Stresa Italian selection worth a mention

Once  again Italy was the destination for our family holiday. As soon as the children finished school our cases were packed and off we set in search of a bit of sunshine and heat (we weren’t to be disappointed as most of Europe has been experiencing a heatwave with scorching temperatures).

This year we headed for Stresa in Lake Maggiore and as usual I had my camera at the ready in the hope of snapping some interesting Italian metal. The only warning from my wife was that car photos were not a substitute for family snaps and that I needed to ensure I also took a sufficient number of photos for the family album.

Evidently the Italians remain loyal to the small cars produced by the renowned Italian manufacturers. Fiat 500’s were clearly the most popular model with sales continuing to be strong eight years after it’s relaunch. Other variants of the 500 were also plentiful with a healthy number of 500L’s and the new 500X. It was pleasing to see a variety of different Pandas too, from the original Fiat Panda 45 from the early 1980’s to the latest third generation models. The Lancia Ypsilon is still a popular model too with numerous examples of the latest version seen on the streets of Stresa.

In terms of the larger vehicles the German manufacturers were dominant with an abundance of Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen. Given the lack of Italian cars in the medium to large and executive saloon class the German cars are the chosen set of wheels for many.  But let’s not dwell too much on this – back to the more stylish Italian cars.

On the Alfa Romeo front Giulietta’s were plentiful and I also saw a variety of other Alfas from Mitos, 159’s, 166’s, 156’s and 147’s as well as some older offerings such as series 3 and 4 Spiders,  Alfa 75’s and Alfettas and even the odd Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV. I spotted a few other Lancia’s too – Deltas old and new, some Themas, a Dedra or two and a few Lancia Thesis (a bit of an acquired taste but certainly an interestingly styled car).

Maseratis were not an uncommon sight and despite a number of these being diesel Ghiblis and Quattroportes there was also the unmistakable rumble of some V8 Masers which always turned a few heads as they cruised by – Gran Turismos seemed to be the most popular but Stresa also provided the perfect setting and weather to be seen in a Gran Cabrio. I was also lucky enough to spy a Maserati Sebring nestling in a hotel garage.

I didn’t see as many Ferraris as I had expected (and when I did I never seemed to have my camera at the ready)  but the high pitched, almost screaming sound of the exhausts on the 458’s and 430’s that I did see always brought a smile to my face.

I did spot 4 British registered supercars, which were presumably on a European road trip – there was an Aston Martin, a Jaguar F type, a Mercedes SL and the final one was a Ferrari 550 Maranello.

There were a number of “car highlights” on my holiday – the first being a gathering  of beautiful Fiats at a hotel close to ours and the other a trip to the recently re-opened Alfa Romeo museum in Arese.  But you will have to keep an eye out for separate reports on these which will appear on the website in the coming weeks – I promise you will not be disappointed by the range and quality of the cars that I saw (I hope my photos do them justice)

In the meantime I hope you enjoy looking at the “everyday” Italian selection.

Tim Logan
Club Secretary