Carnevale, Adelaide South Australia, February, 9 2013

Way to go, Ric
New models were displayed from Belcar, local distributor for Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Fiat, but the Scuderia Italian Car Club had the edge on variety and history. Their display also included examples of Lamborghini and Lancia.

Oldest on show was an 87 year-old Fiat 503. According to its owner Ric, this model was the first Fiat with front wheel brakes, was only built during 1926-27, is unique in the state and one of only a handful in Australia. It drives through a four-speed gearbox.

Imported as a rolling chassis on its steel-spoked wheels by the local agent, Adelaide Motors, Franklin Street, it received its four-door tourer bodywork from Holden Motor Bodies, around the corner in King William Street. The first half-century of its life was spent in the wheat farming town of Kimba, 490km (300 miles) away, where the dry climate no doubt helped the body survive. The second owner repainted it in the ‘70s, fittingly in Holden HT blue. Since the owner obtained the car four years ago he’s rebuilt the internals of its 1500cc four-cylinder motor but kept the patina of its earlier restoration intact.

On show together were Rino Rossi’s immaculate Giulia Super and 2000 Spyder Alfas. A similar result of countless dedicated hours could also be seen in Domenic Calabro’s 1974 Fiat 124 Spider, in better than brand new condition after its bare metal restoration.

Too small for a Barn Find
Next to the bocce courts the Fiat 500 Club of SA had their crowd pleasers on view. Peter Carosi’s 1947 Topolino 500C Cabriolet sat alongside his 1950 500C Belvedere. Further down along the line, and contrasting with the polished finish of the others, was a ‘shed-find’ 1960 Nuova 500. With unknown history, a small fire in the engine bay had seen it parked since 1998. Revived a couple of years ago, a small amount of work is all it had taken to get it up and running again.

The Ducati classics from the seventies held their own against the newer models, including the diesel Monster advertised at ride-away for $21,490.

The Alfa Romeo Owners Club-SA, formed in 1976, is a committed group of die-hard drivers. Their circuit sprinters were displayed alongside the tourers. Many of the cars are in daily use, some get double time at the track and all have the benefit of dedicated caretakers.

Ferraris on High
Carnevale is also the venue for the South Australian division of the Ferrari Club Australia’s annual ‘Concorso Italiano’. There were 28 cars were on exhibition at the entrance to the Jubilee Pavilion, ranging from a plexiglas headlighted 1970 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ to a just-registered 458 Spider. Judging began on Saturday morning with the presentations taking place on centre stage during Sunday afternoon. Best 360/430 and the Overall Concours Winner’s trophy went to Louie Zagotsis’ black 360 F1 Spider, repeating his success from last year. A close Second Overall and Best V8 Pre-1990, was Paul Russo’s 1978 308GTS, justifying its impeccable restoration by previous owner Carmelo Calabro. Frank Nesci’s 1986 328GTS took Runner Up to Paul’s 308 and George Papillo’s 355GTS won the Best 348/355.

There were two groups for the twelve cylinder cars. Ee Win Khoo’s 599GTB Fiorano won Best Post-1980 with the Runner Up trophy going to Tony Syrianos’ 512TR. Tony went one better in the earlier category, his 512 Boxer taking Best Pre-1980 V12. Darren Bilsborough’s 348GTC is #40 of the 50 built and considered unique in the Southern Hemisphere. It impressed the judges, earning their Encouragement Award.

The coffee machines were working all weekend almost as hard as the judges. Outside, the Ferris Wheel was in full swing, the Carnevale Cup Soccer was being hard-fought and the crowds kept coming. On stage after the alfresco evening meals, tenor Alfio showed why he’s known as the ‘Voice of Passion’. The two, four, six, eight and twelve cylinder voices, however, had to wait until after the fireworks to have their turn.

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