Cruisefire hits the Concorso di Bavaria: exclusive access, rare classics, and the untold DRIVTO stories revealed on tour.
Following its successful debut in 2019, our long-standing partner Cruisefire once again organized the Consorso die Bavaria this year. This time, just under 140 drivers joined us in braving the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 and the autumnal weather conditions. However, Marco, the founder of Cruisefire, has been in the business for a long time and knows what matters: in addition to the Concorso, he also organizes selected tours and dedicated private events with partners, building up a reputation over the years.
The choice of meeting and starting point at performance and motorsport specialist SSR Performance in Munich was perfect. Through the large glass front of the stylish showroom, we could already catch a glimpse of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing next to a Porsche GT3 RS and get a rough idea of what to expect. After being accredited by the Cruisefire team, we discovered the lounge with a view of the showroom and the green wall with the outline of the Nordschleife, as well as the absolutely immaculate workshop: in the middle was a Porsche GT2 RS, and on the stages were several road and cup cars. In addition to performance work, the SSR team also offers classic car restoration, storage of rare vehicles, motorsport management up to the GT Masters series, and trading in exclusive automobiles – all at a very high level.
After plenty of hot coffee, we get an overview of who is participating in this year's event and already spot a few old acquaintances – but more on that later. After a long stretch of highway with numerous construction sites, the drive finally takes us onto country roads. It is always impressive to see a convoy of vehicles such as a Ferrari F gliding through the green, hilly foothills of the Alps. This year's destination is once again the Festspielhaus on Lake Forggensee in Füssen.
The entrance to the Festspielhaus is breathtaking: the sports cars roll in right on the lake shore with a view of Neuschwanstein Castle on the opposite side of the lake. Now it's time to get an overview of the highlights of this year's event: in addition to the two Ferrari F12tdfs, the three matte black McLarens from @thesatincrew, well-known on social media, naturally stand out. However, our personal highlight – and not just because of its incomparable sound – is the Porsche Carrera GT. Partner Pamo Cars arrives a little late and attracts a lot of attention from all participants as they unload a black Ferrari LaFerrari. We are intrigued by a vehicle that is still covered by a Ferrari cover... According to the moderator, it is a one-of-a-kind vehicle that has never been seen before. We have to wait until after the drivers' lunch, which this year was a delicious 3-course meal. After the Best of Show awards, the secret is finally revealed: it is the Ferrari F150 Mulo 6 – the LaFerrari prototype based on the 458 Italia. Truly unique! We are already looking forward to the next Cruisefire event...
Philipp Lauterbach is the founder of DRIVTO, the curated identity and discovery platform for the European sportscar scene. Based in Düsseldorf, he has been building sportscar communities since August 2018 — first through the Cars+Coffee format in Düsseldorf, Cologne, Berlin, Mönchengladbach, and on Sylt, and since mid-2024 through DRIVTO as a platform with its own editorial magazine and proprietary DriverDNA methodology.
His path into the sportscar world began with an event-management apprenticeship inside a Mercedes-Benz dealer group. From there he moved into marketing roles at Ferrari and Maserati in Düsseldorf, where he became one of the defining marketing voices for these brands in Germany at the time. That phase also gave him his first direct contact with the Cars+Coffee movement — and the affinity for Italian cars that still shapes him today. Ferrari and Pagani have been at the center of what he himself seeks as a driver ever since.
Before DRIVTO, he established the Cars+Coffee stations across several German cities — an independent event series that at its most active phase connected more than 1,500 sportscar drivers across the DACH region. The DRIVTO driver community grew out of that base. His editorial focus sits on the pillars Cars Connect People (personal founder voice, driver stories) and State of the Scene (data-grounded market analyses, industry essays).
