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Chopard And The Mille Miglia With Karl-Friedrich Scheufele And Jacky Ickx

Published on Mon, 20 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Chopard's Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and race car driver Jacky Ickx on more than 30 years of a legendary automotive event.

Synopsis

In this special field episode of Hodinkee Radio, host James Stacy travels to Italy to cover the 40th running of the Mille Miglia, a legendary vintage car rally covering 1,000 miles from Brescia to Rome and back. Originally running from 1927 to 1957, the modern Mille Miglia is a regularity race requiring precise speed and distance control rather than racing flat-out. The event is restricted to cars from the original era and is considered "the most beautiful race in the world."

Stacy sits down with two distinguished guests: Carl Friedrich Schäufele, co-president of Chopard, and legendary racing driver Jackie Ickx. Ickx is a six-time Le Mans winner, Dakar champion, and former Ferrari Formula One driver who also won a Can-Am championship. The conversation reveals a remarkable partnership that began in 1989 when the two men met by chance at the Nürburgring. Schäufele invited Ickx to co-drive his Mercedes Gullwing in the Mille Miglia, launching both a 35-year friendship and Chopard's enduring sponsorship of the event that began in 1988.

The discussion explores why this partnership has lasted over three decades—rare in an era of short-term marketing arrangements. Schäufele emphasizes that success comes from genuine passion rather than calculated marketing strategy, and that being a family-owned independent company allows Chopard to maintain long-term commitments. Both men discuss how the event has grown from 150 to 400 participants while maintaining its essential character and passionate following. The episode concludes on a touching note of continuity, with Schäufele revealing he'll be driving this year's race with his daughter, Caroline Marie, passing on the tradition to the next generation.

Transcript

Speaker
James Stacy This episode of Hodinky Radio is proudly brought to you by Hodinki Insurance. It's the fastest, easiest way to insure the watches you love. Get your quote now at Hodinky.comslash insurance. Hey, it's me, James Stacy, and this episode of Hodinky Radio was recorded from the field while I was in Italy to cover the start of the fortieth running of the Mila Milia, a vintage car rally that runs some 1,000 miles across the country. The Mila Melia originally started in 1927 and ran until 1957. The modern expression functions as a regularity race on the public roads from Brescia to Rome and back to Brescia. Being a regularity race, also known as a time-speed-distance rally, participants are challenged to drive specific distances at precise speeds rather than flat out, as you might on a racetrack. It's an event like none other, and being exclusive to cars from the original period of 27 to 57, Mili Mili is said to be the most beautiful race in the world, and it functions as a rolling, roaring car show that sees the streets of Italy lined with enthusiastic spectators. If you want to learn more, please hit the show notes. But to chat about the whole event, I'm joined by two heavy-hitting guests, Carl Friedrich Schäufler and Jackie Ix. Carl Friedrich is the co-president of Chopar, the key and long-standing partner of the race, and Jackie X is a famous race car driver. He won Le Mans six times, has won it Dakar, drove a Ferrari for Formula One in the early 70s, and has even won a Can Am championship. Along with being a legend, he's also a Chopar Ambassador and the three of us chat about the appeal of the Mila Melea, why Chopar has been supporting the race for more than three decades, and how they see the overlap in appeal for watches and vintage cars. With the history lesson sorted, here's Carl Friedrich and Jackie. Okay, Carl Frederick and Jackie, this is an absolute treat for me to be in Italy, to be sitting here with you guys at a wonderful hotel and just knowing that tomorrow morning I wake up like a a kid on Christmas Eve and I get to see all these uh fantastic vintage cars and and uh and finally experience something that I feel like I've written so many times about. How are you guys doing? You guys this must feel a little old to you or is it still exciting
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ? Well I was just about to tell you that every time I come back here, I'm just as excited as the first time. Um, because it's it's it every time it's an overwhelming sight to see all these incredible cars in one place, um, ready to go. And for me that's uh as amazing as uh the first encounter
James Stacy . And you started in nineteen eighty seven was your first running? Is that accurate
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ? Eight uh nineteen eighty nine. Eighty nine, okay. And my first participation at the min
James Stacy imia all together. That's fantastic. And Shopar's basically been supporting the race since then, correct? We've been partners of the Minim
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ina since nineteen eighty eight. Okay. The very first year I I I couldn't participate yet. I had no and not the four wheels you need to do so. And what was that first car? The first car is the same car we use using this time. It's the Galwing Mercedes uh and um this particular Gullwing was probably a record holder of the minimum. Retrospective with thirty plus times it has run. Yeah. That'
James Stacy s fantastic. And Jackie, that was your first run as well when you guys uh started running together in 89
