"Feeling the wind in your face."

Classic car collector Kurt Engelhorn and his advisor Florian Seidl on the passion of collecting, market developments, the future of St. Moritz Automobilwoche and future business opportunities in Roarington. An exclusive interview in three parts.

Part 3: What the "International St. Moritz Automobile Week" means to Kurt Engelhorn, what it could bring to Roarington, and on what occasion the collector wants to get on a motorcycle to get the wind in his face.

Kurt Engelhorn in a AC Cobra 289.

The fact that you are now the organizer of the "International St. Moritz Automobile Week" seems logical from this perspective. But how did it come about?

Engelhorn: The original event was launched in 1929. When a few people from Switzerland tried a revival more than a dozen years ago, I was also involved on the sidelines. But it didn't work and then wasn’t pursued further. It was only when I started working with Florian Seidl that the subject came up again. Four months later, the permit was granted. Today we are the organizers of the Bernina Gran Turismo for the ninth time and in year four of the extended Automobile Week in St. Moritz.

How much horsepower did you put on the ground for this project, Mr. Seidl?

Florian Seidl: I am a bulldog. I bite into it and don't let go. But all kidding aside. Others and I knew that this event existed from the late 1920s to promote local tourism and celebrate the automobile. And everyone probably thought that it could make some sense for St. Moritz to put something like this back on in the modern environment. Then, of course, it was a question of how to do it.

Good question.

Seidl: It helps that we have years of experience as a customer of such events. So we didn't approach this as event planners, but with the professional verve and eye of an enthusiast and event participant.

Florian Seidl in a Jaguar XKSS at The Quail.

And that means?

Seidl: Anyone who has ever stood up there on the Bernina Pass for the pre-start on Saturday at half past six, when sixty, seventy race cars drive out of the garage at sunrise in the mountains, understands that this is high culture and a very special experience. Then there is a second aspect: getting something like this off the ground is time-consuming and therefore cost-intensive. But what is particularly important is the cultural responsibility that the Engelhorn family feels for the Engadine, where they are also involved in many ways in addition to the Automobile Week.

"Anyone who has ever stood up there on the Bernina Pass for the pre-start on Saturday at half past six, when sixty or seventy race cars drive out of the garage at sunrise in the mountains, understands that this is high culture and a very special experience." Florian Seidl

What do you think: What does the revival of the Automobile Week mean for the participants?

Seidl: First of all, to go to Chur today and say that we would like to partially close the Bernina road, a link between Switzerland and Italy, for two days would probably be an impossible undertaking. The second aspect is that, in terms of the total number of people who practice historic automobile sports, collect and own historic vehicles, there are not many events worldwide that have a certain relevance. There are one to two dozen events that are run by maybe a dozen organizers.

Recently, however, interest in classic cars seems to have virtually exploded.

Seidl: That clearly went hand in hand with two things. One: in the late 1970s, with the resumption of events such as the Goodwoods Revival and the relaunch of the Mille Miglia. Both triggered a resurgence of interest in classic automobiles and replaced their purely museum presentation. A playground emerged, a desire for the vehicles. But if you think ahead today, if you let the pressure on combustion engines enter your field of vision, you can already see on the horizon what will happen now. No new events of this kind will be approved for sure. Maybe one more concours on the golf course. But when it comes to driving, everything will become quite difficult. This is especially true for racetracks, even if they are on private property. Just think of potential objections by residents because of noise and CO2 emissions. So what remains?

Yes. What remains?

Seidl: It is essential to ensure that events that still exist can continue. If there were no more events in the real world of classic cars, everything would slide into the museum. Basically to where we have been before in the 1960s/1970s. The cars existed, but were mostly no longer roadworthy.

Kurt Engelhorn behind the wheel of the Zagato ElioZ simulator.

What would be the consequences?

Seidl: The whole industry behind it - from restoration to race support to T-shirt sales in the pits, that's hundreds of thousands of jobs globally - all of that would collapse relatively quickly. If no more races are allowed, no more historic engines will need to be overhauled once a year. Then the Jaguar, Porsche or Ferrari stands in the garage and that is basically the end of its history. You no longer need a crystal ball to see that.

Seen in this light, is the resurgence of the Automobile Week an act of resistance against the zeitgeist?

Seidl: The spirit of the times is one thing... The enthusiasm for classic cars is an unbroken reality! We took the reissue in our hands years ago because we were relatively sure how the general development would play out: namely, the way we see it today. That's why we were strategically interested in the Automobile Week. The fact that everything is happening so quickly now, however, surprised us too.

Was the commitment worthwhile?

Seidl: It has been worth it to this day. We were one of the few organizers worldwide to get through the Corona years without any restrictions and without having to cancel. At the same time, we recorded a remarkable growth of all events around the Automobilwoche: within three years from one to five events and the "Kilomètre Lancé" won the category "Best Motoring Event of the Year" already in its second year.

And now?

Seidl: Since growth can’t go on indefinitely, the focus now is on stabilization. And then there's the big issue: If the events in real life no longer take place, or hardly take place at all, this will have a significant impact on the market and the environment for classic cars. Believe me: without events, a wave of write-downs is rolling in for classic cars.

"If the events in real life once no longer, or hardly ever take place, this will have a significant impact on the market and environment of classic cars. Believe me: without events, a wave of write-downs is rolling in for classic cars." Florian Seidl

Are you confident that your event will stay?

Engelhorn: For me, the Automobile Week is a matter of the heart. Our family is very connected to the Engadine. We've been coming here on a regular basis for four decades. We are rooted in the Engadine, that's quite clear.

