VITA SMERALDA
It’s the 007th edition of Poltu Quatu Classic, we’re right on the white sandy beach that saw Her Majesty’s most adventurous spy emerging from the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean after battling all sorts of baddies on land, air and underwater; but instead of feeling like a secret agent having to fight for his life I’m feeling more like part of the Great Gatsby’s entourage, celebrating la Dolce Vita.
It all started at the Poltu Quatu village, the hidden gem of Costa Smeralda nestled at the far end of a natural marina - the second best way to arrive here is of course aboard a yacht. But I’ve taken the first best option - onboard a car, and like myself 52 crews of the other cars entering this glamorous concours d’elegance. Mixing colours and shapes, and even if almost the whole spectrum known to the human eye is present in front of me, there’s no single fizzy hue that strikes out; they all complement each other. Or is it the Sardinian light? And it’s the same for the people I'm chatting with, coming from different walks of life and all 4 corners of the world, all made to feel welcomed by Simone Bertolero, the heart, brain and sometimes even muscle of the event. His immediate family is getting a big extension for the weekend, and we’re connected by a petrol fuelled liaison.
Such is the seductive allure of Poltu Quatu Classic that for some people, myself included, it becomes addictive. Once you’ve been there you’re bound to come back, and for a lucky few this date in the calendar has become a regular fixture. I’m meeting among them our friend Gianluca Maggiore, the ex-Alfa engineer whom you might remember for his restomodded Ferrari. If last year he brought a vintage car completely transformed, this year he’s trying a different approach, by entering his very first car, a sweet Herbiesque Maggiolino, still very much in original shape and form. It joins the traditional by now hippie VW bus in the “Peace&Love” category. Funnily enough, the Italian touch in this class is brought by a lovely German couple and their evergreen Innocenti Coupe. You don’t need a huge budget to show off the Italian style, or to win the class for that matter.
My eye is immediately caught by an Azzurro Celeste Spider Duetto, just gracefully floating around. It’s the same well known and revered by alfisti Italian icon, but wearing this lighter, more suited for the summer dress that makes me want to have a second, and even a third look - it’s the best version of the first series too, the 1750 Veloce. It faces some tough completion in this class though - a trio of Lancia B24 Aurelia, equally beautiful but somehow one of them is standing out: it’s the original car from the cult movie “Il Sorpasso”, celebrating in 2022 - just as Costa Smeralda itself - its 60th anniversary. Based on the historical background and the huge cultural reference it represents, one would say this Aurelia is a winner a priori. But then you hear there’s another rather special car present: a Porsche 356, the first of its series, delivered new to a certain Raul Castro. Tough group indeed.
The discerning jury’s experience and knowledge comes more into focus when asked to evaluate the “Ferrarissima 75” class: three gorgeous prancing horses of the purest breed: a Ferrari 250 TdF, a 212 bodied Vignale complete with a build sheet signed off by Enzo Ferrari and last but not least a 365 GTC presented by Rosso Corsa Milano. On the other side of the stable, a young and wild F40, impressing young and older kids now just as much as it did in 1987 when it was first seen.
Talking about motoring titans, they’re all here in the “Rally Queens” class - the Martini liveried Integrale next to the bigger than life Lancia Stratos sporting the Alitalia colours - a one owner since new car, who admitted frankly that he failed to win any race some 40 years ago (not because of the cars limitations but of his own), an original Prodrive workhorse of a Subaru Impreza and the equivalent of an F1 car for the WRC, the technology laden, 1994 San Remo winning Toyota Celica. The Pirelli trophy - a miniature tire identical to the one lifted by Charles Leclerc on one of his better weekends - went to the most travelled car, the Ferrari 308 GT4, 3 years after finishing the Peking - Paris car driven by Giorgio Schon of Rosso Corsa.
Alfa lovers have been spoiled at this edition of Poltu Quatu Classic. Or maybe the most die hard, unforgiving of us have had their faith put to the test: in the “Something Special” class there were not one, but two very particular Alfas. Garage Italia’s hybridised Spider, previously on display at their Milano headquarters now making its dynamic debut, and perhaps the most striking car of the event, a Giulia Quadrifoglio made to look by the Turin based coachbuilder ErreErre FuoriSerie as if the Giulia of the ‘60 had a direct lineage today. For all its controversial styling, I’m wholeheartedly applauding the effort to pay an homage to Giulia Tipo 105 right on its 60th anniversary, as any Alfa based individual project can only be born out of pure passion for the Biscione. As far as I know, it’s also the only customisation project based on a sedan in the world, so one could say this relates to the regular Giulia the same way that the Disco Volante relates to the 8C.
No attempt to Make La Vita Dolce Again would have a chance of succeeding without a jolly bunch of Spiagginas - as close to the concept of toys for grown ups as cars can get. Besides the delicious cinquecentos so characteristic of the “vacanze italiane” at the beach, this year a very rare creature showed up, ready to leave the seashore and climb the nearby mountains if needed: the 6 wheeled Lucertola.
It must be clear by now that this is a show like no other, perhaps the only car event in the world where the human touch is just as important as the quality of metal on display. It doesn't get more personal than witnessing an automotive constructor showcasing his creation: Mr. Ruf and his carbon monocoque interpretation of Ferdinand Porche's dream of a forever young sports car, accompanied by his daughter Aloise in a greenalicious 911 bearing their company's trademarks. A motoring dynasty in the making here.
For all of the relaxed and typically Italian carefree atmosphere, Poltu Quatu Classic is serious business. The only Italian event other than Villa d'Este sanctioned by FIVA is conducted differently though. It involves you and it touches you like no other event. You're so involved in this non-stop automotive party that you can hitch a ride from one playground of the rich and beautiful to the other, in a friendly spiaggina, or, if you're brave enough, in an eardrums breaking rally car. And because this event is one of a kind, set in a unique (some might say best) place in the world its legacy can only be innovative. The winner of this year's edition is the Lancia 037 rally car, closing the circle opened in 1983 when it started in the Costa Smeralda rally. In the words of Paolo Tumminelli, chairman of the jury (including among others legendary Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni and social media guru Shayan Bokaie): "the world is moving on and with it we evolve too. If up until now a predictable winner of a concours d'elegance was always a pre-war car or one from the '50s, the time has come to put into the spotlight more recent cars, that have become classics in their own right."
Congratulations Simone and the entire team for raising the competitional bar, and thank you for offering us an incredible escape from all of the world's problems. Life that's not Dolce is not life at all.
Photos courtesy of Degler Studio.
