25° VERNASCA SILVER FLAG – THIS YEAR’S THEME IS “MUSEUMS IN MOTION”

This year the CPAE (Club Piacentino Automotoveicoli d’Epoca) is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Vernasca Silver Flag.

This event retraces the steps of the Castell’Arquato-Vernasca timed hillclimb. What was once an important race meeting is now a festival of motor-car elegance which attracts enthusiasts from all over the world. Since its inception, the event has been set apart by its unique format as a dynamic competition of elegance, avoiding any timed runs. This is a special date, distinguished by the quality and beauty of the participant’s cars as well as by the charming scenery and the warm hospitality of the people of Emilia.

Collectors from all the world over come together in this corner of the Appenines during a week-end in the early summer to creating something special. Their unique and precious vehicles form such a beautiful and comprehensive collection that it could be put on show in a cultural institution. This has led us to celebrate this special anniversary this year by choosing a different type of theme: “Museums in Motion”.

We would like to celebrate the decisive role that the car has had in the culture of the past century by exploring its stylistic development, its role in society and its sporting history. It will be a journey through time accompanied by the seductive bodywork, the growling engines and the feelings they are capable of instilling.

This is what we will do on the 26th, 27th and 28th June. Here at the CPAE we think of the culture of motorsport as something which is kept alive by people’s passion. Continuous development and renewal is vital if it is to thrive, but we must never loose sight of the thread of tradition. This is why, for one week-end, the cars will leave the various manufacturer’s museums and arrive in Castell’Arquato. They will be able to tell their story, renew emotions and leave a mark of beauty and hope for the future.

The death of Tazio Nuvolari, on 11 August 1953, moved all the World. Renzo Castagneto, Aymo Maggi and Giovanni Canestrini were particularly impressed by Tazio’s death. The three men, alongside with Franco Mazzotti who died during the 2nd World War, were the creators of the Mille Miglia, “the most beautiful race in the world. Castagneto, “deus ex machina” of the Mille Miglia and his friends, were very attached to the Mantuan pilot.

They were linked by a close bond of affection and they felt deep consideration and admiration toward this great “man-champion”. They also were grateful to him because he contributed a lot to the unrestrainable growing of their “creature”. To honor his memory, the traditional itinerary of the Mille Miglia was changed in order to get it pass through Mantova.

Since then the GRAN PREMIO NUVOLARI was established in order to give a price to the fastest pilot, on the route along the impressive straight roads which cross “The Po Valley”, starting from Cremona, through Mantova until the finish in Brescia.

Bernina Gran Turismo is a creation by a group of classic car enthusiasts, with the aim of organising a hillclimb event to celebrate the Races held in the St. Moritz area in the 1920s and ’30s. The project will see a blend of history, sport, competition and authentic rough luxury, the goal being to offer a unique combination and experience.

The event will be a hillclimb race on a closed road for sports and racing cars built up to the early 1980s along the Bernina pass, from La Rösa up to the Bernina Hospiz: 5,6 kilometres of pure adrenalin in an inimitable Alpine setting. It is a unique opportunity to have a mountain pass all to yourself to let your classic car do all it can do!

The date has been chosen to take advantage of the beautiful colours of the end-of-summer and of the great driving roads, free from the high summer traffic, to encourage the participants and the enthusiasts to come to the Engadine with their classic car and enjoy a beautiful tour. The best from the St. Moritz hospitality, together with an insider experience of the Engadine tradition, will make sure this will be a complete event for racers as well as guests, and for car owners and public alike. Please keep watching this site as more and more details will be posted in the next weeks.

Monza Historic already visited the Monza Nazionale Autodromo, the temple of speed and home of the tifosi, the unconditional supporters of the Scuderia Ferrari. These fans have all they need to go into raptures in the Monza Historic paddock in which “made in Maranello” prototypes and GTs can be seen including a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta (1959), a Ferrari 512 S (1970), and a Ferrari 333 SP (1994). And the other Italian makes are not to be outshone with the presence of several Alfa Romeos, Bizzarrinis, De Tomasos, Iso Rivoltas, Maseratis, Lancias, Osellas and so on.

Thus, the tradition that every year an event takes place in Italy, home of numerous legendary circuits and some of the most beautiful and prestigious sports cars, will again be respected.

No classic car season would be complete without a meeting in Italy, the home of many legendary circuits and some of the most beautiful, prestigious sports cars like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lancia and Maserati – authentic jewels in the collective imagination.

The Monza Autodromo is located in the 800-hectare Parco Reale in the town of Monza to the north of Milan. It was opened in 1922 and it has hosted the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1950 (except 1980), and is the home of the Tifosi, the famous Scuderia Ferrari fans. The length of the circuit is 5,793 km and it has 10 corners including the awesome Variante Ascari and the Parabolica. It is the fastest track on the Formula 1 calendar.

Built in 1922, the Autodromo di Monza has retained its original layout and its famous corners: the Curva Grande, the Lesmo double right-hander and, of course, the Parabolica. The three chicanes (Rettifilo, Roggia, Ascari) that have been installed over the years have not affected the ultra-rapid character of the Temple of Speed as proved in 2019 when a Group C Racing Nissan reached 306 km/h on the pits straight. Not bad for a so-called historic machine!

And finally the proximity of Milan adds an additional touch of charm to this event giving it a touristic and cultural dimension that encourages competitors to bring along their families.

Recreating the glamour of motor racing as it used to be, the Motor Circuit comes alive for the Revival, both on and off the historic track. The only historic race meeting to be staged entirely in period dress, the Revival sees a return to the halcyon days of Goodwood as the spiritual home of British motor racing.

It’s a celebration of bygone days, vintage fashion and wheel-to-wheel racing around this classic circuit, which remains unchanged since its heyday.

The Motor Circuit comes alive for the Revival, both on and off the historic track.

In the autumn of 1998 motor racing returned to Goodwood for the first time since the closure of the famous Motor Circuit in 1966. Known as the Goodwood Revival, the event has since become one of the biggest historic motorsport events in the world and the only one to be staged entirely in period dress.

From 1948 to 1966 the Goodwood circuit was the spiritual home of British motor racing, staging classic races such as the Tourist Trophy for sports cars and the Glover Trophy for Grand Prix cars. All the top drivers of the day came to Goodwood on Easter Monday, from Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in the 1950s to Jim Clark and Graham Hill through the 1960s.

The circuit was established by Freddie March (later 9th Duke of Richmond), himself a Brooklands winner, and was revived by his grandson Charles, Earl of March, in 1998. The Revival event is a magical step back in time to the romance and glamour of motor racing as it used to be in Goodwood’s heyday.