Part 2 : Sunday 25th August 2013 – Samedan Airport
The second day of the Passione Engadina is divided in two main events. A technical dynamic run at the local airport in Samedan in the morning and a Concours d’Elegance in the afternoon in Saint Moritz city centre. As the technical run was starting pretty early in the morning, I decided to wake up in consequence and headed alone to the airport, leaving my colleagues sleeping at the hotel. I didn’t know at all where the airport was but I found without much difficulties and could park easily inside the official parking, where most of the cars had already arrived. A Lamborghini Countach 400 S was waiting with one of the very last Gallardo, an LP560-4 Nova. Hiding beneath the very wide and low Countach was an original Fiat Cinquecento, which top can only be seen. The Performante we had seen the day before was this time joined by Sant’Agata’s flagship, the LP700-4 Aventador, brought by local Zurich dealership Peter Schmohl, and a beautiful Grigio Daytona Ferrari 550 Maranello.
Not all the participants had arrived and a Testarossa appeared at the entrance followed by a Fiat 124 Sport Spider, one of the most popular small convertible of the italian brand. The Ferrari would have been perfectly parked alongside the Countach but sadly the owner headed directly inside the airport. Therefore I decided to follow him but was distracted because most of the cars were starting to get on the move and enter the airport itself too. The superb Nero Maserati Ghibli Spyder, one of only 100 was stretching its eight cylinders in this very wet summer morning in Samedan, and its presence was really impressive, as I had never seen one before apart from a brief moment the day before. The light blue lso Grifo 4.7 liter we had followed during the rally was as well looking forward to the technical run, while the other owners of the few cars behind were still discussing, including the Ferrari 512 BB, Ferrari 275 GTB, and an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint.
Another rare configuration and very interesting one, that I had never seen before, was this yellow first generation Maserati Ghibli. Born in 1966 at the Turin Motorshow at the same time as the Lamborghini Miura, it was less powerful and had 4 less cylinders, but finally outsold both the Miura and the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. As cars were entering the airport relatively slowly, we shortly ended with a rather interesting sports and old-timer cars traffic jam. The fully original blue Fiat 500 was leading a convoy with the carburetor Ferrari 512 BB, the De Tomaso Pantera GTS, the Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole, the Ferrari 550 Maranello, one of the two original Fiat Abarth 595 EsseEsse and a Lancia Fulvia HF. Quite difficult to choose for a favorite car between all these, but my personal choice would go for the 512, which looked just perfect with its black side skirts. Second pick would surely be the Pantera, another proof that an Italian body with a big american V8 engine results in a great car. In addition to the great De Tomaso, who applied this concept to his Mangusta too, Bizzarrini opted for some General Motor engines for his 5300 GT and 1900 GT Europa. My third example to support my argument is not a car, but will still surely convince you : Riva. What could possibly be better than a sensual italian bodywork with a gleaming noisy and torquey american V8 ?
Although wearing the 575 rims, this Grigio Daytona 550 Maranello is one of the most timeless modern Pininfarina design and one of the very last great twelve cylinder in V engine Grand Tourer with a proper manual gearbox. Behind was the High Fidelity version of the Lancia Fulvia Coupé, a Ferrari 328 GTS berlinetta and the Lamborghini Gallardo Nova. One thing that has always impressed me was the price difference between a standard Fulvia Coupé, born in 1965, and the HF. Aesthetically both cars aren’t much different, but the changes are underneath the body, where the HF has bigger and more powerful engines, a lightened bodywork, iod headlights, new alloy rims, wheels, and a new locking differential.
Finally, the Lamborghini were on the move and waiting patiently for their turn to enter the Samedan airport. Lead by the actual brand flagship, the LP700-4 Aventador, a white LP570-4 Performante and the Countach were patiently waiting to enter the airport. It is impressive to see how the Countach still stands out from all the other cars, looking much more extraterrestrial than about any car. With its huge rear wing, its scoops, its wide side skirts, its very low and very singular shape, I really understand why Ferrucio Lamborghini said when he first saw it “Oh, countach !”, which in modenese dialect means “Oh, prostitute” and gave its name to the car. Finally, the Fiat Dino Spider, designed by Pininfarina, and the Lancia Fulvia High Fidelity were ready to enter the airport and therefore we decided to follow them and move in.
What better greetings at the Engadin airport in Samedan than one of the best classic italian sports cars line-up that I had ever seen ? From front to back, the Maserati Ghibli Spyder, the Ferrari 275 GTB, the Iso Grifo 4.7 litre, the Ferrari 330 GTV, the Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider, one of the two Ferrari 275 GTS of this Passione Engadina’s edition, an Alfa Romeo Giulia Junior, another Alfa Romeo Giulia, the black Maserati Ghibli Coupé and a rare Alfa Romeo 1900C Berlinetta by Touring. This 1900 Berlinetta headed for the runway and it was the occasion for me to approach a car that I had never seen before. With snow remaining on the top of the mountains it was truly an amazing moment, almost unrealistic.
