Sunday Drive #8
Premiere – Italian job
Milan – the capital of Italian finance and fashion. It was here in 1910 that Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, shortly ALFA, a factory producing sports-oriented cars, was founded. Five years later, Nicola Romeo took over the business, leading to the birth of Alfa Romeo. For over a century, cars wearing the famous "Scudetto" on the front bumper have earned a distinguished reputation in the motorsport world and a notorious one among automotive mechanics. In 2021, Alfa Romeo fell under the global umbrella of the Stellantis group (previously under the smaller FCA umbrella) and immediately became a victim of the global epidemic of platform sharing among various brands. The first example of this model is the Tonale, which is manufactured near Naples, just like its transatlantic twin, the Dodge Hornet. Last week's premiere was the Alfa Romeo Milano, which will share the e-CMP2 platform with the Fiat 600 and Jeep Avenger.
The information, that it will be assembled in Tychy, Poland, displeased the Italian Minister of Industry, Adolfo Urso, who stated: "A car named 'Milano' cannot be manufactured in Poland. It is forbidden by Italian law." Indeed, Italian law reserves Italian-sounding names exclusively for products made within Italy. I must admit, despite supporting the Polish economy, I am quite impressed by the Italians' approach to protecting their culture, cuisine, and technology.
Let’s return to the "Milano". Among the trio mentioned above, it is definitely the most attractive car. The design team, led by Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, is responsible for its visual appearance. The front is dominated by the new "Scudetto" badge, and the visual lowering of the hood results from black stripes located below the lights.
The lower part is almost entirely filled with an air intake, which visually keeps the vehicle closer to the ground. At the back, a black strip with rear lights directing downwards, reminiscent of the "boomerang" lights from the Maserati 3200 GT (designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro). The Milano's profile clearly shows it is a car with a higher roofline and compact dimensions. I appreciate the clean looks of the rear doors (the handle is moved to the C-pillar and hidden in black), but I dislike the overly short overhang behind the rear axle. The body ends with a so-called "coda tronca," harking back to the Giulia TZ from the 1960s.
The interior design of Alfas has always been in my TOP 3 – same here. Not overscreened, with a round steering wheel and characteristic rounded covers of the driver's gauge cluster.
This style of gauge cluster hood was introduced to the automotive world by the hero of the previous newsletter: Marcello Gandini.
Ticket to Canada
The automotive industry has a long tradition of naming cars after geographical locations. In 1967, at the Expo in Montreal, Alfa Romeo presented a concept car (then still with no name). Reportedly, it was named by the visitors themselves – Montreal. Bertone was responsible for the design and assigned a Gandini, who had been working there for several years.
The distinctive eyebrows in the production version lowered upon turning on the headlights, and an air intake appeared on the hood for the V8 engine, with a displacement of 2.6 litres and almost 200 horsepower. A five-speed gearbox from ZF was responsible for putting power to the wheels. What I cannot describe here is the sound of the engine, so use a link of Jay Leno's Garage episode:
Ferrari 750 Monza
Historically, Ferrari models are primarily associated with V12 engines. In the 1950s, a series of cars with inline four-cylinder engines was produced. Some of them had a displacement of two litres and were eligible to compete in Formula 2 (the Mondial 500 model). Later, the engine's capacity was increased to three litres (still four cylinders), thus creating the 750 Monza (named after the racetrack in Italy).
Here you can see the Monza in action, but on a different track: Goodwood.
In 2018, Ferrari introduced a contemporary iteration of the Monza – models SP1 and SP2 (single-seater and two-seater, respectively). These are not exactly the direct descendants of the 750, as under the hood, they don’t carry a four-cylinder engine.
Instead, they feature a V12 engine designated as F140, which debuted in the Ferrari Enzo, with 799 horsepower driving the rear wheels. Along with the SP models, a special series of Ferrari cars called Icona was launched, intended to evoke the legendary models of the brand. Doug DeMuro provides a detailed overview of the SP1:
Home Stretch
On another famous track – the Circuit de la Sarthe – there is a straight named Mulsanne. In 1980, Bentley surprisingly used this name not for any of their sports models, but for their most luxurious car. The first generation was produced until 1992. The second generation of this flagship luxury saloon debuted in 2010, powered by a modestly sized 6.75-litre V8 engine. It was also available in an extended wheelbase version (EWB) with a champagne cooler. Perfect for the track.
Production ended in 2020, and among the special editions was one celebrating 6 victories at the 24-hour Le Mans race – the Le Mans Edition.
Chris Harris and Neil Clifford discuss what it's like to be a driver and a passenger in the Mulsanne:
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