0:00:02 > 0:00:05I'm Paul Hollywood, and I'm sort of a baker.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08And part-time racing driver.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09I love getting in cars.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I love racing. When I did that for the first time, honestly,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I've never been so excited in my life.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I've been into cars for as long as I can remember.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22When I was a little boy, that was my favourite car - DB5,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25James Bond car. That started my passion in cars.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27They're more than just transport from A to B.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29They're a thing of enjoyment.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31They're a thing, for me, that I used to de-stress.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36'What really fascinates me is what cars say about their owners,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'and about the people who made them.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Come on, go for it the Italian way. Give it welly!
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'In fact, I reckon we can learn a lot about a country
0:00:44 > 0:00:46'by looking at the cars it produces.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- It's just quite...- Merde!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'And by driving on its roads.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:51We're driving this beautiful car,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and we have the Italian Alps in front of us.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'So, I'm off on a European road trip...
0:00:58 > 0:01:00'visiting some of our most car-obsessed neighbours.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Checking out the history, the culture, the people
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and what makes the country very special when it comes to cars.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10This week, I'm in a country
0:01:10 > 0:01:13that produces over 6 million cars every year.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Right, we're on a six-day tour of Germany.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Over 1,000 miles, in some of the finest,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and dodgiest cars this country has ever produced.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Look at the smoke coming out of the back!
0:01:26 > 0:01:28We're here, in Berlin.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33And then from Berlin, we're going to head to Wolfsburg.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37From Wolfsburg, we're going to head
0:01:37 > 0:01:40to what was East Germany, to Eisenach.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Then we go from Eisenach down to Frankfurt.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Frankfurt down to Stuttgart.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And then for the final fling, the Nurburgring.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00That's fantastic!
0:02:00 > 0:02:02What we're going to find out on the way, really,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06is what makes Germany tick when it comes to cars.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10'How they drive...'
0:02:10 > 0:02:12You have to be direct. Don't be so British!
0:02:12 > 0:02:13'..what they drive...'
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Visibility looks good. I'm trying to find the plusses here.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18'..and what are their cars say about them.'
0:02:18 > 0:02:20That is very German.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24- Hello, Christian. - Hey, Paul. How you doing?- I'm good.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28'And the producers have lined up some extremely tall Germans
0:02:28 > 0:02:29'to travel with me.'
0:02:29 > 0:02:31You were what? I think I'm too tall for this car.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I could never be the president of a banana republic.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36'To teach me about the German love of cars...'
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Now you feel 45 horsepowers.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40'..and make me look a lot smaller than I actually am!
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'On my final day,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47'I hook up with comedian and Germanophile, Al Murray...'
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- I really, really love this country. - Right, let's go.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51'..Who's six foot three.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56'And, of course, this being Germany, there'll be some naked people.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58'And some big sausages.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00'Six fascinating days,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04'and 1,000 miles for me to learn how to drive like a German.'
0:03:10 > 0:03:15My road trips starts in the German capital, home to 1.2 million cars,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17almost 3,500 miles of roads,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and more doner kebab shops than Istanbul.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27To help me navigate around Berlin, I've enlisted the help of a local.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Christian Shulte-Loh is a comedian who was born in the city.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36So that's how Germans heckle you. They wait until the show is over.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39And then approach you with a clipboard.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Christian is six foot seven.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43"That joke didn't make sense."
0:03:45 > 0:03:47He's going to give me a driving lesson
0:03:47 > 0:03:49to teach me how to drive like a German,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and blend in on the streets of Berlin.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58We met at in, probably, the most extraordinary garage I've ever seen.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Wow!
0:04:03 > 0:04:06I mean, look at these cars!
0:04:06 > 0:04:08That's a proper German car, that one.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12This is the Classic Remise,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and is, in large part, a very posh car park...
0:04:16 > 0:04:19..where rich Berliners keep their most valuable cars
0:04:19 > 0:04:21in glass boxes.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24You know that Berlin is considered to be one of the poorest cities
0:04:24 > 0:04:25in Germany, right? So this...
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I don't know. This is owned by people from Dusseldorf, I think.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30That's a rich place.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It was a bit like going into Hamleys, when you were six,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36just before Christmas.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Oh, get off! Look at that LaFerrari.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42The best bit is, this place is open to the public.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Oh, wow! It just goes on, doesn't it?
0:04:46 > 0:04:48You can walk in here for free,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and trail saliva right around the highly polished floors.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54CLUNK!
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Oops, that was my sunglasses.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58There's even a bread van!
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Look. I read "Hitler Brot." That was wrong, wasn't it?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- It's what?- It's my German guilt kicking in, I think,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- that reads Hitler. - Brot? Is that bread?
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- Yeah. Brot is bread. - It is, it's bread, isn't it?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09That's my wagon right there.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12It is an extraordinary place,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14but I think the best thing in here
0:05:14 > 0:05:18is the car were taking out onto the streets of Berlin.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20This is, for me,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23one of the most iconic cars that Germany has ever made.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25The 600 Grosser Mercedes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27You mean this Sechshundert?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Look at the... Look at the size. It's quite an imposing car.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I can't wait to see what it drives like.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Let's be dictators and drive around Berlin.- Brilliant.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42You do feel quite powerful in this car, don't you?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- So do you reckon it's bulletproof? - Don't know.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- I'm not going to find out though. - Well, there's one way to find out.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- Let's go to the American Embassy! - PAUL LAUGHS
0:05:50 > 0:05:55The Grosser was launched in 1964, costing around £6,000.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Mercedes bosses are said
0:05:57 > 0:05:59to have given their engineers a blank cheque,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and just told them to produce something amazing.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03And they did.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09The Grosser is a testament to German engineering ambition and brilliance.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14But the car's hydraulic system is what makes it extraordinary.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19It is mind-numbingly complex, operates at a massive 3,200 PSI,
0:06:19 > 0:06:24and powers pretty much everything from the suspension to the windows.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It's just so fast.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27- Bam!- The speed of that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Oh, there you go. Wow!
0:06:29 > 0:06:33It's amazing. You could just chop off somebody's fingers, or head.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36And why did Mercedes go to so much effort developing the hydraulics?
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Simply to avoid noisy electric motors,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43allowing occupants to travel in peace and quiet.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44What about this...? LOUD HONK
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- What?!- That's a train!
