Padova, Italy, 26 – 28 October 2007
If you’re at a loss for something to do over an autumn weekend, take a trip to Italy and visit the Auto Moto
d’Epoca classic car show in Padova. Not only do you have a beautiful historic city to visit, with some
superb restaurants to entice expansion of the waistline (where in Italy don’t you have that temptation?),
but also a superb classic show with plenty of variety within the exhibition halls.
Auto Moto d’Epoca in Padova is probably the premier classic car show in Italy, and is easily accessible
for international visitors as it is within easy reach of Bologna, Venice and Verona airports. As in 2006
there was a slight hiccup for Ferrari fans with the 2007 edition, as it clashed with the Ferrari Finali
Mondiali celebrations at Mugello, last year’s show being the same weekend as the finals in Monza.
However, it is only about a two hours drive from the track, so a number of people who wanted to visit both
went to the show on Friday and to the circuit over the weekend.
The show has built up a formidable following over the years, and can boast visitors, and also vendors,
from most European countries and even from across the Atlantic. A measure of its stature can possibly
be gauged by Coys holding an auction within the halls during its running. The format of the show is
parallel to those at most classic shows, with one make car clubs, car vendor stands, together with an
extensive hall dedicated to automobilia, spare parts and accessories, with another hall devoted to scale
models. As with the types of cars on display, these areas always provide an interesting alternative
selection of items to those found at home shows.
There was a fine array of Alfa Romeos in attendance, including a number of pre-war examples, amongst
which was a very elegant duo-tone blue 1931 6C 1750 Castanga bodied cabriolet, whilst the more
modern models included a beautiful Tipo 33 Stradale, a Tipo 33/12 in its original Fernet Tonic livery, a
TZ, and a splendid yellow 2600 SZ. Sister marque Lancia’s models on display included an orange
Stratos and a 037 in Martini colours, together with a nice selection of S4 Deltas. Then there were Fiats in
a variety of guises and ages, from well preserved Topolinos to Cinquecentos, both old and new.
Naturally there were some “supercars”, with Lamborghini well represented with examples of Miura,
Diablo, Murcielago, and even an Espada on show, whilst there were plenty of Maseratis spread around
the halls including a 250 F monoposto, a Kyalami and a Ghibli.
The Ferrari Classiche stand was one of the most impressive at the show, clinically clean and bright, with
a display featuring a 268 SP sports prototype, chassis # 0798, together with a splendid dark green/beige
interior 365 GTB/4S, # 14375, which demonstrated the quality of their restoration work. There were
numerous Ferraris on vendor stands, ranging from “humble” home market 208 Turbo models, through
BBs and Testarossas, to an F40 and an Enzo. Then there was a selection in the Coys Auction, whose
offerings included a 250 GT PF Coupe, a 275 GTS, a 365 GTB/4 and the outrageous 308 based FF
Carma.
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