Solitude: My Dream Drive
Drive the forgotten German road circuit nestling in the hills above Stuttgart
Where: Solitude road circuit, Stuttgart
Car used:Mercedes SLS AMG GT Final Edition
Original control tower and pits survive
"Located in the hills west of Stuttgart, not far from the airport, this eight-mile road loop is one of Europe's forgotten race tracks. Named after the nearby Schloss Solitude, it originally ran as a hill climb and then various circuit layouts in the 20s before moving a short distance away to become a more modern road loop in the mould of Spa, Reims and other classic European circuits. It was last used in anger in 1965.
"These days the only sign you're on an old race track are the old control tower and pit buildings on the finishing straight but the lap is still driveable and a tantalising glimpse of what must have been a hell of a race track and, were it still used, one up there with classics like Spa, the 'ring and others."
A Mercedes Type S at a Solitude race in 1927
"Solitude was never in the league of some of the better known European racing circuits and is probably best known as a motorcycle track. But for a short period in the 60s it was in the limelight and hosted Formula 1 and 2 events, attracting legends like John Surtees, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Hans Herrmann and others. You can read a full history of the track here.
"Anyone with an interest in classic racing really should make the trip and if you're in town to visit the Porsche and/or Mercedes museums you should try and make the diversion on your way to the airport. Like all old race tracks there's a poignancy about the place and the strange sense that, despite trundling along among day-to-day traffic, you're actually following in the tyre tracks of racing heroes. To most people it's just a twisty bit of road on the outskirts of a big German city; the first sight of the iconic control tower and pits reminds you there's a bit more to it than that.
Twisty route has all the classic ingredients
Highlights and lowlights:
"Truth be told you're not going to be able to even have a taste of what Solitude must have been like to drive in anger; the Nurburgring this is not and speed limits are low, traffic is busy and it's likely to be a trundle. Which is why our video lap has been sped up a tad; you get a sense of the track without the dawdling pace!
"Instead enjoy the atmosphere and speculate on what it must have been like to see local heroes like the giant Kompressor Mercedes of the 20s and 30s and more delicate Porsche single seaters of the 50s and 60s at maximum attack before pacing up and down the pits and grabbing a snap of the famous control tower. That there's a large beer garden just a few hundred metres away has its benefits too."
A Mercedes K thunders in the forest, 1926
"Given that it's the home of both Porsche and Mercedes both brands have major presences in Stuttgart proper. The Porsche museum and its Mercedes equivalent are both must-visit facilities if you're in town, Solitude a fitting finale to both. The vast castle after which the circuit is named is also pretty impressive if you're into that kind of thing. And if you're really taken with it you can even order a Solitude print or T-shirt from the PH shop too!
"At the track itself the wooded surroundings are pleasant enough too and you can sit and watch learner drivers at the adjacent ADAC test track - the only remaining active circuit at Solitude. There's also the nearby beer garden (that may have been mentioned...) and another half way round the circuit. If you have other needs they can seemingly be serviced before you reach the pits in a large house just off the track; the shutters were down when we were in town but the, cough, red lights were on..."
Follow the route here.
A lap of Solitude in the SLS GT Final Edition
[Sources: Solitude Revival, Photos: Daimler AG/Mercedes-Benz archive, lead photo of Stirling Moss's Lotus 18/21 leading the pack away in 1961 by LAT Photo]
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