IN THIS FEATURE "I will have to shoot you if you do that!" Rain, rain everywhere Sounds like James Brown Culture clash of the titans Making mincemeat of an SLK 55 Deserving of a GT title?

The final run to Brescia takes in autostrada - the Italians are much more excited by the SLR than the Germans, something they demonstrate by diving in alarmingly close for a look. At one point, I find myself with an SLK AMG 55 some inches from the tail of the McLaren. Must have been a surreal sight to onlookers as the SLK AMG looks very much like a shrunken version of the SLR. But he hung on gamely until we buried the throttle, at which point the SLR just walked away.

Brescia is teeming under a broiling sun. The locals have come out in huge numbers to cheer anybody driving Mille Miglia liveried cars, of which there are a vast number, including our own John Simister. He'll pilot a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the jammy B. (story to follow).

Line of SLRs pose for the masses in Brescia

We are ushered into a private compound where competitors park up to eat and socialise before the off - the re-running of the Mille Miglia isn't about ultra-competitive raw speed anymore, although we're told police won't be too miffed if you let rip. Rather, it is an opportunity for the well-off, the wealthy and the stupendously rich to step out in their classic Alfas, BMWs, Mercs, Jaguars and every other qualifying make, right down to the hugely amusing Isetta bubble cars. In the red-roped compound where only those wearing VIP tags are allowed, drawling American accents mingle with the nasal twang of tactile Italians hugging and wishing each other luck with a 'bella machina!' Amidst all of this, one of our modern SLRs snuggles up beside the Stirling Moss 1955 Mille Miglia winning SLR, number 722. It's a fairly obvious bid for a bid of glory-by-association, with one of the modern SLRs even sporting '722' livery.