Seidl: We are confident because we involved St. Moritz and the Upper Engadine in this project in a very long and very networked process. We were also involved in many issues at a very early stage. For example, CO2 neutrality. The profile as a destination for select customers from the classic car collector scene naturally also helps the general positioning of St. Moritz as an attractive tourist location.

What do you mean?

Seidl: Unfortunately, since the Brexit, fewer and fewer people from England have been coming to the continent to show their historic vehicles at events. Between the island and the rest of Europe, everything has become complicated and expensive with the Brexit - above all transport and logistics. Europe's connection with collectors in the U.S. has also deteriorated from pre-pandemic conditions. So now we have these three diverging markets USA, England, Europe. Geographically, St. Moritz is in the middle, not only to cover the DACH region - Germany, Austria and Switzerland - but to become the first address in the whole of Europe for a festival of mobility for collector cars. For an exclusive tourist destination like St. Moritz, that's a nice prospect.

As a global, cross-border alternative, there has recently been the Roarington project in Metaland.

Seidl: That's right. We have been exchanging ideas about this with Fritz Kaiser for years. The initial spark came at that time with an eClassic event: We made this the first event to introduce mandatory virtual training for participants in the Bernina Gran Turismo and financed the scanning of the track. This meant that all participants in the real event were able to complete virtual training runs on the digital image of the race track for the first time and in advance.

How did that happen?

Seidl: We said: that it would be a big thing if "The Classic Car Trust" could exhibit the simulators as part of the Bernina Gran Turismo. Just one year later, the time had come! It is also a milestone for ecological reasons if digital training can be done on the mountain track. Kurt Engelhorn was then also one of the first to buy an eClassic simulator at that time. During the Automobile Week, we see drivers racing against each other in the simulators until the early hours of the morning. We were first movers in this area. The community that Fritz and Alex targeted with the Roarington project is now moving beyond the simulators.

And you, Mr. Engelhorn? Do you also get the simulators moving?

Engelhorn: That's probably also a generational question. My wife and I have twelve grandchildren who will certainly get on well with the virtual Metaland. It takes me about twice as long to reach the finish line on the simulator as it would if I were driving the track in a real race car.

"My wife and I have twelve grandchildren who will certainly get along well with the virtual Metaland. It takes me about twice as long to reach the finish line on the simulator as it would if I were driving the track in a real race car." Kurt Engelhorn

So it's not for you?

Engelhorn: It actually is. This topic moves me intellectually and philosophically. In addition, many of our family investments are in software companies. That's why I have an enormous interest in seeing how the virtual world, the interaction between the real and the digital, works and, of course, the topic of mobility in general. In addition to purely physical mobility, there is also digital mobility, real and artificial intelligence, and so on. All of this fascinates me.

Do you regret that you can no longer be a "digital native" because of your age?

Engelhorn: I clearly represent the real, physical world. But what's also fascinating is that many people who are intensively involved in digitalization are people with a physical focus. I'm thinking of Elon Musk, but also of Roarington founder Fritz Kaiser. It's all an insane field of tension.

What importance do you give to Roarington in this regard?

Seidl: A big one. There, we are particularly interested in what exactly happens in this Metaland. Real events must one day also exist in this virtual world. That's also where we see the future positioning of the Automobile Week.

Expecting a virtual Automobile Week on Roarington?

Seidl: I personally assume that this is possible and also desirable. To put it profanely: Roarington, too, must develop into an economically flourishing space with digitized vehicles and the events that go with them. Races, beauty contests, acceleration, rides: If not for that, what else is the Metaverse developing the virtual world for collector cars for? This is also the access point for aficionado of classic cars, who can’t play in the real world, but can now succeed virtually. Digital twins of desirable historic vehicles enable participation in exclusive virtual events.

"Roarington also needs to become an economically thriving space with digitized vehicles and the events that go with them. Races, beauty contests, acceleration, rides: If not for that, what else is the Metaverse developing the virtual world for collector cars for?" Florian Seidl

What does the mundane, real viewer get out of this Metaland then?

Seidl: Sporting events in particular have potential in the virtual space under the focus of audience interest. Historic motorsport is much more spectacular for the viewer than anything you see in modern motorsport. You see the drivers at the wheel of their automotive icons and they don't race past you in a fraction of a second as if they were all strung together on a string. The resulting enthusiasm and emotionality will also be felt by the spectator in virtual races in the metaverse. I am convinced of that.

In the real world, racing a classic car increases its value. Is the value development of digital twins also conceivable in the virtual world - thanks to digital twins and NFTs, Non Fungible Tokens, a kind of digital tradable share certificate?

Seidl: I see the digital twin driving virtual races when the criteria for participation are also strictly defined in the Metaverse in Roarington, so that only the best can start at all. Then you have the same desirability as in reality and you will probably be able to trade the digital copy of their digital car at some point. This opens up opportunities for people who in real life don't have the finances or knowledge to purchase a classic car. These buyers will then want to be back at the best races where their digital twin competes - even if they only own a share of it. Money will then also be paid for such virtual events in reality - and there will also be sponsors and partners operating in this world.

Is that all?

Seidl: If Roarington succeeds at connecting a real Bernina mountain race with its simulators and integrating it systemically, then suddenly we're also talking about advertising and advertisers who use the virtual race for this purpose and also get an affine audience on Roarington. Here, too, an economic parallelism is being built up between the digital and the real.

This could lead to the hypothesis that the number of real races will tend to decrease in the future due to ecological pressure, but that the number of digital races will increase for the same reason. For you, Mr. Engelhorn, as a passionate race driver in the real world, would the digital be a conceivable substitute for you?

Engelhorn: That's almost inconceivable for me personally. When the time comes, I can always get on the motorcycle, ride over a couple of mountain passes and feel the wind in my face.

Kurt Englhorn driving the Bernina Gran Turismo Track.