The 28th annual Italian Car Day at Brooklands will be staged Saturday 3rd May at the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Run by Ginger Beer Promotions, the event has become a premier show for owners and admirers of Italian cars.
The 2014 Italian Car Day will see obscure and exotic Italian machinery not only running, but running at speed – up the Brooklands test hill and, often, on the adjacent Mercedes-Benz World test track. And visitors can get closer to the action than at almost any event.
Among the entrants at this year’s event is an Isotta-Fraschini-engined monster, powered by a staggering 27-litre Isotta Fraschini V12 engine from a Caproni – an Italian heavy bomber. The aero-engined leviathan, widely known as ‘il drago ruggente’ (the roaring dragon), is built on a 1924 Delage chassis and, thanks to owner Glenn Billqvist, will be making the journey from Sweden for the Brooklands Italian Car Day.
A world away from ‘il drago’, Brooklands will also welcome the Ferrari 212 F1 raced by Dorino Serafini at the 1951 Syracuse Grand Prix in Sicily (it finished in second place). The car was of interest at the time because of its 2500cc V12 engine and De Dion rear end, demonstrating just how advanced – and varied – were Enzo’s Grand Prix plans.
Among the countless other attractions are the car clubs and registers that have their own dedicated display areas: expect to see everything from Ferrari supercars to quirky little Fiats, plus Alfas, Maseratis, Lamborghinis and a vast range of more obscure marques, from Abarth, Bizzarrini and De Tomaso, to Innocenti, Moretti and Siata.
Meanwhile, visitors arriving in any Italian car, be it a Fiat or a Ferrari, will be able to park in the areas dedicated to the relevant marque, and thus become part of the show.
Finally, of course, there’s the historically fascinating Brooklands Museum itself. For so many reasons, it’s a day not to be missed.
Admission prices
Adults: £13 advance, £16 on the day
Seniors: £12 advance, £15 on the day
Children: (aged 5-16 inclusive) £5.50 advance, £6.50 on the day
Family: £35 advance, £40 on the day
Under-5s free
Advance ticket sales: www.brooklandsmuseum.com
[Source: Brooklands; photo: Michael Ward]
Meu tio Annuar correu, na década de 50, com uma Ferrari igual a que ilustra a reportagem, no Circuito da Gávea, aqui no Rio, com Farina, Ascari, Fangio etc. Na última prova, em 1954, chegou em quinto. Interessante que existe uma miniatura fabricada na França com o nome dele fixado na lateral, como era no original e na mesma cor. grená.