The Mille Miglia used to be one of the most dangerous races on the planet. It’s now a showcase for the beautiful machines that graced roads during the race’s golden era. However, classic cars now face the dangers of the modern world, like drivers distracted by cell phones. A crash caused by a woman glancing at her phone heavily damaged a 1948 Jaguar XK120 before it reached the start line of this year’s Mille Miglia.
The crash took place during the Mille Miglia Warm-Up in Austria, Kronen Zeitung reports. Two Italians were driving the Jaguar just south of Salzburg on the Schwaitl Landesstraße, a scenic road winding through the Alps, when a silver Opel Insignia heading toward them in the opposite direction crossed the center of the road and into them. The driver and passenger in the XK120 climbed out of their crumbled machine with only a couple of scratches. The woman driving the Opel was extremely apologetic and admitted that she was looking at her phone when she pulled to the other side of the road.
It’s believed that the Jaguar XK120 involved in the crash was one of the initial 242 cars produced in 1948. It featured a wood frame with aluminum body panels. Hopefully, the car can be rebuilt and still make the start of the Mille Miglia in June 2025. Organizers tightly restrict event entry to cars that entered the Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1957. The cars must also be in their original condition or restored to their original configuration, so the mechanics working on the Jaguar have a tall task ahead of them.