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Well, almost.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49HONKING
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- Brilliant.- Beautiful. You know, if you do that for no reason,
0:06:52 > 0:06:53you know it's a 50 euros fine.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- You're joking? - No, no. I'm not joking.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59We just went over the first red light. Well done.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- We can do whatever we want in this car.- Oh, yeah, of course.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03We're in a 600 Grosser, mate, it's what you do.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07By the way, you normally stop at pedestrian crossings.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09- Do they have right of way? - Well, apparently not now,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11but normally they do.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15We're speeding in the bus lane.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- That's exactly how I expected this to go.- It's no slouch.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20HONKS HORN
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Another 50 euros gone.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Driving around in Germany, you know, if you break the rules,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27people will go nuts on you.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28What's driving properly?
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I think... Well, you have to drive quite fast.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- Really?- If you're too slow, people will go crazy.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35You have to be direct, don't be so British, you know.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38You know how they say British people are too polite to be honest,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40and Germans are too honest to be polite.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41You're too slow, Paul, we have to go faster.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- We're not fitting in, you know?- OK.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'So, go fast, but don't break the rules.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50'Efficiency within the system. Very German!'
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Do you think that the Germans are passionate about their cars?
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Yeah. Definitely. I mean, the car is more important
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- than the house in Germany. - You're joking?
0:07:58 > 0:07:59I think if you asked most people,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01"Do you want to have a new house or a new car?"
0:08:01 > 0:08:04they would say, "I don't really need a house."
0:08:04 > 0:08:09'At this point, I spot a grandstand overlooking a stretch of Autobahn.'
0:08:09 > 0:08:11That's a race track!
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It is a racetrack. It was used as a racetrack for many, many years,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15for decades, actually.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20'This was the Avus Circuit, the fastest track on Earth.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21'Now it's part Autobahn...
0:08:23 > 0:08:24'..and part lorry park.'
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'Where we got lost.'
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Right, this is going to be exciting. We are now in a dead-end.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34You say exciting, I say something completely different.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36I think you didn't really listen to my...instructions.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Oh, leave it out, you never said!
0:08:46 > 0:08:49So, this used to be the racetrack, right? This whole bit.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51I think they started building it in, like, 1913.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53And then the First World War happened.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54We all know how that ended.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57And then after that, they continued building it,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00and then the first race was held, I think, in 1921.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- This was where the officials were. - That's where all the officials were,
0:09:03 > 0:09:04and, then obviously, it's a bit like Le Mans.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- Le Mans has got a very similar thing.- It is, yeah.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12The Avus Circuit was a shrine to the German love of speed.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Just two six-mile straights, joined by 180-degree bends.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20To ensure it won the title of fastest track on Earth,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24a massive bank curve was added in 1936.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Unsurprisingly, this became known as the wall of death.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38In the late '30s, the record was 171 miles an hour - average speed.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- Average speed?- For a lap.- I didn't even think cars could go that fast.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Well, British cars wouldn't, but German cars sometimes would.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48When did this stop being used as a racetrack?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51The very last race, I think, was held in the late 1990s.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53It must have been a great track.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03When you think of the dictators, for instance, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- Saddam Hussein.- Marcos.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08The fact that they went for these cars, which actually,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10are so in your face...
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- That's the whole point, right? - Yeah, it was a power statement.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But then you've got all the stars, as well.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- You know, you've got Jack Nicholson had one, Elvis Presley.- Elvis.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21John Lennon. Hugh Hefner.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- Fantastic, Hugh Hefner. - Was he making up for something?
0:10:24 > 0:10:26THEY LAUGH
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Maybe that's what they all have in common!
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Maybe that's what it is. - Compensation.- There's this as well.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- HONKS HORN - 50 euros!
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I want you to get in the back. So you know what it feels like.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Jump into the back now, why we're at a red light.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Watch the door, mate. That's about 6 million quid.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46- No rush.- I can't believe nobody's opening the door for me.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48You know what? I think I'm too tall for this car.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51I could never be the president of a banana republic.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I'm just too tall for the job.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- OK. I just found the bar, though. - Has it got Cubans in there?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Do you want, like, a shot? - Have they got schnapps?- Yeah.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10'We're now reaching the very centre of Berlin
0:11:10 > 0:11:12'and evidence of when the city was split
0:11:12 > 0:11:14'between the communist-controlled East
0:11:14 > 0:11:17'and the free West is everywhere.'
0:11:17 > 0:11:18This is a bit of the Berlin Wall.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- That's the wall? - That's the wall, yeah.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Wow.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25You can always tell, in Berlin, if you are in the East
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- or in the West of the city.- How's that?- We have the traffic lights.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30The Ampelmannchen. The traffic light guy.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- The what?- Ampel is traffic light, and mannchen is a little man.- Right.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36So the pedestrian traffic lights, you have this little man,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39who looks different in the West compared to the East.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41You see the guy? He's wearing a hat, and he looks short and a bit chubby.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46That's the eastern guy. He looks like a spy from the Soviet Union.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47And then you have the western guy,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50who looks more like a slim, Danish spy.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- Right.- And the eastern ones became so popular,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54because they look kind of cute. There are two shops, actually,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57in Berlin, that sell souvenirs just based on that.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- Ampelmann. - That's the Ampelmann shop!
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Why would you want something with a small fat man?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12One of the most important things you have to know about German driving,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16is that when two lanes merge, on a motorway, or in a city or whatever,
0:12:16 > 0:12:17we have this great word for it,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19which you might want to use on your trip through Germany,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and it's called Reissverschlussverfahren.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Reiss-es-schluss-ge-farden. No?
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It's all right, you can't say it.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- You're right, I can't. - It means zipper principle.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- That's easier to say. - Reissverschluss is a zipper.- OK.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Well, the reissverschlussverfahren, the zip principle,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38means that when two lanes merge, right?
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Let's say one lane here, and another one here,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43the zipper is like one from the left, one from the right,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- one from the left, one from the right.- Is that a law?
0:12:46 > 0:12:47It's a kind of, like...
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- I'm not sure it's an official law. - Or a principle of the road?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Yeah, but if you don't obey it, you're in trouble.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54- Really?- Yeah.- By who?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56By the other drivers. Self-justice.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59So what does that diamond mean there?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Right, if the lights failed due to bad engineering,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- which hopefully will never happen. - That will never happen.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07The people who see the diamond, they just keep going for ever.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08You don't have to slow down?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Never. But if there are no signs, right, then,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13the car coming from the right always goes first.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18But then if you want to turn left, for instance?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- You have to let people... - So these people going left,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- they have to go first?- Right. - But there's a bus here.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- Where is the bus going? - He's coming straight down here.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27You let him go first.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29OK. So like a zipper.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- It's not like a zipper!- OK.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33No, he goes left, or does he go straight?
