Welcome to Brooklands.
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
When visiting the annual Italian Car day at Brooklands (April 30) you really do need to keep circulating the site, as cars come and go throughout the day. Some stay all day, some for just a few hours, owner’s club groups meet up and picnics get laid out. During lunchtime a group of vehicles selected by the event sponsor Auto Italia Magazine, ranging from Abarth Grand Prix to a Ferrari SF90, took to the adjacent Mercedes Benz World Test track for some demo laps in front of a large crowd that had crossed the river Wey to join them.
Later in the afternoon it was time for the Test Hill to take centre stage. The Test Hill was opened in 1909 to allow manufacturers to test their vehicles’ abilities to climb steep hills. The gradient goes from 1 in 8 to 1 in 5 with the top third being 1 in 4. The biggest cheers for a successful climb being given to various Fiat 500s that attacked the fearsome gradient. So all in all another successful day which started rather chilly but had warmed up by mid morning. Below, the Fiats at the event this year.
Fiat Gamine, often called a Noddy car, after the Enid Blyton children’s book character, in the UK.
Balillas and a Fiat Special.
Probably unique on British roads and Mille Miglia eligible as well, 1936 Fiat 6C 1500.
Such an elegant looking car, Fiat 124 Coupe BC Model.
Very rare in the UK these days, two Fiat 124 AC Model Coupes.
A definite “When was the last time you saw one of these?” A Fiat Strada 65CL, or to our European readers a 65CL Ritmo.
Fiat 131 Supermirafiori 1600 Twin Cam.
At the end of a line of Fiat Punto Abarths, a rather lovely Fiat 850 Coupe, parked just under the Members Bridge.
Fiat Osca 1600S
Another view of the Fiat Osca 1600S
1964 Fiat 2300S Ghia Coupe, purchased new from Anthony Crook Motors of Hersham by Reginald Wright, a foundry owner from Wolverhampton for use at his house in the South of France.
Little and.. not as little, Fiat 500 and 600.
Now the darling of the St Moritz set, Fiat Panda 4 X 4 Sisley. The aircraft behind is the ex Sultan of Oman’s Vickers 1103 VC10, built at Brooklands and delivered to British United Airlines in 1964 before passing to British Caledonian Airways in 1970. After refurbishment at BAC Turn it joined the Omani Royal Flight in 1974. Its last flight was from Oman to Brooklands via Heathrow on the 6th July 1987.
Fiat X1/9s
Fiats, 128 Coupes, a Barchetta and a Coupe 20 Valve, From the days when Fiat made more than just 500s.
Fiat Abarth Spider, built in 1974 for Sergio Barbasio for the World Rally Championship. originally built 8 valve before becoming one of the first to be uprated to wide body spec.
In 1975, fitted with a 16 valve engine, it became Hanno Mikkola’s mount with Mikkola and his co driver Jean Todt finishing second in the Monte Carlo and Portugal Rally. Roberto Cambiaghi and Emmanuele Sanfront then used it to win the 1975 Italian Rally Championship. In 1976 the car was sold to a Swiss team who only used the car in a few events until blowing the engine.
An exact replica of the 1965 Bertone Abarth OT 1000 circulates on the track during the lunch break with an Abarth 750 GT Zagato in close pursuit.
Abarth Grand Prix
Abarth 1000 at least!