Gentlemen’s Run: Once Upon A Time’s Keepers

16 August 2016 Redazione Events, Lifestyle, News, Vintage

GENTLEMEN’S RUN

ONCE UPON A TIME’S KEEPERS

Words by Alessandro Marrone

Photos by Davide Carletti

That very moment all I could feel was the most pure roar of an engine, without filters, amplifiers or valves to distort its essence. The wind was the only thing that stood between me and the more intimate feeling of driving a car who was twice my age, but more than three times my experiences. This is how I remember the first time I drove a vintage car: it was all a set of thrills, the smell of petrol and oil for which there was no way to be distracted, constantly checking the pressure and temperature indicators, in search of an intruder noise, hoping it would never peep during your day of relaxation. The beauty of taking off for an adventure with a classic car is just that, the unknown of what will be on your route – but if all goes according to plan, you will be amply rewarded and enriched by an experience you will never forget. We should drive historic cars every day, simply to feel more at peace with ourselves, without being carried away by the frenzy of city traffic, this modern and frantic search of the absolute performance – our grandfathers knew really well how to enjoy life, let me tell you.
Double clutch? No thanks. Traction control? It’s not the case. The only help on which you could appeal was common sense, that for which a downhill stretch of road represented a discrete obstacle for the brakes and wherein a strip of corners would put to the test the thin tires, often with a too hard compounds for being able to do their work properly. Driving a classic car is an experience and that is why it should be done periodically, almost as if it were a medicine to be taken to keep away the boredom of everyday life, or even worse, the loss of such a treasure, too often relegated to adorn some beautiful garage, with the excuse of being collectors. No pictures to hang here, this is the purest evolution of the most beautiful and lovable art form ever devised by man: “automobilia” – and should therefore be driven. Oh yes they should and you know something about it.
On July 24, in that of Barolo, Piedmont, we hosted the second edition of our “Gentlemen’s Run”, where a select number of gentlemen drivers gathered to escape the boredom of staying in queues in some big cities, maybe prey of spotters that before having come back home, have posted hundreds of your photos on various social networks. Langhe were again the perfect backdrop for fifteen pre ’79 classic cars, and so, together with the 40 people attended this semi-private event, we did what we like best: drive. And if you are wondering how, I’m gonna tell you exactly how my first experience at the wheel of a vintage car was: with the desire to devour the corner and the next one, with those hours that seem to move so quickly, and that irregular hum of an engine that has accompanied generations of different drivers, but all bounded by the same deep love for these classic wheels. We found ourselves in the beautiful setting of the cellars of “Marchesi di Barolo”, where in the main courtyard we parked the old beauties, among those there were a Fulvia Zagato, a Flaminia, 124 Abarth, two 124 Coupe, three Giulietta Spider, and even a BMW 2800 CS, a Corvette C3, a TR3, two sporty Giulia GTA and a Stratos – someone had to forfeit for compelling reasons, but the group was still well fed. And while the gentlemen gave a look at other cars and delicacies in the winery, in the air you could already breathe the flavor of something special. Time for a visit at the cellar, always extremely interesting, and it was all about starting the engines for a short but scenic tour of about fifty kilometers. We stopped at the giant bench, just outside La Morra, we went through a handful of towns, all intrigued by the convoy of old ladies and we made one last stop for another pair of photos, arranging side by side all the undisputed protagonists of the day.
Now it is time to go back to the Cellar, park the cars and have a cool drink, anticipating a delicious dinner accommodated in the main room of the restaurant, entirely reserved to us. As usual, the staff awarded a special prize to the older car, a ’56 Giulietta Spider, while participants have voted for the “Best of show” the extremely noisy Corvette C3 owned by Aldo, happy winner of a photo book entirely dedicated to his beautiful American muscle. And then chats, and still chats, exchange of opinions, stories, everything you do in a big family, because classic cars have that power, to make us true fans and not only holders of a dream on wheels. Every line, every angle, every chrome seems a brushstroke which enshrines as a masterpiece that can shake all of the years on its back. Observing the clean lines of the Triumph was a must – you could lose your head doing it. Running your eyes along the edges of Enrico’s Stratos displaces you, making you a child again, in a mixture of excitement and wonder, where you do not realize how it was possible to conceive a masterpiece of such caliber, apparently so simple, but so damn epic. The Giulietta Spider’s trio is perhaps the thing that brought me further back in time, in those years when I was not even born, but nevertheless they have been able to convey the magic of those carefree years, so distant from those where we are today. And those Giulia GTA? Crazy. The yellow one, recently restored, was so perfect that you could lay your dinner on its trumpets and eat on the most violent table you will ever find, and the red one wanted to stretch its legs and play happy ‘n angry, between a bend and the other as if it was still in the prime of its life (well, it still is!)
The wind in your hair blows stronger and seems wanting to wake you up from this dream lasted a whole day – it’s time to return to the HQ, greet old and new friends and give us an appointment at the upcoming events. Until that day, everyone will know how to kill the wait in the best way possible. Moreover, for doing that, you just need to fill up with petrol, check the levels once more, turn the key and enjoy the most real cars you will ever drive.
Thanks to all of those who made this day so special, see you next time!