Auto d’Epoca, Padova 2014 Part 1

Can you belive its been 40 years since the Alfetta Coupe first came out. Alfetta Turbodelta on the Alfa Romeo factory stand

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

The Automoto d’Epoca show (Oct 24-26) was a feast for the major manufacturers, but Ferrari attracted the most attention. The two Ferrari museums…the Enzo Ferrari in Modena and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, pulled out all the stops to put on a different display. With a back catalog as rich as Ferrari might have, it would have been very simply just to pull a couple of old racing cars from the museums and plonk them down in the display hall. That would have too easy. Instead they found six of the rarest but UGLIEST Ferraris you are ever likely to see. (and watch for them to appear on the auction circuit in five year’t time for an outrageous amount of money!) The cars in question? Six test mules, or as the placards said, “Mulotipo’s”. We’d provide more info on the cars but that’s all there was, folks.

There are 24 photos in this grouping…so scroll down!

Mulotipo Sviluppo Sospensioni = suspension mule. Note the hood bulges.

Mulotipo 599 Hy-Kers = 599 KERS, Ferrari's Green machine. Again, the roaring hood bulges.

Ferrari 458-Mule

Progetto F150 = Project F150 (needs more info)

Progetto Dual Frame = Dual Frame project

Mulotipo Sviluppo Motori = Engine development

But the museums also brought a racing car to show. Michele Alboreto's 156 85 F1 from the 1985 season.

A fairly accurate description from Corrodo Lopresto’s website: This car is chassis number 1495 * 0004, 1956. It was a project of Bertone in opposition to the proposal by Pinin Farina, who was later chosen by Max Hoffman, Alfa importer in the United States, to bring into production . Hoffman had in fact asked the Milan company for a small spider to offer overseas. The first model differed in some details more stylistic 'estremizzanti ', typical of its designer, Franco Scaglione. This second prototype, also designed by Scaglione, has softer shapes and is particularly elegant thanks to the two-tone paint. It was found by Lopresto the beginning of the Third Millennium, in Rome, and its restoration required a meticulous documentation also at the previous owners. The steering wheel and instruments are the same as the Giulietta Sprint series.

On the Registro Nazionale 124 Sport Spider stand was this unique 124 Spider Rondine Tjaarda. In 1964 Sergio Pininfarina tasked Tom Tjaarda to design a small spider styled along the lines of Tom's previous Rondine Chevrolet Corvette which was shown in 1963. This car was displayed at the 1964 Paris Motor show.

Seen on the Grand Premio De Bari stand was this twin engined Bimotore Monaci. Built in 1952 with coachwork by Zagato and fitted with two 1000cc engines mounted in line. The Bari Grand Premio Di Bari ran between 1947 and 1956.

Two Fiat 1100 cc engines, reduced to 1000 cc each, powered the Monaci.

1939 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Erdman and Rossi. This car was then exhibited on the coachbuilder’s stand at the 1939 Berlin Motor show. The show was opened by Adolf Hitler and whilst admiring the cars on the company stand he expressed a wish to view the engine of the Rolls Royce. Unfortunately the engine cover could not be lifted as engineer Johannes Beeskow had locked the cover the night before and the key could not be found. Hitler then laughed and said that they could not find the key as the car probably had no engine and then he and his entourage moved on. Erdman and Rossi bodied between 30 and 40 Rolls and Bentleys in period. From the Saulius Karosas collection.