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Abarth 124 Rally Debuts at the Monte Carlo Rally

January 17, 2017 By pete

Abarth 124 Rally was introduced at the ‘Auto Moto Epoca 2016’.

Story by Roberto Motta and Pete Vack
Photos courtesy of FCA

The new Abarth 124 Rally to debut in the 85th Monte Carlo Rally

The racing career of the new Abarth 124 Rally will start with the debut in the 85th Monte Carlo Rally, the first race of the 2017 Rally World Championship to be staged this weekend, from January 19 to 22. And as the lead photo indicates, Abarth will try to recreate the success of the original Fiat Abarth 124 Rally. And of course therein lies a story we can sink our teeth into.

We hit the reference books for information; in this case, our own Abarth Buyer’s Guide, from which we quote here liberally. Seems that Carlo Abarth wasn’t too keen on rally cars and only prepared two models in the early 1960s for rally events. In 1962 a team of Fiat 1500S Rally Berlinas was readied for the Trieste Rally but as they did not fare well, Abarth lost interest. In 1963 Abarth entered the Monte Carlo Rally with 850 and 1000 TC Berlinas, but it was the day of the front drive Minis and Saabs; Abarth & C. did not pursue. [Read more…] about Abarth 124 Rally Debuts at the Monte Carlo Rally

VeloceToday for January 10, 2017

January 10, 2017 By pete

Here’s a great way to start to the New Year! Peter Darnall weaves a story about Professor Porsche and the development of the 8C35 Alfa Grand Prix car; Roberto Motta at the 40th Anniversary of the Alfa Museo Storico; Part 3 of the cars of Dale Powers and from the archives, Graham Gauld writes about Mike Sparken.

A Most Unusual Meeting

January 10, 2017 By pete

The Tipo C monoposto was a breakthrough design for Alfa Romeo. Giovanni Guidotti, a long-time employee of Alfa Romeo, remembered the initial test of the prototype and the bizarre events which followed. He originally told the story to a prominent member of the “Alfisti” more than thirty years ago. The story was recently passed on to me. Although possibly an apocryphal tale, this is Guidotti’s story.

Story and montage by Peter Darnall

Alfa Romeo was a major force in European racing during the early 1930s. Vittorio Jano’s innovative designs had made Alfas the cars to beat in both sports car and Grand Prix venues. However, the economic hardships of the Great Depression and the years which followed brought government control to Alfa Romeo with ever-increasing pressure to produce materiel for Mussolini’s military ambitions. Racing activities had been turned over to Scuderia Ferrari with an arrangement which allowed the Portello factory to design and build the cars while the Scuderia campaigned them.

The AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus), which was the governing body for international motor racing, had decreed that beginning with the 1934 Grand Prix season, race cars would not weigh more than 750 kilograms (about 1650 pounds), minus the weight of tires, fluids and driver. Although Vittorio Jano’s masterpiece, the P3 monoposto, met the weight requirements of the new formula, the vintage Alfa racer could not expect to compete with the technologically superior German Mercedes Benz and Auto Union machines.

Dr. Porsche, meet Vittorio Jano.

[Read more…]

Hoods Up at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo

January 10, 2017 By pete

A sight one does not normally see in other museums.

Story and photos by Roberto Motta

It’s Hoods Up at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo for the 40th Anniversary

Wander through the many automobile museums of the world (or just follow VeloceToday!) and you will quickly note that they all have one thing in common; the hoods are usually closed and if not, one can’t get close enough to study the mechanicals. This is unfortunate, for unlike today’s plastic-covered engines, many powerplants of the 20th century were hi tech engineering, awesome to look at, art in and of themselves, and designed to be easy to work on. Yet they are so often hidden under the hoods of museum pieces. Not so in Milan however!

Alfa Romeo, who has been creating technologically advanced engines for race cars and production cars since 1910, is one of the few firms left with a lengthy and glorious history of designing advanced engines. Engines are the essence of Alfa Romeo, and at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, they are not afraid to show it. On December 18 2016, the Museum in Arese celebrated its first 40 Year Anniversary with a special exhibition in which the hoods were open on about 300 cars for everyone to see and touch. And why not; engines are the sporting heart of Alfa Romeo; for years Alfa created only the chassis and engine, while the coachwork was completed by others such as Pininfarina, Zagato, and Bertone. Therefore, the ‘real essence’ of historic Alfas often lies beneath the coachwork.

