Yahoo Autos Macchinissima Italian Car Show Brought The Weird And Wonderful To Downtown Los Angeles
I’m always on the lookout for new weekend car shows to go to in the Los Angeles area, especially as the number of traditional cars and coffees have dwindled in recent months (the long-running Malibu Country Mart show has been permanently shut down, for example). This past weekend a new show emerged, focused exclusively on Italian cars and motorcycles both vintage and modern, and it was excellent.
Called Macchinissima, the show was held at the Signal retail hub in downtown LA’s Arts District, a cool architectural enclave that houses stores like Period Correct, one of the sponsors of the event. Macchinissima was dreamt up by Italian car enthusiasts Mike Baum, Bronson Page and Dorian Valenzuela, who curated the cars and bikes in attendance.
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It’s hard not to start with the original supercar, and this orange Miura S was a perfect example of the model. I saw one guy walk by, point at the rear badge and tell his friend “oh, I didn’t realize this was a Lamborghini.”
Bizzarrini 5300 GT
I never get tired of seeing Bizzarrinis, and this 5300 GT is one of just 133 ever made. It’s always very funny to see the hood of an Italian sports car popped open to reveal a big V8 with ‘Corvette’ emblazoned across the engine block.
Maserati Quattroporte I
The first-generation Maserati Quattroporte featured bodywork by Pietro Frua and construction by Vignale, and this later model has a 4.7-liter V8 that gave the Quattroporte a top speed of 158 mph, making it the fastest four-door car of its time. Only 776 of the Quattroporte I were built between 1963 and 1969.
Lancia Appia
The Lancia Appia was introduced in 1953 as the brand’s entry-level postwar model, featuring a super cute design with suicide rear doors, sliding front suspension, rear-wheel drive and a V4 engine.
Ferrari 308
Maserati Ghibli Spyder Conversion
Seeing any first-gen Maserati Ghibli is rare, as just 1,295 were built between 1967 and 1973, but the droptop Spyder is especially rare as only 125 were made. This one wasn’t originally a Spyder, though, having been converted from a coupe in the 1980s.
Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato Record Monza
These ‘lil cuties were some of the most winningest Abarth race cars ever, going up against competition that was much larger in both physical size and engine displacement. Early models were fitted with a 750-cc engine, while some got upgraded 1000-cc motors to compete at tracks like Daytona.
Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato
Another absolute banger from Zagato, the Alfa Junior Z has a distinctive plexiglass face and a wedge-like fastback silhouette that’s a major departure from the traditional coupe Junior on which it’s based. Only 1,117 of these were produced from 1969 to 1972.
Fiat 850 and Ferrari FF
A wonderful fastback pairing, this Fiat 850 and Ferrari FF were parked next to each other in the spectator lot, which was also restricted to Italian cars only.
Fiat 850 Coupe
The 850 was prepped for racing, with an awesome stance and wider wheels, a big exhaust tip and a stripped-out interior. These tiny coupes were already lightweight to begin with, and feature a rear-mounted inline-4 engine sending power to the rear wheels.
