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Modena, 10-11 May 2014

The second edition of the Motor Gallery exhibition was held at Modena’s Fiere exhibition centre, close to the Modena Nord autostrada junction, over the weekend of 10-11 May. The show occupied 41000 square metres of indoor and outdoor space, filling three pavilions with an eclectic array of Italian machinery, ranging from bicycles to supercars. Some of the rarer classic vehicles on display came from the well known local collections of Umberto Panini, Mario Righini and Francesco Stanguellini, with others coming from further afield and individual owners.

There was a vast array of bicycles, as they take up so little display space compared to cars, and they included numerous veteran and vintage examples, including one made for Napoleon III and a 1933 Bianchi built for Benito Mussolini. There were also a large number of motorcycles, notably those built by Maserati in the company’s centenary year, but also other famous Italian makes like Ducati, Laverda, Moto Guzzi and MV Agusta, not forgetting the classic scooters from Lambretta and Vespa.
One of the main display features was “La Spider, Un Sogno a Cielo Aperto” (The Spider, A Dream of the Open Sky), with a wide variety of Italian Spiders, cabriolets and convertibles filling a large central display area, including a number of very rare examples rarely seen in public. They ranged in size from a 1970 Fiat 500 Gamine by Vignale and an Autobianchi Bianchina from 1963, through to a Ferrari 365 GTS4 and a Maserati Ghibli Spider, others along the way included a Cisitalia 202 Cabriolet, a Lancia B24 Spider, a 1966 De Tomaso Mangusta Immatricolata prototype and a Siata Amica Convertible from 1950.

The show also bore witness to the announcement of the new Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum, with a stand featuring a trio of models comprising of a 400 GT, an Espada and a Countach. The new family (as opposed to factory) museum, is the brainchild of company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s son Tonino, and is located in Funo di Argelato to the north of Bologna, with visits available by appointment. More details can be found at www.museolamborghini.com  . For fans of modern supercars Pagani had a display featuring  a Zonda and a Hauyara, whilst the combined Museo Ferrari and Museo Enzo Ferrari, in Maranello and Modena respectively, displayed a trio of the company’s “Tour” cars, the 612 India Tour, the 612 China Tour and the 599 GTB America Tour, in their colourful liveries.

There were also numerous car club and vendor stands with a wide selection of cars and motorcycles on display, together with a variety of trade stands specialising in restoration and products associated therewith, and a number featured partially restored vehicles to illustrate their expertise in their specialist field. One hall was dedicated to a large sales area, where one could find almost anything connected with the automobile and motorcycle, ranging from spare parts, through books, brochures, models, tools and a variety of accessories for the classic car and driver, whilst there was also a large outdoor sales area with an autojumble and a number of private car sales. If one tired of looking at cars and motorcycles, there was a flight simulator in the corner of the main hall, where the Museo dell’Aeronautica Gianni Caproni di Trento, had a full scale replica of an Ansaldo biplane in simulator form, where visitors could try their hand at flying it via the simulator screen in front of them. Once again a very interesting and enjoyable “Made in Italy” show, and certainly worth noting as worthy of a visit for next year.

Keith Bluemel
05/2014


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