Brooklands, Surrey, 02 May 2009
A warm and bright Spring day greeted the thousands of visitors to the
annual Auto Italia Italian Car Day, held amidst the historic buildings
and aircraft at the Brooklands Museum near Weybridge in Surrey.
Apart from the spectacular array of a diverse selection of Italian
machinery, ranging from scooters to supercars, there is the always
popular feature of the runs up the test hill, which is always lined with a
deep cordon of spectators whenever cars attempt the climb up the
steep gradient.
Maybe because of the fine weather, the venue seemed more crowded
than normal this year, not only with spectators, but with show cars
and predominantly Ferrari dealer displays as well. In the latter
category, DK Engineering had a trio of Ferrari F40s, a 250 GT SWB,
and a Dino 246 GT as part of their display, along with a Lamborghini
Diablo, Joe Macari had a Ferrari 250 GT S2 Cabriolet, chassis # 2091
GT, in mid restoration, and a pale metallic blue California Spider (new
model), whilst Rardley Motors displayed a beautiful metallic blue 365
GTC. There was also another pair of California Spiders, both
gunmetal metallic, one with a cream-grey interior, and the other with a
tan interior. Also in gunmetal was a F50, with a custom red leather
interior, chassis # 106720, whilst British celebrity Chris Evans was
there with the ex James Coburn 250 GT California Spider which he
bought at the 2008 RM auction in Maranello, chassis # 2377 GT,
together with his GTO (288), chassis # 55233, which he has just had
repainted in white, and it also features a custom pale blue interior,
complete with child seat for his recently born daughter.
Apart from the strong Ferrari presence, there was also a wide
selection of Lamborghini models, some with, as might be expected,
wild paint jobs, plus representation of most Italian marques, and
even a Swiss intruder in the form of a Monteverdi. With the added
attraction of the car and aircraft exhibits, this is a great venue for a
family day out, enjoying a great selection of Italy’s finest automobiles.
Keith Bluemel
05/2009
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