FOR THE DRIVE

Every year, luxury cars gather in the town of Grimsby to take part in the Sessanta Miglia. Its co-founder, Robert Hattin, explains how they’re driving for change

- JOSH WALKER

When asked when his love for cars began, Robert Hattin puts it down to genetics. “My father was a naval aviator in the Second World War, so he always liked mechanical, noisy things.” He also mentions his time ice racing motorcycles before transitioning to cars and paying five cents to see Johnny Dark at his local theatre as defining moments. “It was the trashiest B- or C-rated film about this racer called Johnny Dark, but they had some action photos where they mounted the camera on the car, and that stuck with me to this day.”

In 2006, he became a member of the Aston Martin club. In 2015, he co-founded Sessanta Miglia, a fundraising drive for luxury cars commencing in Grimsby and ending in the Niagara region. “Car clubs are like tribes,” Hattin says. “There’s a Corvette tribe, a Ferrari tribe, a Lamborghini tribe. I said, ‘We’ve got to bring them all together and have people come out who enjoy the passion of driving while raising money.’”