Dear Club Friends,
We cordially invite you to our 42nd International Borgward meeting in Hameln.

Hameln is nestled in the rolling hills of the beautiful recreation area of the Weserbergland. The very green county town of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, with around 57,000 inhabitants is located in the State of Lower Saxony. She is also a University city and a part of the German Fairytale Route.

The reputation it owes as Cinderella, Baron Munchausen and from primarily the Sage Pied Piper of Hameln, which is based on a tradition dating back to the year 1284
Hamelin is also a romantic old town, which is a real crowd puller. A shopping paradise also for the ladies!

The flute of the famous Piper pulled our car into his spell and leads them into the Hefehof.
This historic Grade II listed building in the heart of the city was built in the late 19th century
and served a former sugar factory. From 1908 here yeast was produced. It is now a shopping center the small car museum the is pleased with our visit,
The location with its historic ambience is an ideal prerequisite for our event.
Hameln has plenty to do before or after our meeting for a short break with walks, Cycling or boat trips as well.
We would be very pleased to welcome you in Hameln and a safe journey!

Piping from the direction of Hamlin (Hameln) lured about 100 Borgward vehicles to the 42nd Borgward International Meeting in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. The cars assembled in the Hefe Hof Centre (literally the 'Yeast Yard'). In the 19th century, the Centre started life as a sugar factory, converting to yeast in 1908. It is now a protected complex of old industrial buildings housing a small industrial museum, meeting areas and offices.

Our lodgings for the trip were at the Stadt Hameln Hotel situated on the banks of the river Weser. Despite being a large imposing building, which stood out from its surroundings, it proved particularly difficult to access from the ring road, presumably because the road superseded whatever was there way back when the hotel was built in the 19thcentury. Parts of the hotel were very old. For example, we were in the 'Rat Catcher' wing, ca. 1887. The 4th floor, where some of us were accommodated, was in fact the attic space. 30cm sq. wooden pillars and sloping ceilings impinged on the room space. Our arrival at the car show was met with some little amusement, as if, following the Brexit vote, we had become friendly aliens. Initially, the topic of conversation was very much Brexit, which had local support for and against and some incomprehension. One person was threatening to renounce his British citizenship as a result.

Saturday evening brought the celebration evening meal and prize-giving, in which Graham Mander was awarded a trophy for the best cabriolet at the show. Entertainment for the evening was provided by an Elvis impersonator with a British name (Johnny something!). His performance was good enough to take the mainly middle and old aged audience back on a pop nostalgia trip to the 50s, 60s and 70s. John Wal-lis was given the opportunity to say a few words about the 2nd British International Meeting to be held at Arundel Castle in May 2017. He extended a welcome to all present to visit Brexitland details on, www.borgward.co.uk Together with the excellent food, the evening turned out to be a very enjoyable event.

The usual drive-out into the local countryside took place on the Sunday. Our destination was the PS-Speicher (PS-Storehouse) museum at Einbeck, about 40miles away. We think the PS stands for horse power (bhp). The museum was situated in an old 4-storey industrial building which seemed incongruous in such rural surroundings but, perhaps it processed agricultural produce similar to the Hefe Hof. The age of the building did not detract from the quality and presentation of the exhibits. On entering, there couldn't have been a more uplifting sight for Borgward fans than the wood frame skeleton body of a pre-war Hansa 1700 and, suspended upside down above it, the elegantly styled, gleaming red/black outer body. Nearby, were two aluminium bodied racing Borgwards - a Cooper-Borgward and an earlier RS1500. Other exhibits - and there were many - ranged from early bicycles through to F1 racing cars. It was particularly interesting for us to see makes of transport which one would not meet in a UK museum - German, Italian, Czech manufacturers. Lifestyle exhibits of the 60's reminded us of the names, Grundig and Telefunken.
The old town of Hamlin, itself, is worth a day's visit. Cobbled pedestrianised streets (thanks to the ring road) are overlooked by half-timbered, steeply roofed properties dating from the 17th century or maybe earlier. There were modern shops as well and these blended in well with the older stuff. To promote the town's connection with the Pied Piper, brass plates with a rat motif have been inserted among the cobbles. I don't know where they led, if anywhere. The general impression was of a prosperous country market town serving the surrounding rural community.

So, our 3-day visit came to an end. Yet again we were lucky to have had fine, warm weather and no breakdowns or mishaps to report. Four Borgwards with 10 occupants landed back on the dock at Harwich. Meanwhile, Colin and Rita Fortnam, in their Coupé, extended their holiday on the Continent by continuing to motor down to Italy to meet up with friends.

Norman Williams