VERNASCA SILVER FLAG 2014

VERNASCA SILVER FLAG 2014

Mustangmania had visited one of the most popular classic hill climb car race in all Europe: The Vernasca Silver Flag, this year from the 20th to the 22nd of June 2014 , in the Beatiful Historical city of Castell’Arquato(PC).

This Race Was Born in the early 1953, as a part of the Regional Challenge Championship. The last “offical race” has been dispted in 1972. Bringed back to life in the late 80’s, this race began popular all over the Europe, with a lot of enthusiast classic car owners available to drive hours to be there with their cars.

This edition was dedicated to the Lancia brand. All the historical models, all the rally-winning models, all the most beatiful private collections were there. Also many different pilots, engineers, that had made Lancia great were there. It has been an unbeliavable event, create for petrolheads from petrolheads.

We have had the chance to admire also many different American Cars, but we focused particularly on one Shelby GT350, one Shelby Cobra 427 and one AC Cobra, all orginals. We would tell you their stories soon!

AC Cobra

2014 Silver Flag has been a filled-up surprise event. DUring this amazing historical race, the small presence of  classic American Cars has given a fascinating retrò touch to the hill climb. Let’s start with the first “American” Car we have met: an AC Cobra.

But which car is the AC Cobra?

This car borned for an intuition of an American Racing Legend: Carroll Shelby. Shelby has had the idea to associate the lighter body shells of an English Manufacturer the AC (that was building the ACE at that time) that he has seen in a local race, with the more powerful american engines. An amazing combo! In 1964  begun the installation of the 427 c.i. (7 liters) engines on the ac cobra. The even more rare Daytona coupè, tha made many LeMans races, born the same year.. In 1967, after 348 units bulit and many races won, Shelby interrupted the partnership with AC, to came back to USA and work on another legend, the Ferrari-killer GT-40. For Everything on Shelby and the models he has built, please have a look to his section.

The AC we have met at Vernasca’s Silver Flag has been built on one of the remaining Shells after the end of the partnership with Shelby.  It has a 289 c.i. (4,7 liters) engine, mufflers straight to the back instead of  the side mounted usually on the 427 Cobra. The lucky owner has had one red that he has sold; unhappy of his choice, he looked for another one, and he found this blue. A really nice and funny car, that will give massive racing satisfaction to his lucky owner.

Shelby Cobra 427

Another amazing surprise of this Event was an unbeliavable Shelby Cobra 427 CJ, with swiss plates. The lucky owner has bought it directly from Carroll Shelby. It was from his private collection. It is one of the 348 Cobra produced from 1961 to 1967 (this is a 1966), and became Shelby sunday-drivng car. Unuseful spending any word about the unbeliavable power that this car has shown at the start of the Hill climb.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350

Last but not least, one-of-a-kind 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350, with an incredible story behind wheels! In 1965 a rich American gentelmen sent an enquiring to buy a 165 Shelby Mustang GT-350. Unfortunately for him, all the available Gt-350 have been sold. This gentlemen decided to not surrend and sent directly to Shelby a Blue Ford Mustang, with a request: transform it in a GT-350. Carroll Shelby agreed, and this one of a kind Blue exemplar of Gt-350 borned. The lucky owner of this beauty is Mr. Paolo Bragoli, owner of the John Paul Motor Services, in Essex country, UK. After a nuts and bolts restoration, the car is used for any kind of historical race & meeting.

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