Tutte le news
Reading a bit of our site pages, in preparation for the upcoming Beijing-Paris, we realized that we never properly thanked Ezio Feliciani. He is the mechanic friend that has always allowed us to tackle long trips and to go back on our four wheels. It was he who prepared our Lancia Flavia coupé (Vagabunda) for the first Beijing-Paris 1997. Then he put it back on track to travel for the 33,000 kilometers of Around the World in 80 days in 2000. In 2001, he allowed us to face more than 25,000 grueling kilometers of Inca Trail ( Rio-Lima-Ushuaia-Rio). The mere length of this rally does not give the idea of what similar races were and what degree of preparation was necessary for running them.
In the first Beijing-Paris, we had suffered problems of carburetion. Ezio had put in our toolbox two small jets, wrapped in linen paper. That "little stupid package" was the first thing that I threw away when I started to search some pins ... Somebody advised us to remove one carburetor of the double body. Thus mutilated, Vagabunda began to run again, it reached Tibet and Himalaya, It has risen five times over five thousand meters. Then, in Greece, a fake oil made us melt a gasket. We found Ezio at Ancona port, he worked all night and he returned us an exuberant Flavia.
In Around the world, things went much better: in Beijing we were even first in our category. Then, in the north of Canada we ended up off the road. We rolled down for thirty meters: axle was broken, windshield and rear window were shattered, we lost mainspring and shock absorber, we dispersed in the bush all that we had in the trunk. You can not imagine how the body of the car was reduced, but the engine ... Ezio's engine whirred still perfectly. This was why we decided we could continue - but so bruised - our long journey. We left Vagabunda to a body shop for a couple of days, we managed to reach the caravan and made other 12,000 kilometers to finish the race. When Ezio saw the Flavia, he confessed that he secretly placed an image of "Our Lady" under a seat. "She has protected you - he said, holding back tears-. She brought you back home safe and sound! "
On the occasion of the Inca Trail we found, before departure from Rio de Janeiro, an old Italian mechanic. When he saw the plate Workshop Feliciani, he told us that he knew him very well. They raced together in motion when they were very young. Then he immediately phoned to Ezio and told him he had in the workshop a Flavia leaking oil from all sides and did not know where to put his hands. After a moment of panic, Ezio knew it was only a joke and started to laugh with us. In South America, we had every kind of problems but Feliciani's engine never betrayed us.
On our return, Ezio worked again for the umpteenth time on "his" Flavia. He is now proud to know that everyone can admire it in the Museum Bonfanti Bassano. He always considered "Vagabunda" as one of his creatures.
As soon as we saw the ad on "carandclassic.co.uk" we immediately thought to our followers. A deal like that should be offered only to our loyal readers, right? The car, a Fiat 500 made in 1969, is absolutely spotless, it made very few kilometers. It was ordered, with the right-hand drive, by a passionate eccentric Englishman who then never came to collect it. This explains why it is so well preserved. Recently it has been restored and can be qualified as "just out of the factory ". The use has been limited to a few marriage, to two or three appearances on television, background for fashion and commercial music. In short, it is like a charming soubrette, with its delicious white livery. Somebody can say, but then why don't you buy it? Well, I'm a bit on costs and then the required amount - quite frankly - is a little over budget. Indeed, it represents the maximum serious value required for a 500 F: 24,995 pounds. At today's exchange rate would be € 38,254...
Lord Edward Montagu, Ed for friends, died. And we had the privilege to be considered friends. We knew him from the first edition of the Beijing-Paris, September 1997. It had been possible to organize the rally mainly thanks to his oxen offices. He was proud to start with the number 1 that had been assigned to his Vauxhall dated 1915, but the car was the first to leave the rally for a broken radiator. Lord Edward was hosted on the car of another competitor who, shortly after, was also forced to retire. Montagu wanted to remain in the caravan, accommodating and happy. After the last camp in Nepal, I remember him in woolen underwear to queue to the showers, two tubes with ice water coming out from a wall. He joked with another competitor, Idris Shah, who was to become King of Malaysia. Franco Ciriminna, who was participating with a legendary Fiat 1100 convertible, said: "I know, nobody willI believe me. When I will tell to my friends in Palermo that one day, in Nepal I was taking a shower with a Lord and a King ..." Edward had created in 1952, in his boundless held Hampshire (near the Cistercian of 1204), the first English museum of vintage cars. There were millions of visitors, libraries, a personal highway, and a monorail. And the famous Autojumble, a gigantic trade show that attracts in summer crowds of enthusiasts. Bon vivant, lover of jazz and theater. One of the greatest personalities in the world of vintage cars fans dies. But not his dream, not his ideas.
We should cross Australia from one side to the other, from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. The continent "down there", made of red earth and spaces, will be the scene of a great adventure for historic cars. The appointment is for July 2017. Conrad Birch, with his Roarr, who already brought us to India and Indochina, is organizing it. The problem (apart money) could be our age and the think to start again after the efforts for the Peking to Paris we will race next year. Of course, in Australia we always thought we would give a jump, otherwise what would be the meaning of our website "girodelmondo'' (aroundtheworld)...
Giuseppe Percivati, Beppe Pagliaccio (Clown), Pepe Gaka is always him. One of the myths of Girodelmondo. Five years ago he was in Sansepolcro not to tell a trip made (this was the theme of the festival) but the project to go with the Vespa up in Japan. He had to receive a scholarship, Faculty of Fine Arts in Turin; he sold a chair, a guitar, and other objects. We bought for 30 € a "Set of lock picks", from its list. We never used it ...". He took a Vespa by adverse possession by his older brother. After one hundred days of authentic adventures, he arrived in Osaka. He kept doing the babysitter. Then he gave vent to his artistic skills by drawing Madonnas in private spaces, car parks and supermarkets. He continued activity madonnaro around Australia, appreciated for the sophistication of its three-dimensional drawings. Now, in Melbourne, he has obtained an official permit as a "street artist". He plays a guitar, draws beautiful Madonnas and amazing trompe-l'oeil. The Vespa? In a Tokyo museum. Sooner or later he will go back to take it for another trip that only his fantasy can imagine. Hope to see you soon Beppe.
We wanted to celebrate differently "one million visits", but we were taken by surprise by a sudden acceleration of contacts. And so we lost the image of round numbers, that one with six zeros. That - admit it - so fills us with pride. We have never done anything to promote this site. We created it to simplify communication with friends and relatives on the occasion of our raids. (1,000,000: crazy things)! Probably who starts to visit us remains involved in the story. And he wants to know how it went. Giro Del Mondo has become an encyclopedia. What will happen in a year, June 14, 2016? We will start the last Peking to Paris in our history, we will leave Zamin Uud, at the Mongolian border, we will reach Onderhill, a poor village of tents in anything of the Gobi desert. Then, the mirage of Ulaan Baatar, still far 500 kilometers of stones and sand. The first stop of the rally. Continue to follow us...
As those who are doing soldier usually say: "365 days dawn" ... And we are in this condition, a year from now we shall fly to Beijing. The car will be already waiting for us, we will collect the license plate and driving licenses in China. We will have to be ready for special tests. We will participate in the briefing. And finally, 12 June 2016, we will wake up early to be on time at the departure ceremony at the Great Wall. The crews should be 113, from 26 different countries. The oldest car? A La France 1915, chain drive, 14,500 of displacement. After China, nine days into thin Mongolian steppes. After in Siberia, crossing the Urals and Carpathians. We will reach Budapest, Trento, and on 17 July to the arrival in place Vendôme. We will update you on this website, as always, in the section dedicated to the great rallies. Logbook daily with pictures and (possibly) short videos. Meanwhile, probably in a week, visitors of our www.girodelmondo.com will exceed one million.
After many successes as a timekeeper in regularity races, Roberto Degli Esposti asserts himself in another discipline: in Perugia he won the regional championship of Italian checkers. He prevailed over a host of very aggressive opponents. The tournament is played in the Checkers clubhouse of Ferro di Cavallo according to the rules of the Federation. With the participation of licensed players from central Italy. Winning the title of regional champion opens to Roberto new horizons in the national championship and - why not? -International ...
During Ecorally, in collaboration with the magazine Ecomobile, to emphasize the importance of responsible driving, we will drink wine without the alcohol. It is produced by the Princess of Lavis, in Trento. This wine comes from grapes following the traditional fermentation processes, as for wine. The alcohol is removed by a special process. "The final product - says Michael Tait of Princess - has the appearance and taste of a traditional wine but with an alcoholic strength by 0.0%. We wanted to promote this product and the relevant social message - explains Ecomobile - because now more than ever we feel the need to combat the abuse of alcohol. "The wines offered are a red, merlot, a white, a rosé, a sparkling rosé and a sparkling wine made chardonnay, which retain most of the scents and flavors of the original wines.
