Chris and Bruce on a mission

Dawn of the 2026 Mille Miglia’s Day 2 finds Padua’s Prato della Valle abuzz with vintage cars coming to life in various stages of mechanical crankiness, not unlike their drivers. With Day 1 behind them, every sleepy eyed participant understands that the thick of it awaits them. Chris and Bruce have found whatever level of comfort can be had in their diminutive 1948 Fiat 1100 S. Jeff and I have accepted, if not embraced, the random chaos that will accompany tracking Fiat #156 without benefit of the missing Support Car Road Book.

The adventure continues…

Mentor and Mentee Take on the Mille Miglia (Parte Tre)

Chris, Bruce with Fiat #156 at champagne celebration at end of 2026 Mille Miglia

Despite last night’s late arrival, Chris and the support team stand tall with a timely response to Wednesday morning’s early wake-up call. With Bruce cracking the time whip, all team members wolf down a quick breakfast. This jarring sunrise jolt into reality will quickly become the standard Fiat #156 team morning routine.

A symphony of throbbing engines bathe a field of priceless classic cars as they stream out of Padua’s historic Prato della Valle like spill from a breached dam. With Tuscany’s celebrated spa town, Montecatini Terme, the final destination at day’s end Day 2 of the Mille Miglia has begun. A midday breather for lunch awaits in Modena, epicenter of Italian car culture. Support crew teammates Jeff and I have given race participants time to clear the tight streets of Padua before we commence our shadowing of Fiat #156.

Houtkamp’s “pit crew”

Last night the Houtkamp technical crew spent hours beneath the stars and under the Fiat. Working feverishly beneath their well lit traveling “Pit” canopy they addressed the Fiat’s needs with a laser focus. A demanding Bruce with his Smoky Yunnick-like technical savvy had accurately diagnosed numerous problems from the passenger seat at speed. That said, was the old Fiat a disappointment? Well, maybe not, considering all that could go wrong with a 78-year old Fiat boasting the finest in 1930s technology while facing a rugged 5-day 1000 mile challenge. Carburetor issues led the parade of nagging faults. While mindful of the little Fiat’s needs, the primary focus of Bruce’s […]

Early morning activity for Day 1 of the Mille Miglia quickly built to a fever pitch on the grounds of the Villa Fenarilo Palace Hotel. Amidst a bustling swirl of drivers, support crews and snorting vintage cars, our team bid adieu to the grand glory of the historic Palace Hotel. With young Chris at the wheel and Bruce riding shotgun, Fiat number 156, sped off to take its numbered place in the line to launch. Meanwhile Jeff and I muscled luggage and gear to the support vehicle parked beyond the hotel’s manicured gardens. The stark sunlight baked the white gravel road surface. As we sped away along the Palace Hotel’s impressively long entrance road, the hotel, obscured by the dense cloud of chalky dust kicked up by our support vehicle, disappeared from view. Day 1 of the 2026 Mille Miglia had arrived.

Mentor and Mentee Take on the Mille Miglia (Parte Duo)

With Chris at the wheel, Fiat 156 departs the ramp to start Day 1

Chris enthused but unsure, used the short distance to the staging area to develop some level of confidence with the Fiat; a significant learning experience awaited.

Throngs of fans joyfully brandishing red and white Mille Miglia flags stood four deep along the length of Brescia’s broad, tree lined Viale Venezia. Here, Chris and every other Mille Miglia competitor would briefly pause to collect their starting time before launching down the famous ramp to be a part of history, if only in their own life story.

Before the action starts, no better time exists to introduce our team’s trusty support vehicle, a triple black Volvo XC90 SUV hybrid rental. Sadly, we never bestowed upon it an endearing nickname, though it totally deserved one. However, maybe anonymity best served all involved as our support crew had ascribed to our Volvo the full spectrum of superpowers normally attributed to a company car. You know, features like the ability to leap curbs, corner like a go-cart and speed at levels capable of distorting the human face like a test pilot centrifuge.

A canopy of clear blue sky punctuated by a blazing sun ruled the day, though it did not produce the punishing heat that would arrive a week later. With every entry assured of its brief seconds on the historic ramp, the field of […]

Chris Johnson’s father, John Johnson, began dreaming of co-driving the Mille Miglia with his son when Chris was a child. Now, Chris at 21-years of age with track experience was ready. John, however, no longer was. John had stage four colon cancer. A born fighter, John had lived ten-years beyond the doctor’s first dire predictions. He has also, now, lived beyond any benefit to be derived from traditional chemotherapy. He has moved on to new protocols. While the picture of health, John understands that he could not endure the physical demands of running Italy’s renowned Mille Miglia thousand mile challenge. Knowing this, he set out to find the man he would trust to take the co-driver seat with Chris. That man would be veteran Mille Miglia driver and restoration master Bruce Amster.

The following brings to life the five-day Italian backroad adventures of Bruce and Chris.

Mentor and Mentee Take on the Mille Miglia (Parte Uno)

Bruce and Chris

Last year I enjoyed the good fortune of experiencing the excitement and living history of the Mille Miglia as a spectator. Amazingly, this year I was invited to be part of a four-man team campaigning a vintage car in the event. The car, a 1948 Fiat 1100 S featured a proud history of running and finishing the actual race in the 1950s. I soon came to learn how that respected Fiat would serve as the vehicle responsible for delivering a once in a lifetime driving experience for John’s son, Chris, and the fulfilling John’s long held dream to witness his son experience the Mille Miglia.

Our team’s first day in Brescia, the perennial launch point for the Mille Miglia, found us luxuriating on the grounds of the glorious Villa Fenarilo Palace Hotel. Originally an aristocratic 17^th century private estate, it now attracts those seeking a living-in-a-palace experience: Think of an Italian Baroque Downton Abbey. For our crew, it would clearly mark the high point as to the level of accommodations we would experience for the remainder of the event, by far.

Villa Fenarilo Palace Hotel

Speaking of team, this would be as good a time as any to meet the crew led by Bruce. Bruce has legendary status as the consummate driver and car builder. To get a sense of his persona think of Obi-Wan Kenobi […]