Premio Castello degli Acaja – The Full Review
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photos by Davide Carletti and Alessandro Marrone
History, art and nobility in Fossano (CN), but also passion, quantity and above all quality; ultimate ingredient for a weekend that brought together about a hundred historical cars and enthusiasts from all over the north of Italy, but also France and Switzerland, has been the desire to do something great together, a kind of “automotive brotherhood” that you can rarely find elsewhere, especially when it comes to classic cars, where many clubs tend to group on their own, losing the main focus. This is not the case of our friends in Fossano, who accomplished the seventh edition of the Acaja’s Castle Prix, dynamic meeting that brought the teams for a cruise through Langhe, visiting wineries and rediscovering a territory which has a lot to offer.
The festival kicked off on Saturday with the meeting of the first crews and a brief glimpse of what would have awaited them during the very next day. The culmination of the first day, the arrival in Piazza Castello with the sun coming down in that elegant atmosphere, enhanced by a jazz concert that accompanied dinner. On Sunday, the hundred participating cars gathered in the main street of the town, exposing themselves to passersby, including gourmet banquets and curious people. Punctual as a Swiss clock and divided into groups, gentlemen left towards Saluzzo, where there was the first checkpoint, and then again in Scarnafigi and Savigliano, just in time for a drink and for a brief presentation of the cars and teams to a packed crowd waiting in the main square. The last part of the day was the final transfer in Fossano, where cars have taken place for a well deserved rest.
I want to focus on what struck me most, starting with the perfect organization, essential to manage such a numerous group of attendees, through the variety of registered cars. Those that have impressed me the most were undoubtedly the Lancia Astura (voted as the best in show), but you can’t be indifferent in front of a masterpiece on wheels that responds to the name of Ferrari 250 SWB, and still two Lancia Aurelia, Jaguars, Porsche 356 and Speedster, several barchettas and a nice Fiat 600 Spiaggina, through the colorful Topolinos and coming up to the most recent Testarossa and 930 Turbo.
Then, arrived in Piazza Castello, the group has parked all the cars and had a lavish lunch in Palazzo Righini (honorable mention for location and quality of food). With a full stomach and with some modest drop of rain, cars have paraded one by one, with the expert Remigio Camilla presenting their main characteristics and crews.
Prestigious classic cars as undisputed protagonists then, a timeless sense of emotions that has been possible thanks to a weekend of those that make you say – Yes, I made the right choice by bringing out my old lady – and no matter if your hands are a little dirty for some oil leak, or the smell of petrol is stronger than usual. Of course, we must keep an eye on the water temperature, but there’s nothing better than enjoying your classic car with a group of people who share the same passion, and then if you have restored it and have seen it come back to life step by step, everything has an even more unique flavor. Classic cars want to be driven, they do not want to live in a garage, not even under the spotlight. They have a soul, they ask you to go out for a drive, a few kilometers, a couple more – you feel them alive, a perfect contrast to the modern cars, full of cold technology and engineering close to perfection. Maybe you wonder if you will be able to come home at the appointed time and often a sudden failure happen, but like any good things, a weekend at the wheel of a vintage car should be savored by every facet.
For us at Auto Class was the first time here, but the attention to detail and the now-oiled organization, have meant that this seventh edition has been a real success. So, next time you complain that there is not a proper classic cars (prestige) meeting around, you have no more excuses – Fossano is the answer – a well established reality that should definitely be part of your agenda. See you next year. We’ll be there and we are sure you’ll be there too.