0:13:33 > 0:13:35He's going to go the same way.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37- He's turning right.- If he's... OK.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39He's going up, and he's turning right...
0:13:39 > 0:13:41You see how easy this is(!) I told you, right?
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Sometime later we finish our day together back at the Classic Remise.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Well, thanks for today, mate, I really appreciate it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54I feel a little bit more German in my heart when I'm driving.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Don't forget the Reissverschlussverfahren.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58And the diamond.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Having reissverschlussverfahren-ed onto the Autobahn, I leave Berlin
0:14:05 > 0:14:07heading due west to Wolfsburg.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12My next German car is every bit as cutting edge
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and technologically advanced as the Grosser was in its day.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21This is the BMW i8, with all the mod cons.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Launched in 2014, it's gone on to become
0:14:25 > 0:14:29the world's bestselling petrol electric hybrid supercar.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30It turned the supercar world
0:14:30 > 0:14:32on its head.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34And yet again, German engineering
0:14:34 > 0:14:35is at the cutting edge.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39It's gorgeous, sexy, and very, very fast.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Wow!
0:14:44 > 0:14:46'And, of course, this is Germany,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49'where we all know you can drive as fast as you like on the Autobahn.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'Except, you can't.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58'All German speed limits were abolished in 1952,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'viewed as relics of Nazi control.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04'On most roads, they've since been reintroduced
0:15:04 > 0:15:07'and only half of Germany's Autobahn network
0:15:07 > 0:15:09'is still unrestricted today.'
0:15:09 > 0:15:12What's annoying is I've got a restricted bit now, on the motorway.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15That's a bit of a pain.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Come on. Come on. It must be coming up soon.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20The car tells me when I can floor it.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Oh! An unrestricted zone.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25Let's see what it can do.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30110.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31120.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37This is, basically, a very small engine,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39being hoofed up by electrics.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41150.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42155.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45This is so weird.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48But so good.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49See ya.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01It's getting late.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05But 100 miles outside Berlin is somewhere I really want to stop.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I've read about this place, a real Cold War relic.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15This is the former checkpoint at Marienborn.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20From 1945 to 1989,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24vehicles travelling between West and East Germany passed
0:16:24 > 0:16:26through a number of border crossings like this.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Marienborn became the most famous,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34because it marked the beginning of the special transit route
0:16:34 > 0:16:37between the main part of West Germany and West Berlin.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44These buildings, left exactly as they were
0:16:44 > 0:16:45on the day of reunification,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49provide a sombre reminder of how Germany was sliced in half,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and existed as two separate countries for 45 years.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00This is the East German checkpoint, which was manned, basically,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02by over 600 Stasi that were here.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08To get through to Berlin you go through West German checkpoint,
0:17:08 > 0:17:09to the East German checkpoint,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and the first checkpoint was about 100 yards that way.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15And you used to give your passport in.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Can you imagine that freedom?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23That precious West German passport was put on a conveyor belt,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and was on its way down to East Germany.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30And then it came in here, it was checked, handed back to you,
0:17:30 > 0:17:31and then away you went.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Fuel was the key thing. There was no fuel stations on the way to Berlin.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Once you left West Germany into East Germany, there is no fuel.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41So what they used to do was queue up,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and then they'd push each other's car.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Everyone would push the cars.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Because they didn't want to use the fuel up.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Because they had to get to Berlin.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55The wall divided people, families.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58To be in this place and they just left it, what a memorial.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01Poignant.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16My second day begins where 80 years ago
0:18:16 > 0:18:19there was just a small town called Fallersleben.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Then Volkswagen arrived.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31The place was renamed,
0:18:31 > 0:18:36and by 2013, Wolfsburg was the richest city in Germany.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42And at the centre of it all, Willie Volkswagen's car factory.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48The best way to see the factory's scale is not from a VW car,
0:18:48 > 0:18:49but from a boat.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52It stretches for three miles down the canal.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59It's just massive. They dominate the landscape round here.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04Of 77,000 people of working age that live in and around Wolfsburg,
0:19:04 > 0:19:0766,000 of them work for Volkswagen.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09That is incredible.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Inside, this place is as state of the art and efficiently run
0:19:17 > 0:19:20as you'd expect from Germany's largest car manufacturer.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Or, at least it looks very efficient
0:19:29 > 0:19:31on the footage that Volkswagen gave us.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38We've actually asked to go into the VW factory, and they declined,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40which is a bit of a shame.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I think it's probably all to do with the emissions thing that's going on.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44They have been caught out,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46and I think they're still reeling from that
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and that's probably why they don't want us in.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54OK, so Mr Volkswagen didn't give us a golden ticket.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56But what's most remarkable about Wolfsburg
0:19:56 > 0:19:59is not what goes on inside the factory,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03but it's the influence that place has on everything around it.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I've never before seen a town so totally and utterly
0:20:07 > 0:20:10dominated by one corporate brand.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13There's a VW bank, a VW estate agent, a museum.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17The local team is sponsored by VW, and play in the Volkswagen Arena.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19There are endless VW group dealerships.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Almost everyone in the town drives a Volkswagen.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25And then there's the sausage factory.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32VW produce 7.2 million currywurst every year.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36That means they produce more slightly spicy sausages than cars.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43The crowning glory of VW's dominance in this town is Autostadt,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45the Volkswagen theme park
0:20:45 > 0:20:48which has become one of the most popular tourist destinations
0:20:48 > 0:20:52in Germany, with over two million visitors every year.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55In there, you've got cinemas, it's got a hotel.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56It is a massive theme park.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58They've even got driving lessons for kids as well.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Do you see these two massive cylinders over there?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Those things are the biggest vending machines
0:21:05 > 0:21:06you'll ever see in your life.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08What they actually do is kick-out cars.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12So what they've done, all the brand-new cars
0:21:12 > 0:21:15that customers have got, they're in there for about 24 hours
0:21:15 > 0:21:18before the customers actually pick them up.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21It turns buying your car into theatre - and how German
0:21:21 > 0:21:26to create an engineering marvel to deliver that theatrical experience.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30It comes down the vending machine, down to the bottom,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33out of the car park, and then the customers pick them up,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35with zero miles on the clock.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42It was like they'd set up a utopia.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Almost felt like in every flowerbed - which didn't look real -
0:21:46 > 0:21:49there was a camera or there was a microphone.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52And in the distance, you could see people
0:21:52 > 0:21:54looking over their shoulder, dressed all in black.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Everyone was looking over at you going,
0:21:56 > 0:21:57"What are they doing?"
