Although I missed Tief im Wald’s Heritage show last September, I was thrilled to return for the ‘Deep In The Forest’ main event earlier this month – its 10th anniversary no less.
As I mentioned in my 2023 coverage, the idea for this gathering originated from a friendly BBQ with the Custom Junkys car club in 2014. A decade later, Tief im Wald is thriving and more vibrant than ever. This year, Deep In The Forest attracted over 500 cars and around 5,000 visitors to a new venue.
Germany is currently in the midst of a bark beetle crisis that’s causing significant deforestation. For Tief im Wald, a location change from the old woodland shooting range was necessary to help control the outbreak.
To preserve the essence of the event, the organizers relocated to Biathlon Stadium in Oberhof. This facility, usually used for winter snow sports, is nestled in a town of just 1,700 residents and sits about 800 meters above sea level. While it’s less ‘in the woods’ than past locations, it’s still surrounded by forest.
The stadium’s grandstands offered a perfect vantage point to watch the cars and the crowd.
What sets Deep In The Forest apart from other events is its unique timing: it starts at 5:00pm, continuing deep into the night with an afterparty kicking off at 11. Despite the more open, urban setting this year, the event was transformed into a cosy, vibrant atmosphere with sparkling lights, neon signs, and a diverse range of food trucks and vendors. It feels like a completely different event when the sun sets and the lights come on.
The good vibes were amplified by DJs playing Tief im Wald Radio, a mix of live sets and pre-recorded commentary.
One of the standout features of this event is the absence of awards. It’s all about enjoying cars and the community.
Although a date for Tief im Wald’s 2024 Heritage event has yet to be announced, Japan-themed decor was a highlight at Deep In The Forest. It perfectly set off several Japanese vehicles in attendance, including a slammed Mazda RX-8, a street-style Nissan S15, and a very cool FD3S Mazda RX-7.
This Liberty Walk-kitted Ferrari 512TS stole the show for me though.
Ten years is a significant milestone for any event. But I’m confident there’ll be many more anniversaries to come for Tief im Wald.
Collin Tiemens
Instagram: collinclicksphotos
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Nice coverage! Makes we want to go next year!
Wow! Pics, 6, 7 and 8 take the win!! Gold 911, white Scirocco and burgundy 3 BMW are smoking. Germany rules baby!
Finally, Libertywalk nails one... The 512 aged oddly as a "narrowbody", but the overfenders somehow look like they were needed to "cut away from the oversimple cheese"... Maybe the cybertruck affected this, as that looks like it needs to move away from too simple, but the 512 now feels similar? Hard to define.
Also love the inclusion of motorcycles and please more clean engine bays! Given builds all look the same now, it's the engine and handbuilt custom stuff that has me coming back to Speedhunters!
Now this is a nice meet great diversity of cars and just a chill time
This is how car communities should be
Great meet, too much to take in in one evening.
Great article to look back at it and get back in the vibe.