"Brett Smith" (tshape)
01/08/2019 at 22:28 • Filed to: None
7
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"Brett Smith" (tshape)
01/08/2019 at 22:28 • Filed to: None | 7
| 12 |
In 2014 I was in Tuscany for a wedding. While visiting Lucca one afternoon (after seeing it featured on an episode of Top Gear) my wife and I came across a perplexing sight. The medieval city was silly with phenomenal cars. Every piazza was filled with classic Fiats and modern marvels from Ferrari and Mercedes. People were handing out pennants with “1000 Miglia” on them. I had no idea what it meant, but it was a pretty cool interlude.
When leaving Lucca to head back to our hotel in the Tuscan hills we ended up on a cordoned-off road lined with thousands of people and escorted by Italian police on motorcycles. I was urged by them and the crowd to drive at speed with some of the top performance cars on the planet through the hills of Tuscany.
For 15km I unwittingly experienced the fabled Mille Miglia. To be specific, I experienced the tribute races for Mercedes and Ferrari as they passed through ahead of the main race.
Upon returning home I devoured everything I could on the history of this event and it’s current iteration as a rally event. I wondered if it would be possible to replicate those 15 km of absolute automotive freedom, showered with adulation from the Italian masses, for the full 1000 miles of the race. Could someone who could not possibly afford to participate in a period authentic car in the actual event follow along like I did on those roads outside of Lucca?
I sure as shit didn’t know. But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head so I saved every penny I could, rented an M4, and flew to Italy for my 40th birthday with my brother in to to see if I could recapture the feeling of those 20 minutes across the full 4 days and 1000 miles of the race.
My intention is to recount that experience through a series of posts. I hope you find this interesting at minimum and inspiring at best. The Mille Miglia is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and you do not have to pilot a quarter million dollar classic to be a part of it.
2019 Route for the Mille Miglia. Hope to see you there.
Besides which we are going back in 2019 and would love to find some other regular fools to split a few (dozen) bottles of wine with along the route.
SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
> Brett Smith
01/09/2019 at 00:25 |
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I was in Florence in 2014 when the Mille passed through. It was...glorious.
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Brett Smith
> SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
01/09/2019 at 00:31 |
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I flew through Florence in 2014 (but missed the race) and 2017 (wasn’t on the route). It is my favorite city on the face of the Earth. Flying through there this year too. Feels like tradition. I’d love to hear more on what it was like to experience the race there!
4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
> Brett Smith
01/09/2019 at 03:24 |
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Lucca is a wonderful little place.
I’d be up for the 1000 Mille this year, and I don’t think it would be too hard to convince the Mrs either
StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Brett Smith
01/09/2019 at 08:50 |
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Subbed! The race is just so crazy, I love the participation by the public and law enforcement.
Schaef_Camaero Z/28
> Brett Smith
01/09/2019 at 12:20 |
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Sounds really cool. I’m looking forward to your posts about it.
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Brett Smith
> 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
01/09/2019 at 12:32 |
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Lucca really is a fun town. They just released the detailed 2019 map and it’s not on the route for this year. Keep in touch if you end up going, maybe we can grab a drink somewhere along the way!
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Brett Smith
> StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
01/09/2019 at 12:36 |
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It’s surreal when you see the crowds, regardless of weather, lining the streets. The fact that the Police treated us like a support car was stunning to me. I did not expect to regularly get escorted by bike cops down the center line
through
heavy traffic..
. but we were.
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Brett Smith
> Schaef_Camaero Z/28
01/09/2019 at 12:36 |
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Great! Thanks for the feedback, posts coming soon!
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4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
> Brett Smith
01/09/2019 at 13:21 |
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Euromeet in April first, then I’ll count my pennies
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SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
> Brett Smith
01/09/2019 at 15:44 |
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I was there on a cruise tour with the wife and in-laws. Had no idea it was happening until we saw all of this exotic automotive artistry in the piazzas. It seems to bring out anything the locals had stashed in a garage or workshop - one memorable car was a birdcage Maserati undergoing restoration. It had the aluminum body work on, but no paint yet. Looked great anyway....sounded even better!
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Brett Smith
> SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
01/09/2019 at 20:32 |
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Between the tribute cars, the entrants in the actual race, some amazing support cars and the locals it is a non-stop assault of machinery. I can’t wait for this year as I feel it’ll be less sensory overload and I’ll actually be able to take it all in. My favorite was coming across a 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Prototype that is on a mural in my local dealership just sitting parked in the rain in Rome. Like walking past Mona Lisa on the street. Might need to dig up pics for a post!
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StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Brett Smith
01/10/2019 at 08:33 |
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Watching the you tube videos of people doing it, it’s just crazy. So lucky you have gotten to experience it!