0:21:57 > 0:22:00And you felt you were being watched and monitored.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02It was the strangest place to be in.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Amazing, though, at the same time.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I'm honestly relieved to be getting back on the road now,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12heading south towards Braunschweig.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And while the badge on my next vehicle says VW,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19its spirit is a million miles from the town I'm leaving behind.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27I've just driven out of the Volkswagen factory.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And it was amazing seeing all the people
0:22:29 > 0:22:31driving out in their brand-new cars.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34But look at my new toy!
0:22:34 > 0:22:37This is the Volkswagen Kombi.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38Oh, yeah!
0:22:40 > 0:22:41I'm a hippie!
0:22:53 > 0:22:56The first one rolled off in 1950,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01but this is a 1978 T2 in green.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03They did do it in orange as well,
0:23:03 > 0:23:04and yellow,
0:23:04 > 0:23:05and blue.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08I think they're amazing.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17But I just find it odd that a van like this would come out of Germany.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22But, then again, perhaps it is very German.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25The Kombi is the hippie van.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28It's the only vehicle any self-respecting hippie
0:23:28 > 0:23:29would want to be seen in.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And guess where that whole hippie thing started?
0:23:35 > 0:23:36Yes, Germany.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43I'm getting a nosebleed. I'm getting over 50mph here.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46In the late 19th century, the Wandervogel movement
0:23:46 > 0:23:50was a reaction to the modern industrial Germany.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52They yearned for the Pagan, back to nature,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55spiritual life of their ancestors.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Their free spirit ethos spread around the world,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00and hippies were born.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05I was a hippie. In 1983,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08my hair was, sort of, shoulder length.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11And then I remember being able to chew on my fringe.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Naturism was another product of the Wandervogel movement
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and has become an integral part of modern German culture.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26You'll get the guy that works in his suit up at Volkswagen,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and of a weekend strips off, absolutely butt naked,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31with his currywurst.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Apparently, three quarters of Germans
0:24:33 > 0:24:37think sunbathing in the buff is absolutely acceptable.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41And in this country, there are over 200 nudist clubs.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42I'm on my way to one now.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I know I'm not getting my buns out.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01This is the FKK Naturist Camp, just outside Braunschweig.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05A lovely, quiet bit of woodland, full of naked Germans.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Hello.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19'I didn't know where to put my eyes.'
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Right, can I sit down somewhere?
0:25:21 > 0:25:22'Don't look the left, don't look right.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24'Don't, whatever you do, look down!'
0:25:26 > 0:25:27This isn't awkward at all(!)
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- Not really, no.- OK, before I start, I've got to explain,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32we've got Ben here. Because obviously I've got a microphone on,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35but it's very difficult to put microphones on you guys.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37So we've got Ben here on sound.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Now, I've always thought of German culture as being quite formal,
0:25:41 > 0:25:42quite straight.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And I find this quite odd, it's not what I expected.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49At this temperature, do you feel fine? I think we feel fine.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I lived in Cyprus for six years. I can suffer a bit more than this!
0:25:54 > 0:25:57It is very hot though, I must admit. It is very hot at the moment.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Mainly, the reason is, actually,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01after the First and Second World Wars,
0:26:01 > 0:26:07people couldn't really recognise each other if they had nothing on.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13- Right.- Which means no uniforms, no hierarchy of who is who, and so on.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And everybody was the same. Doing away with all barriers.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18So it's a way of breaking down the class system...
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- Yes.- ..within Germany.- 100%. - If I was to say, right,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I'm going to come, I'm going to take all my clothes off,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I'd be embarrassed about the fact that someone will know who I am
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and see me naked. Have you ever been in that circumstance?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Not really. My mother's quite a prude. She's English.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34- Yes.- And...
0:26:35 > 0:26:38I brought her here once, because I wanted to show her something,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- our caravan, and so on, and she saw...- You didn't tell her?
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Well, I did indicate it slightly.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I said, "You might see some unusual sights."
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And she said, "Oh, I don't look so bad as I thought."
0:26:50 > 0:26:52PAUL LAUGHS
0:26:52 > 0:26:54I thoroughly admire what you do.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Thank you very much for allowing me in.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00'With that, it's back to the Kombi
0:27:00 > 0:27:03'for my first taste of VW's own currywurst.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10'Currywurst is actually listed as an official VW component...'
0:27:10 > 0:27:12It's got Volkswagen written on it!
0:27:12 > 0:27:14'..and has its own part number.'
0:27:14 > 0:27:16That's one big sausage, isn't it?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Cook for Daddy.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23'199398500A, in case you're interested.'
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Where's the nearest loo? I haven't seen a loo since I've been here.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27I've seen a spade.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34I love this van, though. Everything about it.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Two people in here, big bed in the back,
0:27:36 > 0:27:41driving around with your cooker, your fridge... Job done.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43And a spade. Obviously.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Right. Let's see what they're all talking about.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02HE COUGHS
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Hotter than the sun!
0:28:06 > 0:28:09It tastes really good.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I'd have that with a bag of chips any day.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19It's been an amazing day, actually.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25It was a real interesting look at, not just German cars,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27but German culture, and the difference between the two.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Some is very... A corporate image, which we all know,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33and love, to be honest, because their cars are great.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37And then you have this other side, which is this wild card,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41the wild child, which just goes out there, no inhibitions,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43just goes out and does what it wants.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45There's the two sides of Germany right there.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47Roll on tomorrow.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05I'm doing about 45, 50mph. And do you know what?
0:29:05 > 0:29:06I'm quite happy with it.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09I'm heading three hours south
0:29:09 > 0:29:12into what used to be communist East Germany,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16a country where being a motorist was a whole world away
0:29:16 > 0:29:17from what I've experienced so far.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26If you wanted a car in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28you had a choice of two.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Most people got a Trabant -
0:29:33 > 0:29:35cramped, polluting, ugly and made of plastic.
0:29:38 > 0:29:39IN GERMAN:
0:29:41 > 0:29:44There was, however, something marginally better.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53They manufactured 1.2 million of them...
0:29:54 > 0:29:57..in this now derelict factory in the town of Eisenach.
