La Festa Mille Miglia in Japan – Porsche Museum Cars Run 1,000-Mile Road Rally

By Steve & Tamami Laser

You can dine at fine Italian restaurants in Japan, ride aboard a Venetian Gondola, and visit an “unfinished” replica of the Mona Lisa at Tokyo DisneySea. So it comes as no surprise that Japan has a 1,000-mile road rally for classic cars inspired by Italy’s famous Mille Miglia.

Now in its 21st year, “La Festa Mille Miglia” welcomed 112 classic cars to the event that started on Oct. 19 and ended on Oct. 22 at the same venue: Meiji Shrine at Harajuku, Tokyo. Entries competed in five classes with original (not replica) sports cars built from 1919 to 1967. This year’s field included four cars from the Porsche Museum in Germany.

While the thought of driving any vintage car for four days and nearly 1,000 miles sounds challenging, imagine the feeling piloting entries like a 1924 Bugatti, 1948 Cisitalia, or 1956 Porsche Spyder through the crowded streets of Tokyo and far beyond.

From the first La Festa Mille Miglia in 1997 until the 2010 event, the driving route ran between Tokyo and Urabandai. However, the route was changed following the major earthquake and serious damage in the Tohoku region in 2011. This year, event organizers said they returned to the original route in appreciation and support for the Tohoku region.

Following the departure from Tokyo, participants drove more than 200 miles to Urabandai Lake Resort in Fukushima Prefecture with stops along the way at Kyororan-Mura Nishigou Village, Okawa Furusato Park, Ouchijuku and Enzoji Temple.

The second day travelled through Fukushima, Miyagi, and Yamagata Prefectures with visits to the Link racetrack, Fukushima Sky Park, and Shiroishijo and Tsurugajo castles.

Day three featured the longest stretch of nearly 300 miles to Narita stopping at the British Hills in Tenei Village for tea and scones, Hunter Mountain Shiobara, and the Hero Sinoi Circuit in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi.

On day four, the last day of the event, participants drove to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, the Sodegaura Forest Raceway, visited Tokyo German Village in Sodegaura City, and completed the event at Meiji Shrine.

While the Porsches didn’t win the event, Spyder driver Araki received a Porsche Museum Special Award; a champagne cooler shaped like an air-cooled Porsche engine cylinder from Porsche Design.

During the course of the event, cars and drivers stopped at 29 stamp and check points and completed 15 PC competition sites.

News sources courtesy of Porsche AG and La Festa Mille Miglia. Photos courtesy the copyright holder, Porsche AG, are reproduced here for editorial use.

Story (commentary) © 2018 CarNichiWa.com