Last October Bernard Marreyt went to Padova to visit the Auto Moto d’Epoca fair and fell in love with the show. Why? First of all it’s in Italy and the Italian fair-atmosphere is something you never see at other European venues dedicated to classic cars. Somehow chaotic from general presentation but overall very pleasing flavoured by a typically Italian permanent ‘brouhaha’, with all sorts of exhibitors mixed together in several halls. Bernard has been the organiser of the Brussels Retro Festival for ten years, so he would have thought that every show organiser tries to impress his visitors by showing the most glamorous stands immediately after the front entrance. Not so in Padova. The first exhibition hall is the spare-parts department! The atmosphere is immediately set with items for classic Lancia’s, wheels by Borrani and Cromodora, Veglia instruments and lots of other hard to find stuff. In the other halls you’ll find rally organisers and classic car clubs for mainly the Italian produced automobiles. Classic car dealers are also present, for instance Guidobruno Guidi di Bagno with the elegant 1947 Frua bodied Fiat 1100 pictured above. The different halls have outside terraces where you can enjoy a morning cappuccino and typical Italian snacks amidst amazing automobiles like this one-off 1959 ‘Loraymo’ Lancia Flaminia with coachwork by Raymond Loewy. (editor Rutger Booy first saw this car way back in 1968 parked along a Parisian boulevard. Note the New York licence plate and different bonnet).
























November 14, 2007