0:30:01 > 0:30:07The pinnacle of East German motoring luxury was this, the Wartburg 353.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Production began in 1966.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15It had a one-litre, three-cylinder
0:30:15 > 0:30:17two-stroke engine
0:30:17 > 0:30:19with just seven moving parts.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Enrico Martin - six foot five -
0:30:26 > 0:30:29inherited his 50-year-old Wartburg from his father.
0:30:29 > 0:30:30- Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33So, you're the owner of this beautiful car.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34- Yeah.- I say beautiful...
0:30:34 > 0:30:37- Why?- Well, first impressions...
0:30:40 > 0:30:43'Right, think of something nice to say, Paul.'
0:30:43 > 0:30:46I think the build quality is a little bit to be desired.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48There's big gaps in there, you know.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50'No, that's not nice.'
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- I've had pencils thicker than that exhaust.- Yes.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59'That wasn't nice either. Try the engine.'
0:31:00 > 0:31:02So, it's 1,000 cc?
0:31:02 > 0:31:03- Yeah.- And the brake horsepower?
0:31:03 > 0:31:05We have 45 horsepower.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07- 45 horsepower?- 45.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11And in the last ones of this car, we have 50 horsepower.
0:31:11 > 0:31:1420 years to build up, to bring five horsepower.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Five horsepower in 20 years? That's... That's impressive.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- You love it, don't you? - I love it. Yes, I love it.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24'Right, find a positive.'
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- I love the mirrors, by the way. - There's only one on this side.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31'Think I saved that.'
0:31:31 > 0:31:33- It's bouncy, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35It's like a massive bed.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38- Can we go out in it? I've got to try this thing.- Yeah!
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Where's the key?
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Erm...
0:31:42 > 0:31:43Where is the key?
0:31:49 > 0:31:52What was it like growing up in East Germany?
0:31:52 > 0:31:53It was difficult.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57It was a little bit more controlled than today.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59For us, the best thing was to open the wall,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03because today we can do what we want.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09'And what Enrico wants, apparently, is to still drive a Wartburg.'
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- It's got character, hasn't it? - Yes.- It has got character.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14- You feel driving. - Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19When you bought one of these cars, was it easy to buy?
0:32:19 > 0:32:22You just said, "Yeah, I want one of these."
0:32:22 > 0:32:26No, it was really a big problem, you must wait six, eight,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28sometimes 14 years.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31'Yes, he did say 14 years.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34'And when you got your car, after waiting up to 14 years,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37'it came with no warranty, no mechanical support,
0:32:37 > 0:32:40'and no chance of ever going very fast.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42'Especially up hills.'
0:32:42 > 0:32:44ENGINE STRUGGLING
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Not bad. And now you feel 45 horsepowers.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52- Look at the smoke coming out the back!- It's just smoke!
0:32:55 > 0:32:56'Unsurprisingly,
0:32:56 > 0:33:01'this car's nickname throughout the Soviet Union was Farty Hans.'
0:33:04 > 0:33:05Oh, gas pedal's stuck!
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'The Wartburg was very simply engineered because,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15'as with everything in East Germany, garages were in very short supply.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20'Being a motorist also meant being a mechanic.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23'Owners had to make their own repairs.'
0:33:23 > 0:33:26To fix the engine is not really a problem
0:33:26 > 0:33:28if you don't have two left-hands.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31So if something broke, where would you go and get your spare parts?
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Spare parts in East Germany was the next really big problem.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37People understand we must bring out some spare parts
0:33:37 > 0:33:42- from the factory, yeah? Stealing. - So, it's like a black market?
0:33:42 > 0:33:43It was a black market.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52'The 353 is East Germany in car form.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55'No wonder over three million East Germans risked their lives
0:33:55 > 0:33:58'defecting to the West. Especially...
0:34:00 > 0:34:02'..when this was waiting for them.'
0:34:05 > 0:34:08This is the BMW 2002.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Launched in the same year as the Wartburg,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13but about 10 million light years more advanced.
0:34:16 > 0:34:21Especially this Ti version, which came out in 1967,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23the same year Enrico's dad bought their Wartburg.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Tschus!
0:34:33 > 0:34:36And to prove it, a drag race.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40BMW versus Wartburg.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Free-market, versus state control.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Three, two, one, go!
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Oh, yeah!
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Oh, smashes it out the park.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03This is too easy.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Third.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Coming up to 60mph.
0:35:07 > 0:35:0970mph.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Oh, yeah!
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Easy!
0:35:14 > 0:35:16'As you can see, West Germany
0:35:16 > 0:35:20'was a very, very, very long way ahead of their Soviet comrades.'
0:35:24 > 0:35:26The sad postscript to the Wartburg story
0:35:26 > 0:35:30is that despite being the best car that the DDR ever built,
0:35:30 > 0:35:31it will be the first forgotten.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35The Trabant has achieved iconic status
0:35:35 > 0:35:39as a symbol of the Berlin Wall coming down, and Germany reunifying.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43All that reunification meant for the Wartburg
0:35:43 > 0:35:47was production ending for good in 1991,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50and 10,000 workers losing their jobs.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05I'm halfway through my road trip now, on the A5, south of Frankfurt -
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and check out my wheels!
0:36:12 > 0:36:16This is Mercedes' current supercar, the AMG GT S.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22With a top speed just shy of 200mph,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26this silver Arrow can very quickly make all my Autobahn fantasies
0:36:26 > 0:36:27come true.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36For the manufacturers, it is important to show the technology
0:36:36 > 0:36:39- they have.- Joining me and taking on driving duties
0:36:39 > 0:36:43is a German racing legend, Bernd Schneider.
0:36:48 > 0:36:54Bernd has raced in pretty much everything from F1 to Lamont.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57And he won the German Touring Car Championship an unprecedented
0:36:57 > 0:36:58five times.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03THEY CHEER
0:37:05 > 0:37:08We're on a pilgrimage today to a spot which is very important
0:37:08 > 0:37:12to Bernd, on this very special stretch of Autobahn.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19This road looks absolutely straight, what section are we on here?
0:37:19 > 0:37:23Yeah, this was, in the '30s, the high-speed record motor ring.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25They closed it one time a year,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29where the manufacturers tried to beat the high speed records.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- ARCHIVE:- Driving his 15-cylinder Auto Union...
