06.05.2004 The 'factory' Alfa Romeo Vintage Car Team which will start the Mille Miglia rerun today will include Gabriele Tarquini AND Fabrizio Giugiaro among a famous driver line-up

Alfa Romeo will participate in the 22nd edition of the 'Mille Miglia' with the official Alfa Romeo Vintage Car Team comprising 8 cars made available by the Alfa Romeo Vintage Car Museum.

Among the team members, famous personalities such as Fabrizio Giugiaro and Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia with a 1900 Super Sprint dating back to 1955.

Then, Gabriele Tarquini, the current European Touring Car Champion teamed up with Monica Sipsz, the Autodelta racing team manager, who will drive the 1953 3000 CM with bodywork designed by Colli, a car that Juan Manuel Fangio raced in.

Another entry will see actor Renato Pozzetto and industrialist Diego Della Valle at the wheel of a sporty, yet at the same time elegant 1900 Sport Spider from 1954.

The team will also be able to count on other outstanding cars and drivers, with the 1750 Super Sport from 1929 (Viaro-Mair), the 1500 Super Sport from 1928 (Claromont-Pecoroff) and the 1900 C 52 Coupé from 1953 (Marx-Marx). Also in the line-up will be the 2000 Sportiva from 1954 (Magro-Magnalbò); an Alfa Romeo 750 Competizione model driven by Californian Sylvia Oberti, a car with a Giulietta chassis - this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Giulietta, which Alfa Romeo will celebrate with several events, activities and international rallies scheduled to be held in Milan from May 15 to June 20.

Sylvia Oberti, together with Alfa Romeo, is also a leading promoter of the Angelo dei Bimbi & Angelino charity project, the aim of which is to bring a smile to hospitalized children all over the world. In fact Alfa Romeo is more than happy to cooperate with Sylvia in this project, a driver who for eleven years now has participated in the world's most important races and rallies to raise funds for various charitable aims.

From Italy to Japan, Argentina, Chile, the UK and United States: there's not a country that hasn't admired the determination of this girl, who was the first and only woman to complete the 'Mille Miglia' unaccompanied.

So there are many reasons to follow this 22nd edition of the 'Mille Miglia', which many people consider, and rightly so, 'the world's most prestigious itinerant museum'. In fact, participating in the historic sports event are cars of inestimable value that have written some of the most glorious pages in international motoring.

At the start, 375 teams selected by the Organizing Committee from among 810 applications from 29 countries and representing 55 different car manufacturers. A difficult decision reached by applying rigorous qualitative criteria combined with frequency of participation that will see a considerable number of Alfa Romeo models in the line-up: 33 cars in all, including the official team and private entries.

Again this year there will be some route changes for the 'Mille Miglia', although these will still be based on routes used in the 24 editions of the race run between 1927 and 1957 (the record for number of victories is held by Alfa Romeo that won 12 trophies).

In fact this endurance race will cover 1600 km, going through some of Italy's most attractive cities, for instance, Brescia, Verona, Ferrara, Ravenna, San Marino, Siena, Florence, Bologna, Modena, Cremona, Urbino and Rome. This 'prestigious caravan' will also pass through nature parks and uncontaminated countryside, such as the Furlo Gorge (after Urbino), the magnificent Sibillini Mountains and the Lake Vico nature reserve.

In essence the itinerary will comprise three legs: from Brescia to Ferrara (May 6); from Ferrara to Rome (May 7); and lastly, from Rome to Brescia (May 8). The prize award ceremony for the 2004 'Mille Miglia' will take place on May 9.

So every edition of the 'Mille Miglia' is part race, part adventure, but certainly never the same as the previous one.

This is the secret of an event that every year wins the admiration and warm support of a vast public: it's a clear sign that these cars still stir up strong emotions, even among the young fans crowding Italy's piazzas.

ALFA ROMEO VINTAGE CAR TEAM VEHICLE ENTRY LIST & TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION