Racing Home

After the fishing expedition, there was more adventure in store for Max and his father. They loaded their gear into the trunk and away they went. Mr. Muller’s black Porsche turned off the lake road and approached the A5 – one of many highways on the Bundesautobahn, the German National Highway.

Max adjusted his seat, leaning it all the way back. He turned towards the passenger side window and watched the scenery outside. Trees of every shade of green passed by in a blur. The A5 curled through the Black Forest, stopping frequently at small villages along the way.

Max daydreamed while they rode silently along the A5. The car came to a clearing as Mr. Muller took the offramp to the A8. The car revved its engines as Mr. Muller shifted easily from gear-to-gear. The car sped along at nearly two-hundred kilometers per hour, passing most of the traffic on the Bundesautobahn.

The A8 cut through lower Germany, connecting Luxembourg in the west to Austria in the east. It also connected the Black Forest to Stuttgart, where Max and his family lived.

"You're going so fast," exclaimed Max.

"There's no speed limit here, Max," replied Mr. Muller, "plus the road is nearly empty."

The Bundesautobahn was known around the world by another name: the Autobahn. The Autobahn was famous for being the world’s fastest highway. In some places near the cities, there was a speed limit. In some places between cities, drivers could go as fast as their car would take them.

"It just makes me nervous when you race down the highway," said Max nervously.

It may have been ironic that Max didn't like speeing down the Autobahn. The Autobahn began in 1909 as a small racetrack. It was known as Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs Straße, or "Automobile Workers and Street." People called it AVUS, after the first letters in its name. The AVUS was a closed circuit racetrack, shaped like a ladie's hair pin. It had two straghtways, each about nine kilometers (six miles) long.

German automobile makers, like Karl Benz and Ferdinand Porsche used the AVUS circuit to test and their sports cars. The automakers used the results from these tests to improve their designs. Mercedes-Benz even sponsored an auto racing team. They were known as "the Silver Arrows." One of the Silver Arrow drivers raced around the track at 260 kilometers per hour. a world speed record for over thirty years.

“Aren’t you afraid of crashing?” asked Max.

“Do you see the cars moving to the right lane?” pointed out Mr. Muller.

Max nodded.

"That is one of the laws that keep us safe on the Autobahn. Also, we are in the left lane, which is the passing lane.”

"Why can't we ride in the slow lane?"

"Max, the Autobahn is made of one-hundred highways, carrying thousands of cars every day. It's not like we're the ones going this fast. This is why we have rules. They'll keep us safe."

"I hope so."

"I'll keep us safe, too."

Even with all this caution, Max was relieved to see the sign for Stuttgart. Mr. Muller veered towards the offramp, slowly taking the turn. From Audi to BMW to Mercedes Benz to Mini-Cooper, there was a great collection of German car dealerships along the streets of Stuttgart.

On their way home, they passed the Daimler Factory, where Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler cars were manufactured. They also passed a tall, white building sitting by the road. Giant black letters spelled out what was inside: P-O-R-S-C-H-E. It was where Mr. Muller worked. Although the outside was plain, the action inside was anything but boring. People designed and built cars by hand, all hours of the day.

“What is your job at the factory?” asked Max.

“I’m one of the factory planners.”

“I know, but what does a planner do?”

“I make sure we have enough workers for each car we build. I also help decide how each car.”

“I thought you built cars, like you do at home.”

“I used to do that when I worked for BMW.”

“Why did you leave BMW?”

“I was offered a better job with Porsche. Also, we came here to take care of Grand-papa.”

“Grand-papa should’ve moved to Munich, where you lived.”

“It’s just a choice your mother and I had to make and we chose Stuttgart. Through the years, I’ve come to call it home.”

Max took several trips to Munich with his father. Just like the Porsche Factory, BMW Headquarters towered over the city. The BMW logo on top of the skyscraper could be seen from many kilometers away. In fact, many of Munich’s buildings stretched upward, looking over the landscape. It was certainly nothing like Stuttgart. Stuttgart had very few skyscrapers. The Porsche Factory stood out against the older stone buildings of downtown Stuttgart.

As Mr. Muller pulled the Porsche into the driveway, he quickly got out and fetched a toolbox from the garage. He opened the hood and looked at the engine.

“Ah! Das auto ist krank!” he cursed. It was Mr. Muller’s favorite saying about his car. It meant ‘This car is bad!’

He unfastened the spark plug wires, unscrewed each spark plug with a special wrench, and investigated each plug.

“A-ha!” he exclaimed.

He cleaned each spark plug and carefully put everything back into its place. He turned the ignition key and the car rumbled to life. The engine purred quietly for a moment, then began knocking again.

“Krrrr-ank!” he grumbled as he turned off the engine.

Although his temper often flared, Mr. Muller always took great patience with his cars. Working with automobiles had always been one of his favorite pastimes. When Mr. Muller was just six years old, he began working on cars with his own father.

Building fine cars had been a way of life in Germanry ever since cars were invented. Grand-papa Muller worked at BMW. Even Mrs. Muller’s father, Grand-papa Weible, worked in the Mercedes Benz Factory, in the welding shop. Likewise, there was a great collection of German engineers, who devoted their lives to automobiles.

“Max, fetch me the gas can from the shelf."

Max went to the tool shelf. There were two gasoline cans. One was labled 'Diesel' and one was labled 'Gasoline.'

“Which one do you want?” he asked.

“Bring me the one marked Diesel.”

“What is the diference?”

“The Porsche has a diesel engine, which means it can only use diesel gasoline.”

“Why isn’t there just one type of gasoline?”

“Originally, there was just one type of gasoline. An engineer named Nikolaus Otto created the first engine. When Frederich Diesel was in college, he studied the Otto engine. He realized it wasn’t very efficient. That’s why he created the Diesel engine.”

“But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“When gasoline engines were first being created, there were problems we don’t have. That’s what engineering is all about. We find the best way to work within the limits we’re given. Back then, the diesel engine had problems in cold weather. Although it was a better engine in some ways, it was worse in others.”

In fact, German engineers devoted most of the twentieth century improving on the designs of Nikolaus Otto and Frederich Diesel. Karl Benz built the first automobile powered by a gasoline engine. His 'Motorwagen' looked more like a giant tricycle built for two. He also invented the spark plug, the carburetor, the clutch, the battery, and the ignition systems. In fact, Karl Benz was responsible for most of what Mr. Muller’s Porsche was today – a gasoline-powered sports machine, even if it used diesel gasoline.

“Boys!” called Mrs. Muller from upstairs.

“Yes, mama?” replied Max.

“Suppers ready,” she said.

"Let's wash up," said Mr. Muller.

Mr. Muller grabbed a greasy rag and wiped the grit off his hands. He handed the rag to Max and went to the wash basin and cleaned up for supper. Max joined him, quickly washing his hands. He hurried upstairs just before his father.

“I wonder what we’re eating for supper,” said Max. The aroma of cooked pork and sauerkraut filled his nose.

“Oh no!” exclaimed Mr. Muller.

“Oh what?” asked Max.

When he opened the door to the kitchen, he suddenly realized what bothered his father.