Four days, four countries, more than 1,000 kilometers, in cars that are the envy of every petrolhead. From historic streets and piazzas to snowy mountain passes, the third edition of the Coppa delle Alpi rolled through Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.
The Coppa delle Alpi (“Alpine Cup”) is produced by the same organization behind the legendary Mille Mille. Think of it like the Mille Miglia…with snow. Before everyone hit the road, there was final prep and scrutineering at the Mille Miglia Museum in Brescia, Italy.
Even the Polizia Locale (“Local Police”) had to have the right vehicle stickers and accreditations.
The first car off the line at the museum was the oldest car in the field…a stunning 1927 Bugatti T37 A. This French racer led the field through the streets and past Brescia’s Piazza Vittoria.
Cars that would turn heads and stop crowds in America are just part of the regular morning traffic in Brescia, navigating the narrow passages with the help of the Polizia Locale.
The route of the race covered 13 high mountain passes. Most are usually overwhelmed with snow this time of year, but it’s been a rough season in Europe. The snowfall has been at historic low levels, but bad news for the snowpack is good news for the cars of the Coppa della Alpi.
A few brave souls chose to cross the mountain passes in open-top cars. The lack of snow on road doesn’t mean it was warm…temps at the top were consistently below freezing.
Fuorn Pass (”Pass dal Fuorn”) sits just across the Swiss border from Italy. At 2,149 meters, or 7,050 feet, it’s 6,500 feet above the start in Brescia. With temps below zero, the cars were in no danger of overheating on the climb up to the pass…but the motors were a bit starved for oxygen.
Porsches dominated the field of the Coppa delle Alpi…more than a third of the total entries were Stuttgart cars.
In the elaborate scoring system that determines winners in this race (and the Mille Miglia), the first car across the line is not always the victor. But in this case, the first car to leave the line in Brescia was the overall winner after four days and more than 1,000 kilometers. The beautiful blue Bugatti T37 A, with Matteo Belotti and Ingrid Plebani in the open-air cockpit, is declared the overall winner of the 2023 Coppa delle Alpi.
Yes, there’s a trophy and accolades from their peers, but the real prize with this victory is guaranteed acceptance into the 2024 Mille Miglia.
In the fading light of day, the cars rolled across the Austrian border and into northern Italy for the final overnight in a town that captures the international appeal of the Coppa delle Alpi. If you speak German, the town is Brixen. In Italian, it’s Bressanone. Street signs and restaurant menus are in both languages, but the default language for most is English.
72 cars started the 2023 Coppa delle Alpi…59 managed to finish. And a special shoutout goes to Cornelis Filius and Robert Van’t Slot, the driving team behind the wheel of this 1955 Fiat 1100/103 Berlina. In a field full of expensive, exotic cars, this little 34-horsepower family car with the suicide doors managed to complete all four days on the road, and finish in a respectable 15th place overall. Complimenti!
For more on the 2023 Coppa delle Alpi, go here.
