Five unlikely epic drives: Stefan Sielaff

With a career in car design spanning more than 25 years, Stefan Sielaff has penned some of the world’s best-known cars for Audi, Mercedes-Benz and, most recently, British car marque Bentley, in his role as director of design. Speaking to motor journo Rory Smith, here he reveals his all-time favourite road trips.

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The Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coastline, Italy

Crewe to Isle of Skye, UK

We started in Crewe, the home of Bentley, and drove up towards Edinburgh, Inverness and eventually the Isle of Skye before heading back down. We did the drive last year in autumn when the landscape is at its most spectacular, with the red and yellow of the leaves standing out against the sea. You experience all kinds of weather travelling north to Skye, everything from hard rain to bright sunshine. It was a really inspirational trip for me as a designer.

Car of choice: 2018 Bentley Continental GT

Discover Scotland

Munich, Germany to Sardinia, Italy

I did this trip with my then girlfriend (who later became my wife) in 1982 in a Triumph Spitfire, my first car. Even back then I was in love with Britain and British cars. I drove from my hometown of Munich to Italy, then on to Sardinia via the ferry from Livorno. It was my first big trip and it felt fantastic – I learnt a lot about the mechanics of British cars.

Car of choice: Triumph Spitfire

Discover Sardinia

The Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coastline, Italy

In 1988 we drove my Volkswagen Beetle from Munich down the whole boot of Italy, then back up the Tyrrhenian coastline. We went over the Alps to Venice and then on to Ancona, Puglia and Calabria. Coming back, we visited Naples and Genoa. Although all of it was beautiful, one of my favourite parts was Gargano, a peninsula just above Puglia – absolutely stunning.

Car of choice: VW Beetle

Discover Italy

Munich, Germany to Graz, Austria

We did this drive in my classic Porsche 356 with a friend of mine who is also a car designer. We drove to meet him at his work – the original Porsche design studio in Zell am See, Austria – then on over the famous Grossklockner, the pass across the Alps where the Porsches were test driven. From there we carried on to Graz, a city so wonderful that we lost track of time and had to book a last-minute hotel before driving back the following day!

Car of choice: Porsche 356

Discover Austria

Amsterdam, Holland to Lagos, Portugal

This is a drive I’m yet to take, but one I’ve had on my list for a very long time, and something I’ve agreed with my wife to do once I stop working. The plan is to start in Antwerp in Holland, then drive the coastline through Belgium, France, Spain and finally Portugal. We plan to do it in my classic Morgan but, as of this year, my dream would be to do it in the Bentley EXP 100 GT, a concept car I worked on to celebrate Bentley’s 100th birthday. The car is an electric grand tourer, so it would be wonderful to breeze down the coastline taking in all the scenery as we head south.

Car of choice: Bentley EXP 100 GT

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