0:37:32 > 0:37:35In the 1930s under Hitler's third Reich,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Germany had to be the best at everything,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39and motorsport was no exception.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44The Nazis massively funded race teams, manufacturers,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47and any infrastructure needed to prove German superiority.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53So this was purposely built to break land-speed records.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54That is very German.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Throughout the 1930s, Germans repeatedly broke dozens
0:37:59 > 0:38:03of world speed records in numerous categories.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13Bernd Rosemeyer was Germany's star driver and a national hero.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18He and his equally famous wife, aviator Elly Beinhorn,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21were Germany's most loved celebrity couple.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23- We're nearly there.- Yeah.
0:38:23 > 0:38:28However, what happened to Rosemeyer on the 28th January 1938,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32near to this small lay-by, left the whole nation in shock.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41So what happened to Rosemeyer, then?
0:38:41 > 0:38:45This was in the morning in January, it was a cruel, winter day.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48But nice weather.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52The morning began with success, as Rosemeyer's main opponent,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Rudolf Caracciola, set a new class speed record in his Mercedes.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02He reached 268.9 mph.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Next, it was Rosemeyer's turn.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10This was around 11:40.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12His engineer said "It's getting too windy."
0:39:12 > 0:39:15But Rosemeyer said, "No, the car feels great
0:39:15 > 0:39:17"and I think I can break the record."
0:39:17 > 0:39:22Rosemeyer quickly accelerated his Auto Union car to 250mph.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32But then, close to where we're standing,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35the strong side wind caused his car to take off.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37In that moment, he was a passenger.
0:39:37 > 0:39:38Wow!
0:39:45 > 0:39:48And, Bernd, this is your name.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Exactly. My dad came here in 1964,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54my mother was pregnant and my dad said,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57"If we get a son, his name will be Bernd."
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- Really?- My name is Bernd because of Bernd Rosemeyer.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Yeah, I pass this parking space many often,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- but this is the first time I am here.- Wow.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11It affected Bernd, actually, he went a bit quiet afterwards.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16And when he said to me, he said, "That got to me.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19I said, "Did it?" He says, "Yeah, that got to me, that."
0:40:27 > 0:40:29As we set off again, I take the wheel.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36But my new friend, Bernd, decides to take control of everything else.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45Sit back, and witness a racing driver wishing, maybe praying,
0:40:45 > 0:40:47he could still be in the driving seat.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49High beam is on, your lights.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50Yeah.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02That's the good thing with this button.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05You have to push this, then you have to shift.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08'What's he doing? He's messing with all the gadgets and the buttons.'
0:41:08 > 0:41:10You have to shift your lights as well.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12If you go to race, it's even more...
0:41:12 > 0:41:14'I was thinking, "Leave it alone.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16' "It's fine." '
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Eventually, having adjusted absolutely everything, he's happy.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22You can go faster if you want.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Spending a day with Bernd and driving the GT S,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35it's clear that winning is key to the German psyche.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40When you think of Bernd Rosemeyer, doing double this speed in 1938...
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- ..incredible, isn't it? - Yeah, it was amazing.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Day five, and I've made it to Stuttgart.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06But after all that blatting down Autobahns, the Merc needs a wash
0:42:06 > 0:42:08before I give it back.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10And boy is it going to get one.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12You can't wash your cars at home at all, in Germany,
0:42:12 > 0:42:14which I find really bizarre.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17Hello.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Normal. 'I mean, I love washing my car at home,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23'but taking it into this car wash, I mean, the size of it,
0:42:23 > 0:42:24'it was huge.'
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Washing your car at home was banned here a few years ago
0:42:34 > 0:42:36for environmental reasons.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41And with Germans washing their cars on average three times
0:42:41 > 0:42:43more regularly than us Brits,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46that's created a massive car-washing industry
0:42:46 > 0:42:51reputed to be worth over £2 billion a year.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53I'm in business!
0:42:53 > 0:42:56This is the biggest car wash in Germany
0:42:56 > 0:43:01and it cost 30 million euros to build.
0:43:01 > 0:43:0330 million!
0:43:03 > 0:43:04For a carwash!
0:43:04 > 0:43:08This place can do over 380 cars an hour.
0:43:10 > 0:43:11That is phenomenal.
0:43:11 > 0:43:1460,000 in a month.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Then it's on to the valet service.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38That's very German.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Very clean and disciplined and your car comes out looking very good.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49Thank you. Lovely. Bye-bye.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53If they're going to build a carwash,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55it's probably going to be the best and the biggest in the world,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57and we found that one in Stuttgart.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Amazing place.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12As Stuttgart is the home of Mercedes,
0:44:12 > 0:44:16I've only got a short drive to drop off one very clean supercar at the
0:44:16 > 0:44:17factory it came from.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24But, of course, this city is also home to another supercar,
0:44:24 > 0:44:28possibly the most iconic German motor car of all time -
0:44:28 > 0:44:30the Porsche 911.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41When the original 911 was launched in 1963,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44its looks were not to everyone's tastes.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47But no-one could deny the brilliance of the engineering.
0:44:47 > 0:44:52The air-cooled rear engine and short wheelbase meant killer performance.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Even if it was a little tail-happy.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58# Dann sind wir Helden... #
0:44:59 > 0:45:03And that's what makes it beautiful, especially to Germans,
0:45:03 > 0:45:05the engineering!
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Across its 60-year lifespan and multiple generations,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14the shape has evolved, whilst staying the same,
0:45:14 > 0:45:18and that classic 911 silhouette has become sexy and beautiful because of
0:45:18 > 0:45:20what we all know lies beneath.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Now, all 911s are special, but this one,
0:45:31 > 0:45:33which I've been lent for just a couple of hours,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35is particularly special,
0:45:35 > 0:45:37because it's the 911 R.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44It's lightweight, carbon discs, magnesium roof,
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Perspex 3/4 windows and rear,
0:45:47 > 0:45:52500-brake horsepower, it'll do in excess of 200mph.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57HE CHUCKLES Nice.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01But that's not the reason this car is making headlines.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04They're only making 991 of them. Originally,
0:46:04 > 0:46:09when it came out in early 2016, this car cost £136,000.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14But it's now worth around 750, £800,000.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19£100 an hour it's going up in value.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21It's just staggering.
0:46:22 > 0:46:28The 911 is, was, and will forever be as German as a supercar gets.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33And for that reason, it will forever be in very big demand.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44The sixth and last day of my German road trip brings me back north
0:46:44 > 0:46:46towards the Dutch border.
