Taormina, 4th to 9th of September, 2021 |
About ten years ago Ferrari introduced the Cavalcade both for new and classic cars as an exclusive annual
tour to some of the greatest places in Italy to enjoy luxury hotels and Michelin star food with people sharing
the same passion. As Ferrari is particular proud of their rich heritage and Classic Ferrari are on top of the
market the brand from Maranello introduced the Cavalcade Classic in addition to the normal Cavalcade.
Normally these are two separate events but these days very few things are really normal, especially in the
event industry. So, the intended separation fell victim this year to the ongoing pandemic as the classic version
had to be postponed and finally got together with the modern Cavalcade for a joined event in Sicily instead of
the intended rallye in the Dolomites. |
As the parking in Taormina was a restricted zone by Ferrari the first coffee stops at the Etna Quota Mille
Restaurant gave a first impression of the cars attending. Especially in the front of the entrance the line-up of
the Monza SP1 and SP2 models as well as the LaFerraris gave a great sight that is rarely seen other than
concours lawns. As mentioned all the current models could be seen including the SF90, the F8 and 812 as
well as the latest Roma. Compared to the classic event this seems to be a much more international clientele
as cars from basically all over the world including China, Thailand and the Emirates could be seen whereas
the classic car community is still more based in Europe and North America. As we mainly went there to cover
the classic event, we had to admit that both the number and the variety of the cars were down to previous
years. |
From Mexico came a group of 166 and 212 models but apart from that the line-up dried out a little bit over the
250 series. In the past one could see several 250 GT TdF, California Spider on short and long chassis, Series
1 cabriolets, SWB Berlinetta and Interim as well as a few older 4-cylinder race cars. This year the 4-cylinder
completely missed and the 250 series was restricted to a sole California Spider, a SWB, a trio of Coupés, a
series 2 cabriolet, a single SWB and two GTEs and Lusso. The 275 series featured a short nose and a long
nose GTB, a GTB/4, two GTS and a GTC/4. For some reasons not a single Dino showed up but on the newer
end a 308 GTB and a 328 GTB and GTS as well as a F50 finalized the 35-car line-up, cars not seen in
previous editions. |
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The second day led south to Syracuse. The morning leg might have been one of the best in terms of driving
as without traffic one could enjoy the surprisingly good roads in the open landscape. Unfortunately, roadside
the sight was not always very pleasant as obviously locals tend to dispose their litter in the nearest field as
seen during all the days. |
The third day led north into the mountains around Borgo Schisina were the cars ran from a thunderstorm and
heavy rains. Within minutes the clouds came into the mountain and one could see the downpour in the
distance. Depending on how long the crews stayed for coffee some actually managed to stay dry whereas
others had to endure the rain with slippery roads and zero visibility. |
The last driving day led the cars south to Catania into the old city center at the Piazza Duomo. Both the
driving into and out of the Centre were quite a challenge especially for the classics as the traffic in the narrow
streets of the Sicilian city was heavy. But not few had the impression that the line-up at the Piazza was worth
the effort and for once the feeling of the Italian passion for Ferrari was really visible as this seemed to be one
of the few stops actually known by the public as a crowd of people welcomed the cars. After the coffee break
the most iconic part of the trip was the drive up to Sicilians main attraction, the Etna. Just south of the main
crater the road led to the volcanic rocks and the ashes from the previous eruption and together with the
upcoming clouds this made one of the most memorable experiences of the tour. |
With the two events at the same time the organizers of Canossa Events really had a handful to organize this
year. Listening to the participants they really did their best to master the challenge and the program with the
dinners and the spectacular final in the theatre were very well done. A few classic car owners had the
impression though that the original program was a little bit more in the favor of the new cars and so was
Ferrari itself. Especially the situation in the parking when the classics had to master the small ramp up to the
first floor while the new ones parked in the basement was not well grasped be the owners of a 60-year-old
clutch system. But one can assume that this is purely due to the fact that the organizers had to include them
in a planned program. Probably the next classic edition will be again more tailor made to them just as the
new cars are tailor made to the wishes of the customers. Needless to say, that overall, this were some great
days in Sicily, unfortunately the legendary Targa Florio circuit in the north-west near Palermo was a little bit
too far away to include this into the Cavalcade as it would have been another stimulus for the owners of the
old racers to participate. |