Hearing a loud, what seemed to be a V12, I just had the time to prepare myself as Lamborghini Diablo VT we had seen the day before was entering the airport. A few seconds later it was the turn of one of the original Abarth 595 EsseEsse to make its appearance at the airport entrance, with its beautiful wide skirts and visible rivets. It was almost funny though how the Abarth, which is quite wide when along a standard Fiat 500 still looked incredibly small with the Diablo behind. The Abarth, amongst being one of the cutest cars I know, is as well very performant and can compete against much bigger and much powerful cars thanks to its very good chassis, engine and global lightness.
Hearing yet another V12, a Ferrari Enzo had just arrived. You cannot imagine how I felt at this moment, because I think I had never seen an Enzo “in the wild” before. The Enzo was launched back in 2004 when I was fourteen, I was a teenager full of dreams and this fourth supercar built by Ferrari was there to fulfill them. Although it missed a proper manual gearbox, which meant I actually preferred the much more common Porsche Carrera GT, its design by Ken Okuyama was probably one of my favorite ever. So different from all the other prancing horse supercars, especially the ones I didn’t like, the F40 or the F50, the Enzo had been engineered by two of my automotive idols : Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt. Just the time to take a few pictures of this amazing interior, which I appreciate so much for being focused only on driving, the only thing important in such a car. The doors itself and the way they open are a piece of art, the carbon bucket seats, the perfectly dimensioned steering wheel to allow maximum control, and no distractions is all you need when you have a V12 developing 660 horsepower in the back.
Time to have a look at the second line-up. Starting from the left with the Iso Grifo 7 liter, the blue Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider, the Alfa Romeo GTV6, the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTC, a Ferrari Testarossa, a verde Alfa Romeo Montreal, the Giallo Maserati Ghibli, and the De Tomaso Pantera GTS. Then, coming out from nowhere a very rare and beautiful Maserati 450 S appeared on the tarmac. The sight at this very moment was just fantastic, with the jets in the background, the mountains, and this car… It was the first time I saw a 450 S, and what most shocked me upon the superb and stunning design was the sheer sound of the V8. Cars were starting to park almost everywhere, and I struggled to choose from where to start. Coming back to my first loves, I went to see the Ferrari Enzo, which had been joined by an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The 8C was a limited edition series based on the Maserati Granturismo S, but it had one of the most gorgeous bodyworks ever made, often qualified even as modern art. Underneath was the standard 4.7 litre V8 Maserati developing 450 horsepower associated with a single clutch 6 speed flappy paddle sequential gearbox. Although the Alfa had a very nice exterior design and finish, its interior quality was rather disappointing compared to its competitors with some cheap plastics. Most of the 8Cs were delivered in a very soft and common Rosso Alfa livery but my personal dream would be a yellow one…
The Maserati 450 S had finally parked just in front of one of the local planes, a Pilatus, made in Switzerland. With its lateral exhausts, its simple, elegant aluminum body, this 450 S is for sure one of the prettiest barchettas in existence with the Ferrari 375 MM and the Aston Martin DBR1, for instance. Only nine cars were ever produced by Maserati, one with a very singular Zagato coupe body and were equipped with a 4.5 liter V8 developing 400 horsepower which allowed it a top speed of 320 km/h. This Tipo 54 450 S chassis 4511 (engine 4511) actually never came out of the factory so actually it is a replica body, but its 5.7 liter marine V8 came out of the factory and equiped chassis 4508 during several years. The 450 S was one of the fastest cars back in 1957 and was raced by numerous popular and successful pilots : Fangio, Stirling Moss, and Caroll Shelby at various races : 1000 kms of the Nürburgring, the Mille Miglia, …
I took a last picture of the 450 S, especially its interior and went to see the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS chassis number 10814303 from Axel Marx, well known Alfa Romeo collector in Lugano. As cars were now getting on the main airport runway for their technical practice, I decided to get closer. Of course, for security reasons, access to the runway itself and nearby was strictly forbidden, but I managed to find a nice spot where cars were waiting to enter the runway.
