Newsletter Marreyt Classic Cars - December 2021: Drive the Mille Miglia exactly like the Italians did!
La Corsa la più Bella del Mondo.
There are several reasons why the Mille Miglia has been described as “La Corsa la più Bella del Mondo”. Not only because of the route which takes the participants from Brescia to Rome and back meandering through beautiful landscapes, or because of the fabulous variety of sportscars participating, but mainly because all Italians dream about participating once in their lifetime in this national event. It simply is an annual festival of the automobile, celebrated in every village along the 1600 km track!
The Millecento and the Etceterinis.
It is a myth to think that to participate at the Mille Miglia you need to have access to a glamorous sportscar.
Because of the great popularity of the event, the car-crazy Italian automatically turned to the popular car range. In the 30-ies this would be very often the Fiat 508 Balilla which evolved after the second WW into the very popular Fiat 1100.
In the 50-ies, talented Italian craftsmen went a step further and developed a whole series of variants on the Millecento theme, known today as Etceterini, which were usually named after the man who created this “special”.
These were often one-offs, but regularly small sports car manufacturers emerged, such as Ermini, Bandini, Volpini, Giannini, Stanguellini, etc…
The Beauty and the Beast
We are proud to be able to show you during the month of December & January in our Knokke Experience Room a typical example of such an Etceterini:
- a beautifully developed barchetta Stanguellini 1100 Sport from 1951
and
- the popular car on which this variant was based: the Fiat 1100 Berlina from 1953.
The beautifully developed barchetta Stanguellini 1100 Sport during the Mille Miglia 1951
The same Stanguellini 1100 Sport at Mille Miglia 2019.
Interesting fact is that this Stanguellini Sport “1100 MonoAlbero” was bought new in 1951 directly from the Stanguellini factory in Modena by the Belgian enthusiast Mr. Georges De Wit from Anderlecht/Brussels. He immediately raced the Stanguellini at the 1951 Liège-Rome-Liège, the 1951 Tour de Belgique and the winter Rally de Sestrière in the Alps.
This iconic Fiat 1100 Berlina from 1953 was cleverly prepared by the Italian Mille Miglia enthusiasts Angelo Cazzulani and Alessandro Moroni leading to a successful Mille Miglia participation in 1956 and 1957.
Marreyt Classic Cars obtained this Fiat in 2011, gave this charming Berlina a complete overhaul, and participated since with various customers no less than eight times at the Mille Miglia…!
For the 2022 Mille Miglia: You in the Drivers Seat?
Having been involved in this fantastic Mille Miglia adventure for the last 10 years, Marreyt Classics Cars has decided for the 2022 Mille Miglia edition to become a Race Main Sponsor.
Sponsoring agreement sealed in Belgium with a handshake between Mr. Andrea Paladino, Marketing Responsible with 1000Miglia and Bernard Marreyt, founding father of Marreyt Classic Cars.
This partnership with the 1000Miglia organisation enables us to take our classic car customers and friends to a higher level, allowing them to enjoy “La Corsa la più Bella del Mondo” even more.
Just talk to us and we will be able to make your Mille Miglia dream come through!Bernard Marreyt , Founding father Marreyt Classic Cars