25.09.2018 CLASSIC ALFA ROMEOS TAKES CENTRE STAGE DURING BRAND'S BIG SWISS EVENT

PASSIONE ALFA ROMEO 2018, HINWIL, SWITZERLAND
PASSIONE ALFA ROMEO 2018, HINWIL, SWITZERLAND
PASSIONE ALFA ROMEO 2018, HINWIL, SWITZERLAND

A big event for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts’, which drew fans from all over Europe, took place in Switzerland last weekend and it was supported by a strong line up of classic cars from the official museum in Arese which were presented by FCA Heritage.

A big event for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts’, which drew fans from all over Europe, took place in Switzerland last weekend and it was supported by a strong line up of classic cars from the official museum in Arese which were presented by FCA Heritage.

Last Saturday, the Betzholz TCS Road Safety Centre at Hinwil, near Zurich, staged one of the largest events dedicated to Alfa Romeo enthusiasts ever to be organised in Europe. The “Alfisti” taking part came from many different backgrounds and ages and more than four hundred Alfa Romeos models were displayed with over thousand participants.

Amongst the line-up there were notably several cars brought by collectors including a 6C 1750 Super Sport Spider Zagato from 1929 and the legendary 33 Stradale, which is fresh from winning an award at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este earlier this year.

Alfa Romeo also officially participated and in the “Alfa Romeo Motorhome” zone, visitors were able to see the two new “Nürburgring Edition” special series cars, namely the Giulia Quadrifoglio NRING and Stelvio Quadrifoglio NRING. The Giulia Quadrifoglio, which can achieve at top speed of 307 km/h, this year broke the record for a standard production four-door sedan around the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a lap set in 7 minutes and 32 seconds.

Alongside the limited-edition Giulia and Stelvio were two other production models from the Alfa Romeo 4C range, a Coupé and a Spider, in the "Competizione" and "Italia" special series respectively.

Visitors to the event also had the opportunity to road-test the Giulia, Stelvio and 4C on specific test drive routes.

The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team’s single-seater showcar was also displayed at the event together with several cars from the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese. This year Sauber rookie driver Charles Leclerc, who has just signed to drive for Scuderia Ferrari in 2019, joined the event while a famous racing driver from Alfa Romeo's past, Arturo Mezario, also took part.

While the contemporary cars provided fans of the brand a good look at the present direction, the highlight was the classics that FCA Heritage – the department dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the historic legacy of FCA's Italian brands, caring for the models in the company's collection and those owned by customers – brought to the event, which were as follows:

Alfa Romeo 6C 1750GS (1930)

The oldest model on show in Hinwil was an 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport, made famous for winning the Mille Miglia in 1930 after recording an average speed in excess of 100 km/h for the first time. It was driven to that win by Nuvolari and Guidotti and is powered by a twin cam, six-cylinder 1752 cc engine.

Alfa Romeo GP Tipo B P3 (1932)

The GP Tipo B "P3 also has strong associations with Nuvolari: considered one of the best racing-cars ever built, it was designed by Vittorio Jano specifically for Grand Prix competition. Lightweight and with a straight eight engine, it won its first race, the 1932 Italian Grand Prix, driven by the "Flying Mantuan" himself.

Alfa Romeo GP Tipo 159 Alfetta (1951)

During the years after World War II, after success in 1950, when Giuseppe "Nino" Farina won the F1 world title in the last race, in 1951 Alfa Romeo raced with the “Alfetta” again, upgrading it to create the car victorious in the world champion with Fangio at the wheel, the Tipo 159.

Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint (1954)

In 1954, to live up to the advertising slogan that defined the 1900 as the "family car that wins races" and to obtain a more powerful engine, Alfa Romeo increased the piston bore by 2 mm to give a displacement of 1,975 cc (compared to the original 1,884 cc) and boost its performance. These new versions were identified by adding "Super" to the name, and competed in the Gran Turismo category throughout the 1950s. 

Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Am (1970)

The 1750 GT Am, built in 1970, is another famous Alfa Romeo model. Unlike the model sold in Europe, the 1750 GTV – from which the GT Am (standing for "America") was born – featured the Spica indirect mechanical injection system, which complied with American emissions standards and was also well suited to racing. With its more aggressive looks and 220 hp engine, it achieved success in the European Touring Car Championship when the "Flying Dutchman" Toine Hezemans, won the Drivers' title in 1970.

The museum’s 1750 GT Am was driven at the Hinwil event by Ivan Capelli, who has an historical Alfa Romeo connection as he won the 1984 Formula 3 European Championship driving a Martini MK42 single seater powered by an Alfa Romeo engine.

Photos: Passione Alfa Romeo 2018

Italiaspeed provides daily independent news on the Italian auto industry, we keep free from any affiliations to bring you the facts. If you read Italiaspeed and like it please consider supporting us.

 

Photos: Alfa Romeo/Passione Alfa Romeo / © 2018 Interfuture Media/Italiaspeed