Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano 2010

Barchetta, as you know, means small boat and a boat has usually to do with water and it carries a couple of oars. Well, we had barchettas, we had water and the oars were the only missing pieces. Instead of the expected beautiful Italian weather of mid June, the rains came. It rained constantly, furiously, cats and dogs for two days and two nights. Temperature dropped from 24°C to 6°C on top of the Dolomite passes and we had to go across eleven of them. But the motto ‘only the brave (survive) …’ was written for the barchetta people of Bassano.

But what is Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano? Roughly, it means “Mythic Sport Cars in Bassano”. Bassano is more correctly Bassano del Grappa, and Grappa is a Brandy. It is an event born in the mind of two brothers, Danilo and Renato Calmonte, fond lovers of sports cars and particularly Maserati. In late 1993 they decided to gather a few of their friends who shared the same passion for a good two day run across the Italian Alps, with nothing else in mind that a good run, good food and great wines. Within a couple of years Bassano became a ‘must go’ for owners of classic sports cars. From the original thirty three entrants, today the number is capped at 100 which is about the physical limit, although the database of ASSI Club hosts more than 400 names of serious sports cars aficionados that have enjoyed the event. For a more complete history of the event, click here or go the LeMitiche Club site, here.

We’ve been to the event many times as I enjoy helping Danilo and the ASSI organization, which stands for Auto Storiche Sportive Italiane, the Club that organizes the event in Bassano, set up and run by the Calmonte brothers.

My son Carlo and I entered the event with our small Nardi 750. (Read review and buy Brunori’s Nardi book) It is the last barchetta built by the famous Turinese wizard in early 1955 and it is powered by a Crosley engine capable of 42 HP, that combined with a weight of 360 Kg, speed up the car to 150 km/h. Carlo did the most of the driving but unfortunately he does not hold a boat racing licence, so I suggested he not use full trottle to avoid problems with the coastguard patrol that we expected to meet at any moment! The only boring time for Carlo were the two hours spent in the hotel room once we arrived on the Saturday evening. We bet and he lost, so he had to dry all the gear and the helmets with the hair drier.

This year my friend Chuck Schoendorf from the US, who joined the gang for the first time last year, convinced three other American friends to come along. Chuck and co-pilot Santo Spadaro with an Arnolt-Bristol Bolide, was accompanied by Herb Wolfe and son Alden with a wonderful Cisitalia 202 MM Nuvolari, Elad Shraga and friend Ron with an OSCA MT4 and Ven Fonte and grandson Vincent with a pre-war Alfa. In addition was a pre-war Lagonda entered by the American team of Frank Solano and Nick Taylor.
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I asked Chuck to comment about his participation and here are some of his thoughts:

I specifically bought the Arnolt Bristol for Bassano. Last year I shipped a Lancia barchetta over for two vintage tours, Bassano being one of them. The Bassno event was so terrific that I immediately sought out another barchetta to buy and enter this year. The Arnolt was the result. I first saw and drove it last October up in Massachusetts and closed on it January. It had been a track car which we decommissioned a bit and tweaked for the purposes of country road tours. It turned out to be the perfect choice. We had zero problems with it.

And what of Bassano? Well, besides guaranteeing really sporty entrants, limiting the field to only barchettas means that if one team gets wet we all get wet, which we did, for two days ! The notion that misery loves company is exemplified by driving a barchetta in a downpour at Bassano.

Teams came from eleven countries, the farthest being the Argentines and next being the Americans, plus folks from Israel, Sweden and a mix of other European countries, bringing the total of non Italian participants up to 30 cars. ASSI Club is proud to have foreign teams and welcomes more Americans to attend, as shown by their making certain there were two English speaking Italians to meet us at the initial check-in and be available for the duration.

As for the field of cars, name a cool esoteric brand of barchetta, any etceterini, and it was probably there; Bugatti, Moretti, Cisitalia, Stanguellini, OSCA, Ermini, Nardi, Siata, Bandini, Stanga, Colli, Conrero, Giannini, Paganelli, Ortolani, Lancia, Amilcar, Rally, BNC, Lagonda, Riley, HRG, MG, Aston Martin, AC, Arnolt Bristol, BMW and one or more of them were all there, plus loads of the usual suspects, Ferrari (5) Maserati (6) and Alfa Romeo (7). (The entire list can be seen here.)

The event began with the 100 teams leisurely meeting up to check in over a two day period, at a charming and spacious estate at the edge of Bassano. At the driver’s meeting, before being ceremoniously launched at precisely timed thirty second intervals, a superbly prepared buffet lunch was served outdoors over a couple of hours. All subsequent meals for this moving mob, of over 250 people, were equally superb, as were the well planned snack stops between every two meals. Capping it off was the closing luncheon, the zenith of the apex of the epitome of the height of Italian gastronomy, taking place at a spectacular castle perched high above the medieval town of Marostica.

Without a doubt the ASSI Club has perfected the vintage car tour process. For a very reasonable price of about 1750 USD, they deliver three nights hotel accommodations, splendid food and wine, great organization, idiot proof route books and road markers, flawless logistics and baggage handling, and highly skilled tech support, all in a driving setting not to be beaten.

Overall mileage was a little bit over 250, which, given the ages of the cars, the challenging terrain, the breath stopping scenery, the schedule, the snack stops and the possibility of rain thrown in, is exactly the right amount.

Some things to keep in mind – be prepared to be spoiled for all time in Italian vintage car tours. Le Mitiche is as good as it gets for scenery, challenging driving, the field of cars, the thoughtful and friendly organization, sharp chase mechanics and the wonderful gastronomy. Just have rain gear, sponges and chamois’s handy!