EPOCAR: THE MOVEMENT REWRITING VINTAGE CAR CULTURE

When it comes to the world of motorsports in the years to come, it’s easy to talk about great brands, great cars, and great drivers who have made history. Names that are still very important today and much discussed for their mastery in mastering a car that had very little of technology. Without taking anything away from these excellences, which can hardly be forgotten, the same fate has not befallen ordinary cars: the so-called people’s cars.

This is where Epocar’s initiative was born: to act as an intergenerational bridge between the world of vintage vehicles and the generations present, telling the stories that have characterized the world of motors and trying to pass on to the new generations fundamental values for those who, one day, wanted to work in the automotive or motorcycle sector.

A cultural movement, not a club

Epocar is not a traditional club, nor a closed group: it is a youth cultural movement that wants to tell the story of automotive heritage with a new, accessible, and contemporary language. A reality that combines social media, culture, territory, and experiences, with the aim of making the classic car not just an object to admire, but a means of creating relationships, knowledge, and belonging.

The Crew: Young Skills for a Changing Industry

The intention of the young people from Piacenza who pushed for the establishment of Epocar in September –Alessandro Triscornia, Matteo Greco, and Roberto Lucchini -was to make an old-fashioned passion worthy of the needs of young people, but above all to make it accessible: culture mixed with fun. This is where the need to organize both cultural and social events arises, that is, moments in which it is possible to equate the transmission of values (from an engineering, economic, or design perspective) with recreational opportunities. Over time, other young people have joined the so-called “crew”- Bruno Pio Cosentino of Aieta, Antonio Bruno, Michele Carella, and Davide Cattani – contributing to content creation and providing various skills-photography, video, communication, and mechanics-that have proven crucial to the project.

Cars as a bridge between generations

For Epocar, cars are a pretext for creating connections between generations, for introducing new skills to young people, and for valorizing a part of Italian history that risks being forgotten. For many young people, in fact, a vintage car isn’t just a vehicle: it’s a family story, a bridge to the past, a way to rediscover an identity that struggles to find space today.

It wasn’t easy, especially since all of this had to happen on a zero budget. This is where the collaboration of those who believe that the world of internal combustion engines still has much to pass on to young people has proven crucial: first Lorenzo Boriani, owner of DSC Piacenza (a virtual simulation center for the driving experience), and then other companies ready to believe in the project, such as CPAE Piacenza and a former amateur driver, Lino Franceschini, founder of the RossoCorsaGarage brand.

With the DSC Piacenza center, a first event was conceived that would allow anyone to test, on an affordable budget, the cars that have raced on the circuits in past years: Lamborghini Miura P400, Alfa Romeo Stradale and Ferrari 250 GTO. The experience was enriched by an exhibition of some vintage vehicles outside the activity.

The Piacenza Vintage Motor Vehicles Club (CPAE) immediately listened to the kids talk about their project, inviting them to discuss at their headquarters how to keep the world of vintage vehicles alive in a generation that seems to prefer large displays and prestigious options inside its vehicles, rather than a car that smells of petrol and history.

“There is interest in the world of classic vehicles; it is up to us to transform it into a passion!”

These are Matteo Greco‘s words regarding the future of classic vehicles. On that occasion, there was therefore a discussion on how the two generations can collaborate in keeping alive a piece of history that still has so much to convey. Some of the Epocar kids then participated in the November 9th gathering organized by CPAE, thus being able to listen with pleasure to those who have long lived this passion.

The strength of social media and new national collaborations

A key contribution also came from the world of social media, where interest quickly spread among followers, leading many enthusiasts to get involved in the project by sharing knowledge and ideas. Among these, the relationship that has been built with Vintaagecar and CarLoversEur is important, with which something is being achieved that goes beyond individual territorial realities and that unites, at the national level, all those who are passionate about or have an interest in the world of vintage, historic and youngtimer vehicles.

Epocar’s intention, between now and the next few months, is to consolidate the relationships found and cultivate new ones, finding more and more ways to reach young people. Efforts are underway to involve the Municipality of Piacenza, which has proven highly collaborative and attracted by the youth initiative, in a series of activities to promote classic car driving in the Piacenza area, inviting distinguished guests from both the collectors’ and sports car worlds.

The ultimate goal is to create a national movement that gives voice to a new generation of enthusiasts, capable of bringing together the past, present, and future of historic motoring.

Matteo Greco & Giulia Carta