Experience The Italian Job with a Special Fall European Driving Tour
Led by the Jaguar E-Type Club, ‘The Ultimate Italian Job Tour’ celebrates the golden anniversary of the legendary British film.
Back in 1969, one of the best heist films of all time landed in theatres around the world: The Italian Job. Starring Sir Michael Caine and the late Noël Coward with a score by Motown legend Quincy Jones, the film features some of the finest cars England and Italy ever assembled, including the trio of Minis used to make off with the tons of gold bars near the end.
In October 2019, the Jaguar E-Type Club and Classics on the Road will lead a crew of their own through Western and Southern Europe to celebrate the golden anniversary of the British cinema classic with ‘The Ultimate Italian Job Tour.’
Over 11 days from October 6 through 17, ‘The Ultimate Italian Job Tour’ will trace a path through France, Switzerland, and Italy, covering some of the locales that helped set the scene for the film. Participants will also be accompanied by some of the cars that starred in the film, including the red Jaguar E-Type Roadster the Italian Mafia took a sledgehammer to (since restored and under the ownership of Jaguar E-Type Club co-founders Philip and Julie Porter), the orange Lamborghini Miura P400 used to kick off the film with a (literal) bang, the silver Aston Martin DB4 convertible that was also trashed by the Mafia, and, of course, the trio of red, white, and blue Minis used in the heist itself.
The star of the tour itself is a three-day stay in Turin, Italy, where the heist took place. There, guests will get to meet some of the key players of The Italian Job, as well as author Matthew Field, whose book, The Self Preservation Society – 50 years of The Italian Job, should be on bookshelves by the time the tour starts. They’ll also get to drive on the famous rooftop test track at Fiat’s old Lingotto factory, take walking tours of the places where Caine & Co. drove away with the gold, and experience a private screening of the film itself.
All you need to participate is $6,300 to $7,500, depending on what accommodations you select, plus an E-Type or a pre-1970 Lamborghini, Aston Martin, or Mini, as those are the only vehicles allowed to participate on the tour, in keeping with the theme of the film.
“The Ultimate Italian Job Tour is going to be amazing,” said Philip Porter. “It will be unique and probably the last opportunity to celebrate this iconic movie with key people from the film, combined with fantastic driving, the star cars and informed visits to most of the charismatic locations.â€
More information can be found at classicsontheroad.com.
Photo credit: Philip Porter
