Client Fiat Group Automobiles Spa for Lancia Automobiles
Location On the road, from Turin to the Principality of Monaco Monte-Carlo
Typology of the project and activity Automotive - Coordination and Production - Organizing Office and Press Office - Partnership & Co-marketing
Objectives
- To create a media event on the occasion of the launch of the new Thema, engaging Italian and international journalists
- To complete a programme of accommodation and loyalty-building aimed at select journalists
- To organize a rally of saloon and executive cars spanning almost a century of Lancia history, for a meeting between classic cars and one of the brand's latest models
- To initiate Lancia sponsorship at the '10th Monaco Classic Week - La Belle Classe'
Strategic guidelines
Lancia Automobiles wished to show how travelling is a distinctive trait written in the brand's DNA. On the occasion of the European launch of the new Lancia Thema at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 'Lancia Classic Weekend' was therefore developed, featuring two cars of the latest model and thirteen classic Lancia vehicles of great prestige.
The tour took Italian and international journalists from Turin to Monte Carlo, in conjunction with the Yacht Club de Monaco's '10th Monaco Classic Week - La Belle Class', of which Lancia is a sponsor: the event is one of the most prestigious events for classic sailing and motor yachts in the world, reuniting in the waters of the Principality of Monaco.
Action
Coordinating the entire project, with targeted research and administrative operations, MAC Group identified collectors owning models suited to the event; the agency then handled all event logistics, arranging its administration and accommodation. In addition, all communications tools and materials were designed and presented according to a coordinated image.
Driven by their owners with important international journalists beside them, the 13 classic cars and two new Themas met at Turin's renovated National Automobile Museum; a private visit to the exhibition area was followed by dinner in the spaces of the Museum itself.
Departure for the Principality took place the following day, with a striking route along country roads until Limone Piemonte where a stop was made for lunch at the Grand Palais Excelsior. The choice wasn't an accident: built in the early 1900s, the site was chosen as the summer residence of the Princes of Monaco, who brought the Monegasque splendour and courtly lifestyle to Limone. Then the prized cars took to the roads once again, crossing the Col de Tende and the striking Val Roya, to reach the Principality of Monaco toward evening. Here, following the route of the famous Monaco Grand Prix and on to the Casino Square, they arrived at last at the Yacht Club.
The evocative setting allowed Lancia to convey its values of style, tradition, and sophistication. Upon their arrival, the classic cars paraded onto the pier of the Yacht Club of Monaco, amid the admiring looks of journalists and the public. The cars remained on display throughout the evening until the end of the welcome dinner in the Monegasque marina.
Saturday, participants in the 'Lancia Classic Weekend' tour then enjoyed a thrilling experience aboard the historic sailing yacht La Signora del Vento: a captivating ship, 85 metres in length, that has sailed the seas throughout the world since 1962, with over 3000 m2 of sailing surface billowing with wind. From there, guests watched the Concours d'Élégance of the sailing yachts and the ship-owners' Regatta.
Special attention was paid in selecting the collectors' cars. Among the participating models there were in fact several true rarities, beginning with the 1908 Lancia Alpha owned by collector Corrado Lopresto, probably the oldest Lancia in existence. Then there were the 1931 Torpedo Lungo which once belonged to Maharaja of Kuala Lumpur, and two Astura: a 1938 Coupé Pinin Farina created specially for Count Galeazzo Ciano, and a 1938 Lancia Astura IV Series Stabilimenti Farina saloon that belonged to Baroness Kenemy from Bolzano.
The numbers
- 2 new Lancia Themas
- 13 classic Lancias of great prestige
- 26 Italian and international journalists
- 10 personnel
- 2 support vehicles
- Over 200 km travelled