Did we say “Forty years?” True, and it’s hard to believe that the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo first opened on December 18th 1976, born to commemorate and preserve the history of the Milanese brand.

Orazio Satta Puliga, head of design projects since the end of the Second World War, was a prime motivator for the construction of the Museum, and fortunately Satta found a great ally in President Giuseppe Luraghi. Subsequently, it was up to famous historian and engineer Luigi Fusi to assemble the collection and organize the exhibition in a new building.

A line up of 1976 Alfas owned by Alfisti visiting the 40th Anniversary.

In recent years, the museum was closed to the public for a complex renovation project by architect Benedetto Camerana. The museum re-opened its doors on 24 June 2015. Named ‘The Time Machine’ it is a modern structure that in its first year attracted more than 100 thousand visitors thanks to a fascinating exhibition that tells the history of Alfa Romeo. As such, the Museum is not only for the ‘Alfisti’, but also caters to a wider audience that includes the new generations. Still, the forty year celebration in December included a special event for the ‘Alfisti’… Alfa enthusiasts who drove an Alfa Romeo built during the ’76 model year participated in the parade on the test track next to the museum.

The museum is in Arese (Milan), Viale Alfa Romeo.
Opening Time: Open daily from 10 am to 18 pm. Closed on Tuesday.
For info: website www.museoalfaromeo.com Tel .: 02 4442 5511

Alfa’s Road Cars

Alfa’s Race Cars

Below, note that there are links in the captions to related articles.

Vittorio Jano’s GP Tipo P2 (1925)

Alfa Romeo GP Tipo P2 engine, 1925 (1987cc 155hp at 5500rpm) Read More

Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza (2336cc 165hp at 5400 rpm)

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Alfa Romeo Museo Storico Annivesary in Italia

January 10, 2017 By pete

SOLO PER APPASSIONATI: Le macchine … e motori dell’Alfa Romeo Museo Storico.

Testo e foto di Roberto Motta

Il Museo Alfa Romeo di Arese ha compiuto i suoi primi 40 anni e per festeggiare ha esibito le proprie vetture con i ‘cofani aperti’ per consentire al pubblico di ammirare il suo “cuore sportivo”

Se passeggiate tra le stanze dei numerosi musei di automobili di tutto il mondo (o più semplicemente seguite VeloceToday!) avrete notato che tutti hanno una cosa in comune; tutte le auto hanno i cofani chiusi, e non ci si può avvicinare alle vetture per studiarne la meccanica. Questo è un peccato perché, a differenza dei motori di oggi, interamente ricoperti di plastica, molti propulsori del 20° secolo sono un vero concentrato di ingegneria hi tech, e sono delle vere opere d’arte.

Ma, purtroppo, sono spesso nascosti sotto il cofano delle auto esposte nel museo.
L’Alfa Romeo, ha sempre creato motori per auto da corsa e per vetture di produzione fin dal 1910, ed è quindi una delle poche aziende che può vantare una lunga e gloriosa storia nella progettazione di motori tecnicamente avanzati. [Read more…] about Alfa Romeo Museo Storico Annivesary in Italia

VeloceToday for January 3, 2017

January 3, 2017 By pete

2016 was a great year for VeloceToday! This week we look back on four of the most popular articles published last year. Click on the photo icon to read the story.

Coming up in January, a new look at the Disco Volante, Beaulieu’s National Museum, Hoods Up at Arese, One Great Amilcar and more.

VeloceToday for December 20, 2016

December 20, 2016 By pete

There will be no VeloceToday for December 27. Have a Happy Holiday Season!

A VeloceToday Design Forum

December 20, 2016 By pete

VeloceToday recently completed a two-part book review on the work of Marcello Gandini authored by Gautam Sen. We are also reviewing a book about the De Tomaso Mangusta, by ex-GM designer Dick Ruzzin. In October, author and collector Paul Wilson allowed us to spend some time with his Lamborghini Miura. The three are uniquely qualified, if not over-qualified (read bios at end of the article).

Also, we are offering FREE to VeloceToday readers, a PDF of the first 52 pages of “Gandini, Maestro of Design” (read review). This gives you, our readers, a chance to join in on the discussion and read the complete fascinating story of Gandini and Miura. Click here for details.

