Car Culture in Italian Households in the 1970s

In the historic Italian city of Siena, Fabrizio Càspriani practices ophthalmology. He spends his days shuttling between his three clinics in his Peugeot 407 SW. His automotive history mirrors the life of the Italian middle class of yesteryear. His estate spans a hectare, complete with olive groves and vineyards. His passion lies in collecting arms and armor from the ancient Etruscan and Roman eras, the ancestors of Italians, and he has dedicated a restoration room and a small exhibition space within his home to this pursuit. What surprising commonality does he see between the ancient Romans and Toyota, viewed through his unique lens?—

—What car are you driving now?

I'm currently driving a 2005 Peugeot 407 SW. The abundant torque from the turbodiesel makes daily driving incredibly comfortable. Before I knew it, I'd been driving it for nearly 10 years. My wife, Elisabetta, on the other hand, loves her first-generation Smart. I recommended it to her.

She used to struggle with hill starts. Once, on a steep incline, she couldn't get moving at a traffic light, and a passing police officer even asked her if she really had a license (laughs). That experience made her shy away from driving, but the Smart with its sequential shift helped her overcome that complex.

—Dr. Càspriani, you're 50 this year. To understand the car life of Italians of that era, could you tell us about the cars your family owned when you were a child in the 1970s?

When I was young, my father, who was a bank branch manager, drove a Ford Cortina Mk. 1. I still remember the taillights, which were divided into three circular sections. Later, we got a Lancia Fulvia, and from then on, I became a Lancia enthusiast.



Your most memorable car?
—What was your first experience with cars, Dr. Càspriani?

Before cars, I rode a Honda CB350 FOUR, which was popular in Italy at the time. I didn't need to go to a driving school to get my regular license. As early as 13 or 14, my mother taught me to drive in our garden using her Renault 4. Now, I'm teaching my teenage son to ride a motorcycle in the garden. The other day, he mistook the throttle for the brake and crashed into our stone wall, breaking the fork (laughs).

As for me, I went directly to the licensing office when I turned 18. In Italy back then, you could take the test in your own car. So, on the day of the test, I went to the office with my brother driving his Fiat 127. I took the driver's seat, the examiner sat next to me, and we started. My brother sat in the back seat the whole time.

—Those were simpler times.

Right after I got my license, I started driving a Chrysler, a hand-me-down from my aunt who was an English teacher. I forget the model, but it was a four-door and a stylish café au lait color.

After that, I owned a Lancia Prisma, then a Lancia Thema, followed by a Rover 600 (Editor's note: a sister car to the European Honda Accord of the time), before arriving at my current Peugeot 407 SW.

My most memorable car? Undoubtedly the Thema. The quality and craftsmanship of its interior were superb, even by today's standards. It was the leather seat version, and when driving, it felt like a mobile lounge (laughs). For me, it was the finest Italian car of its best era.



Ancient Rome and Toyota
—Your hobby, Dr. Càspriani, is researching and collecting ancient Roman arms and armor, isn't it?

Actually, in Italy, you can find such items on online auctions starting at just one euro. So, there are plenty of opportunities to collect them.

What's fascinating about studying the military history of ancient Rome is that "heroes didn't exist." Instead, teamwork was valued. It's even said that the high standards of conduct later seen in Germany were a continuous legacy of the discipline brought by the ancient Romans across the Alps.

—So, the ancient Romans exported standards?