1000 Miglia,
Racing Romance Through Time
- Par Excellence
The World’s most beautiful car competition created by aristocrats, Mille Miglia is now an open road speed race held in 24 editions from 1927 to 1957 in Italy. All started in 1927 as a speed race by Giovanni Canestrini, Franco Mazzotti, Renzo Castagneto and Aymo Maggi, to succeed 1000 Miglia being today a regularity race for historic cars in an itinerary through the unique landscapes of the most beautiful parts of Italy.
1000 Miglia draws on this lifestyle, with a brand that brings with it the inclination towards travel, elegance and good living
Today, 1000 Miglia is a luxury brand, reviving the past, symbol of the Italian race of vintage cars par excellence, combining the heritage of the most beautiful race in Italy to bring along the world with a fun, sophisticated, inclusive and contemporary way of life.
An attitude of life, a way of being dynamic and elegant, where creativity and Italian taste meet experimentation and contamination with fashion, art, and design. It promotes the growth of a culture respectful of the environment, paying attention to communities, territories, and mobility. In some charity event back in 2018, the 1000 Miglia Charity project raised € 115,000 donated to the Ospedale dei Bambini di Brescia.
The History Interactive Gallery
The official website offers a virtual gallery of this Time Line with the individual editions of the race, in which you can access 360-degree settings, which show the posters, the cards on the competition, the images of the protagonists, the historical films and the map of the route of that year.
The history is back in 1927 with a decision by the organizers to dial back the intensity of the event until 1957 due to some tragic accident. From 1958 to 1961, the race transformed into a more leisurely affair, evolving into a grand tour across the northern reaches of Italy, where drivers adhered to legal speed limits.
However, as time passed, even this subdued rendition of the Mille Miglia faded into memory. Yet, the indomitable spirit of the race lingered, particularly among devoted Italian motor enthusiasts. In the 1970s, a passionate group of individuals sought to revive the glory days of the Mille Miglia.
Antonio Brivio Winner of 1936 race with Alfa Romeo 2900A
Evgenio Castelotti Winner of the Race 1956 with Ferrari 20MM Spider Spaglietti
The official website presents an interactive map to browse the reproduced in 3D route, as a real traveling museum of exceptional historical and sporting value, immersed in the extraordinary cities of art and evocative natural landscapes. For each setting, the Organization is enveloping videos have been created that reproduce the specimens that participated in the historical races.
Afterall, Mille Miglia had been the World Sports Car championship through which brands became popular to the public like Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari, BMW in the aerodynamic form at that time, Mercedes and more.
You can’t miss the eight victories of Ferrari. The chilling History presented within this page will take you back in the field:
The race was paused by Mussolini due to an accident in 1938 which caused the death of people in the audience. When reborn in 1977, vintage or classic cars did participate in this elite race covering a vast race distance in Italy, under the name of Mille Miglia Storica.
The Present
Nowadays, the sports cars in sleek lines bring the sweet taste of the glorious past and still perform this classic route from Brescia to Rome and back, crossing the charming country roads and natural beauties of Italy.
The company 1000 Miglia srl is owned by the Automobile CIub of Brescia, created in 2012 with the aim of organizing the re-enactment of the 1000 Miglia and enhancing the Freccia Rossa, the historic brand that distinguishes the legendary race all over the world.
A young and dynamic company, it is made up of professionals with specific experiences and skills who work daily in the pursuit of excellence. Today the 1000 Miglia is expanding rapidly and is experiencing a development that marks the crucial transition from a local event to a global brand, endowed with a bold and contemporary identity.
Thanks to its know-how, the company is in fact engaged in organizing international events in parallel with the Italian race par excellence and aims to become ambassadors of Made in Italy in the World.
The Museum
The museum of Mille Miglia situated at Brescia Municipality, close by Sant’Eufemia della Fonte monastery, was brought to life by the Mille Miglia Museum Association in a property is of huge archaeological, historical and architectural value.
