With attractions that include outdoor exhibits for Fiats and Ferraris as well as 11 roofs for Giuliettas, Barchettas and Fantaisies.
As a Lancia Appia owner, I have to admit that seeing Auto e Moto d’Epoca (Vintage Cars and Motorcycles) in Italy overwhelmed me. It’s an exhibition of Italian cars from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s— almost every Italian car enthusiast will tell you to make a pilgrimage to this exhibit. As someone who loves these cars so much, I strongly encourage everyone to take this trip at least once in their life.
The Carplace attracts enthusiasts of cool cars and car parts from around the world. It takes place in a huge 1.2 million square foot area — or 28 acres — every year. Since 1983, the exposition center located in Padua, Italy has acted as a place to exchange cars and parts. However, it quickly expanded with popularity.
The show has 1600 exhibitors and 5000 cars and motorcycles. By contrast, next week in Los Angeles there’s a show called Best of France and Italy on November 6th at Woodley Park in Van Nuys, California, and it’s by far my favorite show in the world. The show usually has around 400 cars. what! Peanuts compared to Auto e Moto d’Epoca!
“This show is amazing because it’s truly a paradise for anyone who loves Italian cars,” said author, “Jay Leno Garage” star and current CEO of the Audland Collection, Donald Osborne. “You can find all parts, manuals, accessories, cars for sale, cars for sale and a wealth of club resources here.”
Major manufacturers celebrate their heritage with special stands highlighting their classic car collections. Ferrari Classiche, the agency that verifies the authenticity of your car, has brought six beautiful and historic Ferraris, from the successor replica of the first Ferrari 125 S, to the Daytona, Dino and a gorgeous red F40 in perfect condition.
“Every car has a story, every car is special, every car is certified by Ferrari Classiche,” said Michel Morano, director of the Ferrari Museum in Modena and Maranello. “We bought it here. The exhibition is a Ferrari forever, because every Ferrari is forever.”
Roberto Giolito has worked in the design departments of Fiat and Alfa Romeo for 32 years and is now the heritage director of these brands as well as Lancia and Abarth. He brought a range of beautiful cars, from the Lancia Delta Integrale to the 1966 Fiat Abarth 1000 SP race car.
“Sharing this ‘historical’ vision is important because companies and brands with the history, approach and expertise are important in a project that connects all these treasures to a future dimension,” Giolito said.
Just ahead of this year’s Auto e Moto, Alfa launched the Alfa Romeo Classiche Heritage program, “a series of services that will preserve and promote the history of the iconic Italian car brand”.
Even Mercedes-Benz showcases the latest examples of specific models and their predecessors each year. This year, the star brought the new Mercedes-AMG SL 63, as well as an excellent example of the previous SL.
“A performance like this is driven by passion,” said Radek Jelinek, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italia. “We brought a new model over the years, and then we brought in the predecessors of this model to showcase the model’s legacy.”
It’s not like an old-fashioned car show. Manufacturers are just one of many facets of the old car hobby that d’Epoca showcases. There are many examples of restored homes and their latest projects for sale.
HK Engineering from Polling, Germany, parked across from the Mercedes stand, which included two of their special models, the 300 SL. Eterna Classic Car Restorations, from the Piedmont region of Italy, has a shiny Alfa Romeo Touring 1900 Sprint Speciale metal case that looks so beautiful that it’s almost a shame they’d have to paint it. The Red Carb Classic specializes in carburetor restorations, with around 200 on display.
There are also classic car dealerships like Stefano Aleotti’s Autohaus Ruote da Sogno, which must have brought around 100 cars and motorcycles. Alleotti now sells more cars than ever before.
“It’s a perfect storm,” he said of the current climate for selling used cars. “Before Covid, people thought we were all immortal, so they had to plan for the future and save. Now they want to live.”
What a wonderful life. Osborne has been going to Auto e Moto d’Epoca every year for the past 11 years and he loves cars and parts as much as people.
“Buzz, I mean it’s an international show, you see the Germans, the British, the French and the Americans who are coming back now, all here enjoying the glory of Italian cars and the singularity of Italian cars. I mean the whole stand is just for scooter and motorcycle parts? It’s an amazing thing. I always try to use a sense of scale here because I can buy anything.”
Over the years, he has bought two cars and countless books, manuals and art. I searched, found and purchased the owner’s manual for a 1972 Lancia Fulvia HF Series II myself for a friend who just bought these cars. It’s not cheap, but you won’t find any of these in a library. You can find them on Auto e Moto.
“It’s one of those things you have to buy when you see it because you can’t find anything else. You haven’t seen it in 30 years. I mean, how many Continental tank engines can you find in a flea market in America ? asked Osborne as we stood next to a giant V12 engine the size of two American washing machines.
Indeed, where else? Only here.
The plan is to move the entire show to their new, larger home in Bologna next year.
Connor Mason is a passionate automotive journalist and the author behind the popular website motonews.info. With years of experience in the automotive industry, Connor is well-versed in all things related to cars and motorcycles.
