Glen Smale
Showing the red ‘Pathway’ through the museum’s display area. © Glen Smale
Museum

Museo Mille Miglia

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Written by: Glen Smale
Images by: Glen Smale, Archivio Storico Museo Mille Miglia, and BMW AG, Munich (Germany)

The Monastery of St Euphemia of the Spring

The sport of motoring may have had its origins in France, but there can be no other nation where motor racing is as passionately embraced as it is in Italy. The first organised automobile competition took place in 1894 on a section of public road from Paris to Rouen, France in the form of a reliability test. Popularity in the sport grew quickly, such that around the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, numerous other motoring contests sprang up in France as well as in the vicinity of Brescia, Northern Italy.

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Glen Smale
South African-born Smale started his professional motor journalism and photography career back in 1994, but if truth be told, Glen has had a driving passion for all things motoring since a tender age. In 1997, Glen launched Autosport & Classics, a classic motoring and historic motorsport magazine covering the local scene in SA. Two years later, having sold his share in the magazine. Between 2004 and 2016 Smale has authored thirteen books covering sports cars and motor racing. In 2007 he received the Laurin and Klement ‘Design Writer of the Year’ award for his book Jaguar E-type: Portrait of a Design Icon. In 2012 his book, Porsche at Le Mans: 60 Years of Porsche Participation in the World’s Greatest Motor Race, was shortlisted in the British Sports Book Awards. Of his thirteen books, no less than seven have been on Porsche cars, perhaps suggesting where his passion lies. Glen first started writing for the only magazine dedicated entirely to the Porsche 911, namely Total 911, as far back as 2005 and still contributes to this magazine on a regular basis. He has also written for the well-known Porsche magazines in America, Excellence, for a number of years. In addition to this, Glen has contributed to the Porsche Club of North America monthly publication, Panorama, as well as a host of other titles over the years in Europe, the UK and South Africa. Away from the race track, Glen was an aspiring golfer in his younger days and represented his province in the under-18 age group for a number of years. He went on to win his University Championships and represented Rhodes University for five years, as well as playing club league golf for ten years. With both children now out of the house and working, Glen lives with his lovely German wife, Elke, in the beautiful county of Carmarthenshire in West Wales. Glen has been a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers since 1995.
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