As you might know, Pieter Molenaar has created a series of articles on the event. They were published on
www.cinecars.nlMay I kindly invite you to check out the articles and the images there. I am reproducing them below in English so you can all read about the programme and the atmosphere of what has been a fantastic event.
http://www.cinecars.nl/coupe-fiat-jubileum-in-turijn/Coupe Fiat anniversary in Turin
The day for us begins on Thursday, May 29th. It's early, very early. This day has long been on the calendar - referred to as 'travel to Turin'. In the garage behind the house the object of this journey waits impatiently : a Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo Plus 1999.
In Turin (where else ?) an international meeting is organized this year in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the Fiat Coupe. In fact you can discuss the year - the car had its world premiere in 1993 at the Motor Show in Brussels. But you can't discuss the international character of the event because there are participants from eleven countries : Norway, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria and Spain.
As for the tenth anniversary, we have three extremely friendly guys taking care of no less than 247 guests. Giorgio, Franco and Luca have a great program in store for us. But before that, we need to get to Turin. Three cars on a leisurely pace through Germany, France and Switzerland. Goal: our hotel for the next four days.
The car park of the hotel on the Piazza Massaua is already pretty full with Coupe's in many designs. The models that were available in 1993 had a four-cylinder two-liter engine. The designation on the b-pillar refers to the engine: a 16v that delivers 102 kW or a 16v turbo with an output of 140 kW. The more fuel-efficient 1.8-liter engine appeared on the scene in 1995. Later versions were equipped with two-liter five-cylinder engines. The honor of the fastest serial produced Fiat to ever be created fell part to the 20vt models. These are equipped with a five-cylinder engine with a Garret turbo. With a power output of 162 kW, the driver is able to reach top speed of 250 km / h. A sprint from zero to a hundred only takes 6.5 seconds.
The program of the four-day event will be officially announced on Friday afternoon at 14:00. 103 Coupe's are parket up at the entrance of Pininfarina on the Via Nazionale 30 in Cambiano. After a short briefing we are invited to take the car and drive up to the entrance of the museum. Once in the museum, we are told how a car is refined in digital form from a creative idea, through a concept modeled and assessed by means of 3D renderings.
To illustrate this process, we used the Pininfarina Sergio concept car. This was built as a tribute to the Sergio Pininfarina, who deceased in 2012. Interesting to know is that the first car of the hand of Sergio Pininfarina was the 1965 Dino 206 GT Berlinetta Special Pininfarina Prototipo. The visit to the private collection brings us face to face with the Pininfarina Sergio concept car - surrounded by other iconic creations.
Once outside there is a group picture and the police who escorted us from the hotel to the museum gets a big round of applause. Some improvements can be made to their way of guiding more than 100 cars back to the hotel though. But perhaps we lack Italian temperament and drive too defensive. Today we experience that the horn is indispensible in Italy. In fact, I suspect that if this thing does not work, they don't dare to get out on the road.
The restaurant is filled with happy Fiat Coupe owners who are delighted about the first afternoon and the trip to Turin. Just imagine leaving from Finland and having to pull over in Sweden with an overheating engine. Sven, the local AA man, came up with a highly efficient solution for the fan not working: a wire from the battery towards the passenger side of the car. Then attach a switch and run a wire back to the fan. The passenger only has to keep his eye on the temperature gauge and operate the switch at the right time.
A good night's sleep then... tomorrow the day starts at 7:00 am with a group breakfast, then a visit to the former Lingotto factory and... a special surprise.
Pieter Molenaar
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http://www.cinecars.nl/coupe-fiat-jubileum-in-turijn-dag-4-2/Day 2
Lingotto is for many the highlight of this trip to Turin. The former Fiat factory opens its doors to us. Through a spiral path, you climb higher and higher until you get to the roof of the building. The Lingotto factory was inaugurated in 1923. Giovanni Agnelli had been inspired by the Ford factory in the USA and the Siemens factories in Germany. At that time it was the largest car factory in the world.
The result is a spectacular building - 500 meters long and with a real test track on the roof. The raw materials for the production of the cars were offered on the ground floor. A conveyor belt went through all the floors to deliver the finished car on the roof - ready for a ride on the test track.
After a hectic, rainy ride through the city we come to Lingotto. Once on the roof it's an incredible view: a test track for cars on the roof of a building!
We drive the cars onto the roof, following the directions of the organisers and come ever closer to the moment supreme... We are supposed to do a standing start at two-thirds of the straight. You are then face to face with the banked circuit which is much steeper than I had imagined.
