Words: Aron Norris | Photography: Lucio Achler

What, When, Where?

The hype, the myth, the beast that is, Wörtherseetreffen 2018.

For those who don’t know about Wörthersee, where the have you been? This is European car Mecca.

So, what is it? Well, put simply, Wörthersee is an annual meet located around one very famous lake in Austria. Aside from the cars, this is one hell of a beautiful part of the world.

We’re huge fans of Wörthersee because it brings the creme-de-la-creme to one incredible location. The Austrian mountains provide the perfect backdrop for beautiful cars, there is literally nowhere else on earth which does car culture like Wörthersee.





Wörtherseetreffen 2018.

The Wörthersee trip is heaven on earth for all car lovers. Now, some of you reading this will be thinking to yourselves, that’s fine, but I hate German cars, well - if you hate German cars, definitely make the trip to Austria, you won’t hate German cars once you’ve spent a week surrounded by some of the finest examples anywhere on the planet, that’s a promise!

It’s hard to put into words exactly what makes Wörthersee such a special place, because there are many factors which all play their part. I don’t know anywhere else that brings this level of quality to one place, let alone from pretty much every country in Europe. But, aside from the cars themselves, the lake just provides the best place on earth to meet fellow car enthusiasts. The vibe is just one of positivity and love with an underlying mutual respect for modified cars.

One word of warning from us is this, just be careful of the local police. They see this event as their chance to make some cash “on the side”. They’d fine you for using oxygen if they could. But, even though the Police try, Wörthersee gets stronger and stronger every single year, and long may it continue...

Two Weeks Before.

Every pavement, car park and hotel reception is full to the brim with cars, but not just any old metal, some of the best modified cars from across Europe, if not the world.

The official Wörthersee show is held between 9th - 12th May 2018 but we think the best cars attend 2 weeks before, so if you want to see the best of the best, make the “early” trip to Austria.

Velden-Am-Wörthersee.

Velden-am-Wörthersee is known by locals as “Austria’s Rivera” and is the place where wealthy Austrians spend their holidays. However, for 3 weeks every year, car enthusiasts descend and turn this place into car town.

In Velden, the £300-a-night “yellow hotel” with it’s views across the lake, is a well known location for car spotting, with the valet parking usually found adorned with modified exotics, and this year was no different.

Located on the outskirts of Velden is the ENI petrol station, which is where you’ll find the famous Wörthersee car-wash. Always busy, the petrol station has a decent sized car park which plays host to another “mini meet”.

Faakersee.

Faakersee is another top location for Wörthersee meet-ups. During daylight hours, the Faak carpark a sea of modified cars soaking up the Austrian sunshine, exuding quality. By night, “turbo curve” becomes an altogether different beast, with the heavily tuned cars showing the crowds how they get their power down.

Reifnitz.

Reifnitz-am-Wörthersee is another lake location which deserves a mention, not least because of it’s amazing views across the lake, but also because it has pavements wide enough for cars, so this is the perfect spot for car spotting.

Whilst you're near Reifnitz, be sure to check out the Pyramidenkogel, which is an amazing viewing tower, with a difference!

Reifnitz is also the location of the actual Wörtherseetreffen show, which is fully supported by the Volkswagen Group. During the show, you’ll see manufacturer pop-up stands, this Reifnitz literally does turn into an outdoor VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda motor show.

Lucio Achler.

With every corner of the lake populated with car enthusiasts, you’ll find amazing photo opportunities dotted all over the place. The key is to just cruise around and enjoy it all, soaking in the Wörthersee atmosphere. To give you an example, in our first year at Wörthersee in 2012, we featured Damian “Rayan” Stefanowski’s B5 on BBS RT Bugatti wheels literally sat in a lay-by between Velden and Reifnitz while Rayan and his mates enjoyed a BBQ. It really is that simple.

So over to Lucio Achler’s beautiful photography… if you’re anything like us, you’ll be starting to plan your Wörthersee 2019 trip… Don’t forget, it’s the journey that makes us...