As the 1000 Miglia passes by, the roads are inexorably transformed and after the 1,800 km traveled, the first feeling on the way home is one of bewilderment.
There’s no navigator to lead the way: the drivers would definitely have got lost without the hundreds of red signs to show them where to go. It’s a surprise, too: the roundabouts are no longer staked out by photographers, and if the public hadn’t been there to provide support, they wouldn’t have wanted to carry on. A generously warm welcome, from Brescia to Rome and back again, in every square and outside every front door, people spontaneously coming together, as happens year after year. All eyes were on the “traveling museum”, with just as many flashbulbs and as much praise for the Alfa Romeo cars in the official fleet supporting the competition.
Statement by Stellantis Chairman John Elkann and his wife Lavinia Borromeo
“By the end of the 1000 Miglia, we've already started to miss it. Day after day, we’ve improved in the standings, becoming more and more familiar with our Alfa Romeo – an extraordinary car with outstanding performance, along with the time trials and average timing checks. We’ve worked hard to stick to the schedule and to get to the timing checks at the set times: on top of the public, the scenery, and the stunning cars, the competitive element is of fundamental importance, and is the secret of the timeless success of the “Freccia Rossa”. We’re also over the moon that an Alfa Romeo is the winner of this edition.”
GTA: a historic icon looking forward to the future
It definitely isn’t every day you can see up close and personal a Giulia GTAm, the 100% street-legal sedan with a supercharged version of the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s 540-hp 2.9 V6 BiTurbo engine, for which specific technical solutions have been developed in terms of aerodynamics, alignment and handling. The project has made use of the skills of Sauber Engineering, and of the drivers from the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN Formula 1 team, Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Räikkönen. The new features that have aroused so much amazement include 20-inch wheel rims with a single locking nut, for the first time in a sedan, and the titanium Akrapovič central exhaust system with its unmistakable sound.
Postcard photos belying the beauty of Italy
One of the secrets of the success of the 1000 Miglia for nearly 100 years is its perfect pairing of masterpieces on four wheels with evocative views and a route that often strays from the beaten track. Highways trammeled by commuters and tourists in such a hurry give way to national, regional and country roads where glimpses of the beauty of Italy can be taken and the renowned driving pleasure of Alfa Romeo cars can be fully appreciated. For a moment, the power of the Giulia GTA and GTAm shake up a peaceful Saturday morning in the region of engines par excellence. After Modena and Reggio Emilia, the 1000 Miglia was briefly back in Lombardy: it was time to travel through the city streets of Mantua, in its entirety an urban showcase, welcoming in the traveling museum with an evocative parade across the Mincio river.
Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Meanwhile, the roads along the route were filling up. As time rolled past, more and more people took to the streets to witness the convoy passing by. A heated, unmeasurable passion, difficult to put into words and above all universal. The 1000 Miglia gets everyone involved, resulting in participation and spontaneous applause as the cars pass by, with the roar of the engines taking over the streets where everyday life goes on. For once, as the convoy passes, the evocative, postcard-perfect beauty of this country makes way for another beauty on the move, made up of moments to be snapped up, against the backdrop of magical views such as Piazza Bra – Verona’s drawing room, witnessing the 1000 Miglia for the first time in 4 years, or along the shores of Lake Garda, from Desenzano and Sirmione to Salò. A unique grandeur, Italian through and through.
Arrival in Brescia
The Alfa Romeo 1900 Sport Spider guest car – driven by Roberto Giolito, Head of Heritage – arrived in Brescia at 4:30 pm, closely followed by the rest of the convoy, the winner the 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sprint, driven by the duo of Vesco and Salvinelli.
An exceptional edition of the 1000 Miglia thus comes to an end, having strengthened the bond between the “Freccia Rossa” and Alfa Romeo even further, if that were possible.