Museo Mille Miglia in Brescia
Miglia in Brescia
Dedicated to the ‘Red Arrow’ race, was established in December 1996 by a group of Brescian businessmen known as the “Friends of the Mille Miglia”. Open to the public since 2004, is also involved in restoring the Sant’Eufemia monastery complex, owned by the Brescia municipality.
A guardian of legendary history, a living testament, aims to reconstruct this famous cultural sporting event, within the context of Italy’s vast history. The Mille Miglia Museum has been able to establish a collection of rare, four-wheeled gems, which it exhibits in its museum.
This is all thanks to the devotion of private collectors and partnerships with other automobile museums, including a Cooperation Agreement the Mille Miglia has signed with the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The cars loaned to the Mille Miglia are arranged in the Museum before sets and backdrops that recall for visitors the various periods in which the race was alive.
The race archives are kept at the Mille Miglia Museum. They contain around 130,000 documents that Reno Castagneto and his staff held at the Brescia Automobile Club between 1927 and 1957.
Museo Mille Miglia in Brescia
Museo Mille Miglia in Brescia
The Archives are an excellent resource for researching and studying classic car races as they contain all sorts of materials pertaining to the organization of the races, including competitor registration cards, correspondence with the race teams and car manufacturers, standings, starting grids, tables, press clippings (including contemporary articles, newspapers, and magazines) and the famous “Numeri Unici” yearbooks. Everything has been scanned and digitized so that the digital archives at the Mille Miglia can be explored via a search engine.
Accompanied by our employees, researchers and professionals working in the automobile history and classic car racing sectors, as well as classic car owners and aficionados, can access the Archives’ contents. Thus, anyone with an interest in the matter may perform specific searches on their cars under the headings: T. +39 030 3365631 archivio@museomillemiglia.it
2024 1000 Miglia Race
The protagonists of the 1000 Miglia is always at around 430 exceptional vehicles, testifying to the history of design and cars. Shall we visit the race this year in the summer?
Get ready for an exhilarating journey through history and scenic landscapes as the legendary Red Arrow returns for its 2024 edition. Departing from the historic city of Brescia on Tuesday, June 11th, this iconic event will embark on a captivating route, weaving through picturesque towns and breathtaking vistas.
The first leg of the adventure will see the convoy tracing its path through the charming cities of Bergamo, Novara, and Vercelli before culminating in the vibrant city of Turin.
Day two heralds a southward descent, traversing the idyllic Langhe region and the heart of Alba before venturing towards the coastal allure of Genoa, a thrilling addition to this year’s 1000 Miglia. Amidst the scenic splendor, crews will indulge in a delightful lunch break, recharging for the onward journey that culminates in the coastal gem of Viareggio.
As the race progresses into its third leg, anticipation builds as the convoy sets its sights on Rome. The route meanders inland through the historic city of Lucca before embracing the coastal allure once more in Livorno. A midday reprieve awaits in the enchanting setting of Castiglione della Pescaia, before the race resumes, tracing a path through Grosseto, Lazio, and the tranquil shores of Lake Bolsena, ultimately culminating in the iconic Via Veneto of Rome.
For the fourth leg, the adventure continues with a drive to the ancient city of Orvieto, followed by a scenic stopover in Solomeo for a sumptuous lunch. Energized and reinvigorated, crews will navigate through the cultural landmarks of Siena and Prato before conquering the challenging Futa and Raticosa passes, leading to the grand finale in the vibrant city of Bologna.
On the culminating day, Saturday, June 15th, the journey reaches its crescendo, passing through the historic cities of Ferrara and Mantua, with a picturesque detour along the shores of Lake Garda. The scenic splendor continues with a breathtaking drive through Valtenesi and Salò, culminating in the iconic parade along Viale Venezia, where history and automotive excellence converge in a celebration of the timeless allure of the Red Arrow.
Hear From Miglia
Source:
https://ecodna.art/1000miglia-elite-vintage-car-race-in-italy/
with picture credits to Themis Veleris.
View more for the sportingn heritage:
https://1000miglia.it/en/history-of-1000-miglia/sporting-tradition/