First car to enter the practice was the Alfa Romeo 1900 Pininfarina Coupé, car number 3 of this Passione Engadina’s edition. Launched in 1951 with a two-door coupé configuration, it had the 1900 Alfa Romeo four cylinder engine which developed 100 horsepower combined with a four speed manual gearbox. Thanks to a curb weight of just over a ton it could allow the 1900 to achieve a top speed of 180 km/h and had a very good driving behavior. While the Alfa was getting ready for its practice test, it was joined by the Duetto, the Giulia Coupé, the beautiful Iso Grifo 4.7 liter and the Lancia Fulvia HF. A few moments later, it was the turn of one of my favorite Alfa Romeos of all time to enter the course, the Giulia Spider 1600. Born as the Giulietta Spider back in 1954, it inherited the 1600 cubic centimeter engine in 1962 and changed its name for Giulia Spider. Although being a late production example, the 1600 are more powerful but the original Spider Veloce versions are considered more desirable.
Afterwards the monster arrived. The Iso Grifo 7 litre, instantly recognizable thanks to its raised bonnet. This car has a look like no other, Daytona-ish, Ghibli-ish, with some elements inspired from the muscle-cars. Born in 1963, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who at the time worked for Bertone, the “7 litri” was built by Iso Rivolta, This specific model is a series 2 Can Am, with the 454 cubin inches engine, or 7.4 litre displacement developing 410 horsepower, it was capable of reaching 300 km/h, which was better than its rivals, the Maserati Ghibli, the Lamborghini Miura, and the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. Built at only 24 units, the IR9 Can Am Iso Grifo is as well one of the rarest Grifo versions ever produced, with the Targas. I love so much this car, this era of automotive history even, that I had completely forgotten to look at the other cars, the Ferrari 308 GTB on the runway, its successor, the 328 GTS waiting, the Giulia Spider seen previously, the Giulia Junior, and the Ferrari 512 BB.
Kessel, local Ferrari, Maserati and Bentley dealer had brought along a few of their cars, such as this white Alfa Romeo Giulia Junior GTA, which was very noisy, but I loved it. With its four points harnesses, and its roll-cage, they must have had quite some fun on the beautiful mountain passes around Saint-Moritz. In front was a Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale, the Ferrari 550 Maranello and the other Giulia Junior Coupé which had just finished its run. I switched side as the yellow Maserati Ghibli got me wondering about how late 1960s cars are absolutely terrific in terms of design. Although the real revolution was the Lamborghini Miura, which introduced the world to the supercar, the Grand Tourer of the time competed very well with the Ghibli, the Daytona or the Iso Grifo for instance. I have always considered it as a tremendous era where a lot of rules changed from the very elegant, classic shapes of the fifties and sixties to the much more agressive and futuristic lines of the seventies. Just behind the Ghibli arrived the 275 GTB, which succeeded to the legendary 250, and is one of the most imposant Grand Tourer of the prancing horse, surely as well one of the most beautiful.
Looking at what arrived next, the last model of the Gallardo, called the LP560-4 Nova, I remember wondering how things could have gone so wrong. The original second generation LP560-4 Gallardo was not a bad beauty but this Nova facelift ruined a lot of the original charm of the car I always thought. As a matter of fact I have never really liked the Gallardo, probably because it was too close to the Audi R8, its stepsister. Especially when comparing it to a proper Lamborghini, like the Countach, the Gallardo feels all of a sudden very small, and almost soft. With its scissor doors, its typical straight shape, very low roof, and enormous rear wing, no doubt the Lamborghini Countach must have been quite a view back in the seventies. The rest of the modern supercars were as well arriving, lead by yet another Lamborghini, the Diablo 5.7 VT, which was followed by the Aventador, the Ferrari Enzo, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Performante. In the background, the Ghibli Spyder and a very singular grey Ferrari 348tb were still waiting for their turn.
While the Ferrari 275 GTB was coming back from their test, the Countach and finally the Maserati Ghibli Spyder were in the last straight line before their practice on the runway. I really loved the scenery at these moments, instants before the car ran off to the runway, warming up their engines, with the snow on the mountain tops behind, a few clouds just hiding the blue sky. The humidity and the quite low temperature made this morning feel even better…
I mean how could things even improve than with a Lamborghini Countach patiently waiting for its turn on a runway free of any airplane traffic for a high speed run ? Well it could be joined by some more sports cars, and that was exactly what happened as the Abarth 595 EsseEsse, the De Tomaso Pantera GTS and the Lamborghini Diablo 5.7 VT arrived. The Abarth firstly surprised me by its noise, often compared to a lawnmower or a go-kart sound, it is surely quite terrific for a two-stroke engine ! Then, looking at the Diablo and back at its predecessor, the Countach, I could now clearly understand how much the impact of the Countach had left a lifetime imprint on Lamborghini’s soul. In the middle, the De Tomaso’s V8 roar suddenly reminded everyone that Italian design with american engine is one of the best combinations you can have for a car.