0:46:47 > 0:46:48I think it's fair to say
0:46:48 > 0:46:51this is the day I've been most looking forward to
0:46:51 > 0:46:55as I'm going to get a chance to drive the legendary Nurburgring.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57What makes the day better
0:46:57 > 0:46:59is that I'll be spending it with comedian Al Murray,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01who knows Germany very well.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Our day starts with Kaffee und Kuchen.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Now, you're a bit of a German aficionado, really, aren't you?
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Well, I love Germany, yeah.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14I think you'd call me a Germanophile.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- Can we use that word? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19I really, really love this country and I'm intrigued by it.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22What we think of Germany and what it's really like and all that sort
0:47:22 > 0:47:26- of stuff, I think, is really interesting.- You have these
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- beautiful cars which they make over here and they are...- Yeah.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33..gorgeous, do you think there's a correlation between the German
0:47:33 > 0:47:34people and the German cars?
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Every culture expresses itself through its engineering, I think.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39You know, in the way that French cars,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42they always strike me as they're built with a, "Pah!" You know...
0:47:42 > 0:47:45whereas German cars are, here's a car that is perfectly made,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48you know, like that sort of thing. These aren't criticisms,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50it's what I like about France and what I like about Germany.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51The thing that gets me, I mean,
0:47:51 > 0:47:55the Autobahn is an amazing situation that seems to work in Germany.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Whether that'd work in the UK I'm not too sure.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59- I think it'd just be mayhem. - The British, when they're in a car,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02it's like you're a rugged individualist behind a wheel,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04"I'm go where I'm going," it's all about elbows.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Whereas German driving's just a bit like a communal expression of
0:48:07 > 0:48:11something. I'm part of the traffic and I need to try
0:48:11 > 0:48:14and make the traffic flow and then we will all get to
0:48:14 > 0:48:15where we're going, together.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18The thing is these are colossal generalisations,
0:48:18 > 0:48:22but very often those things contain an element of truth.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Obviously, we're here, actually, at the Nurburgring.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27I hope you don't get too scared with speed.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30I... You know, you know what you're doing.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37So, the Nurburgring.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43Let's start with the basics.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47There are actually two Nurburgrings.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51One is a three-mile Grand Prix circuit.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56But the track we're interested in is the north loop, or Nordschleife.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03This is almost 30 miles long...
0:49:05 > 0:49:07..and has a unforgiving Armco around the whole track.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13It's claimed countless lives here since it was built in the 1920s.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16And back when it used to be the home
0:49:16 > 0:49:18to the German Formula 1 Grand Prix,
0:49:18 > 0:49:19Jackie Stewart called it...
0:49:21 > 0:49:22..the green hell.
0:49:27 > 0:49:28Nervous, Al?
0:49:28 > 0:49:30HE LAUGHS
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Nervous doesn't cover it.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36The ring, operated by the local council, is a public toll road,
0:49:36 > 0:49:3825 euros a lap.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40Can we have four laps, please?
0:49:40 > 0:49:44Yeah, sure, 105. You must know the emergency number from us,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47- you can type it in your phone. - Yeah.- In case of an accident.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51And we have an ambulance car right here at the entrance, so...
0:49:51 > 0:49:54- Ah, lovely, thank you. And do you sell toilet roll at all?- How?
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- Toilet roll?- The toilet is at the Devil's Diner under the...
0:49:58 > 0:49:59- OK.- ..trestle.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02- Lovely. Fantastic. - I'm wearing a nappy.- Lovely.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05- Thank you.- Bye.- Thank you, bye-bye. THEY LAUGH
0:50:07 > 0:50:11Hundreds turn up every evening to drive the Nordschleife.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15And a lot of them have come a very long way.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18- Where are you from?- Paris.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20- Paris?- I live in Norway. - You live in Norway.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22I live and work in Aberdeen, in Scotland.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Did you bring this down from Norway?
0:50:25 > 0:50:29- Yeah.- Wow.- It takes me two days to get here.- 18 hours hard driving.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32THEY LAUGH So it's a way of life, really,
0:50:32 > 0:50:34- the Nurburgring.- I think so. I mean, it's a great hobby.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36This is the best track in the world.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38You can drive fast, you can be in the moment.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41This is like meditation.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42I love it.
0:50:42 > 0:50:47So fast the elevation changes and the barriers are very close.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49As long as you've got fuel, it's never-ending open road
0:50:49 > 0:50:51with no junctions and no cars coming the other way.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53There's a sense of speed...
0:50:53 > 0:50:55You're saying it's sexy, aren't you?
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- That's what you're saying. - It's pretty sexy, yeah.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04For our first experience of the sexy ring, Al and I have booked a taxi,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08a Ring Taxi, the quickest way to go very quickly around the ring.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11'And our cabbie is professional driver
0:51:11 > 0:51:13'and Nurburgring ring veteran Dale Lomas.'
0:51:13 > 0:51:15So what's going to be happening, mate?
0:51:15 > 0:51:18Ring Taxi. One lap of the whole Nurburgring, 13 miles,
0:51:18 > 0:51:20in a 430-horsepower
0:51:20 > 0:51:22brand-new 2016 BMW M3.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24- Ready, Al?- Yeah, well... as I'll ever be.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39"Unfallgefahr, fur nachfolgenden Verkehr."
0:51:39 > 0:51:41"Accident risk for subsequent traffic."
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Ah, you speak more German than you let on.
0:51:43 > 0:51:44No, I read the translation!
0:51:48 > 0:51:50154 separate corners
0:51:50 > 0:51:53and 1,000 feet of elevation change.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56It's not a circuit you can learn in a day. Luckily,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59Dale's driven it thousands of times.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05We're going to go into Tiergarten-Senke at about 130mph.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08I indicate left, that shows that I'm going to come past on the left.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13Overtaking here is always on the left side, never on the right.
0:52:13 > 0:52:14Dear God.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Round the outside of these guys.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Yeah.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21TYRES SCREECH
0:52:22 > 0:52:24When it comes to driving this yourself, obviously,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26I don't need you to go as fast as this.
0:52:28 > 0:52:29Yeah, that's fine.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30This is the halfway point.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33- The halfway?! - Yeah, this is halfway, Al.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38We're heading towards the next section, which is called Klostertal.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42And in the middle of the Klostertal is a corner called Angst Kurve or
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Mutkurve, which means fear corner or courage corner.
0:52:45 > 0:52:46I'm going with fear corner.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57This is the very famous Carraciola-Karussell.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58My!
