Linda and I stopped somewhere in Tuscany for some wine tasting, and all of a sudden this swarm of classics just appeared. I believe it was a group of mostly Germans and Swiss out on a classic car tour of Italy. WOW!
Do you remember the old notion of ‘”Show and Tell” from Grammar School – especially in September, having to get up and tell the class “what I did on my Summer Vacation?” I certainly do.
Caught this big red Testarossa in the city of Lucca, Italy; I enjoy seeing big game exotics like this, out on the road, being used like normal cars, instead of always pent up in a garage
Even now, as a supposed adult, one of my favorite things to do when on vacation or travelling internationally on business, is to stand on a street corner, like a total tourist dork, and make photos of all the interesting cars that pass. Exotic stuff, rare stuff, or just cool stuff we don’t get here or rarely see here, in these United States.
This was our ride on this particular trip; an Alfa 159 "sportwagen" which proved an ideal travel car; quick, sporty, roomy, and pretty good on really expensive gas
I’d like to share them with you, like a little slide show just ‘tween us. Seldom are they great photographs, usually just happysnaps from whatever point-and-shoot I happen to have in my pocket. But if you’re a car fool like me, hopefully you’ll find some rare/unusual or just cool things here that you’ll enjoy. And if you think this just sux, tell me so and I won’t post any more.
Lots more pix to follow…
These Renault 4s are great little cars; I'd love to have one over here for an everyday putarounder
Of the many great cars on the above-mentioned classic car tour we ran into, this Lancia Flaminia was the one I liked the best. Perfect navy blue exterior, red leather cabin, and a throaty burble from the Jano V6 - yum
This VW bus was also on that old car tour, and just immaculate. They must not be so common in Italy, as this car really drew a crowd
Of course Italy still crawls with original Fiat 500s, commonly used as everyday cars
The current Fiat Panda is an example of highly efficient design and packaging; this is the most common "housewife" commuter car in italy. Holds lots of people and stuff, super efficient, and inexpensive to buy - Fiat might actually be able to sell them here if the price could be kept low enough
The original Fiat Panda is a study in flat surfaces; glass, fenders, hood, you name it. not super stylish, but cheap and efficient to produce; this one of course has been hotrodded with a body kit and wheels and tires and such
I love the original Land Rover defender 110 and of course Europe is crawling with them. Land Rover North America brought in 500 of these in the late 1990s and today a good one is worth a fortune
Bet you don't see many Bianchinis out in Kansas, do you Toto? Or is this a Vespa 400?; I forget...
It struck me funny to see this mid-70s El Camino in the heart of Tuscany; who can afford the gas for that thirsty small-block V-8?
We chased this barn fresh Fiat 500 into a parking lot to get a photo(the driver must have thought I was going to hyjack him); it was being delivered from long term storage to a bodyshop, hopefully for mechanical recommissioning and to be put back on the road.
Another red Ferrari in what appeared to be everyday use on the streets of Lucca, Italy. I didn't care for this model when it came out a few years back but it has since grown on me
The end, until next time…