View photo galleryIt’s Friday ladies and gentlemen, and I must preface this article with a brief disclaimer: if you’re at work reading this, your mood is almost certainly going to get a bit more somber, because right now, as we speak, a caravan of incredibly gorgeous historic Mercedes-Benz models are traversing the beautiful Italian countryside in the 2010 Mille Miglia, and you (we) are missing it. All is not lost, however, because despite our unfortunate placement, we’ve still got firsthand coverage for you from the event, and believe me when I tell you, the Mercedes models on hand are truly a sight to behold.
The festivities for the 2010 Mille Miglia actually kicked off yesterday in Italy, after heavy rain finally gave way to sunny conditions. A total of 15 classic Mercedes-Benz models made the journey to Italy – nine Mercedes 300SL Gullwings, three Mercedes SSK’s, one Mercedes SS, one Mercedes 220A and one W194 prototype I – the largest factory team turnout for the event. Also on hand for Mercedes are ex-Forumla 1 drivers Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard.
The first leg saw the drivers get underway from the norther Italian city of Brescia, with the teams traveling a total of 193 kilometers through Sirmione, Castel D’Ario and Cento before reaching Bologna, thus ending the first stage. Next up is the longer, second stage of the journey – one that will see drivers make their way from Bologna south through Repubblica Di San Marino and Rieti before they eventually conclude at the Italian capital of Roma.
We’ll keep you updated throughout the Mille Miglia 2010 with additional photos and details; but in the meantime, check out the first wave of photos from the Mille Miglia’s first stage in the gallery below.