While discussing the Gandini book (in which he was quoted), Ruzzin offered some thoughts about the nature of the Miura design. “When an artist sits down to do his work, all of his lifetime experiences and values come to bear on what he is trying to create. This is inevitable and cannot be prevented, as art is a reflection of the essence of the artist’s intellect in the form of sculpture, music, painting, or car design.” Although no one is challenging Gandini’s role as the designer of the Miura, the images that Ruzzin sent along were nevertheless thought-provoking.

In short, Ruzzin presented this argument:

Free PDF: Marcello Gandini: Maestro of Design

December 20, 2016 By pete

Receive the first 52 pages of Gautam Sen’s fanastic two volume set about Marcello Gandini. In this PDF you’ll read about Gandini’s youth growing up in Turin; meeting Nuccio Bertone; going to work at Bertone just as Giorgetto Giugiaro was leaving; designing the Miura, which was his first project at Bertone; the controversy surrounding who actually designed the fabulous Miura; The one off Bertone Porsche and the strange Jaguar FT.

Then read what the author, ex-GM designer Dick Ruzzin and author/collector/owner Paul Wilson have to say about the design of the Miura and outside influences. And we’d like to hear your comments and opinions on the subject!

Finally, take advantage of Dalton Watson’s new payment program, which can be applied to Gautam Sen’s definitive work on Gandini.

The PDF can be obtained by clicking on the Subscribe button below; Offer for Premium Subscribers ONLY!

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Jack, John, and the 750 OSCA at Sebring 1960

December 20, 2016 By pete

John Bentley at the wheel of the OSCA S/N 769 which won the Index of Performance at Sebring, 1960. Co-driver Jack Gordon tells the story. Credit Jeff Allison.

Sebring 1960: John and Jack Win the Index
Originally published on September 9, 2009

By Jack Gordon

Jack Gordon continues his narrative of the Le Mans and Sebring events of 1960, in which he and journalist John Bentley competed in two different 750cc OSCAs. His first article covered the Le Mans event (read OSCA at Le Mans) which came after the Sebring race addressed here.

In 1957 I began to think seriously about driver schools and what to take to school, knowing that my 56 Healey’s handling and (un)reliability needed improvement. A friend of mine told me that John Bentley had a used Alfa for sale that ought to be suitable, so I went over and liked it as the Alfa already had the stock 4.1 axle changed to a 4.55, which is what you want for short or medium SCCA courses.

The next year I went down to Sebring as part of Bentley’s pit crew, he had a really crappy looking Elva MK.3 1100 set up with 4 Amal carbs and no paint on the body; in fact it was all lumpy. I said to myself who is this Ray Nichols guy who doesn’t know how to finish off a car? I kept doing driver schools and regional races and picked up a few trophies along the way. In 1959 the SCCA gave me a National ticket and I did one race at Montgomery airport but my drive-to-work Alfa was not competitive with the big boys from Cleveland and Chicago. It was about then that Bentley suggested we go halves on an OSCA for Sebring and we were off and running. [Read more…] about Jack, John, and the 750 OSCA at Sebring 1960

Adelaide Motorsport Festival, South Australia, 2016 Part 2

December 20, 2016 By pete

Stefan Johansson, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, Ferrari F156-85, turn 7 entry, Wakefield Street Adelaide.

Victoria Park Sprints, 19-20 November
Read Part 1

Story and photos by Vince Johnson

The F1s were back in Adelaide in November, recreating the sights and sounds of the glory days of 1985 – 1995, when the Australian Grand Prix had come alive in the streets of the South Australian capital. Shoppers and city workers on their lunch break found four of them displayed in the centre of town on the Wednesday before the festival. Alongside the Ferrari 156 turbo that Stefan Johansson had driven in the 1985 race and the Ferrari 412 T1 that Gerhard Berger scored second place with in 1994 were Ivan Capelli’s 1989 Leyton House March CG891 and the most powerful F1 car ever, Berger’s 1986 Benetton BMW. Johansson, Capelli and Minardi driver Pierluigi Martini were on hand, posing for photos and signing mementoes from Adelaide’s F1 decade. After the media interviews, the 412T1 was fired up for several minutes to give the public a taste of what was in store.

Christmas in the City.

[Read more…]

VeloceToday for December 13, 2016

December 13, 2016 By pete