Jackie Ickx ? Well, first of all, I must say I'm happy to meet someone who uh coming to uh the Mille Emilia for the first time. And in a way, I regret not having the chance to interview you after the experience because it's really exciting. It's um really Really a fantastic opportunity not only uh to see beautiful cars from uh nineteen twenty-seven until uh nineteen fifty-seven, but to have the feeling and the soul of the start of the milieu, the feeling of the people who are coming to see the start, the feeling of the people who are next to the road to hear the music of these incredible engines? It's an atmosphere. And the atmosphere is just fantastic. Although that the race has stopped in 57 for the reason that everyone knows. The fact that they've relaunched um a glorious race full of adventure development and under the idea of the Marzotto brothers is just fantastic and without within within the start of in nineteen eighty eight or eighty seven the success has has continued non stop to have four hundred starters today, two hundred people on the waiting list and it's a human race because next to the next to the road you have hundreds thousand
James Stacy of people watching it. I'm I'm yeah, I'm I'm just so very excited. I've been so fortunate to go to a lot of car shows where the cars sit on a nice piece of grass and maybe they start the engine every now and then and a group kind of stands around, you get to hear it. This is something else entirely, and I'm I you know,'ve watched the videos and I've had friends who who were able to uh come and and run a car and and they said that there's really not an event like it in uh in the whole world
Jackie Ickx . There is nothing I can confirm there is nothing like it and it's something was to be done or having seen at least once. Fant
James Stacy astic. Yeah. Well it's gonna be a big day tomorrow. Uh you know speaking of it being my first time, I would love to go back and and just kind of quickly go over kind of your origin stories. So we know that you guys ran together in the three hundred SL. How how did you guys meet in the first place? How did you get connected? Should I tell the story
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ? Well, we we met accidentally on um a race day uh in in germany I believe it was the neurburg ring yeah correct I was sitting on a at a at a bench uh on a bench having uh I believe a sausage and uh Jackie X was sitting next to me by accident and we we started talking and um he happened to mention that his wife had a problem with a piece of jewelry from Chopin, which of course I could not um accept and uh proposed to him to take care of the piece of jewelry, of course. And and this led to uh a visit of Jackie in Geneva, and the timing was such that um I was ready to engage a car in the Minimilia nineteen eighty nine, but I I didn't have a driver. And I insist on saying a driver. Luckily and and surprisingly, or surprisingly and luckily, he accepted uh immediately to I would say immediately to to join me in this adventure. And so we found found each other uh sitting in the car at the start on the starting line in nineteen eighty-nine, except that I was behind the wheel and he was sitting next to me, which I did
James Stacy n't expect. Right. Yeah, I suppose when you when you ask Jackie Ix to uh to you know come along for a drive, you kind of expect you might be in the right seat. Yes. That's fair. I didn't realize that was the the the background that you guys kind of met serendipitously over a sausage at at the Nuremberg Ring, I I really think that's a great way to start a
Jackie Ickx friendship. Things are happening sometimes without any uh planning. You know in life you meet some people totally unexpectedly. And um yes, he was ready to repair my bracelet very quickly, but I suspect he had already in mind of offer of offering me to join him in the Millie Millia and uh what he didn't know as he said that I wasn't planning to drive because personally in regularity yeah I know he loves to drive really well. I mean, he's changing gears in all cars as a professional. I believe it. He's really good. He's much better than me, I must admit, in a way. But then it was a fantastic opportunity for me to go on the roads of these people who were doing the milli milia flat out and clearly in the fifties the roads in Italy were not as they are today, but going from Brescia to Rome and return for example at the speed that uh Sterling Moss did in fifty five, hundred sixty-three kilometer per average with Dennis Jenkinson uh as a a partner, a co-driver was something still today is just unbelievable because even if you want to do it today on a free road you won't do it. It's just something totally exceptional. And also in a it's a beautiful way to discover uh sights in Italy because I have been here often. And we found just the right balance, having the right co-driver, a good driver. Sometimes as he's so smooth, I can't sleep some uh times and then he scream at me. Uh can you tell that and say oh wake up wake up yeah you have a job to do you not just a passage sometime have been punished of uh sleeping too much. So that's the way we have built up a thirty five year relationship non stop as um an ambassador and a friend, we uh gain year after year an impressive friendship. And uh you know that in life you have very few uh friends, real friends in a way and that we have done through the passion the shared passion of collectors who are doing the mille milia the shared passion with the um uh the public who is on the side of the roads, hundred thousand of them from here to Rome and back. It's very impressive. Typically the Italian way, you know the the Italian I m must also say this race it's only possible in Italy because they have the gene to organize that. They have the agreement of the police, the administration, they close the roads and everything sometimes is very impressive.
