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.