THE VERY FIRST FIAT 124 BERLINA MEETING IN ITALY
On May 14 this year, in Turin, the first ever Fiat 124 saloon meeting in Italy, its country of origin, was held.
The event was organized by Giorgio Benacchio and Simone Peroncini friends, two big fan of the model.
It is necessary to immediately point out - if needed to be - that Turin has always been The car City, although Fiat does not seem to glow today in terms of originality and variety of her products as in the past.
The city is full of motor enthusiast in general, not only of this brand, and vintage cars are very numerous.
It's since last February that I had to go to Turin, but a series of unforeseen and unexpected commitments had blocked me so far.
To the news of the event, two other great friends and Fiat 124 fans , Roberto Mensio and Lorenzo Lacchia invited me to Turin, promising to borrow me a personal 124 sample. As quickly as possible we arranged a tour to Turin and diparted shortly afterwards.
We received a great welcome as usual, these guys are Friends with the "A" uppercase, rare goods, which have made all of their best to make us feel comfortable.
In addition to our regular tours, on Saturday we were with Lorenzo all around the Asti County lovely places and then we readied the 124 who Lorenzo made me available for the rally.
This is a wonderful 1200 / IIIrd serie sample, built at the fall of 1973, with no more than 70,000 miles on the clock, painted Ice Gray 684.
The following day the rally was set at 10.30 am at the famous Fiat Motor Village, where there is also the Automobile Museum.
I had visited it years ago with Roberto, it is a great complex, modern, very well cared for, and with a large square outside.
We arrive there with Lorenzo, he drives itself a very rare 1973 "Special" Automatic, with three-speed General Motors gear box, and I follow him with the 1.2 IIIrd serie of the same year and color.
A dozen participants are waiting for us; the cars are so divided: the wonderful Roberto Ist series, the most perfect overall, like brand new - already subject of several articles of specialized magazines and even a BBC service – restored nearly to perfection.
Then there is the beautiful Ist serie, the same color as that of Roby, Night Blue 456 by Giorgio Benacchio, then the only IInd serie – the same color also - by Simone Peroncini coming from Lodi, then the only 1968 "S" version, still Night Blue 456, then a red 1.2 IIIrd serie, quite good from Switzerland, owned by nice Spanish boy, Ivàn Soto Pena, and a rare - and gorgeous - 1.4 "Special T" (twin cam) painted red.
Then there were Lorenzo and mine samples.
Finally I have the opportunity to know personally Giorgio and Simone, two very nice guys with whom we are in tune with, and this was my greatest satisfaction.
My wife was our official reporter and she was very busy taking pictures and filming short sections of the movie here and there, which truly engaged her. It's thanks to her if we have a lot of documentation now.
From there, in the procession, we move in front of the historic place of Mirafiori's Plant main entrance, from where, fifty years ago, these cars came off.
This was really nice, we took great photos, people started to notice us.
It is a great pleasure, that this car - which has powered half a world in the past – finally begins to be known and appreciated also in the historic world. From there, always in the procession, we went to a restaurant where we decided to end the event.
We did dozens of miles, it was a wonderful experience.
Since Lorenzo had a mishap, and he waited us directly at the restaurant, (even) this time Roberto wanted to honor me by allowing to drive his gorgeous Ist serie.
It seems to me like a dream: from the sad times of the late 1970s /early '80s, where I had to be content to beg a few miles on board some survivors of my friends - when it was fat - or to pick up some rare cutout of newspaper or still watching, frustrated, passing those of others, now I'm at the wheel of a 124 like mine, and amid a sea of other 124 sedans of all versions !!
My wife told me that she rarely saw me so happy, my friends found me in my element.
Cherry on the cake was to find out, when we arrive at the restaurant, which we are expecting from two nice Dutch boys, Jeroen and Paul: they came from Holland on board their 1973 124 "Special" 1.4 and are true Fiat's enthusiasts!
Paul has a couple of 127 Ist serie (my favorite one), while Jeroen, the owner of the 124, has overhauled it mechanically and internally (it would only need a new exterior paint work).
At the restaurant, on the table, they put in front of us the 124th workshop manual, saying "this is our Bible": amazing!
Not to mention the gadgets and publications they have in their own country!
They are really fallen in love of Fiat and this cannot dislike us! We also had a great time at the restaurant and afterwards, we get together for the usual group photos.
For me, Lorenzo and my wife the day have not ended here because after greetings with other friends, we stood with Jeroen and Paul to whom Lorenzo and I illustrated a number of things they asked us, until - in the evening - we accompanied them to their Turin hotel.
T
hey had come to Piedmont to arrange a Fiat enthusiast tour and they knew of our rally by accident.
But the best new is that Jeroen knows our site !!! And that's really makes me happy.
We spent a really special weekend in Turin, all went good. We was received as brothers, in an exquisite way.
And special thanks go to our friends Giorgio and Simone for having organized what was the first absolutely Fiat 124 saloon meeting here in Italy so well.
Thank you guys, you have done so much for our good fortune!
And we will be happy to bring our forces together for the sole purpose of making it known more and more.
Photo
gallery Raduno 2017 FIAT 124 Berlina
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