Auto Moto d’Epoca says grand farewell to Padua in style
Words and Pictures: Nathan Chadwick
All good things come to an end – and this year’s Auto Moto d’Epoca was bittersweet. The show was bigger and better than ever, with ever more cars crammed into the many halls and around them, but this was the last time the show would be held in Padua – it moves to Bologna for 2023 and beyond.
Among the highlights was a display entitled Mostra Ferrari Classiche, which saw exhibits and projects from the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena line up along the event’s Viale Centrale. Here are some of the highlights…
This Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona is fresh from a Ferrari Classiche restoration. Another Ferrari Classiche-restored machine – this time, a 750 Monza named after the car’s first win at the circuit on its maiden outing. This 125 Sport made its racing debut on the Piacenza circuit in 1947 with Franco Cortese at the helm. It retired with fuel-pump problems after leading much of the race. Cortese and the car made up for it two weeks later, with victory at the Rome Grand Prix. It was rebuilt by Ferrari in the 1980s.
There were other Ferrari treats to be found among the many halls.
This 365GTB/4 Daytona featured a unique colour combination – a green strip running around the car, white paint and a green interior. Following a complete restoration at Toni Auto in 2019, it was certified by Ferrari Classiche.This 1970 365GT 2+2 was part of a Portuguese collection for many years, but has spent the past decade in a Dutch collection.Another Ferrari Classiche-certified machine, this time a 1968 330GTC with matching-numbers engine and gearbox.This F40 is one of the earliest cars to leave Maranello – it is the 27th car off the line, and was sold new to Italy in October 1988. It’s Ferrari Classiche-certified with the Red Book, and is up for grabs via RM Sotheby’s private sale department.
It wasn’t all about Ferrari. Indeed, one of the most refreshing things about the Auto Moto d’Epoca was the variety on display. While you couldn’t walk five yards without seeing a Lancia Delta Integrale, there were some spectacularly rare gems, such as special-bodied Fiats, Lancias, Alfa Romeos and more. Here are more highlights…
This 1954 Fiat 1100/103 TV Coupé wears a Pininfarina body, and is eligible for the Mille Miglia.Another possible Mille Miglia entrant – one of five Vignale-bodied Lancia Aurelia B50s built.Looking slightly sorry for itself – or gloriously patinated – this 1968 Fiat 850 Racer Berlinetta Bertone is one of just 269 made, and it hasn’t been run since 1987. According to the seller, it’s still in working condition.This is a Fiat 508 C Sport, a one-of-one creation built on 1937 chassis in 1947 by Costruzione Aeronautiche Bergamasche. Its body is crafted from aluminium, and its engine was tuned by Nardi.
There was great diversity elsewhere, too, from across the ages. Sandro Munari’s victory on the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally was celebrated in style with his Lancia Fulvia HF 1600 in attendance, part of a general rallying theme to the event. The Golden Age of Rally was celebrated with a Mini Cooper S, Fiat 124 Spider, Renault Alpine A110 and Alitalia Lancia Stratos. We’ve pulled together some of our favourite highlights from the show floor.
Say hello to Brutus, who came to visit from the Technic Museen Sinsheim Speyer. It uses a 12-cylinder, 47-litre BMW aeroplane engine, and produces a whopping 750bhp. Apparently it can do more than 125mph…Autodelta was famous for building and running some of Alfa Romeo’s most revered racing cars. However, the final fling from the equipe before racing activities were taken over by Abarth (effectively) was the Giulietta Turbodelta, which punched out 170bhp from its turbocharged four-cylinder engine, delivered to the rear wheels – a lot for 1982. Just 361 were built.This is the first prototype of the Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa, and was the show car for the 1966 Turin Auto Salon.Two very special Mercedes-Benz 300SLs – well, are there any that aren’t? The white Roadster dates from 1958, and is one of only a handful sold into Germany – it was formerly owned by Princess Patricia of Hohenloe. The red Gullwing features the rare Rudge centre-lock wheels. Such a sporting set-up can be explained by the first owner, M Lippmann from Guatemala City, known for competing with a 300SL, Ferrari 750 Monza and Ferrari 375 MM at events such as the Panamericana, Guatemala GP and Sebring. One of 369 Maserati Shamals ever made; it’s powered by a 3.2-litre twin-turbo V8.The 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA was campaigned by Autodelta; Giorgio Pianta drove it on the 1968 Tour de Corse.This curvy machine was on the FCA Heritage stand. It’s the 1956 Abarth 750 Record, and starred at the Turin Motor Show. Franco Scaglione designed the body while at Bertone; it covers a 750cc Abarth-tuned Fiat 600 engine. Despite just 47bhp, its 390kg weight means it could hit 190km/h all-out. It set several distance records at Monza over 24 hours, 5000 miles, 10,000km, 48 hours and 72 hours, all without dropping below 140km/h.This 350GT was part of a Touring Superleggera Register display highlighting Lamborghini’s big anniversary year in 2023 with the GTV.Another star of the RM Sotheby’s stand, this is one of 100 Pininfarina-bodied Alfa Romeo 1900Cs ever built. Its steel panels are 0.7mm thick, which means the grand tourer weighs just 50kg more than the sporty Touring-bodied cars.
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