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Travel: Touring Italy Like Enthusiasts Used To

Touring Italy Like Enthusiasts Used To

By Jacopo Villa
July 22, 2015

Photography by: Federico Bajetti

Going on a vacation with a pre-war car is heroic. It’s true that many enthusiasts take their cars on long trips like the Mille Miglia or the Coppa Nuvoari, but to do a trip on your own, relying solely on your companions and a few spare parts is quite an adventure, even by today’s standards. The owners of these machines drove all the way from Germany and were going on vacation: isn’t this just plain cool?

Encountering a ’30s Alvis or Fiat on the road is quite a fortunate coincidence. Witnessing an entire group of cars with German license plates, driving together on the roads close to Lake Garda is a great lucky strike.

A lone pack formed by unrestored ’35 Lagonda, a Fiat 514, an Alvis, and an Armstrong Siddeley is a wonderful thing to witness, even if you struggle to remember the model and manufacturer names!

Pre-war cars can put your knowledge about cars through serious testing, the early core of motoring culture. Seeing cars like these makes me want to retire and live like a hermit at the Royal Automobile Club Library in order to study everything about them. Cars like the Alvis or the Lagonda are just like a beautiful classic painting, and now almost more art than machine. The beauty, the soul, and the spirit of adventure and freedom define these old, oil dripping machines—and they should be appreciated for this. I’m sure the vacation was one to remember, too.

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Alfa Romeo Alvis Fiat Italian
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Chris Leigh-Jones
Chris Leigh-Jones
7 years ago

Good article. I saw a You Tube video recently with a chap driving a Bugatti Type 35 Replica, one of the aregninian ones. He said a point that respnated, these cars take effort to drive, its unlike a modern one. 2 hours from charleston to Bluffton in South Carolina is enough for me in a 1930 bentley. Hands, brake, D D Cluthc, signal, adjust the tickover, getting hot, check the tank pressure – its plain tiring and also great fun. Well doen shcaps, let me know if ever there is a repeat in the USA.

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Holger Kautt
Holger Kautt
9 years ago

Hi there,many thanks for this great article and pics!I am one of those guys and i can ensure you that we enjoyed our trip!
There were no major problems beside one broken Fiat dynamo which could be solved by buying a used one in a wreckyard.
It still works!!Special thanks to Tatjana,the owner of this Petrol Station,she had been very enthusiastic and made even a short break to an great Event!We will do it again and again and…..

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Luca
Luca
9 years ago
Reply to  Holger Kautt

Hello Holger, have you got a website with your trips, or similar – bitte? I would love to know more about your cars, they are epic! Actually, you guys are epic!

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Amadeo Destrini
Amadeo Destrini
9 years ago

So Jacopo and Federico, you have just created a large assignment for yourselves. This aspect of “tasteful driving” needs to be delved into, and you should be the capatani of the project. These cars and the gentlemen who drive and care for them are ultra-cool. I would love to hear more about the history of the cars and the stories that the owners have about their travels together. This is exactly why I find Petrolicious to be the number 1 site for any car enthusiast.
Thanks for your great efforts in bringing us stories like this, and please keep up the wonderful work! Tante grazie amici…

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Douglas Anderson
Douglas Anderson
9 years ago

This is another very short article that begs for more information about the cars, the owners, the club .
The pictures are great !!

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Wagoner
Wagoner
9 years ago
Reply to  Douglas Anderson

I couldn’t agree more with Douglas. There’s no need to wax poetic…tell us about the men and their machines instead. Tell us what broke along the way, and what it took to get running again. Tell us about the adventure. That’s what will captivate your readers. The historical appreciation and romance will take care of itself.

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Federico Bajetti
Federico Bajetti
9 years ago
Reply to  Douglas Anderson

Thanks everyone!

F.

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Emanuel Costa
Emanuel Costa
9 years ago

Real classy! Love the rust, the oil, the dents, the cracks in the leather, the faded colours, the marker lines in the gauges or the dashboards!!! Love it all!

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Riccardo
Riccardo
9 years ago

Great story and very cool concept, the more I see such pre-war cars the more I want to try the ownership experience.

However, I still have no idea what the cars actually look like save for some exquisite details… I feel that the “artistic side” got too carried away on this one to the detriment of the overall message!

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Michael Schlenger
Michael Schlenger
9 years ago
Reply to  Riccardo

Well, Riccardo,
As for the marvellous Fiat 514 in the fifth picture, I can provide you with another image (see attachment).
It’s definitely the same car which I saw at the annual autojumble in Lipsheim (near the French-German border) last year. And no, I am not one of the guys who drove these prewar beasts down to Italy. But I’d also have loved to join them. Just pure coincidence!
Michael

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