- 168
- Milano, Italia
After having read some really good stories here and there in this forum, I decided at least to start mine, in order to have some fun between a hour of pre-exam studying and the following one. I'm not too good in writing, especially in English (my English is a sort of hybrid obtained mixing school lessons, a dictionary and "neologisms") and generally I'm not sure of how far it will get, but I hope you'll like at least this starting chapters.
A PROLOGUE; A CHARACTER
Franco Ellera (born 1980) is the typical good-family boy, who spends his nights in disco pubs in the not-so-fascinating Milano of the late 90s. One warm, May night, coming home after having drunk a little too much, he tries to reach the fastest speed his mother's Fiat Panda 1000 is capable of (140km/h or 87mph), consequently crashing onto a 16th century building, almost halving the car lenght and totalizing 50000000Liras damages (25k dollars, approx.). Since his family is quite indulgent with him, they pay and force him to partecipate to some driving lessons. He approaches the school and proves quite good at driving, in fact he completes the B class license... and the A one... then the iC, then the iB, then the iA... then, after 3 months, the S class too.
He comes back to Milano in August, gradually realizing that, with the card he has been given, he could start a new life among cars and racetracks. Definitively forgetting the Panda experience, he suscribes to GT league and, given by his parents 20,000,000 Liras (yes, 70s and 80s Lira devaluing), he goes around in Milan in order to find a good car to run with. This is where it all begins...
CHAPTER ONE: THE CAR
Since the most obvious thing was he needed a car, Franco bought a cars newspapers, and found himself quite ignorant about them. Ferrari... Porsche... that's what I need. After 5 minutes of complaining about the Fate's badness (a Ferrari costed 300'000'000£), he turned to the last pages, where the used cars were sold.
Uhm... he said, disappointed. Lancia Delta Integrale... 17 milioni... that's in my budget. Good engine, 5 rally titles... WHAT'S THAT?! he gasped, while looking astonished in the right column. Mazda MX-5... that's a sports car, that's what I'm looking for... CD player... limited edition... leather interiors... I must have it! He called the number and, after a short while, he was sitting into his '93 MX-5, listening to some Italo disco 80s music, feeling like he was the king of the road. It had costed 15'470'000£, a good price he thought, while admiring the fine interiors and the chrome details.
He mentally wrote a V next to the 1st point: get a car. Now, to the 2nd: Find a race... while he was thinking to this, he noticed a small sheet of paper on the car's windshield. That man didn't even wash the car. said to himself, angrily, while stopping and removing it. Eventually he read the first words... Gara Sunday-Cup: Roma, 1-2 settembre 2000. What? he decided to go on reading. Drivers wanted. Solo per iscritti alla Lega GT ...but I am into the GT-League! An open event... yeah, it'll be just crowded with old Panda's and Punto's, obviously... some Cinquecento, some Alfa's... that 10'000'000£ will be mine.
He dialed his home number on the mobile phone he had been given as a present last Christmas.
Mom. he said.
Son? she replied.
I'm going to Roma. Don't cook spaghetti for me this evening.
Do you need food? Clothes? Liras?
...no, I'm buying them there.
OK. Don't talk with unknown people, and pay attention when you're near the monuments because there's plenty of pickpocketers. Do you remember when your father was stolen whis wallet, containing...
Yes, I do, I remember. I'm coming back... let's say next monday.
The credit on the phone card ended. Franco jumped into the car, ready to go...
A PROLOGUE; A CHARACTER
Franco Ellera (born 1980) is the typical good-family boy, who spends his nights in disco pubs in the not-so-fascinating Milano of the late 90s. One warm, May night, coming home after having drunk a little too much, he tries to reach the fastest speed his mother's Fiat Panda 1000 is capable of (140km/h or 87mph), consequently crashing onto a 16th century building, almost halving the car lenght and totalizing 50000000Liras damages (25k dollars, approx.). Since his family is quite indulgent with him, they pay and force him to partecipate to some driving lessons. He approaches the school and proves quite good at driving, in fact he completes the B class license... and the A one... then the iC, then the iB, then the iA... then, after 3 months, the S class too.
He comes back to Milano in August, gradually realizing that, with the card he has been given, he could start a new life among cars and racetracks. Definitively forgetting the Panda experience, he suscribes to GT league and, given by his parents 20,000,000 Liras (yes, 70s and 80s Lira devaluing), he goes around in Milan in order to find a good car to run with. This is where it all begins...
CHAPTER ONE: THE CAR
Since the most obvious thing was he needed a car, Franco bought a cars newspapers, and found himself quite ignorant about them. Ferrari... Porsche... that's what I need. After 5 minutes of complaining about the Fate's badness (a Ferrari costed 300'000'000£), he turned to the last pages, where the used cars were sold.
Uhm... he said, disappointed. Lancia Delta Integrale... 17 milioni... that's in my budget. Good engine, 5 rally titles... WHAT'S THAT?! he gasped, while looking astonished in the right column. Mazda MX-5... that's a sports car, that's what I'm looking for... CD player... limited edition... leather interiors... I must have it! He called the number and, after a short while, he was sitting into his '93 MX-5, listening to some Italo disco 80s music, feeling like he was the king of the road. It had costed 15'470'000£, a good price he thought, while admiring the fine interiors and the chrome details.
He mentally wrote a V next to the 1st point: get a car. Now, to the 2nd: Find a race... while he was thinking to this, he noticed a small sheet of paper on the car's windshield. That man didn't even wash the car. said to himself, angrily, while stopping and removing it. Eventually he read the first words... Gara Sunday-Cup: Roma, 1-2 settembre 2000. What? he decided to go on reading. Drivers wanted. Solo per iscritti alla Lega GT ...but I am into the GT-League! An open event... yeah, it'll be just crowded with old Panda's and Punto's, obviously... some Cinquecento, some Alfa's... that 10'000'000£ will be mine.
He dialed his home number on the mobile phone he had been given as a present last Christmas.
Mom. he said.
Son? she replied.
I'm going to Roma. Don't cook spaghetti for me this evening.
Do you need food? Clothes? Liras?
...no, I'm buying them there.
OK. Don't talk with unknown people, and pay attention when you're near the monuments because there's plenty of pickpocketers. Do you remember when your father was stolen whis wallet, containing...
Yes, I do, I remember. I'm coming back... let's say next monday.
The credit on the phone card ended. Franco jumped into the car, ready to go...
If only we could all be sent to such a school after wrecking our car. I would have been sent at least 3 or 4 times when I was younger.
