Dear friends of IWS, welcome back to our magazine!
I have to admit that it took me a while to put down these lines…a few more commitments than usual led me to procrastinate on recounting one of the most epic experiences one can have in life, at least from my point of view. And that is exactly why I will forever thank Chopard for letting me experience the legendary Mille Miglia, that is, the legendary car race held in the extraordinary Italian territory.
When they asked me if I wanted to participate, I didn’t quite understand what I was getting into because I thought I was going to be a mechanic, assistant or co-driver and never thought I would be able to drive–and I did a lot of driving.
After this dutiful introduction, all that remains is for me to tell you to strap on your helmets and belts so we can go together to discover one of the most incredible experiences I never imagined I would have in my life.
My 1000 Mile
Thursday, June 12, 2024.
I had just arrived in Rome with my colleagues and found the Chopard team ready to welcome us and prepare us for the next two days, which took me in a 1950s Fiat 1100 Zagato to participate in one of the most historic and incredible races in the world.
It didn’t end there, they are delivering for the two days, a Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph silver dial watch. This is a chronograph watch that was re-launched during last year’s Watches&Wonders with a smaller case made of Lucent Steel.
If I really have to nitpick to the core, this is definitely an eye-catching watch but one that, personally, I find better looking in its black versions with a Dunlop rubber strap and the other with a Burgundy dial, but that’s just taste. It’s a watch with a vintage flavor, but with modern-day savoir faire; a combo that perfectly matches the proportions and aesthetics of today’s watch trends and pays homage to what you are about to read.
For those unfamiliar with the Mille Miglia, it is a car race that was established in 1927 with the aim of demonstrating that it is possible to travel on existing roads in our country at medium to high speeds with safety and regularity. The goal of the race was to travel the distance, a thousand miles in fact, about 1600 km, in the shortest possible time. Start and finish in Brescia, turnaround in Rome.
The first fascinating aspect of this race is that historic cars, from another era, are allowed to participate. The rules state that only cars that have already participated in the race and were produced before ’57 can compete. So in addition to being a race, we are dealing with a real competition of elegance, beauty, muscle, performance, skill and team.
Everything was different once upon a time, and as wonderful as a classic car is, we certainly cannot say that the proportion is the same on the driving plane: less power, fewer electronic controls, in fact none at all, fewer seat belts–in short, less everything except charm.
The second wonderful aspect of this race lies in another of its goals: tourism. To travel above the lands of our beloved Italy is simply wonderful.
As an Italian I think I am the first to take this for granted, but believe me it is not at all. It is priceless to travel through landscapes that only Umbria and Tuscany can offer, with their hills, ups and downs, the sun taking spectacular hues and granting unique shades accompanied by fields of wheat, sunflowers, meadows, and bodies of water.
The most exciting trips in my life have been road trips: coast to coast in America, Milan – Pau (Pyrenees) to see a race also here of historic cars, sponsored Richard Mille with my father, a trip around Portugal with my wife … but Italy is Italy.
One of the highlights of this edition was arriving in Siena, going around the narrow streets, the cohorts, stalls above, stalls below, a few expletives from some uphill displacement, and here we are landing in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, where the historic Palio is held. Here, imagine yourself in the middle of the square, driving a 70-year-old car, along with cars from the same era or earlier. Unique, timeless sensation.
Third aspect that surprised me is the human side, the drivers. The cars they drive to participate in this race are all vintage. I asked some of them how they felt, because these are drivers who participate in the Mille Miglia every year. Yes, the travel, Italy, the competition… Several answered me the tradition, the history, the authenticity. The Mille Miglia is a race “stuck” in time: you cannot drive modern cars.
Drivers back then had a different kind of aura; for goodness sake, even today a LeClerc, a Hamilton are idolized, it certainly takes a lot of hair to go at those speeds, but it seems to be different for these people. The risks and dangers involved back then were higher.
Even the Mille Miglia was removed from the calendars for some 20 years due to tragedy, but there are many stories, even in track racing, of Drivers who did not make it. To this day, fortunately, it is rarer to see fatal accidents.
For these riders to participate is to feel like one of them, of the riders of the era, not to “cheat” with technology and controls. Glory, respect and honor for those athletes of the time and a feeling of association give this race a higher value.
In short, having arrived at this point, as you may have already guessed in the preceding paragraphs, I can only say that I enjoyed and excited as never before about one of the experiences that I will forever carry by my side and recount.
Looking forward to the next edition, which I hope again to be able to take part in, I can only hope that I have in part made you experience this incredible adventure, through my storytelling and to the shots we managed to take on board a unique car with equally unique and breathtaking passages. Then again, it is common knowledge…we live in the most beautiful country in the world, and to be able to discover and experience it in this way during such an exciting race is priceless.
Visit our Youtube channel to experience the best of the world of watchmaking firsthand.
For all real-time updates follow us on Instagram.