After this fantastic new experience, the cars are parked on the roof and in a corner of my eye I catch the image of a white BMW X6 coming closer. The driver of this car turns out to be none other than Chris Bangle. He and his team at Centro Stile Fiat are responsible for the realisation of the Fiat Coupe. The task of designing the Fiat Coupe was given to Centro Stile Fiat and Pininfarina. Chris was not entirely sure when he received this assignment and asked "do we actually have any chance of success in getting the job for the design of this car ?" The answer he got was quite clear: "Let me put it this way; it's their idea, they will do the engineering, the car will be produced in their factory, and it will wear their name on the side. So what do you think?" But finally, he gives all the credit to Paolo Cantarella for the courageous choice and giving the job to his team. The design that Pininfarina came up with has later evolved into the Peugeot 406 Coupe.
Before we go downtown for lunch using the subway, Chris is willing to introduce the prototype of the first 1:18 scale model of the Fiat Coupe. His produces a batch of posters he designed himself in honour of the anniversary. They are distributed and signed. The organisers get a bit nervous when Chris decides to go look at the cars that are around him. The metal strips on the dashboard turn out to be an ideal place for Chris to put his signature...
Once back at the hotel one of the organisers told me that we were lucky with the motorcycle police. Like true cowboys they bunched up around us, clearing intersections and thus escort us through the busy city center.
It's a bit unnerving to speed through red lights, encouraged by the police to floor it.
Pieter Molenaar
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http://www.cinecars.nl/coupe-fiat-jubileum-in-turijn-dag-3/Day 3
No sleep-in on Sunday! We are expected to drive the car out of the garage at 8 am. At a quarter past eight, 123 Fiat Coupe's travel in convoy from Turin to Venaria. This palace is one of the former hunting palaces of the royal family of Savoy.
After a restoration of 10 years it is open to the public since 2007. Up until the 80's, children from Venaria played football and rollerskated in the large gallery, now it's open to the many tourists admiring this huge complex.
We are just outside Turin and we see some Coupe's at the side of the highway. Something obviously went wrong in the queue of cars. A head-to-tail collision with four cars involved. The drivers come from Italy, Finland and Germany. The German cars are the worst off. The word spreads quickly across the parking lot in Veneria. The cars from Finland and Italy were slightly damaged but got to the hotel without serious issues. Both German cars are towed away. It doesn't stop the unlucky owners to come to the evening gala dinner to celebrate with the group.
In the city center a large part of the parking space is reserved to park our cars. A lady who watches the spectacle from her balcony offered us to come in and take some pictures. Where will you find such welcoming friendliness other than in Italy?
The tour of the Reggia di Venaria taught us all sorts of interesting facts. There are several such palaces from where the families went hunting. And should the king decide to go to one of his other places he had to allow a long enough time, because all the furniture was also moved from one place to the other.
At twelve o'clock we meet at the square in front of the palace. We meet at a restaurant. One delicacy after another is served, accompanied by a perfect glass of Piemontese wine.
During lunch, the group of Polish visitors gets wind of what happened that day. Their first concern is how the drivers are. The answer is that fortunately nobody is injured but the Finnish driver is already at the hotel and can not open the hood and the trunk would not close. The friendly Poles comment that they want to help the Finn. "He is our friend and our mechanics want to help him now." Another example of the friendliness amongst Coupe owners.
The ride back to the hotel is done once again under the guidance of a number of enthusiastic motorcycle cops. They are flying left and right past the cars and speed us to the hotel. Packed with a six-pack of beer as a gift, they disappear into the city again.
Pieter Molenaar
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http://www.cinecars.nl/coupe-fiat-jubileum-in-turijn-dag-4/Day 4
While it is not the end of the world, today is really the end of this event. Every day was a day not soon forgotten. Today is Monday, July 2. It's 08:15 when we drive the car out of the garage under the hotel. We queue up along the side of the road and a little later we start the drive to the Mirafiori Motor Village.
The ride over there was without any unhappy events. With the cars neatly in the parking lot, the organisers are happy. That means Giorgio, the president of the club, is not blowing his whistle to make us listen. The people who are interested in driving on the Mirafiori test track have to handin the form to confirm that they enter the premises at their own risk. We are neatly guided to the entrance of the site. A guard tells us that we can not make any pictures while driving between the buildings to the test track. On the track, taking pictures is allowed.
Just like Lingotto, the track has two nicely banked curves. In groups of about 14 Coupe's we follow a pace car around the test track . Everybody adheres nicely to the rules but it is clearly tempting to occasionally drop a bit of a gap and then accelerate full throttle. Once we all the cars did their rounds, we 're going to the Mirafiori Motor Village building to be addressed by the board of the Piedmont Club in a large hall.
After half an hour it's back into the car for lunch at a restaurant a bit further. This lunch will be the end of the program. There's already a close relationship between these people who happen to share the same passion : the Fiat Coupe. The Italians visit all the tables to loudly raise a glass to the great times that we have experienced during these four days:
Aisa aisa aisa (up),
Acala acala acala (down),
Accosta accosta accosta (toast)
Alla salute nostra (to our health)
And so it is : to our health, so that in 10 years we can celebrate the 30th anniversary together.
Pieter Molenaar
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look if this carries on 
