The modern-day Mille Miglia retrospective is one of the highlights of the Classic Driver event calendar. On 12 May, the starter dropped the flag for the first stage to Bologna and we can bring you a taste of the opening day’s action.

The entry list of this year’s Mille Miglia is as star-studded as ever, with famous names such as Mass, Hakkinen and Fangio driving factory-entered Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwings’, and a horde of Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Lancias, Astons and Austin-Healeys, all of which are true to the type of car that competed in the great, 1000-mile Italian road race from 1927 to 1957.

Here is some of the atmosphere from the first few hours of this great event:







Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Hardy Mutschler