Nothing Is Like the Mille Miglia
….said the advert in the classic motoring magazines, and I couldn’t agree with them more.
Peter Harper and Sheila Van Damm famously competed in the new Rapier in the 1956 Mille Miglia 1,000 mile road race winning the Special Series Touring Class at their first attempt. In 1957, Harper had an equally strong race in the works Rapier, but Van Damm, in a sister car crashed before Verona. This was the last Mille Miglia as the Marquis de Portago left the road at well over a 100mph in his Ferrari killing himself, co-driver and many spectators. Road racing was banned thereafter.
In 1977, the Brescia Automobile Club organised the 1000 Miglia Rally to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1st race. This has continued ever since becoming the most successful rally in the world. Today, 375 cars are selected from 1,500 applicants in marques that competed in period. You can imagine how blown away I was when my 1956 Series 1 Rapier was invited.
I am the 3rd owner of ‘my’ Rapier, which has reputedly covered just 17,000 miles from new. It is a very early car with single Stromberg carburettor and column gear change. It had been laid up for many years but is extremely sound.
Preparations for the event began in earnest in March (all thanks to Brian and the guys at Techniques!). All the rubber seals in the brake and master cylinders were changed, the blocked radiator was re-cored and the overdrive sent off to Overdrive Spares of Rugby where the seized internal clutch was replaced. The brakes were stripped and the fronts relined with competition linings. As a precaution, all the inlet and exhaust valves, springs and cotters were replaced with new items complimented with a new head gasket (learning from that TV chef's experience!!). A round trip of 300 miles proved the car road worthy save for a leaking rear hub, which was easily rectified with a new seal.
Leigh Sebba agreed to be navigator and with Chris Dady and I, we towed the car down to Italy behind Leigh's Land Rover. The Sunbeam club agreed to supply a boot full of spares should the worst happen. We were all set.
Being sealed in Brescia
8:53pm on Thursday 12th May will remain one of the best moments of my life. The Rapier mounted the starting ramp to rapturous applause. With cameras flashing, loudspeakers blaring out incomprehensible Italian, save for the words “Sunbeam Rapier”, I selected 2nd and headed out into the packed streets of Brescia. Within a few hundred yards we had to stop and wait for our first of many regularity tests. These tests were over varying distances and terrain where we had to reach the finish within 1/100th of a second!!
With the first few tests behind us, we headed out onto the open road. Every roundabout was packed with Italians cheering on the Mille Miglia cars. The car was running beautifully. We had the windows fully wound down (it had been 30 degrees in Bresica) and the glow from the dashboard instruments made the drive especially pleasurable.
Behind us, faster Gullwing Mercedes, Maseratis and Ferraris flashed the Rapier as they tore past. But we caught them all up again at the time control at Sirmione Castello on Lake Garda. More regularity tests followed then it was back on the open road to Verona.
We reached Verona at 11:28pm, clocking in just 10 minutes late after a spirited 70 mile drive. Verona was packed with spectators trying to get a glimpse of the MM cars. Rowan Atkinson was a big draw driving one of the works BMW’s from the factory museum. For us, there was no time to waste, as we were keen to make up the 10 minute deficit.
The route now took us towards Bologna along fast roads interspersed with tiny villages. The overdrive was coming into its own with a quick flick from overdrive 4th to 4th proper for overtaking and negotiating the wide roundabouts as rapidly as possible. We reached Bologna at 2:11am beating our target time of 2:23am after completing a further 80 miles. We had finished the first day of the rally. The car was in perfect working order, just the driver and navigator were beginning to show signs of wear!!
Brian flew in to do his usual race check thing
After a few hours sleep, we were back at the car to fill up with petrol ready to start the 2nd leg. The route out of Bologna was fast and furious. Most of the road junctions were marshalled by police who merrily waved the MM cars through red lights. We came to one unmanned traffic light so we decided to stop. The Porsches, Ferraris and Mercedes had no such concerns and jumped the lights regardless.
