Alfa
Romeo will be taking part in the “Mille Miglia 2010”
parade as Joint Presenting Sponsor. The “most beautiful
road race in the world” - as it was famously dubbed by
Enzo Ferrari - will be starting off from Brescia on 6
May where will be finishing on the 9th, after stopping
in some of Italy’s most picturesque cities.
Fascinating and challenging, 375 crews will be competing
in the 1600 kilometre long regularity race driving the
extraordinary cars which, as required by rules, took
part in one of the 30 editions of the historical Mille
Miglia race from 1927 to 1957. Alfa Romeo couldn’t miss
out on the "Freccia Rossa" (or "Red Arrow" in Italian,
as the event is also named), which this year coincides
with the brand's centenary. The Official “Automobilismo
Storico Alfa Romeo” team has made five remarkable museum
cars available: a 6C 1500 Super Sport (1928), a 6C 1750
Gran Sport (1930), an 8C 2300 Le Mans (1931), a 6C 2300
B (1937) and a 1900 Super Sprint (1956). Three cars from
private collectors will also be part of the official
team: a 6C 1750 Gran Sport (1932), a 6C 2500 Cabriolet
(1951) and a Giulietta Sprint (1955).
The brand-new Giulietta will also be featuring in the
“Mille Miglia 2010” by the side of the vintage cars of
inestimable value which have made international motoring
history. The result of Alfa Romeo’s new direction in
style and technology, beginning with the 8C Competizione
super car and highlighted by the re-use of Italian
names, the Giulietta marks a return to the brand's
glorious past and projects the car maker's traditional
values of technology and emotion into the future.
Spectators can admire the new car at the Mille Miglia
Villages in Brescia and Rome and along the route: the
fleet made available to organisers will include 18
Giuliettas, and seven other Alfas, namely 159s and MiTos.
Last but not least, five Alfa Romeo Giuliettas (equipped
with powerful 1.4 TB MultiAir and 2.0 JTDM engines, both
delivering 170 HP) will be driven by foreign journalists
who will be taking the wheel in turns along the entire
route of the “Mille Miglia 2010”.
In detail, the oldest model lined up by “Automobilismo
Storico Alfa Romeo” for “Mille Miglia 2010” will be the
6C 1500 Super Sport, driven by the Moceri-Labate crew.
This car is identical to the one which with Campari and
Ramponi started the Alfa Romeo winning streak of eleven
victories from 1928 to 1947 (an undefeated record to the
present day). Interestingly, this car - usually
exhibited at the Alfa Romeo Museum - won three editions
of the Mille Miglia revival parade (in 2005, 2007 and
2008).
Also
creating quite a stir is the second car lined up for
Freccia Rossa 2010: a 1930 6C 1750 Gran Sport, a
legendary model which made motoring history precisely in
the Mille Miglia race, will be driven by Salvinelli-Rizzo.
A similar car was driven to victory by Nuvolari and
Guidotti in 1930, a race which remains famous for the
average speed of 100 km/h along the entire route and for
the ranking, which saw three Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran
Sports coming in first, second and third, driven, in
order, by Tazio Nuvolari, Achille Varzi and Giuseppe
Campari.
A 8C 2300 Le Mans (1931) will be driven this year by
Prince Bernhard of Holland, Alfa Romeo Team guest of
honour, joined by the famous Dutch architect Roberto
Meyer. Henry “Tim” Birkin, the car's first owner, won
the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1931 behind its wheel. A
genuine racing car icon of the 1930s, this model is
equipped with a eight cylinder in line engine with
compressor: it is one of the engineering masterpieces
made by Vittorio Jano, who also created the “6C” of the
1500 and of the 1750.
The spotlights are also on the fourth car: a 6C 2300 B
driven by the all-women crew Grimaldi-Confalonieri. This
very elegant touring saloon was the first to sport the
"Superleggera" ("superlight") emblem and was driven to a
Mille Miglia class win in 1937 by Boratto and Sanesi.
Finally, a 1956 1900 Super Sprint closes the team of
official cars at “Mille Miglia 2010”: the French
Guegan-Jongerlinck crew will be driving the touring
coupé version of the 1900, “the sporty saloon that wins
races”.
Finally, once again this year, the “Mille Miglia” route
- considered by many as “the most prestigious travelling
museum in the world” - will be presenting some
variations. For example, as before World War II, the
parade will be crossing the city of Bologna with test
drives on the racing tracks at Imola and Fiorano. Each
edition of the “Mille Miglia” is a race and an adventure
all rolled into one, never the same as before. This is
precisely the secret of the event which every year
brings together admiring, enthusiastic spectators: a
sign for all to see that these cars still arouse strong
emotions even among the youngest in the crowd.
