HISTORIC GREATS AND THE NEW HERO: ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio makes UK debut at Goodwood (June 23-26)Pricing and specification of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to be announced at press conference on the Alfa Romeo stand at 10:00 June 23
The full, revised Alfa Romeo range also on display featuring styling revisions inspired by the Alfa Romeo GiuliaHistoric vehicles include the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm, Alfa Romeo 33/3 Le Mans Spider, Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12 as well as the forefather of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – the 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI SuperAlfa Romeo will be demonstrating the full power of the marque when the Italian brand debuts the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia in the UK for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (23 - 26 June) alongside some of the greatest racing vehicles in its illustrious history.
Those attending the event will be the first in the UK to see and hear the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio in action, when its advanced all-new, 510hp, turbo-charged V6 is unleashed on the famous Goodwood hillclimb, while the media are invited to attend an exclusive press conference at 10:00 on June 23 at the Alfa Romeo stand where the UK pricing for Alfa Romeo’s new super saloon will be announced for the first time.
Also on display will be the rest of the Alfa Romeo range, including the new Alfa Romeo MiTo and new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, both of which now adopt the styling cues of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, include new ‘Giulia inspired’ honeycomb grilles, interior and exterior upgrades, new badging and new alloy wheel designs.
A snapshot of Alfa Romeo’s legendary motorsport heritage and lineage will also be on display at the Festival, with an Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm, Alfa Romeo 33/3 Le Mans Spider (static only), and an Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12 making the pilgrimage from the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Italy to take on the Goodwood Hillclimb. In addition, an original 1963 Giulia TI Super will be shown alongside its brand new namesake on the Alfa Romeo stand.
Completing the Alfa Romeo line up on the stand will be one of only 50 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Limited Editions, which have been specially created to pay homage to 50 years of the Alfa Romeo Spider.
Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super (1963)The revolutionary and ground-breaking Giulia saloon debuted in 1962. The advertising claim "designed by the wind" was inspired by the Giulia's outstanding drag coefficient of 0.34, which would still be competitive on today's market. This sports saloon became the backbone of Alfa Romeo's line-up, as well as a production link between the company's Portello and Arese plants.
The Giulia was the first mass-produced car with a five-speed transmission and one of the first with a differentiated body structure: in the event of a collision, the passenger compartment held its shape, ensuring greater passenger safety.
The Giulia's 1600 four-cylinder engine differed from the Millenove in terms of displacement and construction materials. It had a crankcase made of aluminium rather than cast iron and was essentially derived from the Giulia Milletrè (launched in 1954) making it an extremely sophisticated and high-performance engine with long durability.
The exceptional dynamics and design features of the Giulia, in its various guises, garnered incredible results in races. The Giulia TI Super, launched in 1963 (112hp and 190 km/h) is the rarest and most prestigious Giulia variant. Only 501 of this ready-to-race version were produced, almost all of them in Biancospino White, with the Quadrifoglio emblem on the side panels and bootlid and with bodywork streamlined to further improve its already excellent performance.
The TI Super nurtured a generation of racing drivers who eventually graduated to higher formulas, having put themselves in the spotlight with victories achieved behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo saloon. The Giulia TI Super is particularly suited to road races, as it proved by memorably winning its category in the 1963 Tour de France Auto.
Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Am (1970)Four round headlamps; a raised and aggressive profile and bulging wheel arches: there’s no mistaking the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA for anything else. The version on show at Goodwood this is year is the GT Am, derived from fuel-injected Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV which was sold in the United States. Only 40 of the GT Am racers were ever built, powered by a 240hp 2.0-litre engine (max power at 7,500rpm) with a mechanical fuel injection system either by Spica or Lucas.
Due to an increase in minimum weight requirements, the body was made of steel with plastic side and rear panels and in 1970 it won the European Touring Car Championship with the Dutchman Toine Hezemans and in 1971 it also won the constructor’s title. Drivers of the calibre of Hezemans, Andrea de Adamich, Carlo Facetti and Nino Vaccarella maximised the car's potential, challenging much more powerful cars like the BMW CSL, 3.0-litre Ford Capri and 5.0-litre Chevrolet. Indeed, at the end of the 24 Hours of Spa in 1970, three Alfa Romeo GT Am racers were positioned behind a BMW Alpina 3.0-litre in second, third and fourth place.
Alfa Romeo 33/3 Le Mans (1970)Evolved from the 2.0-litre V8 in the Alfa Romeo 33/2, the engine that powers the 33/3 is a fuel-injected, 2,998cc V8 with four-valves per cylinder which produced an impressive 400hp at 8000 rpm and capable of propelling the six-speed 33/3 to 330 km/h. With bodywork formed from lightweight aluminium and titanium panels, the 33/3 was light and agile enough to compete with 5.0-litre competitor vehicles and in 1971 won several significant endurance races, including the Targa Florio with Vaccarella and Hezemans behind the wheel.
Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12On May 5 1973, during the height of popularity of the World Sportcar Championship, the Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12 made its debut at the “1000 km of Spa-Francorhamps", lining up alongside some of the most prestigious competitors of the day. Part of the "33" family first seen in 1967, the TT (Telaio Tubolare or tubular chassis) was derived from the previous V8-powered 33 TT3 but was now powered by a monster 3.0-litre, 12-cylinder boxer engine with an output of over 500hp and a top speed of 330km/h. Clothed in an unusual aerodynamic body, its unmistakable appearance was characterized by two side fins, a huge air intake and a "periscope" rear view mirror.
1973 was dedicated to the development of the new prototype sports car and by 1974 the 33 TT 12 had started to show its potential. But 1975 was the golden year: the best drivers of the era helped the cars dominate seven of the eight races on the calendar, thus winning the coveted World Sportscar Championship, the fourth overall win for Alfa Romeo. Incredible names like Andretti, Bell, Brambilla, Ickx, Lafitte, Mass, Merzario, Pescarolo, Scheckter, Stommellen and Vaccarella are all "heroes" of the 33 TT 12.
Museo Storico Alfa RomeoBorrowed from Alfa Romeo’s incredible heritage collection, these vehicles are often on display at the recently-reopened Alfa Romeo museum in Arese, Milan. Completely refurbished, the museum has more than 70 of the collection’s 250-plus cars on display at any given time (69 of the most significant pieces in Alfa Romeo’s historic collection within the museum plus various temporary exhibitions), grouped together in sections title “Timeline”, “Beauty” and “Speed”. Since opening on June 24th 2015, the museum has already had more than 100,000 visitors from all over the world. For more details on the museum, which is open from 10am to 6pm every day (closed Tuesdays, open to 10pm on Thursdays) please visit www.museoalfaromeo.com.
