Traverse City, MI — Hagerty announced Oct. 22 that it has acquired the collector car rally California Mille. According to a report in the Detroit Business Journal, Hagerty will work in collaboration with the Swig family, founders of the event.

Photo: California Mille

The California Mille — named to honor the original Mille Miglia that ran from Brescia to Rome, Italy between 1927 and 1957 — invites owners of some of the most celebrated collector cars in the United States for the annual drive on northern California’s scenic mountain and coastal roads. (The yearly Italian event, conducted from last Thursday through Sunday, continues as the 1000 Miglia for cars produced between 1927 and 1957. It was relaunched in 1977.)

As Vintage Motorsport reported last year, Hagerty acquired the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in September 2019.

Photo: California Mille

The idea for the California Mille originated with a 1982 visit by John Lamm and Martin Swig to the Mille Miglia with Swig’s 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 Zagato. Nine years later, Swig hosted the inaugural California event. Since 2012, his sons David and Howard have operated the event.

Entry into the California Mille is limited to vehicles that either ran or could have run in one of the original Mille Miglias. Period-appropriate American cars are also eligible and regularly join an impressive lineup of historic Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes and Porsches, as well as pre-war Alfa Romeos, Blower Bentleys and more. Participation each year is limited to 65 cars.

Photo: California Mille

“We share the belief that cars are about more than just getting from Point A to Point B, they’re about connection and a sense of camaraderie,” says McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “We are thrilled to welcome the event and its participants to our family, and will always ensure the California Mille stays true to its roots of ‘important cars, little roads, and wonderful friends.’”

The 2021 California Mille is scheduled for April 25–29.