All Italian Car Day

Photos and words by: Tom Jakovjlevic

Talk to your average person in the street, and the word Italy conjures up images of good food, even better wine, brilliant coffee and gorgeous countryside. Maybe even a little bit of soccer if you are so inclined.

Turn your attention to those with octane in their vanes and the word Italy conjures up much more passion – Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lancia, Ducatti just to name a few of the exotic brands that come from the land that almost fittingly is shaped like a boot. Just the thing for punching the throttle to hear some of the glorious sounds these cars produce.

Perth is a very, very long way from Italy. Regardless, the passion flows freely, and on the 24th of February owners and fans of all things automotive and Italian gathered at the Bentley Technology Park for the All Italian Car Day.

From 1930’s Fiats to 2008 Alfa Romeos there was something to suit everyone’s taste. Unsurprisingly, Red was the dominant colour, and it seemed to congregate in heavy numbers in the Ferrari area. From the classic 3 series to the current F430, everything screamed class. There were also a couple of special “Ferrari” models which drew a seemingly large amount of attention….

The Fiat 500 is a classic in its own right, and nestled in the corner was a small group. It’s great to look at one of these and then a modern small car and see how far we have come.

For those interested in something a little sportier, there was some rally brilliance on display in the form of the Lancia Stratos and HF Intergrale, which shaped the way for turbo four wheel drive dominance in the world of rallying.

If four wheels is two too many for your, then there was also a selection of bikes on display. There was a number of Ducatti’s – the yellow 996 tickled my fancy just nicely. The classic Ducatti 1098s was worth the price of entry alone and seemed to draw a crowd.

Speaking of entry, all funds raised went to charity, so the organisers must be congratulated for not only sharing the passion for all things Italian but for helping out those less fortunate.

Once you had enough of looking at vast selection of cars and bikes (if that is at all possible!) You could turn back to those other things Italy is famous for. A nice café latte, sausage sizzle with Italian sausage, pasta lunch or some choice Italian wines were all available and added flavour, quite literally to the day.

As always, with cars come passions, and with passions come biases. So I’ll throw mine in. Personal favourites for the day – The black Lancia HF Intergrale with [DELTONA] plates. I would own it in a heartbeat. The limited Maserati Shamal. Twin turbo V8, 6 speed manual and 369 produced ever make it in exclusive beast.

Last, and certainly not least, and definitely a little weird considering the metal right in front of me, but the video playing in the lunch area showing the development of the Lamborghini Diablo had me smiling for a good hour afterwards. Something just that little exciting about watching a super car being belted along the back roads of Italy in the rain. That sound. That glorious sound. Did I mention the sound?