Automotive
CaliforniaJed's report on the 2015 Mille Miglia race and Chopard's continued partnership highlights the enduring appeal of this classic event. This article explores Chopard's role as a long-standing sponsor and official timekeeper, contextualizing the brand's deep connection to "the world's most beautiful race" and its associated timepieces. Readers gain insight into the unique competitive format of the Mille Miglia, which emphasizes precision over raw speed.
Chopard and the passion for the Mille Miglia
“the world’s most beautiful race”
In 1988, Chopard supported the famous Mille Miglia race for the first time and launched the Chopard Mille Miglia collection the same year. Since then the Scheufele family has participated every year in the 1000-mile race from Brescia to Rome and return. This year, 436 competing cars took off from the famous ramp on Viale Venezia in Brescia. All cars, constructed between 1927 and 1957 belonging to 61 different brands, are of inestimable value and challenge each other along anancient and picturesque route, which is precisely a “Thousand Mile” long. Chopard is proud - as World S ponsor and Official Timekeeper - to be a long standing and loyal partner of this legendary race, "la corsa pìu bella del mondo" - the world’s most beautiful race.
The Mille Miglia 2015
The 33rd edition of "the most beautiful race in the world” started under a sunny sky. The 436 crews took off from Viale Venezia in Brescia on Thursday at 2.30pm. The next three days, they passed through more than 30 cities and towns among Verona, Rimini, San Marino, Roma, Siena, Pisa and Parma before heading back to the starting point, the historical ramp on Viale Venezia, in the heart of Brescia. This year, drivers from over 40 different nationalities campaigned for victory.
The night before, Chopard hosted a welcome dinner for 120 guests and friends in the Palazzo della Loggia in the heart of Brescia, a sumptuous Italian palace dating from the XVIth century.
The next day, it was time for the race.
Once again, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele chose to honour Chopard’s partnership with Porsche Motorsport by co-driving with his wife Christine the Porsche 550A Spyder RS, a loan from the Porsche Museum.
Who won? This year, the winning team was composed of Juan Tonconogy and Guillermo Berisso from Argentina, who drove a Bugatti T 40 from 1927. The second victory went to Andrea Vesco and Andrea Guerini on a FIAT 514 MM from 1930. And the third team to reach the podium was Ezio Martino Salviato and Caterina Moglia on a Bugatti T 40 from 1928.
Issued in limited series of 1,000 in steel and 100 in rose gold respectively, the Mille Miglia 2015 Race Edition picks up the design codes of the classic cars that took part in the Italian race between 1940 and1957. On the dial, a powerful shade of red reigns supreme. This “Rosso Corsa”is one of the famous “racing colours”, the colour codes for cars that served toidentify competitors’ nationality from the early 20th century through to the late 1960s. The Mille Miglia 2015 Race Edition comes in a sturdy 43 mm-diameter case in 18-carat rosegold or steel, topped by a bezel with a black aluminium graduated insert. The screw-down back guaranteeing water resistance to 100 metres is engraved with the inscriptions “Mille Miglia” and “Brescia > Rome > Brescia” and fitted with a transparent sapphire crystal pane revealing the Chopard movement.
The Mille Miglia 2015 Race Edition is equipped with Chopard Calibre 01.08-C, entirely developed, designed and assembled in Chopard’s Fleurier Ebauches workshops and Chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). It is endowed with a generous 60-hour power reserve.
Three of the coolest guys with a new Chopard Mille Miglia 2015 Race Edition on their wrists?
Of course they are Jacky Ickx, KFS and his father, Karl Scheufele!
For the report on the current edition of the race. I feel it was an inspired choice to have decided on the sponsorship and definitely like the idea of persevering with it over a long period of time (rather than finding something new and changing every couple of years). Given that they have stopped racing for speed in 1957, do you know exactly what kind of criteria they use for determining the winner these days?
The winner is the team that arrives closest to pre-set time personalised for that car, model, age, condition. So, the navigator and dashboard timing instruments are important to the driver. Not too early and not too late. Such precision is associated with Chopard Classic Racing timepieces. Jenkinson Roller Map for race navigator with Chopard Mille Miglia 2014 Race Edition watch No GPS Navigation, DVD-ROM Map Database and Retractable Cup Holders! :-) MTF
So typical street rally fare then, as used in most organized events these days. And the only sensible option in my opinion. Brilliant picture by the way - something to tempt my wife with, the current owner of the 2014 Race Edition Mille Miglia :)
and not 9 like for the open market version? Clever picture with the Porsche's mirror. As clever as the picture with three nice gentlemen combining the red dial with their evening dress, isn't it?
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