Imagine visiting the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese, Lombardy, after a brief visit to the Musée National Cité de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, Alsace. And in the evening, Italian prototype collector Corrado Lopresto would allow you to take a look at exquisite pieces from his collection. Unfortunately, this is only a fiction. Nevertheless, visitors to the current "Alfa Romeo Storico" exhibition at Autoworld Brussels may feel a little like this, as the majority of the exhibits come from the above sources and automobile clubs. An exquisite selection of just over 50 Alfa Romeo automobiles from 112 years of the brand's history will be on display until the end of August in what is now the Herman de Croo Plaza on the upper floor, named after the Belgian politician, honorary chairman and "father" of Autoworld.
Racing at the heart of the brand
The selection ranges from the 1925 RLSS from the Mahy Collection - which forms the basis of Autoworld - to current models such as the Tonale and Stelvio SUVs from the Stellantis Group, to which Alfa Romeo now belongs. A 1969 Giulia from the Carabinieri welcomes the visitor, and on the way to the exhibition area you pass two cars that are originally packaged like model cars in oversized boxes. Pre-war vehicles, touring cars, competition vehicles and special one-offs are on display, with the basis of the exhibition being provided by the Italian Works Museum. The presentation is complemented by showcases with model cars and films from the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese.
The exhibits are attractively arranged. For example, a 4C Launch Edition in metallic white is placed alongside a red 8C Competizione from 2008. And if you like, you can compare two contrasting rear ends from the first and last generations of the Alfa Romeo Spider 105/115: A black "Osso di seppia", which once belonged to the former Queen Paola of Belgium, and a red "Ultima" from series four are juxtaposed. The less popular, rubber-tyred "Aerodinamica" version was skipped.
There is no doubt that the Alfa Romeo racing cars of the 1930s are of great automotive-historical significance. Consequently, the 6C 1750 models are represented in various versions, and an eight-cylinder 8C - one of five works cars that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1932 - is not missing either. The red headlight caps of the 6C 1750 ("devil's eyes"), which legend has it that Tazio Nuvolari used to demoralize his opponent Achille Varzi, are also striking. Also from the 1930s is the elongated, elegant Mille Miglia winner 8C 2900 from 1936 with bodywork by Pinin Farina. The racing car from the French National Museum in Mulhouse is certainly a star of the exhibition. It has folding headlights, was delivered to Scuderia Ferrari as a new car and re-bodied in 1949.
Special bodies of the post-war period
The 1950s to 1970s were probably another heyday for the brand. The Giulietta and Giula models were presented in many variations, including the Giulia Giardinetta estate from 1968 with a very special "bone tail" that you don't see every day. This also leads on to the important Carossiers and their heyday. And so visitors to the exhibition can enjoy works by Pinin Farina, Zagato, Bertone and Ghia. The latter is responsible for the red 1900 Super Sprint Coupé from 1954 with a number of spectacular details that may not appear quite so harmonious in their entirety.
In terms of design, the exhibits contributed by Italian collector Lopresto are undoubtedly outstanding. His large 1900 TI coupé by Pinin Farina from 1954 with its light grey paintwork is purist and elegant, while the light blue metallic 1900 convertible "La Flèche" by Vignale, which is one year younger, looks almost playful with its ornamentation.
Giugiaro designed the 1750 GT Berlinetta from 1968 with the four-leaf clover ("Quadrifoglio") on the C-pillar as a tribute to the Alfa Romeo brand. Finally, the one-off "Zeta 6" by Zagato from 1984 is smoothed and rounded.
Naturally, series
is also available
In addition to these one-offs, the Alfasud, Alfetta, Brera, GTV6, 6, 75 and 156 models are of course also on display. Finally, a tour of the permanent exhibition at Autoworld is recommended, as there is also a 2500 Super Sport from 1949 with bodywork by Pininfarina to discover. And if you would like to see more Alfa Romeo vehicles, you could travel to the museum in Arese. There you will come across other top-class vehicles such as the Bertone Carabo, which could only be admired virtually in Brussels.
The exhibition runs until August 28, 2022. Further information can be found at www.autoworld.be