James Stacy Absolutely. Yeah. I I I believe that that something like this could only happen in Italy. I've been fortunate enough to come to Italy a few times to drive fast cars and it's a country that likes it more than anywhere else I've been in the world. They were a fast car, but it's not
Jackie Ickx about going fast on the road, huh? Because it's open road, anyhow. You go uh from here to Raven or all these towns, Bologna, and we do La Futa and the mountains, but it's not about speeding, it's about regularity only and the chance to show the car to the people. It's it's not a race anymore, luckily. But uh it's just fantastic
James Stacy . And you know, I'm I'm interested because you'd said you're it's a thirty-five year history that you guys have with the with the race and and I definitely want to get to Chopar and Chopar's role and and I'm very fascinated by especially brands that start a partnership and then don't just leave after a couple years because it's so rare for one to go for five, ten years, let alone three decades and more. Um so I definitely want to get to that in a moment, but before I miss the chance, how how has the race changed since eighty eight, eighty-nine? Because it's the same cars, right? Or at least the same idea of cars.
Carl Friedrich Schäufele We're looking at the same cars and we are definitely looking at the same enthusiasm or even more enthusiasm in terms of spectators because in the beginning um spectators was not were not so international, most Italian. Now you have a whole lot of fans coming from all over the world to watch the mini media and they they installed themselves you know two days a before to get a good spot on the uh pasado la futa or the raticosa or whatever and um and they they spent their day there to to get watch every car go by. So this is the same. The only difference now is when we started I think we were one hundred and fifty participants, maybe 180, and now we are over 400. And that is really a bit of the the limitation of the milli media today because uh four hundred participants means maybe one thousand a caravan of one thousand cars because every participant more or less has somebody following with a repair kit and and then you have those who want to watch the milli million not sitting on the side of the road but driving in between the cars and then you get a bit of a problem sometimes. I'm sure, yeah. I'm an advocate to reduce the number of participants again because uh as I said, we are we're at the limit, I would say
James Stacy . I mean, a lot of these special things do you have a a limit, right? If uh when a club has too many people in it, it can kind of lose focus, it can kind of lose its ability to do whatever was originally fun. Like I didn't realize it was four hundred cars. I knew it was it it had been in excess of three hundred. And uh and I had some friends who had done it and said, like, Yeah, you're in moving traffic. It can be kind of kinda hairy at times. Y
Carl Friedrich Schäufele es, but the enthusiasm and the uh emotions and the passion. It's it's all there since day one, and it's still the same. Um, it's overw
James Stacy helming uh at times. And is that is that consistency of passion and enthusiasm in the vehicles and all that, why it's it's m you've managed to make it a long term partnership with with Chopar
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ? Well first of all, it it's a personal passion of mine, the you know, collecting uh classic cars and uh driving them um i'm I'm not a fan of um uh concours d'elegance that much I prefer to drive um and then we found I think we found a unique uh synergy uh between the watches uh between Chopin and the mini media. And there's a personal involvement. It's not an opportunity uh that some kind of marketing uh department found um that should be taken up because it is right now an interesting moment in time. Right. We are a partner who you know r respects a long term partnership and um and we were proven right. I mean today the Minimia Collection is a real collector's watch. Uh the collector's watches. And I was just told today there are two hundred totally new inscriptions at the Milly Media. It's not the same people coming
James Stacy back every year. I think the obviously the the car community it wor the world over has seen a huge influx of interest in the last four or five years, especially in vintage cars, even in pre-war cars, which I, you know, as someone who only really started to appreciate pre-war cars once I got into my 30s, you know, it it's fascinating to see people that stuff get more attention at something that isn't just every year at Pebble Beach a car that I don't know that's it's thirty-five feet long and black wins, right? Like you can ask Jackie about
