1000 Miglia 2009

About the Event

The 2009 edition of Italy’s Mille Miglia Storica attracted its usual mixed bag of royalty, politicians, motor racing icons, and showbiz folk, all presided over by Italian TV actress Manuela Arcuri, whose love life is of constant speculation in the country’s media. The regularity race’s impressive collection of 378 spectacular vintage cars made its stately way from Brescia to Rome and back, driven by people like Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Princess Annette Sekrève in a snarling Porsche 550 1500 RS, while Formula One retiree David Coulthard drove one of the original 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLRs, and the Mayor of Moscow, Juri Luzhkov, with Elena Baturina, made do with a 1934 Talbot AV 105.

Two prime ministers attended the event, one serving and the other out of office. Gijs van Lennep, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Targa Florio winner, chauffeured Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenende in another Porsche 550 1500 RS, while Walter Pauwels did likewise for Belgian ex-premier Guy Verhofstadt in a more modest 1954 Fiat 1100 TV.

Most liked pictures of the event