CAR CULTURE AT ITS SWEETEST
POLTU QUATU CLASSIC 2023
Car culture. Is it about discussing the bolt pattern on the Type 105? Is it about listing all paint names for every shade of green that ever left the factory? Is it about intricate and detailed knowledge of every nut and bolt that makes up a gearbox? Probably. It’s about all of that, but it’s also a lot more. Much more.
Car culture is about how cars make us feel. About the experiences that can’t be unlocked in the absence of an automobile, about a set of sensations that you just can’t explain to someone who never lived them. Car culture is about getting the best out of cars, finding that space-time window where it all comes together, free from the nuisances that modern life imposed upon drivers, a step into that ideal scenario that gets you hooked on motoring for life.
Eight years ago, Simone Bertolero, a young classic car enthusiast from Turin, had the idea of enacting an event like no other. His automotive tastes were impeccable, honed over the years within Autoclassic Italy, the family business set up back in 1969 by his father, Luciano Bertolero. Growing up surrounded by some of the most valuable classic Ferraris in the world, Simone was inspired by the cars’ stories and by the mystique of the times they were evoking. He also grew a fascination for vintage films. Movies like the seminal Il Sorpaso, with an unforgettable Vittorio Gassman behind the wheel of a Lancia Aurelia B24, pencilling a tragic portrait of the dashing Italian gentleman of the post war boom years. Or the grand symphony of lavish lifestyle that is La Dolce Vita. While the films themselves focussed on the excesses and the human drama, Simone couldn’t help but notice the bright side in them, the flair with which people were living the best of their lives back then, the undeniable charm imbued within their persona. Thirsty with the desire to experience such feelings first hand himself, he set about creating the stage where he and some lucky few, would be recreating the vibe of the golden years of Italy’s love affair with the automobile. And this is how the Poltu Quatu Classic emerged.
Poltu Quatu Classic is a FIVA sanctioned concours d’elegance, a testament to the value of the pieces on display. It’s also probably a lighthouse for where the concours scene is heading towards, a scenario where the value of the cars is matched by the value of the experience the owners enjoy over the course of the events.
