SAN MARTINO 2015
This was a one-day Jaguar meeting not far from Bologna, and we entered with the non-declared purpose of escorting our friends Paola and Giorgio and their lovely 1955 XK140OTS. The idea of having our XJ6 meet its 'sisters' was too good to miss, even if the day before we had driven to Forte dei Marmi and back. The organizers were so good that they even gave us some bottles of bespoke Lambrusco in the welcome kit! Talk about a warm welcome....
'Scuderia San Martino' has put together a very nice event with generous sponsors and efficent local support. Our XJ6 looks as nice as ever entering San Martino's old square: the Castle ('Rocca') reminds us that this town was once a fortified military stronghold, strategically important in the frequent wars between unruly neighbors like the Gonzaga, Este, Canossa, etc
Giorgio and Paola driving by in their classy 140OTS
A splendid V12 XJS
Jaguars everywhere in San Martino. The castle is on the right, partly hidden by trees
Sleek XKs, mostly 120s with one 140 and one 150
Giorgio's 140 sports a proper C-Type head....
The Castle's windows are protected by elaborate wooden window shutters
Giorgio and myself waiting for lunch
The 'Superpadano' tractor (no political undertones), it was a superb tool for farmers, its only surviving example is now exhibited in the very interesting Museum of the 'Rocca'
XJ300 (left) XJ40 (center) XJ6 II Series (right). Three generations of XJ elegance
A very nice line-up of E-Types, some of them nearly Concours
After lunch in San Martino, and a visit to its very interesting automobile museum (one of the very few places around where you can admire three Italas....) we moved to the Hombre farm in Marzaglia, owned by the Panini family and celebrated for the quality of its Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Matteo, sadly, could not be with us but had someone open the doors of his family's Museum
There were many nice Maserati in the Museum. Personally, I enjoyed the huge collection of farm tractors, a fit tribute to our region's farming heritage (of course, I couldn't resist taking a close look to this vintage Lamborghini....) and some special pieces of its motorcycle collection. There are many BSA Gold Star, Nortons, Parillas etc, but I simply LOVED this record-breaking streamlined Lambretta!