The road was now long and straight with traffic in both directions. Nevertheless, the MM cars took to the middle of the road expecting the oncoming traffic to give way….all at speeds in excess of 100mph. We were more circumspect and only nosed out into oncoming traffic if we felt we had sufficient time to cut back in. We were running at a steady 70mph with short bursts of 80mph. There was still a long way to go.
At San Marino, we were directed into the beautiful hill top centre normally closed to traffic. Coming into the main square, we were surprised to catch Mika Hakkinen driving the works Mercedes 300 SLR – made famous by Stirling Moss’ win in ‘55.
Rapier is held up by Mercedes 300 SLR...honest!!
From San Marino, we headed south and began to climb. The weather was still glorious but the temperature gauge sat resolutely at 170 degrees. The Rapier was never going to be quick up the steep inclines but she took it all in her stride. Coming down the other side on switch back roads was another matter. The car flew, with the competition linings coming into their own aided by flicking the overdrive in and out of third to gain extra retardation from the engine. The steering was loading up however, not helped by the new radials, although the extra grip saved us on more than one occasion!
As we came and went through the myriad historic villages, we were presented with gifts of local produce - strawberries, cakes and biscuits. This was to keep us going throughout the day as we seemed never to have any time to stop for meals.
Interrupting Brian and Chris's lunch
We reached Rome at 11:16pm after a 13 hour, non stop drive over 350 miles. I was shattered and my shoulders were aching from the constant left right left of the switchback roads. Before we could turn in, the MM cars were paraded through Rome with a police escort visiting all the famous land marks – though I was too tired to take too much notice. With the car parked up, we nipped up the brakes after their pounding in the hills – just to be sure.
We were in bed by 3.00am but I had mislaid the car keys. At 4.00am they still had not been found so I spent the next two hours working out in my mind how to hot wire the ignition switch. Arriving back at the car at 7.00am, I need not have worried…. the keys were still in the ignition where I had left them!!
To the final day, the weather was still hot and we left Rome with a police escort to more cheering and clapping. The car didn’t seem to be pulling as well as it should. Within a few miles, the front brakes were cooked. I pulled over and let them cool down then adjusted the brakes one click back to where they were the night before!
We were now behind time but made good progress to the Autodromo de Vallelunga for another timed test. The Rapier performed extremely well on the race circuit, though the angle of lean achieved was sometimes a bit alarming!!
Racing the Rapier
From Vallelunga we headed north into Tuscany passing through Siena, home of the famous horse race and then Florence. We now had our biggest challenge to date, the Futa and Raticosa passes snaking their way though the Apennine mountains for over 40 miles. The road over the mountains was full of super cars, super bikes and classic cars all trying to join in with the Mille Miglia celebrations. Unfortunately, they were not all going in the same direction, and the bikes in particular, were cutting the corners. This had to be the most dangerous section of the rally, not because of the roads, but the mad drivers in non MM cars and bikes. We had many a near miss only saved by the tenacious grip of the radials and with my adrenaline helping me haul the car out of the way of on coming traffic.
Pee stop above the snow line
We reached the penultimate time control just north of Bolgona at 8:39pm though now 1½ hours behind schedule. We had only one goal in sight, finishing in Brescia by midnight.
And finish we did, though at what time exactly, I was too tired to take notice. The Rapier was proudly driven back up the finishing ramp, to the surprise of some, to be placed 271st out of 375 cars. Jochen Mass was 275th and Hakkinen 277th. Beers were in order!!
The Rapier had performed faultlessly save a loose door catch and the over adjusted brake. We had driven 1000 miles in just over two days. Leighs navigating skills were flawless. It was the most exhausting event that I had ever done but there is not another car I would have rather done it in (but there were many I would rather have taken home!!). The Rapier was supreme causing more than a few raised eyebrows and for all the right reasons.
With thanks to Leigh, Brian and Chris - all good mog folk....with perhaps a hint of Sunbeam now?
Still awake?
john
Looks like Mikka was equally surprised, isn't he saying to his navi "It is John Clarke, I told you...look in the mirror"