SIXTEEN THOUSAND KILOMETRES OF ADVENTURES: ITALA 35/45 HP 1907

Even today, this race is not for the faint-hearted: it starts at the walls of the Forbidden City and ends in the Parisian boulevards, traversing the steppes of central Asia. But in 1907, it was a prohibitive feat, an epic challenge that helped kickstart the great motor-racing tradition. This is what Peking to Paris represented: sixteen thousand kilometers of adventures along a road which, for the most part, wasn't even paved. The MAUTO collectors who own the 1907 ITALA 35/45 HP which won the legendary competition are bringing the vehicle to Auto e Moto d'Epoca. And it's not just the car that's truly unique; so was its team:  Prince Scipione Borghese, mechanic and pilot Ettore Guizzardi and Luigi Barzini, a special reporter for the Corriere della Sera and the Daily Telegraph.  The car was welcomed by a jubilant crowd in the French capital after 60 days on the road; however, before that, the team even took a 1000 km long deviation to take part in an elegant reception in St Petersburg; despite the detour, the Italians still made it first to the finish line, twenty days ahead of the runners-up. In addition to the sturdiness of the vehicle, the exceptional volume of the side tanks and the solidity of the 7-liter motor, the secret to this victory was the practical spirit and brilliance of the team, whose ideas we still see applied today on vehicles. One of many was the genius idea to substitute the fenders with flat boards that can be removed and be used as ramps to get unstuck or to get on any support vehicles if required.