Verena Proebst – Die automobile Heritage mitten in Bayern

Verena Proebst – The automobile heritage in the heart of Bavaria

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For me, all cars are masculine because I have a relationship with them.

Swissvax: “Verena, thank you for letting us learn more about you and your passion for cars and your car museum. What kind of car do you currently enjoy driving the most and why exactly that one?”

Verena: My new project, my 1965 Porsche 911, is not yet finished, but it can only be a matter of days. That's why I still prefer my 1972 911S, which I've owned for almost 20 years. It's the only car that still gives me butterflies in my stomach when I drive it.

Swissvax: "You grew up in a car-crazy racing family – what was your childhood like?"

Verena: I think that from the outside I was always a bit of an oddball because we spent almost every weekend at the race track or took part in a classic car event. My father often picked me up from the monastery school in some classic car or our racing E-type. For my family, life somehow revolved around cars. Now and then I helped my father tinker with the classic cars in the museum.

Swissvax: "Are you a driver or a collector?"

Verena: While my father was probably more of a collector in the end, I'm currently trying to get some vehicles that have been standing for far too long running again. I feel sorry for the vehicles that have been in museums for ages, because it takes a lot of money, time and patience to get a classic car running again. But I would describe myself more as a driver, it's more important to me that the vehicle is technically good and can be driven than that it just sits around somewhere in perfect condition. Every classic car should have a little patina that needs to be looked after.

Swissvax: “What does your car museum mean to you personally?”

Verena: This museum means so much to me that I decided to stay close by in my parents' house instead of emigrating. Sometimes it costs me sweat and tears because I can't change everything I imagine in a short time, but I just try to bring it back to life step by step.

Swissvax: “What is your favorite car from the collection?”

Verena: I don't have to think about it for long, it's clearly the E-Type, because it brings back so many memories of my parents. As soon as I sit in it and smell the leather, I think of my childhood. It's the second project I've been working on in a few months. The engine is already running, but every time it comes back from the workshop, a new problem has cropped up. I'll get to it as soon as the 911 is finished. In the end, it will show who is the more stubborn, the car or me.

Swissvax: "What is your relationship with your cars?"

Verena: For me, all cars are male because I definitely have a relationship with them. They are like a kind of companion throughout my life.

Swissvax: “Your cars in the museum seem to keep you pretty busy. Do you plan to add more cars or motorcycles?”

Verena: Every now and then I get lost and think to myself, "Oh, the collection is missing something like that," and then I'm reminded that I need to concentrate on the vehicles that are there. That's why I wouldn't add anything else, the hall is bursting at the seams anyway. Some people think I should get rid of something, but that's out of the question for me, because it's all my father's work and I don't want to destroy it.

Swissvax: "Which car would you like to drive and why?"

Verena: It's probably no secret from Instagram that I'm still looking for my father's lost Porsche 910, which he drove in the 70s and then unfortunately sold. Driving one of those, or at least taking a ride in one, would be my absolute dream.

Swissvax: "How much time do you spend with your cars?"

Verena: A lot in the summer, because either the museum is open or I go to events, organize my own rally or just drive it alone. I always try to make the most of the season until the last day. Right now, all the roadworthy vintage cars are being driven one last time before winter comes.

Swissvax: "Please describe a typical trip to us. How does it feel for you, what goes through your mind?"

Verena: When I mean a trip with just me and a car, I always enjoy the sound of the engine and the landscape. I would never have the radio on. I am usually happy about the differences between the individual classic cars, what peculiarities they have, how you have to shift gears, how the gears are translated and why that is. For me, every classic car has its own character that you have to adapt to.

Swissvax: “You also organize an annual rally. Can you tell us more about it?”

Verena: The Falkenhausen Classics has existed under this name for 31 years now. When Alex von Falkenhausen, a famous BMW designer and friend of the family, died, my parents dedicated it to him. After my mother died in 2010, I took over and organized it for a while with the help of an acquaintance. When it had outgrown its infancy, I took over sole organization in 2019. It has grown steadily since 2010 and enjoys greater popularity every year.

Swissvax: “How do men in the classic car scene react to you?”

Verena: I would say that men like to laugh at you. I have heard a lot of interview questions like "Ms. Proebst, what do you think about parking?" to "Ms. Proebst, that's more of a man's thing." When I organized the rally on my own for the first time in 2019, people asked, "Can Verena do it on her own?" Afterwards, those same voices congratulated me on the successful event and I was able to win them over as sponsors and partners the following year. You just have to go your own way and not let envy and bad gossip irritate you.

Swissvax: “What do you personally associate with Care for your Dream?”

Verena: For me, I associate this sentence with the collection that my father left behind. Of course, it would be easy to sell everything and stop having sleepless nights. I try to breathe new life into the cars that have been neglected for so long and get them back on the road.

Swissvax: “What is your best moment or experience with your classic car so far?”

Verena: The best experiences are when you have it restored for months or years and then you drive it for the first time. I can remember the first time I drove our E-Type, as carefully and reverently as I had ever driven a car.

Swissvax: “You are currently restoring a car, which one is it and what do you associate with this car – what is the story behind it?”

Verena: It's a signal red Porsche 911 from 1965 that my father gave my mother for a wedding anniversary. I can still remember when she drove it on the race track. My father had reinforced the engine for her with 2.4 L cylinders, matching pistons and an S-camshaft. After her death, I didn't pay any attention to the car at first. Saller Oldtimer has been restoring the car for a year now, and everything that is important has been replaced technically. At first I was reluctant to have the engine overhauled, until Selina Skramovsky offered to take care of the engine for me. Next week I should be able to drive it for the first time and hope to have many wonderful adventures with it in the future.

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