CASTELL'ARQUATO-VERNASCA 'SILVER FLAG'
2015
Saturday 20 June 2015
This is a magnificent event thought as a 'Dynamic Restoration and Conservation Concours for historic competition cars'. It is not easy to see so many great racing and GT cars packed tight in a single event outside of Goodwood or Silverstone..... One must be really grateful to the CPAE, its President Achille Gerla and the energetic Gaetano De Rosa, who is main 'motor' of the eventand its irrepressible speaker, for this incredible event. When was the last time that you saw so many 2-litres Abarths? And an ATS Serenissima?
Splendid pre-war cars and accordingly dressed drivers, it was like a fashion show immensely improved by the occasional, intoxicating whiff of Castrol R
Porsche Carrera 6 are still amongst the best-looking racing cars ever
Ronnie Peterson's Repco-Brabham
For me and Anna, a great friend matters even more than a world-beating driver. Sandro Munari is like a brother
Michele and Andrea Rota chose to race the SF this year with their 'trick' 914-6. Sadly, they forgot their silencers home. Honest, Officer, they just forgot them
On the starting line, Saturday morning. Well, you can't beat Alfa GTAms or Carrera 6s up an hillclimb like this one, so at least you must travel in style
The Hero camera fixed to the widscreen recorded the whole trip from the starting line to the Vernasca square, and the video is now on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE4_oMQzoD8&feature=youtu.be
'René' (info@photocollectionitaly.co) is a great team of professional photographers and the two shots above are very nice indeed
I am indebted to mr. Matteo Maffei for this excellent shot of me doing my best to navigate the 409 up Vernasca's hairpins, chased by Periscopio Abarths and racing 427 Corvettes
Saturday morning parking in the square of Vernasca
One wonders if the door of this Carrera 6 was removed for interior ventilation
Maserati Aerodinamica
A different type of 'chain-gang': Tecno! The presence of so many examples of this famous, meteoric Bolognese Marque was due in part to the work of lovely Alessia Regazzoni, an old friend and the daughter of the late, much-lamented Clay; she also takes care of his father's ''Memorial Room" in Lugano
Just an everyday's secondary parking in a small mountain village in Northern Italy, ain't it? TZ, TZ2, GTA, GTAm, 275GTB/6, Abarth Periscopio, Cisitalia, Alpine-Renault, and again Mustangs, Corvettes....
The entrants' list:
http://www.vernascasilverflag.it/index.php?ID_menu=31&language=ita
http://www.vernascasilverflag.it/index.php?ID_menu=31&language=ita
We all loved this diminutive, but very serious-looking Toyota
Saturday dinner was really wonderful, elegant tables set up in the main square of Castell'Arquato
A really nice table....On my right, Emilio, Michele and Andrea Rota, three Porsche connoisseurs so erudite that I always learn something from them
Brilliant fireworks
After the dinner and the fireworks, we walked down to the paddock enjoying the cool air of a pleasant summer evening. During this walk, Anna took this picture of a pre-war racer descending along the stone-paved streets of ancient Castell'Arquato: in my opinion this image explains, better than a thousand words, why classic-cars events in Italy are so special.....
Sunday 21 June
This Porsche was raced by Steve McQueen. Enough said
The parking in the Vernasca's main square amasses dozens of top-class racers and GTs, and in this picture half of the cars still have to arrive; other cars have been redirected to a smaller parking up the main street
This Pininfarina-styled Maserati was incredibly pretty and it deservedly won the 'Best in Show' trophy
Starting at 95457, coming back at 95759
