"Bella Macchina" from Hesse
11/19/2023
Competition stimulates business. Günther Irmscher and Klaus Steinmetz were not the only ones who knew this. Virgilio Conrero also had to give up his sole reign as Italy's leading authority on Opel tuning in 1974. Gino Carenini, together with his brother Silvano, had dared to open a tuning store for Rüsselsheim engines in Caselle di Selvazzano near Padua.
The brothers had brought the idea with them from Germany. Before setting up their own business with "Tuning Carenini", they had worked as mechanics at Irmscher in Winnenden and looked after the Opel works team's rally cars. Among other things, Gino was the chief mechanic responsible for the Ascona of a certain Walter Röhrl in 1973. The Careninis apparently did a good job, as their Opel was only beaten by Sandro Munari's Lancia Stratos in the European Rally Championship.
When the Rüsselsheim-based company stopped letting Irmscher take care of its rally business in 1974 and instead took it into its own hands with the "Opel Euro Dealer Team", Gino and Silvano returned to Italy with the consequences described at the beginning. Walter Röhrl also seemed to be impressed by Carenini's skills. Because when the man from Regensburg switched to Fiat for the 1978 season, he explicitly requested his former Opel friend as chief mechanic in his contract.
Fiat accepted the condition - and Gino Carenini softened his brand loyalty for one season. He remained close friends with Walter Röhrl until his death in August 2019. The Opel Kadett GT/E Group 2 built by Tuning Carenini shown above will be auctioned by RM/Sotheby's in Munich on November 25 .
