Classic Cars
Old cars make my heart sing. They‘ve lived a life.
As a teenager, she restored a small vintage car; today, she cares for rare classics as a mechanic—and in the rally cockpit, she ranks among the best in the world: Engadin native Cristina Seeberger has petrol in her veins.
When Cristina Seeberger first found herself by a karting track at the age of four, she was instantly captivated. The go-karts fascinated her so much that she wouldn‘t rest until she was allowed behind the wheel herself. Today, the fascination with engines and speed has become her profession. Together with her fiancé Claudio Enz, she founded a very special garage in Zuoz: Auto Engiadina cares for rare vehicles spanning more than a century of automotive history.
Categories:
Interviews
"I wanted to do that every day!“
It came as no surprise that her final school project at upper secondary school would revolve around cars. But Cristina chose a particularly ambitious one: she restored a BMW 600 from the 1950s. Months spent working on the unusual little ‚bubble car‘ sparked her passion for classic vehicles. „I wanted to do that every day!“ she says, still beaming. Instead of going to university, she trained as an automotive mechatronics technician and went on to qualify as a diagnostics specialist.
„Claudio and I complement each other very well,“ she says of working with her partner in life and business. Cristina (32) focuses on customer relations, accounting and planning, while Claudio runs the workshop with seven employees. Giving up hands-on work has never been an option: „I enjoy working on the cars, troubleshooting, and the satisfaction of helping a piece of automotive history live on.“
Her love of classic cars has never faded. On the lifts in the workshop are Italian rarities alongside German sports cars. When we visit, she is checking over a BMW 2002 from the 1970s, being prepared for the summer season. „Old cars make my heart sing,“ she says. „They‘ve lived a life.“ In winter, the vehicles are usually kept in a dry outbuilding. That‘s also where she keeps the BMW 600 from her school project. „I could never part with it,“ Cristina says.
Rallye Monte Carlo Historique
One of her hobies is rallying in historic cars. Victory does not go to the fastest team, but to the one that maintains a prescribed average speed most accurately across all stages. In rallying, too, Cristina and Claudio form a team: she navigates, he drives. „There are hardly any run-off areas in rallies, and the mountain roads often drop away steeply at the side. I prefer circuit racing.“
As a navigator, Cristina prepares the routes and continually provides her driver with information about the upcoming sections and the speed he needs to maintain. She and Claudio are among the world‘s elite: in 2023, they won the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique, arguably the most demanding historic rally.
