We are pleased to introduce one of the new voices of Pneurama: Gianmarco Rossi, owner of F.lli Rossi Pneumatici Workshop in Bologna, which has been a reference point for vintage car enthusiasts for over twenty years. While it is true that his business has focused on vintage car tyres for more than two decades, the 
company's origins go much further back, telling stories of family, passions, gambles, and ultimately success. After returning from the Russian campaign in 1944, Gianmarco’s grandfather, Trentino Rossi, opened a tyre repair shop in Via Ferrarese, on the outskirts of Bologna. With the war still raging and in the immediate years following its end, the scarcity of tyres made the tyre shop’s activity equivalent to that of a vulcanizer: a tyre repairer.
Only with the economic recovery did the business begin to evolve into the current format, involving also Gianmarco’s father and uncle, Angelo and Lucio Rossi respectively. At twenty-one, Angelo Rossi decided to open his own workshop in Bologna near the central bus station. Lucio followed in his footsteps, opening a retail outlet of his own on Via Bigari. However, in 1980, that very shop caught fire, forcing the owner to join Gianmarco’s father and, in 1985, create a joint venture. Their passion for vintage cars began in 1975 when the Rossi brothers purchased a Lancia Aprilia. Their passion for classic vehicles and tyre sales soon merged: friends started to see them as a reference point for sourcing vintage car tyres, which in the early 1980s were produced only by Michelin. The latter offered a very limited range alongside their modern tyre catalogue; many sizes were unavailable and could not be ordered. As a result, the Rossi brothers began a door-to-door search among tyre shops, rummaging through leftover stock in warehouses. Meanwhile, the phenomenon of swap-meets and markets where enthusiasts could trade auto parts, accessories, and vintage cars grew. The first swap-meet the Rossi brothers participated in was in Imola, organized by CRAME (Romagna Club of Vintage Cars and Motorcycles), held right inside the city’s racetrack. Between 1987 and 1988, their workshop—already a Pirelli Partner System—invited the manufacturer to produce tyres for vintage cars. As a result, tyres such as the Pirelli Stella Bianca were produced for the Fiat 500 Topolino (400/425-15) and the Fiat 508 Balilla (400/425-17), followed by the Pirelli Cinturato HS for Maserati/Ferrari (185VR 16). Despite initial difficulties, mainly due to end-user scepticism, the partnership with Pirelli proved successful, and this would result in the production of additional tyres like the 155 HR 15 for the Giulietta and 165 HR 14 for the Giulia, both featuring the Pirelli Cinturato CA67 design.
From the late ’80s to the early ’90s, vintage car racing events and associations started multiplying and the Rossi brothers were quick to seize this opportunity. In 1987-88, they purchased an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI to test tyre performance in racing. Between 1990 and 1991, Pirelli started releasing racing tyres while events like the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Trophy and the Porsche 356 Trophy became popular among enthusiasts. Both championships featured Pirelli tyres in size 175/70 VR 15 with the famous CN36 tread pattern, and the brothers followed the various events with a van equipped by the tyre manufacturer. Although never granting exclusivity, the collaboration with Pirelli continued until 2001. However, when the Milan-based tyre maker entered into Formula 1, subsequent reductions in costs considered unnecessary, resulted in a halt in the vintage sector production. It was a difficult year for the Rossi brothers: alongside the suspension of Pirelli’s vintage production, their contract also ended, which until then had allowed them to work with a good number of car rental companies in Emilia-Romagna. A stock of Pirelli 175/70 VR 15 CN36 tyres (for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta) represented the only hope to continue working in the vintage sector. To sell this stock in 2002, the Rossi brothers, in collaboration with Sergio Peroni of Peroni Promotion, a motor racing promoter, organized the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Trophy, covering all expenses themselves.
In the same year, Gianmarco’s father, Angelo Rossi, passed away while testing the very tyres which would have been used for the championship.
In December 2002, Gianmarco and his uncle received a call. It was Michelin. After two years of inactivity in vintage production—necessary to map out who in the world dealt with this sector—the French tyre manufacturer proposed a partnership and offered the Rossi brothers the official distribution of Michelin vintage tyres. Starting from January 2003, F.lli Rossi Workshop no longer dealt with modern tyres. From the following year, Pirelli decided to entrust the management of its classic tyre segment to a British company and granted exclusivity to Longstone Tyres, which became Pirelli’s global distributor for classic tyres. Longstone Tyres, however, relied on Rossi for the Italian market, and other vintage car tyre producers (Blockley Tyres, BfGoodrich, Firestone, Coker Tire, and others) also recognized Gianmarco Rossi, who at this time remained solely in charge of the activity’s management, as their Italian distributor.
Winter Tyres for Vintage Cars
As with modern cars, regulations also require vintage cars to mount winter tyres or carry chains on board. How to meet this requirement? For cars produced between the late ’70s and 2000, winter tyres are still available; the situation is different for cars manufactured before this period. In that case, it’s necessary to have 
chains. Unlike modern cars, vintage cars do not face issues related to chain thickness, as chains do not have any contact with mechanical parts. In vintage car competitions, reconstructed tyres are also used, starting from old casings previously evaluated by the manufacturer. Reconstructed tyres are also used during winter, where the original tyre is new: the tread is removed, and a new vintage tread is applied over it. The topic of studded tyres also falls within racing regulations; their use is prohibited on normal roads but allowed for certain events. The highway code does not explicitly ban studded tyres; each municipality can decide whether they can be used on its roads. For winter events, since vintage cars lack the traction control systems of modern vehicles and most competitions take place at night over Alpine passes—where ice is highly likely—it is advisable to mount studded tyres. Mounting is permitted if the event takes place on open roads and if the organizer has obtained authorization by all the municipalities involved. The main dangers of using studded tyres are road damage and potential harm caused by the stud coming out of the tyre. Therefore, the vehicle must be equipped with a full set of studded tyres and fitted with mudguards (rubber flaps designed to block loose studs and push them into the ground).