The two last cars to enter the runway were the Lamborghini Aventador and the Ferrari Enzo. Both are equipped with a V12, both longitudinally rear-mounted, both have over 650 horsepower, and both have a single clutch flappy paddle gearbox. There are some crucial differences though. Whereas the Aventador is an easy-to-drive all wheel drive brand flagship which has every comfort element you would need for a long distance travel, the Enzo is a limited edition hardcore rear-wheel drive supercar that focuses only on the driving experience. It’s a question of philosophy, and budget of course, since the Enzo’s value has been regularly climbing since it was presented back in 2002.
Now all the cars were heading back to Saint-Moritz for the Concours d’Elegance, but I decided to stay until the Enzo finished its run. And I had been right to wait as the Enzo owner went full throttle all the way on the runway, the V12 screaming every single horsepower it had. Afterwards, he went to park his car right aside the beautiful blue Fiat Cinquecento. 45 years separate these two cars, almost half a century, and it was amazing to see how things had changed, how the Enzo seemed big, powerful, compared to the Fiat. With the Pilatus just behind, I decided that it was going to be my last shot here at Samedan’s airport. What an amazing morning it had been !
Part 3 : Sunday 25th August 2013 – Concours d’Elegance
The third part of the Passione Engadina event is organized during the sunday afternoon in the city centre of Saint-Moritz. It is a static Concours d’Elegance where the public can gather freely and enjoy all these Italian beauties together. Therefore, I took my dear Audi A3 and headed directly for Saint-Moritz, just behind the modern Lamborghini convoy at the beginning of my short journey. Luckily for me, there was a tunnel on the way and all three cars, the LP700-4 Aventador, the LP570-4 Performante and the LP560-4 Gallardo Nova went full nuts inside, letting me behind enjoy the pure sound of the two V10s and the V12 barking. Just before Saint-Moritz I found back the Maserati 450 S, and I do have to admit it was quite a sight. Such cars, especially racing barchettas, in a city centre, they make heads turn around. I parked my car at the same place than the day before and just before my colleagues joined me, a magnificent grey Lamborghini 350 GT passed by. This car is simply the first model ever produced by Ferrucio Lamborghini after he had had an argument with Enzo Ferrari, and for a first car, it was quite a shot. With its big V12, this beautiful looking Grand Tourer was improved with the 400 GT version, which is recognizable by its twin front headlamps and bigger, more powerful engine.
Another car that Kessel had brought along apart from their Alfa Romeo Giulia Junior GTA we had seen in Samedan the morning was one of my top three favorite cars. A Lamborghini Miura P400 S, in my personal favorite color combination, with Arancio exterior and Nero leather interior. It was the first supercar ever, and changed the way we saw cars for ever. Although it is over 40 years old, its design is still very modern and seems not to have aged so much, thanks to Marcello Gandini who draw its voluptuous and subtle lines while only being 22 years old. Its revolutionary architecture, with its V12 mounted in the rear transversally was the beginning of a new sports cars era. I never really found an angle where the Miura doesn’t leave me speechless. From the front, with its characteristic eyelashes it seems to look at you, while from the profile you distinguish just the perfect lines and proportions of the car, and the back is no less than perfect just to let understand anyone who might want to follow you that he wouldn’t have much chance back in 1968 when this car was launched.
Moving on to the main avenue of Saint-Moritz, most of the cars had arrived, with a few surprises though, as there was some of the cars that I hadn’t seen neither in the rally or the airport practice. Starting with this Grigio Ferrari 275 GTB, the second of this 2013’s Passione Engadina edition, which put up a nice combo alongside its red sister. Of course, the Enzo gathered a lot of attention from the public when it arrived, and it was quite difficult for its owner to park the car without people everywhere around it trying to take pictures or have a closer look. With the help of the organization team, he finally managed to squeeze his red supercar near the modern Lamborghinis.
Luckily enough I could get a quick shot of the Ferrari’s beautiful interior, full of carbon fiber, and went to see the Diablo VT 5.7 parked a few meters away, which had its scissor doors wide open. The Diablo’s interior, compared to the Enzo feels even more special with the very high windshield, but its quality has quite badly aged with the bad plastics, and bad interior adjustments. Finally it was time to go, so I had a final look at the Ferrari 275 GTS interior, with the associated driving gloves. With this light blue exterior, red leather interior and the wooden steering wheel it was probably one of the best configurations I had ever seen for a 275 GTS, although I had not seen many.
It was time to go after a very nice week-end. As a first time at the Passione Engadina, I was very impressed both by the quantity and the quality of the cars, and I promised myself to come back next year. While on the way back, a very nice Blu Pozzi Ferrari F12 opened us the road, and it was another nice opportunity to benefit from a V12 sound on what are possibly the best roads in the world.
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