Brian Joss – Once again, the scene is set for the unique thrills provided by the historic re-evocation of the 1000 Miglia, the legendary competition described by Enzo Ferrari as the “most beautiful race in the world”.
Held for the 37th time this year, this travelling festival in honour of the most splendid of all road races will again be delighting spectators along the traditional Brescia-Rome-Brescia route. An unmissable event, once again involving Alfa Romeo “as Automotive Global Partner” the historic symbiosis of the brand – which holds the record for the number of races won, totalling eleven between 1927 and 1957- with the Mille Miglia has been renewed for a further three years. But that’s not all: Alfa Romeo will also be the best represented car manufacturer at the event, with 44 vehicles in the race. These will include several exclusive Alfa Romeo models from the collection of FCA Heritage, the group department dedicated to protecting and promoting the historic heritage of the Italian FCA brands. These cars are normally on display at the Alfa Romeo Historic Museum – The time machine, in Arese. The brand’s crown jewels are joined by a fleet of thirty Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio vehicles, the cars chosen to make up the official convoy of the 1000 Miglia 2019, and by the “Alfa Romeo Racing” Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio special series presented at the Geneva Motor Show, here making their road début. At the starting line of the 1000 Miglia, Antonio Giovinazzi, driver of the “Alfa Romeo Racing” team will also be driving a Giulia Quadrifoglio sporting the special celebratory livery.
All eyes will be on the wonderful Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport from 1928, with bodywork by the Farina Plants: a similar version to the one that won the 1000 Miglia in 1928 with Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi. More recently, this car from the Alfa Romeo Historic Museum won the historic re-evocation of the Mille Miglia in 2005, 2007 and 2008. In 2007, it was also victorious in the “1000 Millas Sport” in Argentina, a success it repeated in 2008. The marvellous 1928 6C 1500 Super Sport is equipped with a 6-cylinder, 1487 cc engine, which delivers a maximum of 76 HP at 4,800 rpm, reaching a top speed of 140 km/h. 31 of these cars were built between 1928 and 1929. This car will be driven in the race by Giovanni Moceri, former Italian Grandi Eventi ACI Sport Champion and winner of Italy’s biggest historic regularity competitions, from the Mille Miglia to the Targa Florio, the Gran Premio Nuvolari and the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti.
The official Alfa Romeo line-up will also include the 1900 Sport Spider from 1954. It is an extremely rare racing spider – produced as a one-off – equipped with the 4-cylinder twin-cam dry sump “1900” engine, with maximum power boosted to 138 HP, enabling it to reach a speed of 220 km/h, thanks to a weight of just 880 kg and particularly efficient aerodynamics. With its innovative Bertone design, the 1900 Sport Spider comes with a 5-speed transmission and a De Dion rear axle: performance and handling worthy of a modern car, responsive and direct, with outstanding road-holding abilities.
This car has been assigned the exclusive role of official Guest Car of the 1000 Miglia 2019, competing under race number 1000 and opening the parade of the historic cars taking part.
The trio of official Alfa Romeo cars in the event is completed by the 1900 Super Sprint from 1956, an elegant coupé with Touring bodywork in a “Gran Tourism” version of the 1900, “the family car that wins races”, to quote the advertising claim that made it famous in the 1950s. The 1900 SS is no newcomer to the Mille Miglia, since in the 1950s, when the competitive race was still being held, it was the car of choice of many “gentlemen” drivers, on account of its superb performance and reliability. The all-woman team, composed of Prisca Taruffi and Savina Confaloni will compete for the prestigious Coppa delle Dame.
The trio of historical vehicles represents the long-lasting, unbreakable historic bond between Alfa Romeo with four-wheel racing, also expressed in the queen of motorsports disciplines: Formula 1. It is no coincidence that the start of this edition of the 1000 Miglia, in the splendid setting of Piazza della Vittoria, where sealing will take place, will be attended by Antonio Giovinazzi, the first Italian driver for eight years to be assigned a permanent place at the wheel of a Formula 1 car. Giovinazzi will not be the only representative of the “Alfa Romeo Racing” team, which continues to sustain the unique Alfa Romeo tradition of Italian technical excellence and style in motorsports circuits. In fact, right along the route, spectators will be able to admire the new Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio “Alfa Romeo Racing” special series. The “Alfa Romeo Racing” Giulia Quadrifoglio will be driven by Giovinazzi in the first stage.
The special Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio “Alfa Romeo Racing” special series with exclusive paintwork, is a tribute to the Alfa Romeo Racing C38, packed with unique stylistic details, such as Sparco racing seats with red stitching and carbon shell structure, the MoparR automatic transmission knob with carbon insert, and the leather and Alcantara steering wheel, also with carbon inserts. A special celebratory badge with the Alfa Romeo Racing logo makes a statement inside. The cars feature exclusive contents: the 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo with power boosted by 20 HP thanks to specific ad hoc tuning by the Alfa Romeo engineers, Akrapović titanium exhaust, braking system with carbon-ceramic brakes and carbon shell seats by Sparco deliver a significant reduction in weight compared to the respective standard production trims.
Fans will be able to contact the Alfa Romeo world throughout the 1000 Miglia. The institutional stand of the brand will appear against the striking backdrop of Piazza della Vittoria in Brescia on 14 and 15 May, when the technical checks and sealing operations will occur. The public will be able to choose from the many official merchandising products on offer and admire the vehicles on display. Again on 15 May, in the same location, Antonio Giovinazzi will greet fans and participate in the exciting initial phases of the race. And while the caravan completes its tour of Italy, the Alfa Romeo institutional stand will move to Piazza Duomo and welcome the public of Brescia from 17 to 19 May, with test drives of the current range and an after-hours opening on Saturday 18, as part of the “White Night”
event that will liven up the historical centre. Bologna will also host a number of Alfa Romeo vehicles, both on show and to test drive, in Piazza Galvani, on 17 and 18 May. There will therefore be many opportunities to admire the Brand’s vehicles, as well as seeing them race in the imperial
“1000 miles” of the route. Instead, those who prefer to follow the compelling events of the 1000 Miglia with their smartphone, tablet or personal computer can consult the official Facebook, Instagram and YouTube social media channels, the websites: www.alfaromeo.com and www.fcaheritage.com which will broadcast all the exciting phases of the most beautiful race in the world every day.
CAPTION: Historic event: Alfa Romeo leads the Miglia. Picture: Quickpic