Mille Miglia 2018 ... The Alfa Romeo legend continues to inspire


Alfa Romeo 750 Competizione s_n 136900003 & Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Falso Cabriolet

Alfa Romeo 750 Competizione s_n 136900003 & Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Falso Cabriolet

 

Torino, 4 May, 2018 

The scene is now set for the unique thrills provided every year by the historic re-evocation of the Mille Miglia, the legendary competition described as the "most beautiful race in the world". Held for the 36th time this year, the race will be run over the traditional Brescia-Rome-Brescia route and will star Alfa Romeo both as Automotive Sponsor and as "guest of honour", as this year marks the 90th anniversary of its first victory in the legendary race, held from 1927 to 1957. 

In fact, it was on 1 April 1928 that Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi recorded victory with the 6C 1500 Super Sport, one of Vittorio Jano's masterpieces, unbeatable thanks to its revolutionary mechanical design, including a fixed head and a supercharged engine. The extraordinary car covered the 1,618 km course at a remarkable average speed of 84 km/h, to obtain the first of Alfa Romeo's 11 victories, 7 of them in consecutive years, from 1932 to 1938: a record which can now never be beaten. 

To re-create all the atmosphere of these epic feats achieved by daring men on the dusty roads of the past, from 19 May the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo at Arese (Milan) will be hosting the "11 volte campione" [11 times champion] exhibition. The exhibition, which will remain open until December 2018, will be open to visitors every day from 10 am to 6 pm (closed on Tuesdays). And on 19 May, for the first time its history the Arese site will be welcoming a stage of the Mille Miglia, enabling the cars taking part to compete in time trials on the museum's internal track. Alfa Romeo owners and fans will be able to attend the event: for that day only, the museum entry ticket will also include access to the outdoor area and the circuit, as well as an exhibition of historic cars associated with the Mille Miglia, organised by the Italian Alfa Romeo Register. To make way for the cars participating in the event, on Saturday 19 May visitors will be able to use an external car park on viale Luraghi, which will be connected by a shuttle service throughout the day. For information www.museoalfaromeo.com. A free shuttle service will also be in operation between the museum and Rho-Fiera railway station, terminus of the MM1 underground line, from 8 am to 6 pm. 

Inaugurated on 24 June 2015, the fascinating Museo Storico Alfa Romeo - known as "The Time Machine" - is the heart of a real "brand centre", created by a major upgrading project by architect Benedetto Camerana, which brings together the brand's past, present and future. As well as the area displaying the key models from the Alfa Romeo historic collection, the site is buzzing and vibrant, with the Archive, the internal circuit, the events spaces, the Alfa Romeo Café and the show-room with delivery area. 

On 19 May, drivers Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc from the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team currently taking part in the 2018 Formula 1 championship will also be present. Their participation is a tangible sign of how indelibly the racing world is engraved in the Alfa Romeo DNA.
Marcus Ericsson: "I am very happy that I will be taking part in the Mille Miglia. It is such an iconic event and it will be a special experience for me to attend it for the first time. Representing Alfa Romeo at this kind of event is something I am very proud of, and I look forward to seeing all of the historical cars there and why not driving one historical Alfa Romeo."

Charles Leclerc: "It is a great honour for me to participate in an event as historical as the Mille Miglia. I have a huge passion for cars, and especially for historical cars, and will very much enjoy to see some of them at this event. It will be fun to drive the Stelvio Quadrifoglio through the city of Milan on this special occasion and also an historical Alfa Romeo." 

Therefore, the celebratory visit to the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo at Arese is a fitting tribute to the Italian brand which has done more than any other to fix the Brescia classic in the collective imagination. Taking part in the event this year will be several magnificent historic Alfa Romeo cars - 6C 1500 SS, 6C 1750 GS, 1900 SS and 1900 Sport Spider models - normally exhibited at the Museum from the collection of FCA Heritage, the Group department dedicated to protecting and promoting the historical heritage of FCA's Italian brands. 

To conclude, alongside these rarities will be a fleet of 30 Giulia and Stelvio cars which the brand will make available to the organisers as the official vehicles for the 2018 Mille Miglia. There could be no finer proof of the strength of the bond that links the cars of the past to those being built today. Travelling on board these models is an original way of experiencing the race and at the same time discovering the Alfa Romeo racing legend, even more exciting in Stelvio Quadrifoglio or Giulia Quadrifoglio, the finest expression of the new Alfa Romeo generation and adorned with the mythical badge awarded to the Italian brand's highest-performing cars ever since 1923.