One of Italy's major events for classic car enthusiasts, Milano AutoClassica, took place in Milan this month, and we had the opportunity to visit it in person. This event happened roughly one month after Auto e Moto d'Epoca in Padua, the largest event of its kind, again geared towards classic car fans. While the Auto e Moto d'Epoca will change its venue to Bologna next year, the Milano AutoClassica has the ideal location with larger halls and stands that are less cramped.
From cars with a true racing pedigree, driven by famous racing drivers, to an incredible sports car and classic car auction hosted by renowned auction house, Bonhams, here is what went down in Milan during that weekend.
A Tribute To The Genius Behind The Ferrari F40
While the atmosphere of the venue was lighthearted, we still have to remember the important people who left us recently, leaving behind a massive legacy in motorsport and supercar history.
Nicola Materazzi was the chief engineer of the Ferrari F40 and GTO Evoluzione projects and technical director for the Bugatti EB110 GT and EB110 SS projects. He also massively contributed in making the Lancia LC2 Group C prototype, Stratos Group 4 and Group 5, B Engineering Edonis (an off-shoot of the EB110) and many other cars or engines for performance cars. He earned the nickname "Mr. F40" for a reason.
Seven F40s were set in formation in the "corporate" hall as one of the main displays of the event. It is a very rare occasion to see that many together in an event that's not the Ferrari Finali Mondiali for example. After the Ferrari 288 GTO came the 288 GTO Evoluzione, a car built with Group B rally in mind. Sadly, that rally category got canceled after countless deaths among drivers and spectators, culminating with the 1986 Tour de Corse, where Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto died incinerated in their Lancia Delta S4. The GTO Evoluzione was later refined in the F40, the last evolution of the 288 GTO.
The Tribute to Mauro Forghieri
Materazzi was not the only one remembered at this prestigious event. Mauro Forghieri was one of the most important figures in the history of Scuderia Ferrari because partly thanks to him Ferrari won 54 Grands Prix and four F1 World Driver Championships between the mid-'60s and late '70s with John Surtees in 1964, Niki Lauda in 1975 and 1977 and Jody Scheckter in 1979.
Forghieri was one of the last complete engineers, meaning he worked in aerodynamics, engine, chassis, and other areas. The three cars displayed are the 1973 Ferrari 312 B3, nicknamed "Spazzaneve" (snowplow), which never raced, the 1979 Ferrari 312 T4 driven by Gilles Villeneuve and the 1981 Ferrari 126 CK, again driven by Villeneuve winning the Monaco and Spain Grands Prix.
The Bonhams Auction Was Beautifully Displayed With Sports Cars And Classics
There were opportunities to buy cars at the event too. The main one was through the Bonhams auction that took place on November, 18. As HotCars only attended the AutoClassica on November, 19, we weren't there to cover that auction, but understand that only around a quarter of the cars and bikes available were actually sold.
There was an impressive selection too with a unique Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera Sciàdipersia Coupé based on the Maserati GranTurismo, a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Cabriolet, and a 1969 Iso Grifo S Targa. There were also more modern cars like a 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ LP 770-4 Roadster 'Ad Personam' and a 2022 Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Roadster.
The Show Displayed Other Interesting Sports Cars
This car show was not only about Italian or classic cars – in fact, it was very diverse. Depicted above, there was an Audi S2 Quattro on the left and a Wesbank modified Audi 100 S4 GTO. The Wesbank used to race in South Africa in a racing discipline created for silhouette-like touring saloons, and got powered by a turbocharger inline-five. We can guess that the sound coming from this engine was insane.
A blue Gumpert Apollo was seen in one of the stands, and the Eminence-liveried Lancia 037 was also on display – the only rally car to ever win a "Best of Show" award. Three Kimera EVO37 chassis were in attendance – the green "Esmeralda", the Martini-liveried "Penelope" and the red "Victoria". These are restomods actually made using a donor Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Only 37 will get made, with 34 of them already allocated.
Other local collections and associations came in, including Scuderia del Portello with four Alfa Romeo race cars and Corrado Lopresto, the owner of the Lopresto collection of Italian prototypes.
For any car enthusiast traveling to Milan in late November, this is an event you should check out.
Sources: Bonhams, Scuderia Ferrari Club