Mille Miglia 2012
The Mille Miglia is a tough rally, both for people and equipment. Some of the participating vehicles have probably covered fewer kilometers in total over the last few years than they did in the three days between May 17 and 19, 2012. The teams spend around 35 hours in their vehicles, regardless of how inclement the weather is or how uncomfortable the narrow racing seats feel. The technology has to work extremely hard, because there are uphill and downhill sections, traffic jams, and stop-and-go moments. We put our 1955 Austin Healey 100/4 through this endurance test. With start number 263, it took part in the 2012 Mille Miglia. Italian makes predominate, but German, English, and French makes are also well represented, while vehicles from Spain, Sweden, and America are more of a rarity.
The largest brand participation among the 383 participants at the start came from Alfa Romeo and Jaguar (36 vehicles), followed by Mercedes (31), Fiat (29), Porsche (29), Aston Martin (23), Ferrari (20), BMW (18), Lancia (18), Bugatti (17), etc. There are also clusters among the individual models: 16 BMW 328s (including derivatives) were at the start, 23 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs (including SLR variants), many Porsche 356s and many Jaguar XK 120/140s, and of course a handful of Austin Healeys.
Technical inspection
The technical inspection of participating vehicles took place on Wednesday, May 16, for the fifth time in the Fiora exhibition hall in Brescia. Early in the morning, participants picked up their documents, affixed their start numbers, and had their cars inspected by FIVA commissioners.
Start in Brescia
The 2012 edition of the Mille Miglia started at 7:00 p.m. Our Healey had a start time of 8:03 p.m. The evening/night stage took us from Brescia via Lake Garda, Verona, Vicenza, and Padua to Ferrara in beautiful weather, watched and applauded by thousands of spectators and flag-waving fans. Shortly before 2 a.m., the first stage of the day was completed. Only the throttle linkage of the 100/4 needed a little greasing, and then man and machine could enjoy a well-deserved night’s rest.
All roads lead to Rome
The following day, the participants tackled the stage from Ferrara to Rome, which included 20 time trials. The Argentinians Scalise-Claramunt were the day’s winners, followed by Canè-Galliani in second place and Moceri-Cavalleri in third place in Rome. Unfortunately, our friend Horst Lichter and his co-driver Dieter Griesenbach had to drop out again with their Ferrari 750 Monza. In Rome, in the tunnel of the dark city, the technology failed.
Back to the north
As always, the third and final day led from Rome back to the starting point in Brescia. The route continued to Modena, where a time trial was scheduled at the Fiorano racetrack. At the finish line in Brescia, the happy winners Scalise Claudio/Claramunt Daniel toasted each other in their 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 GS. Second place went to Canè Giuliano/Galliani Lucia in a 1939 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster, and third place to Moceri Giovanni/Cavalleri Tiberio in a 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans. So nothing had changed in the rankings since Rome. Our Austin Healey finished 109th in the overall standings. A big thank you goes to Schüco, who provided the vehicle, and to Roberto Brovazzo and Ettore Zambonini, who drove the Healey swiftly but safely throughout the entire thousand miles. Another thank you goes to Calo, who provided technical support.
Mille Grazie
