David Yarrow Scottish, 1966
Mille Miglia
Archival Pigment Print
Large (framed): 71x105
Standard (framed): 52x75
Ed of 12
Standard (framed): 52x75
Ed of 12
This 1955 Ferrari 121LM was driven by Piero Taruffi at Mille Miglia and Le Mans in its first year and in the Mille Miglia he drove from Rome to Brescia...
This 1955 Ferrari 121LM was driven by Piero Taruffi at Mille Miglia and Le Mans in its first year and in the Mille Miglia he drove from Rome to Brescia at an average speed of 189 kph - a record that stands to this day. Thinking of that insane number sends shivers down my spine. The silver fox was clearly not normal.
The route took him through the rolling splendour of Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia and the community of San Quirico d’Orcia, where this photographic homage was taken. He clearly had no time to take in Tuscany's beauty, whereas I did.
When I visited the town on a location scout I saw the potential of this bend in the heart of this medieval hilltop village. I sensed that with the right narrative I could find the compositional balance that I yearned for.
There are many people to thank for making this vignette happen, including the local mayor who embraced my idea of recreating a historical moment in motor sport. We needed to work with the locals rather than circumvent them and each of them helped make this picture special. I wanted a mood that highlighted a zest for life, the value of long friendships and the energy that comes from collective excitement. All those would have been present in 1955, but it was two years later that tragedy struck and the Mille Miglia was discontinued for a period of 25 years.
We were necessarily greedy in our props on this set as we did not want to be lame. The trailing Ferrari is a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza 0530. It is one of just 32 prototypes built by Ferrari; one of the most beautiful and valued Ferraris in existence. Then in a moment of logistical madness, but creative courage, we brought in a black stallion from Rome to form part of the crowd. We had heard that he could prance in an emblematic Ferrari brand way and could not resist it.
Some will inevitably think this unlikely addition is a product of AI, which is why we now always have a film crew on set taking BTS. The stallion, which came from Rome, will also happily testify to his key role. Ironically the best way to combat the AI barbs is to allow third party recording on set, not ban it. The danger of AI makes film sets even more collegiate.
Clearly there were many strong constituent parts on this set, including the supermodel, Kelsey Merritt. She anchors the image on the left-hand side and I needed that. My team styled her perfectly.
I think we did the heritage of Mille Miglia proud that evening.
The route took him through the rolling splendour of Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia and the community of San Quirico d’Orcia, where this photographic homage was taken. He clearly had no time to take in Tuscany's beauty, whereas I did.
When I visited the town on a location scout I saw the potential of this bend in the heart of this medieval hilltop village. I sensed that with the right narrative I could find the compositional balance that I yearned for.
There are many people to thank for making this vignette happen, including the local mayor who embraced my idea of recreating a historical moment in motor sport. We needed to work with the locals rather than circumvent them and each of them helped make this picture special. I wanted a mood that highlighted a zest for life, the value of long friendships and the energy that comes from collective excitement. All those would have been present in 1955, but it was two years later that tragedy struck and the Mille Miglia was discontinued for a period of 25 years.
We were necessarily greedy in our props on this set as we did not want to be lame. The trailing Ferrari is a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza 0530. It is one of just 32 prototypes built by Ferrari; one of the most beautiful and valued Ferraris in existence. Then in a moment of logistical madness, but creative courage, we brought in a black stallion from Rome to form part of the crowd. We had heard that he could prance in an emblematic Ferrari brand way and could not resist it.
Some will inevitably think this unlikely addition is a product of AI, which is why we now always have a film crew on set taking BTS. The stallion, which came from Rome, will also happily testify to his key role. Ironically the best way to combat the AI barbs is to allow third party recording on set, not ban it. The danger of AI makes film sets even more collegiate.
Clearly there were many strong constituent parts on this set, including the supermodel, Kelsey Merritt. She anchors the image on the left-hand side and I needed that. My team styled her perfectly.
I think we did the heritage of Mille Miglia proud that evening.