The most important Italian show of vintage cars is held in Padua from 22 to 25 October. The 32nd edition of “Auto e Moto d’epoca 2015” will soon open its doors, where the Alfa Romeo and Abarth brands will take part with some precious vintage models as well as the latest items from their present production: this is the best way of strongly confirming the unique character of these legendary brands, a heritage made up of cars and designers, races and engines, that marked the technological progress and sports events of the twentieth century.
Alfa Romeo's participation in the Padua show focuses on the new Giulia Quadrifoglio, summary of the new Alfa Romeo paradigm and supreme expression of the "meccanica delle emozioni" (mechanics of emotion). Alongside it will be some of its illustrious forebears from the collection of the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, recently reopened to the public: Giulia TI Super, Giulia SS, TZ2 and Giulia Sprint GTA, telling of the historic connection between the Giulia model and performance, as well as the exclusive Montreal Expo, in honour of the prestigious participation of FCA as Official Global Partner of Expo 2015 in Milan, the home town of Alfa Romeo.
The Giulia “TI Super" deserves a special mention: only 501 examples of this road car were built to obtain homologation for racing, and it may be considered the ideal ancestor of the present-day Giulia Quadrifoglio, with the four-leaf clover marking on the side. Both models represent the best interpretation of the "sports sedan", invented by Alfa Romeo in the Fifties with the 1900, then continued with the Giulietta and the whole series of high-performance sedans that make up the brand's historic and technical heritage. The Giulia TI Super can boast prestigious technical specifications: 1570 cc, 113 HP, 190 km/h, weight 960 kg. In the forefront in 1963, excellent on the track - where it raced in the "Tourism" class - and even better on the road: its success in the Tour de France Auto in 1964 was unforgettable.
The "GTA" and the TZ2 represent the purely racing soul of the cars in the Giulia family (series 105): the former derived from the standard coupé, the latter extreme and performance-oriented, both are "racing" interpretations of the Giulia theme. The GTA is the queen of GT racing, it has won all over the world and was the first tourism car to complete a lap of the Nürburgring (Nordschleife) in less than 10 minutes. The "Sprint GTA", with its twin-spark engine, prepared by Autodelta, has more than 170 HP (more than 100 HP/litre), while the TZ2 - of which only nine examples were built, defined by specialists in the field and others as one of the most beautiful racing cars ever made - has a 1.6 twin-shaft engine that drives it to 250 km/h, thanks also to a weight of 650 kg and highly effective aerodynamics.
Instead the Giulia SS is the evolution "in the Giulia key" of its predecessor, the Giulietta Sprint Speciale, a masterpiece by Bertone with coachwork by Franco Scaglione, presenting a sinuous and very personal line. Thanks to the effective combination of the "sixteen hundred" engine with the aerodynamics of the bodywork, the "SS" could reach 200 km/h.
The exhibition is completed by the Montreal Expo, a fascinating design prototype by Bertone. It was created in 1967 to mark the International Exposition in Montreal - hence its name - when the organisation entrusted Bertone with the task of designing a car that would represent "the highest aspiration that can be reached by man in cars". This concept car - in fact there are two identical models - was built with the chassis and engine of the Giulia, while the production version (1970) was equipped with a "V8" engine.
Alongside these rare historical models at "Auto e Moto d’epoca 2015” there will also be the fascinating Giulia Quadrifoglio with its powerful V6 2.9 litre 510 HP turbo-charged petrol engine, inspired by Ferrari technology and technical skills, which has become the new point of reference for the brand. With this equipment the Giulia Quadrifoglio ensures exciting performances: a top speed of 307 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and a maximum torque of 600 Nm. Excellent performance, always with maximum respect of the environment: the Giulia has proven to be the best in class also where emissions are concerned, with 198 gr/km of CO2.
The bond between past, present and future is represented by the cars of the superbly renovated Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, known as "The Time Machine". This recently reopened its doors to the public, and on 24 June – the day of the Brand's 105th birthday – it had the honour of staging a thrilling world preview: the début of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia. The museum displays 69 models, chosen as those which most marked not only the evolution of Alfa Romeo but also the history of the motor car. These include the first A.L.F.A. model (the 24 HP), legendary winners of the Mille Miglia races such as the 6C 1750 Gran Sport driven by Tazio Nuvolari, the heavyweight 8C Touring, the Gran Premio 159 "Alfetta 159" (Formula 1 World Champion with Juan Manuel Fangio) the Giulietta, icon of the 1950s, and the glorious 33 TT 12. Info and opening hours at
http://www.museoalfaromeo.com
