front of the Pfarrkirche St. Burkhard in Geiselwind. The church dates back to the Middle Ages. The oldest part of the church is the Romanesque vault beneath the tower. The nave was rebuilt in 1521 and expanded in the 1930s. The High Altar was modelled after the High Altar of the St. Mary's Church in Würzburg. 

13. 

    Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: A 1981 Mini Van 1000 in Geiselwind. The Mini Van was introduced in 1960. It was designed as a utility vehicle. No chrome trims were fitted to the body work of the Mini Van, the grille was made of metal and painted in the same colour as the vehicle.

14. 

    Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 Geiselwind, Germany: It was still raining when we left the IMM. The windshield wipers of the Mini Authi have been working overtime all the way home. Despite heavy rain showers, we enjoyed the IMM. The IMM took place on a beautiful location and it was well organized.

15. 

    Classic Car Road Trip, IMM 2024 in Geiselwind, Germany: We made this road trip in a fifty years old classic Mini, a 1974 Mini Authi. The Mini was produced in the plant of British Leyland Motor Corporation in Spain, the Authi Works in Pamplona. The Mini Authi is painted lavender blue, one of the lesser known paint colours used for a Mini, but an official paint colour of British Leyland.