The annual Auto Italia in Canberra was again a great success this year. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain in the week leading up to the event, no cars were allowed on the lawns, thereby limiting the space available for display cars. There were also concerns for rain on the day, however, the gods were smiling and there was not a drop of rain until the event finished, whereupon the rain commenced almost immediately. So, with no rain and even brief spells of sunshine, the event was again well attended. There was a wonderful array of cars, even if the numbers were slightly down on last year.
In particular, there was a wonderful collection of Maseratis with 35 of the estimated 250 cars on display being Maseratis. We were given a separate display area to celebrate the Centenary and the cars looked wonderful in long lines. There was a strong contingent of more modern Maseratis from members of the MaseratiOz web forum organised by Roger Holding. And our Mistral Spyder even appeared on the front page of the Canberra Times the following morning (see above). A highlight of the Maserati display was a 1992 Barchetta (one of only 17 built) which had been driven down from Sydney!
The Italian Ambassador held a cocktail party at his residence with Roger Holding’s Quattroporte and our Mistral Spyder parked prominently at the entrance.
I highly recommend this event to anyone who has not been, not just for the cars but also for the camaraderie between those travelling to the event. Start planning for 2015.
John Gove, April 2014
Historic Racing Australia 