It’s not too often that I go to a car show and know virtually nothing about any of the cars that are on display there, but I stepped outside my wheelhouse a bit for the Fiesta Italiana Car Show at the Zona Rosa shopping center over the weekend. The car show was part of Fiesta Italiana, which was a celebration of all things Italian. They had everything from wine experts to spaghetti eating contests. Oh, and the food—lots and lots of food. I know the Hovers all left the event pretty stuffed after sampling several of the vendors’ offerings.
So like I said, I don’t know much about these cars, but I thought they were cool to look at. I’m probably making some kind of Ferrari faux-pas with this one, but my favorite was this black 400i. I can’t even tell you what year it is, but they made them from 1979-1985. They had a 4.8-liter V12 up front. I’ve always kind of been partial to indulgent cars that are bigger than they need to be and don’t make the best use of their interior space. This looks way better than Magnum P.I.’s car to me, although the wheels look pretty similar. And all the sharp metal creases and window chrome came off really classy.
I know this one is a Ferrari 458 Italia, because I’ve read about these in
Motor Trend. The name 458 indicates that it has a 4.5-liter V8 in the back, good for 562-hp. This is probably what Magnum drives today if he’s still employed by Robin Masters. It really is an impressive looking thing in person. Of course, at $233,000, I suppose it should be. My house isn’t even worth that much.
If you weren’t into Ferraris for some strange reason, they also had a nice selection of Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, and Fiats to check out. The Alfa guys seemed to be the most organized, with a unified nose-in parking display going on with informational signs for each car. There were a whole bunch of Ducati and Moto Guzzi motorcycles out there as well, so really it was open to all Italian vehicles.
My automotive fantasies still revolve around a ’68 Impala SS 427 (black with red interior, hidden headlights, and air, please), but I can see why these are appealing too. Most normal people would just think my dream Impala was a big, stupid car, but everyone speaks Ferrari. It was fun to spend an afternoon surrounded by Italy’s finest.
Check out the slideshow below, or
click this link for a nicer version.
AAhhh my man... you have a good eye; or at least one that agrees with mine! The 400i [and the 365 predecessor] are indeed beautiful shapes, and very under appreciated imnsho. You are also correct in that the KC Alfa group is a well organised bunch - have been to several of their events in the past.
ReplyDeleteDucati have lost their way in the last few years, but that Guzzi Daytona is a thing of beauty. Thanx for posting.
Is that an old fiat at the end of the slideshow? That's what I would drive. I love Ferrari's, but 233k is just silly.
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