The Vernasca Silver Flag 2023 – Hillclimb to heaven!
The story of the 27th edition of the Vernasca Silver Flag is really two stories – both very Suixtil as you’ll see.
The first one starts with Alex, he of Suixtil Benelux, roping in some friends in the Netherlands to ride down to Piacenza, Italy, taking all the backroads, mountain passes and impossible trails to make the journey as unforgettable as possible. Oh, and did we mention, that they all rode with their respective classics – 2 D-type replicas, 1 XK120 (that met exhausting problems), 1 Sprint Veloce (and 1 modern Porsche for just in case)… This went as well as could be imagined, even if Alex complained (rather a lot) about the relative incomfort of endurance driving – which, of course, makes you wonder about the heroes of yesteryear… But have a look for yourselves:
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- Captain’s care
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- but will it all fit
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- On the road again
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- On the road again
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- quick pit stop on the way
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- on the road, again (but check out those views)
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- on the road, again (but check out those views)
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- Sleep tight now
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- So glad you made it
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- what are we looking for here
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- Someone looks tired, no exhausted even
And then, once finally arrived, things got really interesting when that crew met with all the participants who’d signed up for the sheer madness of a 9km Italian hill climb where it seemed that the only condition set for a car to participate was that it needed to be beautiful (that must be the Italian approach we have heard so much about). And yes, the team from Claudio Casali pulled it off, again – the skies were incredible, the vistas without seconds, the cars – at this juncture they cannot be merely cars, they are more like rolling/roaring sculptures – unbelievable and the overall atmosphere still so relaxed and good-humored. Very fortunate that Alex had brought another stack of decals, as most participants wanted to have Lady Luck as a co-pilot. Check it out the amazing images that we collected (with thanks & © mostly to Paolo Diamanti and the team at Ruote Leggendarie – our Italian partners):
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- the road ahead
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- who doesn’t love a good crowd
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- Some came prepared – congrats
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- Alex is ready for the prize giving – or is that getting
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- shared purpose
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- Looks like it’s going to take some doing
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- then she said ‘what time you’re coming home’, ‘and?’, ‘well, I ‘m here’
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- the definition of filter coffee, no
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- 2 babes roll into an Italian village…
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- A stange beast of a Sehcar, ready for take off
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- all the way from the flat lands to find a proper hillclimb
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- all traffic, no jam
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- and here’s another one ready for take off
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- another D-ay at the office
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- Another great classic – the 8C, of course
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- can you see them now
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- Giulia Sprint GT Veloce from head to toes
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- Not sure that bike should really try the hillclimb now
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- hey, little sister
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- high noon…
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- …at the trattoria
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- how about that for loaded
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- HWM F1 GP from 54 – with provenance
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- take a good look at that HWM F1 GP car from ’54
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- that’s the provenance
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- in the ‘you don’t see that everyday’ series…
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- t’s a well-known fact that 3 is a company – wait
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- magnificent Cisitalia going up the hill
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- playing hide and seek
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- rare Reliant Mistral
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- smells like (Dutch) team spirit
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- Stunning settings
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- Stunning settings
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- talking of which, will you look at those pipes
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- that’s a proper view
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- that’s the spirit
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- the company you keep
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- the mean machine(s)
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- the red pig getting started
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- the scenic route
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- trying for the church on time thing
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- what are you looking at
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- what do you mean long nose
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- what’s the plural of glorious
What else is there to say? Only that, once again, you’d find yourselves well-served to listen to our advice and get registered for the next edition – we hear it will be wild – at life speed!