It all began on January 31, 1907, with a terse announcement in the French newspaper Le Matin: "What we must demonstrate today is that since man has the automobile, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who would agree to travel from Peking to Paris by automobile next summer?"

Well, five crews, aboard five European vehicles, accepted the 16,000-kilometer challenge, relying solely on the power of their cars, which had to overcome natural hazards and obstacles of all kinds. The ITALA PECHINO PARIGI reached its destination in just 60 days, a full 20 days ahead of its opponents.

The "Peking-Paris" was also an event of a media magnitude hard to imagine at the time. Barzini (the journalist on board) sent dispatches to the Corriere della Sera and the Daily Telegraph from the most remote telegraph stations in the desert. Messages traveled along poles for thousands of kilometers, bouncing between Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Aden, Malta, Gibraltar, and London. They took up to eight or ten hours to reach the editorial office, but in time for the morning edition, where readers could enjoy the Itala's adventures in real time.