01.01.2004 RECORD CROWDS FLOCKED TO THE TWENTY EIGHTH EDITION OF THE BOLOGNA MOTOR SHOW LAST MONTH

The twenty eighth edition of the Bologna Motor Show took place last month. Since the demise of the Turin Motor Show, the motorsports-orientated Bologna event has stepped up to become Italy's premiere car show, packing halls displaying the latest road models alongside an arena that sees a wide variety of race and rally action.

For Fiat, with a raft of new models having hit the showrooms during the autumn, the show represented an opportunity to allow the Italian car buying public to interact with the improved range which is the key in its plans to return to profitability. A large display, based around the theme of 'summer coming early', saw the new Panda and Idea models headline its stand, which included beach areas and dancers, alongside the first appearance of the revised Stilo, featuring mild cosmetic improvements along with new engines. The all-new four wheel drive Panda SUV made its debut, another variant was dressed up in rally trim, while a limited edition Barchetta completed the new cars on show.

Fiat's two specialist brands, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, were also present in strength. Lancia again presented an upmarket stylish stand, the star attraction undoubtedly the Fulvia coupe concept, being seen in Italy for the first time, while over at Alfa Romeo the GT Coupe took pride of place, joined on a large display by an M-Jet powered Autodelta-built concept version of the new coupe and the 8c Competizione prototype first seen in Frankfurt.

The specialist sportscar marques, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini were all represented. Ferrari shared a stand with Vodafone and presented a racing display, their new GT-racer, the 360 Modena GTC making its first public appearance alongside the larger 575 GTC and two of the F1 World Championship winning F2003-GA cars. Maserati, showed the Quattroporte in Italy for the first time, the super luxury saloon joined by the Coupe and a Spyder in 'Vintage' specification while over at Lamborghini one of its new limited edition Murcielago 40th Anniversary sportscars was shown along with the Gallardo.

Elsewhere Italian models were prevalent around the specialist stands. Fiat, emphasising its commitment to the autonomy program, showed a Doblo, Idea and Ypsilon, all featuring a number of new innovations to assist driving ease. A cleverly designed outdoor proving track allowed showgoers to experience the new Panda 4x4's capabilities first hand while another arena organised by Quattroroute magazine utilised the Fiat Stilo and Alfa 147 in demonstrations of all-weather driving skills.

The Graphic Arena saw race and rally action throughout the show, kicking off on the opening weekend with demonstration runs from the Ferrari F1 team and concluding with rally action from the World Rally Championship runners including new champion Petter Solberg and outgoing champion Marcus Gronholm. Along the way the FIA GT Championship winning Ferrari 550 Maranello of Thomas Biagi and Matteo Bobbi was demonstrated to the packed grandstands, race action included Ferrari Challenge runners, and the Super 1600 rally trophy was won by Giandomenico Basso's Fiat Punto Abarth.

photos: Marco Tenuti