The 15th of August marks the climax of summer in Italy. The Ferragosto holiday is indeed one of the most popular days of the whole year with many people running away from their cities to spend a few days on the beach or on the mountains. But there was a time when in my hometown, Pescara, Ferragosto would turn into a day marked by an exciting event. The most famous town of the Abruzzo coast would experience an adrenaline rush thanks to the Coppa Acerbo, a famous car race. 
The Pescara circuit was around 25 km long and rather difficult. Cars drove next to the sea, through villages in the Abruzzo hills and in the main roads of Pescara. The race was stopped in 1957 after the racecourse was deemed too dangerous. I’m not an expert when it comes to car races, but this event has a special place in my heart as the cars used to pass in front of my mum’s family house and along the street where I lived for most of my life, so stories about the race, about being excited at seeing hay bales being arranged at the curves near the houses to prevent the cars from jumping into somebody’s orchard, about hearing the engines roaring and meeting champions such as Tazio Nuvolari and Juan Manuel Fangio, have always been rather popular in my family. I have a few photographs from old albums that belonged to my late father and uncle. 
I’m not sure the exact date when some of the pics were taken, while others are from 1949. A few of them are not too clear, but you can see from the random spectators along the roads in the background that it must have been extremely exciting to see cars speeding by in front of your house.
Stories and memories of the Coppa Acerbo made me think for the whole day about how people would dress up if such a spectacular car race would take place today. One of the favoured looks would probably be a crossover between Balenciaga’s Pre-Fall 08 collection with its hoodlike hats made from quilted scarf prints and the label’s Fall 08 dresses, as shiny as sports car bodywork and with high-tech silhouettes and volumes that remind of 1950s Maseratis. 
Some of the ensembles from Miu Miu’s Fall 08 collection would provide another feasible option for such an occasion. Though mainly inspired by jockey uniforms, I feel that some of the futuristic laser-cut jumpsuits, tunics and jackets in bold coloured panels would be perfect for a car race, especially if paired with those clinging riding hats that models wore at the Miu Miu catwalk, that could be readapted to look like driver hats. 
The exaggerated silhouette of some of the sweaters, the perfect pencil skirts, the dresses with cut-out details and the cone-shaped heels would add a touch of glamour to the car racing atmosphere.
Talking about fashion, design and cars, those who are in Scotland next week might want to check out the Scirocco Studios exhibition in Glasgow. This showcase will take place at the Corithian in Glasgow’s Merchant City on 22nd August, and it will feature objects, images and installations inspired by the new Volkswagen Scirocco and created by the likes of Moritz Waldemeyer, Philippe Malouin, Ben Wilson, Hudson-Powell and acclaimed director Kinga Burza.
This might not be on par with a real car race speeding along the streets of an Italian town under a blasting summer sun, yet it might be an inspiring combination of art, technology, design and fashion.
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