1000 Miglia is back to celebrate classic luxury motoring

Last Tuesday, gathered around in comfortable chairs at the Mercedes-Benz Brand Centre, classic car aficionados and racing enthusiasts listened to the four hosts of the evening roll out the alluring agenda for 1000 Miglia 2025 with its evolved mix of classic motoring, luxury leisure drive and indomitable racing spirit – in a tribute of sorts to the century-old race from Italy, now into its fourth year in the United Arab Emirates.

This year, 1000 Miglia takes a fresh course as it winds across the seven Emirates. As in the previous years, the route and the luxury stopovers are together designed to showcase the UAE’s enchanting landscape, fascinating heritage and magnificent hospitality. 1000 Miglia UAE Edition, while defining its own signature and calibre, will remain true to the heritage of the legendary Mille Miglia in Italy by  living up to Enzo Ferrari’s epithet as ‘the world’s most beautiful race’. 1000 Miglia will rally global collectors, connoisseurs and luxury lifestyle partners for the event, whose lineup includes Chopard, Mercedes Benz, RM Sotheby’s, Gargash, Sharjah Tourism, Carrera, Lavazza, Dubai Economy and Tourism, DIFC, Emirates Motor Corporation, GP Extreme, Alfa Romeo, Ministry of Interior, EMSO, UAE Government Media Office, Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Tourism, RAK Tourism.

SPOTLIGHT ON!

Nothing less than a legend in the Mille Miglia folklore, Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR will travel to Dubai from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart to mark its 70-year legacy. The car is a shoutout to one of the most dramatic and emphatic victories in the history of the race – it is in this car that Sir Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson set an average speed of more than 150 km/h over roughly 1,600 km in 1955! Only a handful of 300 SKRs were built and one example was sold in 2022 for more than €140 million, making it the most valuable car at the time. The event will also mark the Dubai Police Supercars jubilee, honouring this unique symbol of national pride and novel thinking. The Dubai Police Supercars fleet has included icons such as Mercedes SLS AMG, Lamborghini Aventador and even a Bugatti Veyron!

The podium was starlit with the hosts for the evening including Martin Halder, CEO of Octanium Experiences and Stefan Johansson, former F1 driver and winner of 24 hours of Le Mans. Celebrities and high-profile automotive enthusiasts will keep the 1000 Miglia star-studded: like model and racing driver Jodie Kidd, British chart-topping musician Sam Ryder and a host of drivers who have their glorious pages in the annals of racing history including Stefan Johansson, Thierry Boutsen and Hans Joachim Stuck. (Trivia from the evening: Did you know Stefan has a song written about him by none other than Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits?)

Set to take place from 30 November to 4 December 2025, the 1000 Miglia rally will showcase the astonishing roadworthiness of over 100 remarkable cars together valued at over 100 million Euros. They hail from different eras of automotive design and performance – from pre-war icons to contemporary supercars. For the public, it is the rare opportunity to see in action, classics such as a 1965 Ferrari 275 Short Nose, a 1929 Bugatti T37, a 1928 Bentley Blower 4.5 and a 1979 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI formerly owned by Queen Elizabeth II.

The flag-off follows a sprawling exposition of wheels at the Emirates Golf Club on 30^th November. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Yohan Poonawalla, the renowned collector from Pune, will present all the eight versions ever produced of the Phantom. Visitors can view these cars as well as a dedicated Supercar Majlis showcase and the Dubai Police supercar fleet – at their leisure from 11 am to 9 pm.

Another 1000 Miglia in the offing?

After the original race crossed its finish line in the late 1950s, Mille Miglia was later reborn as a regularity rally and cultural event. The 1000 Miglia Experience UAE still keeps to the original course of 1000 mile / 1600 km and honours the codes of the Italian original while staging them in a starkly different environment. The discussions of the day echoed the possibility of another 1000 Miglia event quietly taking shape in an undisclosed destination in the Middle East – it’s the wait and watch phase.

As a media guy who got the coveted opportunity to drive the whole thousand miles last year (in the illustrious Rolls-Royce Corniche II) I had a question to ask Martin, “It must be difficult for people who once experience this rejuvenating race to give up their spot. So what is the ratio this year of returning regulars and new participants?” The answer placed it at almost 50-50. Hmm… after all, this is a gentlemen’s race (not to mention ladies’.)

As we gear up for the new edition, read my account of taking part in last year’s 1000 Miglia experience. Feel free to be tempted. Just make sure you have a classic in your garage.