Sheer Pleasure — One Family’s European Classic Car Journey Continues

Read part one of this series here.

The next road trip on the Leonards’ list, to the Italian Dolomiti later that summer, would offer ample opportunity for adventure.

With school out, it was time once again to encounter the freedom of the road. And what better way than plot your destination 400 miles south, into the heart of the Italian Dolomites and the picturesque alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. It was summer at last.

The family took their tax-free gas coupons and filled up at the ESSO station en route from Wiesbaden. Then they set off toward the Bavarian Alps and the popular alpine town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, nicknamed Ga-Pa.

As the 356A ascended to new heights through the glorious Wetterstein mountain range, it was an opportunity for the family to catch their breath and shift down in every sense of the word. Max Leonard, easy on the throttle, patiently embraced each steep gradient, the Porsche holding steady as it crested over each new ascent.

Before long, they found themselves near Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze, (9,718 feet), and enjoyed Ga-Pa and its neighboring villages of Grainau and Mittenwald at the foot of the massif. It was the perfect place to pull up the handbrake, find a charming hotel and indulge in a little sweet apfelkuchen. And why not also a photo op for one sleek red car and summit behind it?

As a popular destination, the striking Porsche 356A, parked on a slope, frequently stole the limelight.

“Wherever we stopped, people were endlessly drawn to that red sports car,” reminisces Mark.

What started as a stretch of the legs soon stretched imaginations, such was the fascination about the car. “The Porsche was a conversation piece for sure.”

Leaving Bavaria, they crossed into Austria at Scharnitz to then traverse through the lush countryside of the Austrian Tyrol into Innsbruck. From there, taking what was then a sparsely populated two-lane road, the spectacular Brenner Pass from Steinach to Sterzing gave way to an unforgettable ride. The Porsche was a master of the road through the Alps that form the border between Austria and Italy. Switchbacks opened up to spectacular 6,000-ft valleys. “You felt like you were the only one on the road,” said Mark.

Eventually they crossed into northern Italy and the Province of Belluno, and jagged rock spires and jaw-dropping terrain quickly gave way to Monte Cristallo, one of four peaks part of the Cristallo Mountain group. It was a majestic sight at over 10,000 ft. The Leonards switched off the ignition and settled into the ambience of Cortina D’Ampezzo cradled in the valley below.

Home to the 1956 winter Olympics, this was already a hugely popular spot for Europeans and in these summer months, and it offered the Leonard family a rest stop to kick back and enjoy their alpine sojourn before heading home.

Of course, it would be just that — a rest stop, a pause, a chance to reflect. Until the next time. Max Leonard couldn’t help but ponder it. Another map. Another place. That anticipation of the next quest for adventure, when the twists and turns of the wide, open road incessantly called, and the sensual delights on four wheels beckoned.

Sixty years on, Mark Leonard of Grand Prix Classics in La Jolla, CA, and his own son, Max, found themselves on a quest of their own. After a tireless but ultimately unsuccessful search to locate his father’s actual Porsche 356A in Ruby Red, he did take great pride in adding one very honest survivor to his collection – the exact same model in Ivory with a red interior. In tribute to his parents and their passion for the open road, Leonard lovingly restored it, entering it into various car shows and rallies.