It's one of the oldest automobile communities/traditions/events in the world. And from a brand community perspective, it's profound.
First, some history. @millemiglialive, translated from Italian as "thousand miles," is a world renowned, annual 3 day road race in Italy where participants race classic and vintage cars produced no later than 1957.
The race course starts in Brescia and goes to Rome and back.
The event is such an institution that it's been said that the people of Brescia, where the original race started, have petrol rather than blood flowing through their veins.
@millemiglialive is known around the world as the "most beautiful race in the world."
You can imagine the type of access and connection you need to even participate in this race.
On top of getting access to a car from this time period — which is a feat of its own, cars that have been raced multiple times in the MM carry a heavy premium and heavily sought after.
If you're lucky to be selected, you also need to fork out 12,200 Euros for basic entry. That cost covers:
- Welcome bags, standard passes, technical docs.
- 4 star lodging for 3 days/4 nights for 2 people w/meals.
- Prize ceremony and closing party for the driver and co-driver.
There are also gold and platinum entry levels available for 14,640 or 67,100 Euros.
Platinum gives you automatic selection into the MM along with platinum passes, official driver jackets, 7 nights at a 5 star hotel for 6 people, & dedicated check-in service.
Ask why anyone would do any of the above and maybe on first glance, it's hard to understand.
But ask ANY person who does the event every year, and it begins to make sense. It's tradition. It's love for shared history. Love for Italy. And love for a shared collectible/experience.
That shared collectible is of course, a special group of vintage sports cars, united by a common history.
Owners of these original cars go through a painstaking amount of time and money to maintain these cars and get them ready each year. The newest car is close to 70 years old.
The Mille Miglia is such an institution that historians credit the race to making the car brands Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche famous.
Indeed the winner of the last three years MM's drives an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato from 1929.
Bigs, old cars are old cars. What's the big deal?
Well, just this week, a 1931 edition of the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato, from The Terence E. Adderley Collection, is currently on auction for $2M.
So when I see everyone talking about "community" and "collectibles" being such a new thing, I laugh sometimes. Because we've been doing it for centuries.
Regardless, not everyone lives in Italy. Not everyone is a car enthusiast.
My point in sharing this. Whether we're talking about cars, watches, shared interests, or an annual thousand mile automobile tradition, these are ALL vehicles for shared community.
And a shared community, a tribe, is at the end of the day, the most beautiful thing to be part of.
I am not going to do what most of you think I'll do, which is saying that an NFT is the same as one of these cars that has raced in the Mille Miglia.
But it does give all of us something to think about, when we're trying to create shared experiences, communities, and tradition.
We are in the very earliest days of a new digital technology and collectible facilitating community and shared experience.
It might not make sense now but it should soon. "Hospitality" is going to be big.
Membership, experience, and hospitality. Remember those words.
Nail hospitality and you build the experience that encourages membership.
I'll leave this for the crypto people that might connect better. Wen lambo? This is a video by one of my favorite car enthusiasts/YouTubers, @MrJWW, who took a Lamborghini Urus to the Coppa Delle Alpi.
Full episode on @YouTube is here:
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