0:52:58 > 0:53:01PAUL LAUGHS This is fantastic!
0:53:02 > 0:53:05My favourite section next, this is called Pflanzgarten.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- A little jump.- Jeez!
0:53:07 > 0:53:08This is all blind faith.
0:53:10 > 0:53:11Christ!
0:53:18 > 0:53:23To be with someone for the first time who knows the track so well
0:53:23 > 0:53:27and to see him handling that car was a thing of beauty.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30I was conscious of Al behind me, cos he was getting quite worried.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32He was getting thrown round in the back-seat like a rag doll.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34And I thought, "Wait till you come in with me!"
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Thank you very much indeed, mate. That was awesome.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42- Great bit of peddling. - Cheers, dude.
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Erm...can I have a receipt, please?
0:53:49 > 0:53:52That was awesome, wasn't it? I am shocked about the level of grip.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55- I'm delighted with the level of grip this car's got.- Well, yeah!
0:53:58 > 0:54:01- That was amazing, Dale, you're so mild-mannered...- Ah, thank you.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04..in person and then you drove us around there like a lunatic.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06- Yeah. Like you stole it!- Yeah.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11One of the attractions of the Nurburgring is the danger.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14If you get it wrong, you will pay for it.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19And Al is taking out insurance.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23Thank goodness. It comes with a helmet.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25For when being driven by a helmet!
0:54:25 > 0:54:26None taken!
0:54:29 > 0:54:31You're a baker, not a racing driver.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34How many times! I'm made of sponge.
0:54:34 > 0:54:35Treat me gently.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43- This is brilliant, innit?- Yeah.
0:54:43 > 0:54:44Beats baking bread.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51Right.
0:54:53 > 0:54:54Whoa!
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Whoa! See, I don't know the track, you see.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00No, I know you don't know the track.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02I was a little bit worried having Al next to me.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04I was thinking, "How's he going to react?
0:55:04 > 0:55:06"Is he going to throw up? Does he get carsick?
0:55:06 > 0:55:08"Is he going to punch me?
0:55:08 > 0:55:10"Is he just going to start crying halfway around?
0:55:10 > 0:55:12"Is he going to try and jump out?"
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Oh, yeah, now we're building up a bit of speed.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17Here we go.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19I think he just gripped onto the side of the door
0:55:19 > 0:55:23as hard as he could and just smiled and said, "You're doing well.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25- "You're doing well." - You're doing great.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Christ!
0:55:28 > 0:55:29HE CHUCKLES
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...
0:55:32 > 0:55:35- Shore! Gets to the shore. - Jesus Christ!
0:55:35 > 0:55:37PAUL LAUGHS
0:55:37 > 0:55:38YOU might be laughing...
0:55:43 > 0:55:44- I'm enjoying this now.- Are you?
0:55:44 > 0:55:45I'm actually into it.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47Oh! No, mate, I've changed my mind.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50THEY LAUGH
0:55:50 > 0:55:54'At the halfway point, I can tell that Al is relaxing a bit.'
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Oh, we've done 14km. Whoa-hoa!
0:55:59 > 0:56:00Christ!
0:56:02 > 0:56:05- Whoa-hoa-hoa!- Whoa!
0:56:05 > 0:56:06Oh!
0:56:09 > 0:56:13And that was the first time I've ever been around the Nurburgring
0:56:13 > 0:56:15and it was just awesome.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18The corners, the memories, the writing on the roads,
0:56:18 > 0:56:19the people around the track.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21It was a real treat.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24Well done, Paul.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26- Fantastic.- Was that all right, mate? - I'm still alive!
0:56:29 > 0:56:31- Cheers, mate.- Thanks, mate, absolutely brilliant.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32It was a good day.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35That was a big life tick, that day, actually, for me.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40- Come on.- Was that all right?
0:56:40 > 0:56:43- You did it.- As a baker, cos you pointed out I'm just a baker,
0:56:43 > 0:56:45- not a racing driver... - Yeah, well, your souffle
0:56:45 > 0:56:48didn't collapse in the middle during that.
0:56:48 > 0:56:49I don't know, I don't get baking either!
0:56:49 > 0:56:53- Did you...?- I mean, I don't know how to do either of these bloody things! - My heart's pumping, you know.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56Yeah? Well, that's good. Well, a nice beer might deal with that,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59- then. Let's go, mate. - Let's roll.- Let's go, buddy.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03Blatting around the Nurburgring with Al has been the perfect way to end
0:57:03 > 0:57:08my six-day road trip across Germany, and what a road trip.
0:57:08 > 0:57:09Let me drive you round next time
0:57:09 > 0:57:12and you can experience it all in a completely different way!
0:57:12 > 0:57:15- Do you know what, I'll do that! - Cheers.- Cheers, buddy.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16Thanks, mate.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20In some ways,
0:57:20 > 0:57:24it's proved to me that a lot of the cliches about Germany are true.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27If you break the rules, you know, people will go nuts on you.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31They are ruthlessly efficient, they do love rules and structure,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34they are perfectionists,
0:57:34 > 0:57:36they do love sausages
0:57:36 > 0:57:38and they are bloody tall!
0:57:38 > 0:57:39Oops!
0:57:39 > 0:57:42What most of that means is that they build the best engineered cars
0:57:42 > 0:57:46on Earth and they constantly strive to make them even better.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49It also means their roads...
0:57:49 > 0:57:52That's excellent! ..are a joy to drive on.
0:57:52 > 0:57:53I love the Autobahn,
0:57:53 > 0:57:56I love the fact that they rely on people
0:57:56 > 0:57:58to use their common sense to drive properly.
0:57:59 > 0:58:01- HE LAUGHS - 50 euros!
0:58:01 > 0:58:04After six days, I fell in love with Germany.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07If you want to learn about cars and how to make them properly,
0:58:07 > 0:58:09go to Germany and see how they do it
0:58:09 > 0:58:12because you've got the motorways to prove it as well.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Next time, I'll be in France...
0:58:14 > 0:58:16- HORN TOOTS - Don't be British!
0:58:16 > 0:58:20- ..parking in Paris... - Just a little bump.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22HE LAUGHS I'm trying here!
0:58:22 > 0:58:23..arguing with a chef...
0:58:23 > 0:58:24- Paul, come on.- No, I can't.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26You go, mate.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28..and chasing an F1 car.
0:58:28 > 0:58:30That's the view you want of a Formula 1 car.