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1967 - the toughest test of a caravan
Dethleffs with Daimler 280 E - 5.600 Miles by the USSR

Where could Dethleffs prove the quality of his caravan for its customers in 1967? Where was still not a competitor? These were the questions at the beginning. For the Dethleffs family, the answer was clear: in the USSR.

Her love for the mysterious realm came from the students time: Russia suppressed and moody. Nevertheless Tolstoy's "War and Peace" sensitive, Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov deep-moving and then the painter Shishkin for landscape, Aivazovsky for the sea ... ..and to all the roads that were difficult to drive.

At that time there leader Brezhnev on the Communist USSR. Brezhnev promised more freedom for the people. That could open in 1967 a unique opportunity for the Dethleffs family to get approved for a test drive with their "Globetrotter" by the USSR. Their official aim was: The "Black Sea and Georgia" - so unspoilt countryside and worst "streets". From there, a wise trip to the birthplace of Joseph Stalin: by "Gori". The trip was actually approved. The journey took the three of Isny ​​back over 9,000 km through Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia, Armenia and again. The journey can be traced only roughly because most records of Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann are then passed to Daimler-Benz. That was the thanks that Mercedes had taken the trip across the Russian embassy and its international relations. The trip was typical of the life and work of the Dethleffs Family: Arist Dethleffs, the entrepreneur was also an engineer. He had the courage and experience to venture into the unknown with the new "Daimler-Benz E 280" and its self-developed "Globetrotter". The only special design: the sub-floor was covered with sheet metal against stone chips. Alone with his wife and daughter - without any companions - be made on the three in the USSR. (But they were there nonetheless not constantly monitored her in the USSR, the Cheka - the political police.) Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann, was an artist - she had studied in Karlsruhe. On the trip, she was responsible for medical attention for the contacts with the Cheka and for paints, brushes, canvas of two artists. For mother and daughter wanted to return to Isny ​​the gorgeous scenery of the USSR on images. Ursula Dethleffs was responsible for the supplies, for small gifts and for the extremely difficult to obtain maps. She had time to paint, as a driver, unfortunately, rarely on the trip. Eleven paintings Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann ago, has painted on and after the trip by the USSR, are visible in the "Gallery painting". In the "Gallery travel photos" was the main photo for the Cheka the Stalin Museum in "Gori" with the Daimler team and Dethleffs before. Other photos were often hampered, so there are few - and even rarer: good photos. The Globetrotter 1967 tested the family Dethleffs was then a few more times while traveling. This nearly 50-year-old caravan was the Isnyer company passed by Bernd Riedle (nephew and chief representative of Dethleffs and former managing director of Dethleffs Central and CEO of CMC Group) permanent loan for exhibitions and trade fairs in March 2015.. For this, the caravan was extensively restored in the development department Dethleffs and set back almost to its original condition. " Dethleffs Oldtimer there are many. But a classic car, almost 50 years old and also tested for over 9,000 km of the USSR, there are around the world only one: We are very pleased with these original Dethleffs Globetrotter. He enriches our collection, "says the managing director of Dethleffs, Dr. Dominic Suter. "Such, witness' is a real rarity."