Autostrada Q Ship

We had Sunday lunch at Becky and Gino's, with their friends Carlo and Luisella Predieri. Carlo used to work for the Ferrari and Maserati divisions of Fiat, and told us a great story.

Modena, a city of about 175,000 people in the north center of the country, is the birthplace of Pavarotti, where the real balsamic vinegar comes, and is the home of Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini. I asked Carlo why that came to be. He, a native of nearby Bologna, says the people in that area are preoccupied with speed. He says you can hardly go to a mechanic around there without being urged to tweak your engine in some way.

"Let me tell you about these guys. I know this guy, quite rich. He bought an old fashioned milk delivery truck and had it outfitted with two big Ford Vauxhall engines. Then he would go cruising the autostrada, wearing a milkman's uniform. As soon as a Ferrari would pass him he would rev up the milk truck and start drafting the Ferrari. The milk truck's top speed was fast enough to stay with anything on the road. Later, he would run into his 'victims' in the service area. He would play dumb and say 'I don't know, it just took off on its own.'"