After Tutto Bene took the global car community by surprise when it kicked off in September 2024 with roaring success, the invitation-only hillclimb at Mottarone Mountain near Lago Maggiore has become one of Classic Driver's official must-attend events of the season. Organized by our friend Carlo Borromeo of the Milan design studio Borromeodesilva in collaboration with Californian creative agency Race Service from Los Angeles and supported by Eugenio Amos – the man behind Automobili Amos and GTO Motors – Tutto Bene is a three-day celebration of contemporary car culture and an opportunity to experience some of the meanest machines in action on a twisted and demanding mountain road.
A casual and pleasurably private Italian version of Goodwood's Festival of Speed, the second edition of Tutto Bene attracted some serious track toys in all forms and shapes – from race-ready early 911s, Delta Integrales, Panteras and Alfa 75s to limited-edition Ferrari SP3s and the latest rally Alpines – as well as a fleet of trending restomods, including the Nardone 928, Eccentrica Diablo, HWA Evo and Tuthill GT One. Naturally, our friends from Drivers Hall Auto Club in Berlin did not miss their chance to head South, join the crowds and have some fun at the Mottarone Hillclimb.
Tutto Bene's motto is "Slow down to go fast." Here at Mottarone Mountain, driving is less about lap times and more about connection – with the machine, the road, the landscape, and each other. 'The atmosphere is what makes Tutto Bene so special," says Michael Murawsky, Managing Director of the Driver Hall Auto Club, one of the main sponsors of the event. "You can feel that it's not just about cars, but about the people who own them and the sheer joy of driving."
After a driver's briefing at the newly opened Casa GTO and an elegant gala dinner at Isola Madre on Lago Maggiore, the drivers started their engines for their sun-soaked ascents on perfect tarmac, catching rare car sights, sounds, and cultural reverence along the way. Drivers Hall Auto Club – a vibrant community from Berlin which regularly takes its members to the most interesting car events in Europe and organizes road trips and its own series of popular "Torque Talks" – had brought two very different animals to tackle the hill at Tutto Bene: a Jaguar D-Type, arguably one of the greatest racing cars ever built, and the Jaguar's iconic 1990s supercar, the XJ220.
While both are among the most avant-garde performance cars of their eras, the D-type represents Jaguar's purist 1950s racing philosophy. With its streamlined body, aluminium‐alloy monocoque, in-line straight six engine boosting 250 horsepower and kerb weight of less than 900 kilos, it's the perfect racecar to conquer the mountain at Tutto Bene's fast-paced hillclimb gathering. Meanwhile, driving the Jaguar XJ220 felt like bringing a gun to a knife fight; built by Jaguar and TWR, the 550 horsepower twin-turbo V6 supercar was capable of reaching 340 km/h – more than any other supercar of its era. But the XJ220 was also longer and wider than its competitors, giving it a low, stretched stance. Naturally, handling the 5-metre powercat on the narrow Mottarone was a challenge – and therefore all the more rewarding! The DHAC crew was also joined by a Porsche 911 GT3 RS in full Judas Priest heavy metal attire, probably the most badass livery at this year's Tutto Bene hillclimb.
"As expected, watching the drivers conquer the mountain with elegance, speed and the occasional drift at Tutto Bene was nothing short of spectacular," says Michael Murawsky, getting out of the silver XJ220's cockpit wearing Drivers Hall's trademark Easy Attitude, Serious Machines jacket. "We're already counting the days until Tutto Bene 2026." Now the important question is: Will you come along?
Photos: Niklas Kamp
