Admiring legendary cars and discovering stories, personalities, events
A place to admire legendary cars and special models, tell the story of the most thrilling sporting events and discover the great designers in the form of themed exhibitions: every year, Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Padua organises exhibitions where passion meets with emotion, to create a unique atmosphere that involves all attending visitors.
Minimalist, fast and beautiful: Ferrari's "barchettas" mark the Prancing Horse's foray into car racing. On show at Auto e Moto d'Epoca are eight models which belong to important international collectors. From Gianni Agnelli's 166 MM, loaned by the MoMA, to Ferrari's most recent creation, the incredible Ferrari Monza
MAUTO is one of the most famous automotive museums in the world and it boasts a collection of the most rare and interesting vehicles, with over 200 originals from 80 different brands from all over the world. Some of the star models of the MAUTO brand collection will be exhibited at Auto e Moto d’Epoca 2019: this selection includes two exceptional vehicles. The first is a true pioneer of the car-racing era: the Itala 35/45 HP which won the incredible Peking-to-Paris race in 1907, covering 16,000 kilometers in only 60 days. The second is a Fiat 18/24 HP 1908 gifted to the Museum by Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia, the man whose name is indissolubly tied to the Museum itself. He is the person who came up with the initial idea of putting together the original museum collection and fought for it to be established and to be given a respectable location.
The victories of all seasons - from the late 20s in Sanremo to the Sardinia Rally - in an exhibition which interweaves history, cars and pilots, rivalry and state-of-the-art challenges. This was the Rally Italia Experience, the historic ACI exhibition at the Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2018 show. The exhibition compared two key events of our country's rallying tradition - Sanremo and Sardinia - focusing on key vehicles of the competitions and many pilots (some who were there in person at the ACI stand), which have created the history of Italian Rallying. Among the vehicles present in Padua, there are timeless legends such as the 1928 Fiat 520, the 1972 HF 1600 Malboro, the Audi 4, and the Lancia Delta S4. Among the most recent vehicles, there is also the Ford Escort Cosworth (1993), the 206 Wrc Peugeot dating back to 2000 and the i20 Hyundai.
Exclusive to the 2018 edition was the participation of Shelby American, the creator of the Cobra and Daytona Cobra which, in the Granturismo competitions of the 60s, battled it out against the Ferrari 250 GTOs for the winning spots on the podium. The Cobra Shelby was originally a British closed coupé - the AC Ace - to which absolutely disproportionate motors were applied in relation to its size (the Ford V8). Carroll Shelby, former winning pilot in the 1959 Le Mans race and founder of Shelby American, continued to work with Ford and other American houses to create high-performance models. Among these, there is the legendary Dodge Viper, which ignited American manufacturers' passion for supercars.
Gabriel Voisin, a pioneer of French aviation, brought innovation to the world of cars. He was one of the first to apply the secrets of aeronautics developed during the First World War to vehicles, thus creating revolutionary cars. The 1921 C1 Avions Voisin brought to Padua courtesy of the Museo Nicolis in Verona, was one of them. On the hood of the car, you find the house's emblem: a stylized dove that recalls the Egyptian goddess Isis. The vehicle is fitted with an avalve motor with Knight distribution, while the bodywork, designed by Alfred Belvalette, features the trademark windows that fold into the doors. Some of the innovations associated to Gabriel Voisin are the spacious glass surfaces, the reverse gear light and the electromagnetic Cotal gearbox.
ACI and ASI won over the public at Auto e Moto d’Epoca 2017 with an exhibition entirely dedicated to the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, to allow all visitors to experience the thrills of one of the great classic motoring races. Some of the racing cars which made the history of the Monza Grand Prix were displayed at the show, along with the original trophy claimed by Jules Gould, in 1921, on the occasion of the first Formula 1 race, which was held on that circuit.
The 2016 edition of Auto e Moto d’Epoca hosted an exhibition dedicated to Police cars and motorbikes, where visitors got the chance to admire some of the models that have joined our collective imagination, such as the Guzzi Falcone 500 motorcycle – used by the Polizia Stradale - traffic police - in the 1960s – the A.E. Giulietta 1300 TI dating back to 1961 and the A.R. Alfetta 1.8 from 1978. The starring role of the exhibition was played by the legendary black Ferrari 250 GTE of Police Chief Spatafora, the car used by the Mobile corps of the Rome Police Headquarters which, during the 1960s, featured in many of the crime columns of the Italian capital.
