The Morandi Memorial is a regularity race for vintage cars built up to 1940. It has been held since 2009, when the first edition was organized on the initiative of CAMSC to celebrate the sporting achievements of the driver from Castiglione, Giuseppe Morandi.
Behind the wheel of OM cars from Brescia, between 1921 and 1932, Morandi won numerous national and international competitions, among which the first edition of the Mille Miglia, held in 1927, stands out. In the same year, 2009, the Castiglione Historic Car and Motorcycle Club also promoted the publication of the book “Morandi, the First of the Mille Miglia.” Over the years, the Memorial has become an established event on the calendar of major national gatherings dedicated to pre-war vehicles.

Travel Diary – Morandi Memorial 2025

27–28 September 2025

Saturday, 27 September – The roar of engines in Salò

I arrive in Salò just as Piazza Vittoria is coming to life: the Morandi Memorial has that unique scent of vintage fuel, warm metal, and distant stories. The registered cars parade before me, and as I park my 1927 Lancia Lambda Torpedo 7th Series, I look at it with a mix of pride and gratitude. It is one of the veterans among those present—elegant, light, and above all, astonishing.

Among the cars on display are marvels such as the 1927 BNC 527 Gran Sport Monza, the 1928 Riley Brookland 9, the Fiat 508S, the MG Magnette and PB, various Balillas bodied by Viotti or in spider form, and even the “younger” 1938–39 Peugeot 202 Lusso and MG TA/TB. A small travelling collection of what pre-war engineering once represented: ingenuity, courage, and style.

The sporting and technical checks go by amid tools, signatures, and exchanged stories. At 11:30, the buffet under the square’s porticoes is the perfect moment of rest before departure.

At 13:00, as the first car sets off, I feel the usual excitement rising in my chest. When my turn comes, I start the Lambda: the engine wakes smoothly, as if it knows exactly what awaits it.

I set off for the first session of optional regularity trials, but for me the real magic isn’t in the stopwatch—it’s in the road.

Once again, the Lambda reminds me why it is a timeless masterpiece. Its elasticity always surprises me: I climb almost the entire ascent in third gear, even through the tightest hairpins, without ever feeling the need to downshift. A sensation that is hard to understand unless one has driven a pre-war car: it feels more like dancing than driving. The rigid chassis, the precise front end, that tireless four-cylinder… it is a perfect dialogue between man and machine.

At 15:30, the refreshment break is a great moment to talk with the other crews, each with its own story, its own driving philosophy, its own way of living these cars.

We return to Salò between 18:00 and 18:30, where the organizers take us to the Grand Hotel Gardone Riviera. A place that seems born to welcome vintage cars and their stories. The gala dinner at 20:30 ends the day in a refined, almost old-world atmosphere, among toasts and tales of workshops and winding roads.

Sunday, 28 September – Second day, same emotion

The alarm rings early: at 7:15 we leave the Grand Hotel to return to Salò. The morning air on the lake is crisp—perfect to let the Lambda’s engine breathe well.

At 8:15 the first car sets off for the second session of trials. The road flows quickly beneath the wheels; my car seems to enjoy itself as much as I do. The regularity tests are demanding, but driving the Lambda remains the true pleasure of the day.

At 10:30 we stop in Carpenedolo, guests of Gruppo Magri Gomme, for an aperitif that is also a meeting point for friends and enthusiasts.

The final arrival is at 12:30, at Ristorante Aquariva in Padenghe del Garda, where lunch and the awards ceremony take place. Looking at the cars lined up, each with its own story and journey, I realize that the Morandi Memorial is not just a regularity race: it is a living tribute to automotive history, to the achievements of Giuseppe Morandi with his OM cars, and to the way these vehicles still know how to stir the heart.

My Lambda covered the kilometres with the dignity of a true lady from ’27, and once again I had the privilege of accompanying her.