Classic beauties to run the Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano tour

2 June, 2015

The 21st edition of Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano is sure set to be one of the globe’s finest classic motoring events of the year. Held over June 19–21, Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano is a tour open to sports and competition cars built before 1959, covering ground over the spectacular Northern Italy.

The rally commences on June 19, near Bassano del Grappa, winding its way north through the Passo Manghen and Passo Lavazé, finishing the day at Bolzano.

The second day, June 20, faces an even more legendary challenge — including the Passo Mendola, Passo delle Palade, and the Passo dello Stelvio (yes, the mythical Stelvio Pass), before closing the day in Trento.

The grand finale, on June 21, climbs Passo Vezzena, due for Asiago, before heading due south for Bassano, to finish at Marostica.

The spectacular backdrop will be one thing, but such an event is as much about the cars, too. Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano will not disappoint in this respect — almost 90 entrants from across the globe, covering as many as 24 vehicle marques, have been confirmed for entry.

Bentley is one of the better represented marques here, with the line-up including the incredible 1931 Bentley 8 Litre, and the legendary Bentley 4.5 Litre Blower.

The British firepower is to be backed up by eight Jaguars, including this incredible 1955 Jaguar D Type, owned by Ben Cussons, President of the Royal Automobile Club.

Of course, such an event could never be devoid of Italian-racing pedigree, and one of this year’s stars is suitably fitting. The beautiful 1924 Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio is one of only four built, and placed second at the 1924 Targa Florio. Nine decades later, it will be driven by Giulio Masetti.

For a cinematic overview of the unparallelled automotive, and Northern Italian, beauty, watch this short teaser video — it is truly worth it.

Merry Christmas from NZ Classic Car magazine

The Classic Car magazine team is taking a few weeks’ holiday from the work computer and heading to the beach for some kickback time.
Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful summer holiday to all our readers, followers, and fans. Enjoy this special extra time with the family. We will be posting archive articles again in mid to late January.
Have fun, be good and be careful out there.

Two engines instead of one?

Popping two motors into a car is not only complicated, it doesn’t always end well. Donn Anderson recalls early attempts, including John Cooper’s ill-fated original Twini Mini built 58 years ago

For a boost in performance, better traction, and perhaps improved handling to some, two motors seems an obvious solution. It would also eliminate the need to develop a larger engine replacement from scratch, but would that outweigh the not inconsiderable technical difficulties?
The idea of using a pair of engines dates back at least 86 years to the Alfa Romeo Bimotor single seater racing car that was officially timed at 335km/h, or 208mph. Taking a lengthened Alfa P3 chassis, the Italians fitted two supercharged straight eight 2.9-litre and 3.2-litre engines, one in front of the cockpit, and the other behind the cockpit.