Passion
Rolling Thunder
After one of the hottest summers on record, the low moving clouds, mist and rain have made a welcome return to the mountains of Sicily.
The noise is not the work of thermal dynamics, but that of precision engineering. Over a hundred and twenty Ferraris, covering almost the entire span of the Prancing Horse’s illustrious history, have arrived in Sicily for the Ferrari Cavalcade 2021.
Day Three saw the Cavalcade sweep alongside the Strait of Messina on the 180 km round trip
Home to the famous Targa Florio endurance race of the early 1900s, in which Enzo Ferrari himself competed, Sicily boasts a wealth of enviable driving roads, with the glittering coastal stretches leading to the winding mountain forests and down through UNESCO world heritage cities.
Using the ancient town of Taormina as the official residency for the start and finish line each day, the Cavalcade officially arrived in Sicily on September 4th, with ninety-three modern machines, and thirty-six classic cars (forming the Cavalcade Classiche) making their way onto the island.
Covering five days and nearly a thousand kilometers, the cavalcade covered coastal roads, mountain terrain and UNESCO World Heritage cities
The Cavalcade represents the true spirit of Ferrari, bringing people from all corners of the globe together to share both their stories and of course, their cars. The line-up included everything from the iconic Monza SP2 (all nine of them) to the grand tourers of the Portofino and 812, right through to the hybrid power of LaFerrari and the SF90 Stradale. On the Classiche side, the Ferrari 250 dominated the line-up, but representation covered over seventy years of heritage, from the beautiful 166 MM right through to the Ferrari Testarossa and F50.
All thirty six cars in the Cavalcade Classiche drew a crowd wherever they went Photos: Anke Luckmann
The routes themselves covered every terrain the island has to offer. The first day saw the Cavalcade depart for the coast of Sant’Agata di Militello, a roundtrip that would cover 270 kms up through the misty Nebrodi mountains before dropping down to the Tyrrhenian Sea, where the clouds gave way to glorious sunshine and Ferraris sat nestled under palm trees against a backdrop of sparkling blue water.
For the Cavalcade Classiche the journey was shorter but no less beautiful; a 150 km route anti clockwise around the foothills of Mount Etna, with the emerging tall roofs and spires of the small Sicilian towns they travelled through giving the impression that even the houses were vying for the best spot to see the cavalcade pass.
The drive through the Nebrodi mountains took the cavalcade through Sicily's numerous and beautiful villages
And it was not just the open roads enjoying the Ferrari convoys. Not even the threat of rain could stop the crowds enjoying the spectacle of the cavalcade as it rolled through the Noto valley to the Baroque city of Noto itself, where the classic cars truly looked at home amongst the ancient Roman architecture.
All good things of course come to an end, and as the farewell gala gets underway under the Sicilian stars, it’s worth noting that the parade of now silent Ferraris will have covered almost a thousand kilometres over the last five days, a feat worthy of those Targa Florio pioneers themselves, one hundred years ago.