More than 60 years ago in Germany thrill seekers were hauling ass around road courses carved into snow with skiers hooked to the bumpers for bragging rights. We’re not talking about idling around a track at like 20, we’re talking running balls out in cars like a Porsche 550 Spyder, and other icons of the day. This was a country 10 years out of a war that ended in disaster for them and having fun was high on the priority list, clearly. This British newsreel footage of the event (was there more than one?) is awesome because you’ll see the skiers and drivers in action with bonus footage included of a motorcycle class! That’s right, same concept but with the skiers tied to the back of bikes in the snow. Not making this up.

At about :30 in you will see the Porsche 550 Spyder get out of shape and slide off the course into the deep snow in front of spectators. It was carrying some big speed and just didn’t want to turn for the driver. It looks like the skier had cut bait before the car ran into trouble. The announcer claims that all of the competitors made it to the finish and a VW towed the winner home. An upset victory if we ever saw one. Among the other cars looks to be some sort of rear engined special which was probably a hill climber or perhaps a low level Formula car of some sort. Modern people like to fancy themselves as true daredevils and “extreme” athletes. This video is proof that 60-years ago people had brass larger than ours by a wide margin. Like the hot rodders that came home from the war and needed their kicks somehow, the Germans had that same experience of what it was to be like in war and needed their own forms of crazy stimulation to get their blood pumping on the weekends.

We don’t give a hoot about the skiers but we want that Porsche 550 BAD!

PRESS PLAY TO SEE A WILD VIDEO OF “MOTOR SKIING” CIRCA 1955 IN GERMANY –