David Evans’ news from the clubs your events. Bertone concept stars in Italy. Fiat X1/9 car club Egistro Italia. Clockwise, from main: Autobianchi Runabout on X1/9 stand; Futvia Sport in Zagato group; lovely Giulia Ti Super; NSU club showed 1200 TT racer and Prinz 4L . Now in its 30th year, Auto e Moto d’Epoca at Fiere di Padova is one of Italy’s largest classic shows, with cars and ’bikes taking equal billing.
The 25-27 October running featured increased manufacturer backing, not least from Mercedes and Porsche, but car clubs remain the event’s lifeblood. Undoubted star of the show for many was the recently restored Autobianchi Runabout, which featured on the Fiat X1/9 Car Club Registro Italia stand. This Marcello Gandini- styled, Bertone-built concept car broke cover at the 1969 Turin Motor Show and led directly to the creation of the Fiat X1/9, even if some of its signature features – such as the headlights mounted on the roll bar – didn’t make the transition.
Also attracting attention was the charming Fiat 600D-based Stellina with the Registro Autobianchi. This glassfibre-bodied, Luigi Rapi- styled roadster was one of just 502 cars produced from 1964- 66. Nearby, a sensational Fiat Otto Vu starred on the Zagato Car Club display, which also boasted a lightweight Fulvia Sport Competizione and an Abarth 750 Record Monza.
Other Latin rarities included a tiny Fiat 500-based Morettd on the Club 500 Euganeo Padova stand, while Club Amici della Topolino showed a mysterious Fiat-based etceterini, the owner asking visitors for help with identifying it!
Registro Italiano Giulia, mean-while, presented a super-rare 1965 Alfa Giulia Ti Super. Just 501 of these saloons were made with thin- nergauge panels for homologation purposes. The vast majority were pressed into service as police cars (see pi 14), hence they led hard lives and correspondingly few survive.
