2009 Auto Italia Brooklands

Today saw the annual Auto Italia event at Brooklands, and we were there to check out some of the Italian Exotica! For owners of Italian cars, from Fiats to Ferrari’s, it’s one of the first chances of the year to show off their pride and joy.

Starting with a couple of cars that stuck out most to me while I was there. The Evolution 2 Motorsport 430 is an impressive machine. The one on display was a one off and featured a number of modifications including a Novitec twin turbo conversion which boosted power to an incredible 707bhp. A lowered engine means a lower center of gravity and improved handling. The body modifications are pure Evolution 2 Motorsport and have their routes firmly set in the companies racing projects. This car flew up the hill faster than any other car on the day… only after the adjustable suspension had raised the ride height to deal with the bumps!

Another car that stuck out from the rest was the Lamborghini Diablo GT (No. 8/80). It’s low slung aggressive looks made it a real head turner which makes it a real shame that it was stuck out in the overflow car park instead of it’s rightful place with the rest of the Lamborghini’s.

Turning to some of the trade at the event, a number of large exotic car dealers were at the event to show of some of their current stock. Verdi, HR Owen, DK Engineering and Joe Macari’s were the most noticeable. Between them they bought some of the shows most expensive cars including 2 Ferrari California’s, a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, F50, Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder and an Alfa Romeo 8C. All had huge price tags!

The prize for most valuable car at the show had to go to the Alfa Romeo P3, previously the property of Scuderia Ferrari in it’s early years. It made a great noise as it climbed the hill. Another infamous Ferrari product that also saw an outing up the hill was the Chris Evan’s owned Ferrari 250 California.

Among the normal crowd of Ferrari’s, Maserati’s and Lamborghini’s a few cars were worth special mentions. The ‘Gumball’ Lamborghini Murcielago and Diablo that had evidently lost their way to the start line and acquired the wrong set of stickers were the first! The matte black F430 was another, as was the stunning black Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera with exposed carbon fiber wing. Personal favorites were the Ferrari 250 SWB’s, one from DK engineering, the other from an owner and the black Miura SV parked up next to the standard car.

As well as the exotica we’ve mentioned there were a series of other, more common and less expensive cars. Fiat 500’s and Lancia Delta’s were among the most common. The Abarth tuning arm of the Fiat group even had their own hospitality area at the bottom of the infamous hill climb. It’s a great day out and I would recommend it to anybody living in the UK and sharing our love of Italian cars.