In contrast, the Modena Cento Ore (or Modena 100 Hours) was conceived as a kinder, gentler counterpoint to the iconic rally.
It started life relatively recently, and unlike the Mille Miglia’s strict limits on acceptable vehicles — pre-1957 models or those that ran in the original event — the Modena Cento Ore opens the field to more modern cars. The Competition class features flat-out action on closed courses, and allows vehicles as modern as 1981, while the Regularity class, which rewards consistently timed runs, is generally open to vehicles up to circa 1977, but in some cases all the way to 1985.
At this year’s event, which took place in October, the heralded Porsches and rally-spec Ferrari 308s were joined by insider models from outlier badges like De Tomaso, Iso Rivolta and Sunbeam.
When Jaguar Classic reached out to gauge my interest in the event, I was happy to cite the 2018 edition of the Mille Miglia as one of my qualifications.