Big news in the world of vintage car competitions: the “ACI Historic Car Commission” has just been renewed. Paolo Cantarella, historic Fiat CEO, remains at the helm for the third consecutive time. Alongside him are industry authorities: trust is renewed in pillars of the history of collecting and vintage motorsport. Among these stand out the reappointments of Fabio Tittarelli and Roberto Marazzi, figures of proven experience and essential points of reference within the environment, together with prominent names such as Federico Ormezzano and Carlo Borromeo. One of the main novelties of this term is the entry of Gianluca Bardelli, an expert connoisseur of the sector and an active element in the historic car scene, a valuable addition that brings solid and recognized expertise to the board.
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A reorganization in line with the new ACI strategy that has just seen the arrival of Mario Isola as General Manager of ACI Sport and Miki Biasion at the head of the Rally Commission.
The strategy
There is talk of a “revolution,” of a “maxi team,” of “rewriting future rules.” Here is the point: rewriting the future rules of a world that exists only because it refuses to have a future. It is a delicate operation. It is necessary to ensure that vintage cars continue to be vintage without becoming museum pieces, that historic rallies remain historic without turning into carnival parades, that collectors can still dream without having to ask permission from Brussels every time they change a gasket.
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The Commission, they explain at ACI, guarantees “the perfect balance between the authority of continuity and the freshness of new skills.” Looking at the complete list of the fifteen commissioners, one gets the impression of an extended family council, gathered around a table to decide whether grandpa’s old Alfa Romeo should still go out on Sundays or stay under the cover in the garage. Yet, behind that list, there is an Italy that resists: that of clubs, hill climbs, Sundays spent on the track tuning old cars, the smell of gasoline and nostalgia. An Italy that, while the rest of the country discusses electric and zero emissions, continues to want to bring vintage cars to the track.
Perhaps Cantarella and his colleagues will not really rewrite the rules of the future. Perhaps they will simply protect, with the usual Italian patience, a piece of the past that stubbornly refuses to become present. And in this, frankly, there is more poetry than can be found in any business plan. Beautiful, isn’t it?
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The complete composition of the Historic Car Commission:
Paolo Cantarella (President)
Francesco Giammarino
Natale Mannino
Fabio Tittarelli
Roberto Marazzi
Luca Monti
Federico Ormezzano
Mauro Valerio
Sandro Zucchi
Gino Taddei
Filippo Musti
Antonio Milo
Gianluca Bardelli
Vincenzo Barone
Carlo Borromeo
