75-year-old woman to drive around world in 91-year-old car

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Heidi Hetzer is a serious driver, she always has been.

An accomplished businesswoman and local German celebrity, Hetzer has no intention of taking the easy road. She never has.

The 75-year-old racer plans on circumnavigating the globe along the same route taken by the first person ever to drive a car around the world: Clärenore Stinnes.

Stinnes did it in 1928 and Hertzer plans to one up the original driver by using her 91-year-old Hispano-Suiza roadster.

Of course, Hetzer will have no problems if the Hispano-Suiza breaks down. One of her first jobs in the '50s was as a mechanic at her father's Opel dealership. When her father died in the 1960s, Hetzer took over the dealership and then built it into one of the largest dealerships in Berlin.

In between fixing and selling cars, Hetzer also raced them. She has collected more than 150 prizes from numerous races spanning more than 50 years, the most recent in 2007 in a classic car rally, according to Wikipedia.

The legendary Berlin native will begin her newest journey in 2014.

Scroll down to see the video.

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75-year-old woman to drive around world in 91-year-old car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take a stroll through the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

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2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

The 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance has officially come to a close. Even though the entrants from 33 states and 15 countries are currently packing up their toys and heading home, you can still take in the sights by clicking through the gallery above.

Cars and owners competed for trophies across 20 standard and seven special categories. While a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 608S Saoutchik Torpedo rolled away with the Best of Show honor, there were plenty of vehicles on hand worth a second look. This year featured an entire class devoted to the bodywork of coach builder Jacques Saoutchik, and while a 1938 Hispano-Suiza Dubonnet Saoutchick "Xenia" Coupe missed out on taking home any hardware, the stream-lined silver machine won us over in a big way.

The concours also featured a class specifically for German motorcycles, as well as classes for both AC models and Shelby Cobra examples. Organizers also set aside a trophy for some very unique machines - the Maharaja and Maharaja Rolls-Royce classes were specifically for vehicles formerly owned by Indian royalty and included some of the most interesting hardware in attendance. Take a look at the gallery above to see what we mean.

Take a stroll through the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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