Carl Friedrich Schäufele our second participation, which was a pre-war
Jackie Ickx car to come back. You have to know by regulation only cars between nineteen twenty-seven and nineteen fifty-seven are allowed. And as you said, there are not always, I mean, these types of cars are coming, but as Carl says, there is a number of new customers and there is a new generation coming. It's not the same people. It's very special to have the same main sponsor nonstop at the end. And Carl spoke about the passion, but yes, he entered in it by passion and still it remain a passionate man about the Millie Millia. And it's just astonishing when you come here and uh when you will discover tomorrow the start uh the starting procedure and the enthusiasm of the Italian for motor racing. Honestly the success comes from a a human interest and shared passion for something plus the music of uh the engines from some from uh 50 years ago and more I mean there is uh real music and um that that's the key of the success and also the perennial of a legendary race created by the Bra Marzotto brothers at the time of its so long away. And I think it's it's fantastic that people like Carl and others assume the uh continuity and um of the past in a way, trad
James Stacy itions. You know, among Chopar's kind of collection of of events that you may sponsor uh where where does where does Millie Melia fall is it is it considered a successful one or one that you've well if it would be
Carl Friedrich Schäufele only an exercise of pleasure and leisure, I probably wouldn't sit here anymore. Or probably probably I would participate myself all alone. And um but uh we consider and I'm talking about Chopin, we consider that Millie Millia is really also became uh definitely a commercial success. A success story of a collection of watches, which also kind of marked the entrance to to the shopper world. So no we are here because uh it is definitely uh a fruitful partnership and something that uh took us a long a long way and amongst the partnerships that we we have there's only one other uh that we've been involved in for twenty-five years now and that's the Cannes Film Festival. Right, which would have that was just a few weeks ago. Yes, which was just uh four weeks ago. So the ranking of the mini media in our in our world of partnerships
James Stacy is very high. And then I mean you you you can you can you can be honest, it's just you and me here. How how about this guy as an ambassador? Pretty high or somewh
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ere in the middle? I think it's you he he's not only uh very high, but he's he's quite
James Stacy unique. I would agree. Yeah. I think I always always thought it was amazing. Uh you know, years ago uh I had five or ten minutes to chat with you, Jackie, at uh at Basel World. And as soon as you realize that I I probably should have asked more questions about watches, but I just started like throwing 50 questions about cars and 1969 Lamont and the rest at you. And then you gave me every minute you had and then very quickly had to go to your your next
Jackie Ickx you give me a nice opportunity uh to say the success is uh directly linked to those in motor racing at the start, the success is directly linked to those who are thinking about designing, producing, preparing a car. When you receive a winning car, it's much easier to win in a way. And that's what's in a way you say unique, it's sweet of you. The reality I was directly linked to the right cars in different types of racing, and that's the reason why I was successful. But the success is linked to group of people who are producing watches and jaywells and other things in a unique uh way. And in a way also when they meet the success, you are also honoring these people on the site. It's like in in ra in in racing. In my case and in everybody's life that's the case, there are always people next to you who proceed and help you to uh the success. And the adventure of the milemilias quite right. It's something totally unique. Absolutely. Ye
James Stacy ah, no, it it definitely takes you know, it takes a a village to for for a uh to put a race team or to put a watch together as you know and Carl Frederick, I'm I'm curious I asked you about how you felt the the race had changed, how Millie Melia had changed. The Chopart's been in your family since nineteen sixty three, correct? How in your eyes, how has the watch world changed since then? Oh
