Vintage Racer - varac

Page 10
My Visit to
Terra di Motori
Alain “Abarth” Raymond
My good friend and master mechanic Salvatore
Montana will be 70 this year. We thought it would be
Aerial view of Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari in Modena,
appropriate to celebrate with an all-guy trip to Terra di
with Enzo’s family house and workshop in the
Motori, the land of motors, where Salvatore trained as
foreground.
a race mechanic when he was still a teenager.
So, here we are in early May, Salvatore, Amyot
driven by Jacky Ickx. What a privileged sight!
Bachand and myself landing in Nice and heading
Racing resumes in the afternoon and we’re back on
to Monaco for the fi rst instalment of our trip: the VIII Sunday till mid-afternoon at which time we head back
Monaco Grand Prix Historique. Held every two years
to our hotel in Menton (20 minute bus ride) and drive
on the famed circuit, two weeks before the GP, this
to Italy in our rental car.
event is perfect occasion to witness legendary cars
First stop on Monday: Berni Motori, the Abarth shop
racing on the even more legendary track.
in Maleo. Anthony Berni (a Brit of Italian descent)
shows us his shop and several Abarth beauties. Then
Our Monaco
we’re off to
leg started with
Maranello, an
a visit to RM
emotional arrival
and Bonhams
for Salvatore
auctions during
who trained
the preview day
at Ferrari in
to admire some
the 60s while
of the beautiful
working in
machinery to be
Brussels
auctioned during
for Jacques
the week-end.
Swaters,
Next day, Friday,
Belgian boss
it was time to
of Garage
visit the paddock
Francorchamps.
located on Quai
The city and
Antoine 1er,
Ferrari have
walking distance
dramatically
from the track.
changed in
Access to the
nearly 50
paddock is free
years but a
Three friends in Brescia awaiting the start of the Mille Miglia.
on Friday and a
few landmarks landmarks
marvellous way
remain, explains
to admire the wonderful and sometimes unique race
Salvatore: the original Ferrari gate, Ristorante
cars ready to do battle and to talk to owners and crew
Cavallino across the street, the church and fountain
members.
in the city centre. While in Maranello, a visit to the
Saturday, we’re off to the races after a tortuous
Galleria Ferrari is a must, then we head to Modena
search for the agency holding our reserved tickets.
to discover the newly opened Museo Casa Enzo
Seated around the “Pool”, facing the Mediterranean,
Ferrari, built by the City of Modena in tribute to the
among a pleasantly sparse crowd of spectators, we
Commendatore.
witness the sounds, smells and sights of a whole
While at the Museo, we also fi nd out about a “very
gaggle of historic cars. The highlight comes during the
important private collection” where we head next
lunch break: the famed pre-war Auto-Union GP car
day to meet the owner: Mario Rhigini. How can I
describe in a few words a collection of some 300 cars,