German police take tough stance on British modded car convoy headed to Wörthersee-Treffen
One of the biggest Volkswagen meets in Europe, Wörthersee-Treffen is just around the corner. Every spring VW, Golf and GTI enthusiasts as well as other modified car fans gather around a lake in Austria, checking out fascinating builds and new modding trends. Volkswagen itself is also known to show off one-off concepts or future product ideas at the meet. Some of the cars travel there from a long way away — but the journey doesn't always go smoothly, as a group of British fans have now noticed.
First of all, a word of warning. It should go without saying that different countries have different road and car legislation, and before embarking on a possibly challenging road trip, it would make sense to check your car is up to it, both mechanically and legally. As a result of some creative rule-bending, there are now a big bunch of stanced, U.K.-registered cars stuck in Germany, with the likelihood of making the Wörthersee meet looking slighter by the minute.
As the story on social media goes, these stance guys were driving along on the German highway, and due to their cars being very, very noticeably low and running on stretched tires with extreme scene camber, they attracted the attention of the German police. After pulling the nine-car convoy over, three police units started inspecting the vehicles' legality, and a result they were all subjected to a roadworthiness test. The above photos should make it clear why the German police were interested in the cars' paperwork to begin with. As well as the Mercedes-Benz wagon, the group of cars included VW Lupos and Sciroccos as well as Civics.
The likely outcome is that the vehicles are deemed unfit to be on German roads and will have to be trailered out of the country at great expense, with hefty fines as souvenirs; the tally is nearing $7,000. There is a possibility a set of more normal-looking, roadtrip-proof "transport" tires and wheels, along with a less aggressive suspension setting would have spared the convoy from any run-in with the authorities to begin with — and with the kind of strictness that can be expected from German road police, we would perhaps have seen this coming. At the time of writing, the car guys are hoping for local enthusiasts to assist them, but the odds of getting out scot-free aren't great.