Carl Friedrich Schäufele , that's a long story. But ever since I started, which was a around nineteen eighty, I can tell you the watch world completely changed. There basically uh very few family companies left, as as you very well know, and uh basically also very few uh small companies uh around anymore. Uh somebody called them the Indies the other day, the independents. Because I said what indies? What do you mean? Uh said the independence. We're looking at a very corporate, very marketing driven, very uh kind of calculated way of doing things. As Jackie said earlier, what I am missing today is people who are really close to the product. In our teams, I keep on uh insisting that you have to. It's all about the product, it's about the design, it's about emotions, and it's something you can't just plan ahead of time. Now next year we are doing this or that, because uh we calculated that you know uh we need to have to address this type of public and blah blah blah. I think good product is still made by people with passion. And if you don't have the passion, you can't buy the passion
James Stacy . And and that's a big change. Do you do you think that that being a family owned company, being an independent, while also still being Chopar, I mean, like Chopar has a huge impact. But do you
Carl Friedrich Schäufele think that that gives you a certain superpower? It uh sets us apart and it gives us if we do things right, it gives us the chance to excel and to be different. And I think that
James Stacy is uh what really counts. And I guess it's highlighted by the fact that I can't imagine any other watch brand that would have a thirty plus year connection with, you know, a a road rally, a famous Italian road rally. Maybe a year or two here or there, maybe maybe with the right race car driver for five years, and then they move on to whatever's next, right
Carl Friedrich Schäufele ? Let's say a personal such a personal connection where I I personally participate or family members personally participate i in in the event. You have to look very far to find another one for su
James Stacy re. Yes. And Jackie, I'm sure you've had the experience as an ambassador for other brands over over the course of your career. Is it is it different to work with with a brand that operates kind of like a like a family business? I think the success of course it's being a differ
Jackie Ickx ent type of uh philosophy and company owned by uh someone you build up through the time confidence it's an attitude also the fidelity and uh the way you don't change this and that and in front of you you need you need also the same attitude to continue. It's not always uh about uh a globa a global attitude, world attitude on things. I think they have built up with the organizer something I believe, looking from outside, totally unique. And with the organizer, they assume the continuity. I mean, we know that nothing is forever, ever, ever in this world. But their attitude organizer and the brand shopper build up something fantastic. We are surrounded by people who share the same passion for cars and watches. It's as simple as that
James Stacy . You know, a lot of what we talked about in the last half hour is about continuity and and the continuation of this passion. And I think it's interesting because uh you said at the top that you're not driving together this year. Carl Frederick, who who are you driving with this year? Well, uh talking about
Carl Friedrich Schäufele continuity. I'm driving with my daughter, Caroline Marie, and she happens to be a a good driver, but it's it's going to be more or less her first time behind the wheel of of such a car. So I'm really looking forward to that
James Stacy . Love that so much. I th I feel like this is uh watches as well, but watches and cars are really something that somebody in your life passes on to you. And it can be kind of intentional or it can be tangential. It can just kind of happen.
Jackie Ickx And I think it's fantastic to have the chance to do it with your son, your daughter, and encourage a lot this sort of uh attitude because when we talk about the Millemilia, we talk about the human aspect of people coming from different places in the world who have together the same thoughts about to meet how to meet, how to enjoy life. It's just fascinating. So I love totally the idea and the privilege he has to uh run with his daughter. It's about sharing. We are together and
James Stacy they share these things. That's fantastic. Look, I don't want to take up any more time. You guys have a very busy schedule, of course. Anyone listening, if you're if you're curious, there's a brand new 2022 edition of the uh limited edition watch for the race this year. We'll have photos of that on the site along with a huge photo report. I'm gonna use all my camera batteries tomorrow. I'm looking forward to uh to every minute of it. Carl Frederick, Jackie, thank you so much for this. What a treat. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you.