Today like yesterday

When talking about the “next generation” of collectors, Federico Goettsche is surely one of the best and most famous examples in the classic car world. Cars have always been part of Federico’s life. They have been deeply rooted within his family’s heritage for generations. The famous Count Giovanni ‘Johnny’ Lurani, a Milanese gentleman driver who raced between the 30s and 50s, was his grandfather.

His cars stayed with the family and are both used and driven often, also at classic car events like the Mille Miglia. Federico has inherited the “spirit” and taste of Count Lurani and would like his legacy to continue in the future. The style of driving for cars from the pre-war era had a huge influence on how he came to perceive classic cars, and what owning and driving them was all about. “My personal taste is 100 percent pre-war cars,” he tells us. “Post war cars I just see as ‘transport’.” He is surely a rare example among the next generation of car enthusiasts. What fascinates him about pre-war cars is that they are 'far more gritty” to use his own words. “Wrestling the steering, double de-clutching, pushing the brake pedal as hard as you can. Being splattered with oil”. His fascination for pre-war classics also relies on the fact that with the older cars, you really feel the driving and there's a sense of great achievement in going fast. Unfortunately, not many young people get to experience pre-war cars.

Federico at the wheel of the magnificent Bugatti Type 35