Toshiyuki Suzuki about his journey from Japan to Zuffenhausen
- 6 years ago
The Japanese Toshiyuki Suzuki has made a road trip of more than 15,000 kilometres with his 356 "Pre-A" from 1953. His destination: Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, in time for the anniversary “70 Years Porsche Sportscar”. In a quiet neighbourhood of Kamogawa, in the leafy Chiba prefecture southeast of Tokyo, an air-cooled flat-four coughs hesitantly into life. It is early April, and a pale morning sun breaches the dense cover of cherry blossom to ignite the silver paintwork of an early 356.
Backing slowly onto the empty road is Toshiyuki Suzuki, a 60-year-old businessman, husband and father, who with remarkably little fanfare is about to embark on what must surely be the ultimate Porsche road trip.
Ahead of Suzuki-san lies a 15,000 km solo journey across some of the most inhospitable terrain our planet has to offer, through remote mountain ranges, dust-filled deserts, across swollen rivers and broken roads. And mile upon mile of road of relentless, unchanging highways, winding alpine passes, rutted agricultural tracks, pot-holed trunk roads across a vast and alien continent. His destination? Stuttgart, naturally, in time for the 70th anniversary celebrations at Zuffenhausen to mark the birth of the 356.
Suzuki’s journey is one of old-school abandon, echoing the ‘because it’s there’ mind set mooted by Mallory when explaining his desire to climb Everest. Drive a vintage car half way around the world for the sake of it? Why not?
Backing slowly onto the empty road is Toshiyuki Suzuki, a 60-year-old businessman, husband and father, who with remarkably little fanfare is about to embark on what must surely be the ultimate Porsche road trip.
Ahead of Suzuki-san lies a 15,000 km solo journey across some of the most inhospitable terrain our planet has to offer, through remote mountain ranges, dust-filled deserts, across swollen rivers and broken roads. And mile upon mile of road of relentless, unchanging highways, winding alpine passes, rutted agricultural tracks, pot-holed trunk roads across a vast and alien continent. His destination? Stuttgart, naturally, in time for the 70th anniversary celebrations at Zuffenhausen to mark the birth of the 356.
Suzuki’s journey is one of old-school abandon, echoing the ‘because it’s there’ mind set mooted by Mallory when explaining his desire to climb Everest. Drive a vintage car half way around the world for the sake of it? Why not?