While working in East Berlin during the height of the cold
war, Heinz Meixner met and fell in love with Margarete Thurau. They dreamed of
moving to his native Austria with her mother, to marry and live happily ever
after. But the Berlin wall stood in their way. Heinz rode his scooter to
Checkpoint Charlie, one of the narrow exits through the wall. While a guard
checked his passport, he measured the height of the bar across the opening: 95
centimeters. He then scouted car rentals until he found an Austin-Healey
Sprite. After Heinz removed the windshield and let a little air out of the tires,
the Sprite easily cleared 95 cm. May 5, 1956, he returned to Checkpoint Charlie
with his sweetheart hiding behind the driver’s seat and his future MIL in the
trunk. He flashed his passport, ducked his head, and gunned the engine. Before
the guards could react, all three were safe in West Germany.
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