The last weekend in April has become an iconic one for automotive enthusiasts in Northern California, pairing modern motorsports at Sonoma Raceway with the start of the California Mille in San Francisco, an annual gathering and road rally for pre-1958 automobiles.
Each year, the California Mille begins with a car show outside the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood. This year the event celebrated it’s 25th anniversary with live music, food, drinks and a superb collection of over 70 automobiles.
However, the car show only marks the beginning of the California Mille. The following day, drivers set off on a thousand mile road tour of Northern California (“mille” means “thousand” in Italian). The tour was inspired by the Mille Miglia, the iconic Italian open road endurance race that was held from 1927 to 1957 (with a hiatus for WWII). A similar rally continues to be held in Italy today.
Mille participants spend four days on the road, traveling about 200 miles per day. This is no small feat for 50+ year old cars that many owners wouldn’t imagine driving on public roads at all, let alone for an extended distance. Drivers are not alone though, the group is supported by a caravan of transport vehicles for luggage in addition to several mechanics. Mechanics have 30 minutes to fix a vehicle before a flatbed comes to the rescue (if it can’t be fixed in 30 minutes, it’s likely a major breakdown).
The Mille route provides drivers a tour of scenic stretches of the Pacific Coast, Redwood forests, and wine country, in addition to challenging mountain roads. The route changes every year and is designed to be engaging for drivers and to allow for overnight stops at unique destinations.
The California Mille was started in 1991 by Martin Swig, a auto-dealer and lifelong enthusiast who was a fixture in automotive culture in Northern California. Swig and numerous friends started the event following their participation in the Mille in Italy in 1982. Although Martin passed away in 2012, the event is expertly run by his two sons, David and Howard. The brothers planned and drove the entire event route, shared memories and commentary at the show, and fielded a 1951 Chrysler Saratoga in the rally this year.
As with any historic auto show, the diversity of car design is front and center. However, the minute interior and exterior details are often most fascinating, wrought to life by the manufacturer decades ago and meticulously maintained by the current owner.
After 25 years, the California Mille is thriving. With a deep sense of history and tradition, there’s no question this event should be marked on calendars of those with even the slightest penchant for automobiles and design.
