Pre-MonoMonday MM175 Defining The Moment

Another weekend, another exciting car event! At the Concorso d'Eleganza at Ville Este on Lake Como.

Sunday at the Concorso is the big parade and all the cars drive by the grand stands.  This year is again with Simon Kidston at the microphone to reveal all the stories and secrets of each cars on parade.  He has an amazing knowledge, curiousity and passion for cars.

You are looking at  the driver of the 1960 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Monoposto Da Record ‘La Principessa’.

Here the Princess is waiting her turn to make the rounds sitting on the lovely front lawns of Ville Este.  I love the expression of her driver.  His girlfriend was standing a few feet away, but he was content to sit a few minutes with his eyes closed in concentration or tiredness or from the heat... somehow he looks very tragic like the drivers must have felt back in the day when driving these cars.  I imagine the same look and the same concentration.  This car would have driven most often at the Monza banked oval and it was quite famous for being dangerous.  The driver would have been very concentrated and in touch with his mortality before starting on his run...  Obviously this car is still in one piece today and so never wrecked.

Every year I attend this event there is a car that stands out. This year a Lamborghini Miura nearly stole my heart.  But then there was a few Ferrari N.A.R.T.s and a Porsche whale tale.  You should have heard the Jarier-Bochut Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Competition 38, which ran Le Mans in 1972...  The owner was giving it a lot of gas and drawing quite a large crowd.  wow.

The Princess gets my picture today since I think best represents Defining The Moment and Ephemeral as well. I had a clear intention to shoot the cars.  I knew from past years what to expect and I like when possible to make a photograph of the drivers in their cars or even better when the cars are moving.  When I saw the drivers preparing to make their lap, I came over to take some pictures.  I first took a few pictures looking over his shoulder before venturing in front of him and inbetween him and his girlfriend. He never opened his eyes and I took this picture quickly to imortalize the moment. I could have sat there and took 100 pictures and he'd probably never have opened his eyes. This is the one though. I made the picture and I immediately felt that it was the right one and caught the fleeting 'ephemeral' moment.

A few extras to show also my favorite #38 and the Miura. (I nearly never add extras, might as well burn a few.) ha

Here is the link again for the description of MM175 in the challenges section.