Millennium Expo - Rome, May 22, 2011

Accepting the invitation extended by the event's promoters, and in particular by our friend Gianfausto De Rossi, to our city's classic car clubs, we gladly accepted to participate in the concours d'elegance held as part of the Millennium Expo trade show, which this year moved from its traditional location, from the Capannelle racecourse to the Tor di Valle racecourse.
Some have called the transition from "gallop" to "trot" an unmistakable sign of a change in style through which, according to the organizers, they intend to give a new face to the event, increasing its prestige and class, as befits the prestige of our beloved companions in adventure.

At first glance, despite the still inadequate level of the exhibitor stand, the new structure, with its large covered exhibition areas beneath the stands, offers much more effective and comfortable logistical solutions than in the past.
The location also seemed much more suitable for the summer season. It's no coincidence, after all, that trotting racing, unlike gallop racing, is in the summer, and this aspect also ultimately paid off for the organizers' decision.
The idea of a Concours d'Elegance immediately struck us as highly appropriate for the intended purposes, and this conviction of ours must have been shared by many others, given that at the stamping operations, held in Piazza Marconi in EUR, right under the eponymous stele, we had gathered with 54 cars, as well as a dozen motorcycles of particular historical interest, a number well beyond the initially imposed limit of 40. Among the cars were also several models from the 1930s, including two Fiat 514s, one of which was a prestigious Torpedo.
The MG Car Club patrol was made up of five cars: a TC, two As, a Magnette ZB and a B which nevertheless made themselves noticed in the midst of such fierce competition.
The start was at 10:30 a.m. sharp, after which the long line of roaring, colorful cars, escorted by municipal police motorcycles, wound its way down Via Cristoforo Colombo and Via dell'Oceano Pacifico, parading through the streets of Torrino until its triumphal entry into the Tor di Valle racetrack. Here, the cars were lined up in full display near the trotting track and subjected to the meticulous scrutiny of the competition judges, while the crews wandered among the stands of the swap meet, searching for bargains or some unique gadget or accessory.
At 1:00 PM, the meeting took place in the beautiful restaurant on the first floor for lunch, provided by the organizers, featuring a truly rich and high-quality menu. Most importantly, the awards ceremony for the Concours d'Elegance took place, where, to the cheers of those present, second place overall went to the Tata-Morricone duo in an MG TC. The duo crossed the finish line just behind the Jaguar XK140 DHC of their friend Antonio Ceribelli, who, thanks to the walnut-root dashboard and the brilliance of the chrome, prevailed over Vittorio Giampiccolo, who must have regretted entering the competition with his XK140 OTS instead of the MGA. In third place was the Fiat 514 of their friend Augusto Fabiani.
At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, Gianfausto's exhortation to meet again as soon as possible for a joint event involving all Roman clubs, with the primary goal of urging the City Administration to adopt a different and more rational regulation of access to the ZTL for certified classic cars, received unanimous approval and warm applause from everyone present.
After that, the threatening sky, increasingly dark with rain clouds, convinced most to make a hasty escape home, especially those who had come to the rally with their spiders. Having already risked sunstroke and dehydration during a morning marked by scorching temperatures and a blazing sun, they would have liked to avoid at least an unexpected shower. Fortunately, I managed to get back to the garage as the first drops of rain began to fall, but I know that many, less fortunate because they were further away, were caught on the road by a thunderstorm that hit the capital and didn't abate until late in the evening. A new tropical season has truly begun!

Claudio Nacca