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From Dafs to Ferraris, passing through microcars and futuristic prototypes: his pencil moved in all the car fields you can possibly imagine, with unmatched creative flair. He drew so many cars that still today it’s impossible to draw up a detailed list of them all, as many of his designs were not signed. His son Edgardo has been trying to put some order into the huge heritage of his father’s works since 1989, firstly by setting up a Historical Register and then creating an archive, which however is still incomplete. Out of the around 30,000 drawings Giovanni Michelotti is thought to have done in over 30 years of activity, he has kept and catalogued almost six thousand. For now Words & Photography Gilberto Milano Archive Courtesy of Archivio Storico Michelotti Giovanni Michelotti in the 1950s at his desk in the company. “He drew, drew, drew, all the time. Day and night. Ultimately, I don't think my father ever actually worked, I think he just really enjoyed drawing cars.” These are the words of Edgardo Michelotti, Giovanni’s seventy-one-year-old son, who opened the doors to his father’s precious archives kept in a former workshop just outside the centre of Turin. Edgardo was completing a degree in architecture when Giovanni died in January 1980, and since then his son has been trying to assure the fair recognition of his father’s work by saving as much of it as possible. The story of Giovanni Michelotti is indeed unique in the history of car design, in Italy and beyond. No other stylist whose genius has illuminated this sector thus far can boast such a broad and varied production of designs as those created by Giovanni Michelotti from 1949 onwards, until his premature death aged 58. Yet at the same time, nobody has ever suffered the kind of “oblivion” that has afflicted the work of this humble and prolific car creator. Still today he is unknown to most people and little celebrated compared to other legends who have – rightly so – been awarded with prizes and honorary degrees. How can a stylist who, in his short career, drew over one thousand cars, working with all the coachbuilders in Turin (aside from one), the only person to hold the record of 40 cars on show at a motor show (Turin 1954, most of which undeclared) still be considered a minor stylist? 1962 Triumph Conrero TRS “set” on the Le Mans track. 1952 Triumph Italia. Michelotti drew many Triumphs, and his work contributed to the international success of the British brand. There are many reasons. Michelotti was first and foremost a great car enthusiast, and then a businessman. “I’m not a good speaker, but if they make me draw I’m happy to do so,” he said, talking about his work at an Italian Coachbuilding conference in 1978. “For me, what counts in a car is style, and style is also what brings it all together for sales. The stylist’s task is a very delicate one. They have to dress up a car, and a car is always made of four wheels, a steering wheel and an engine. You have to know what goes round these parts to create a car that must be acceptable to the general public, the retailers and the technicians.” And he went round these parts a lot. “He never said no to anyone, and never pulled out when faced with difficulties. And yet he only ever put his name on a design when the client said he could. And above all, he never had anyone to promote his image, a “service” that other coachbuilders had,” his son Edgardo explains. It’s impossible to say how many cars Michelotti actually designed. Edgardo reckons around 1,200-1,300 cars that were actually produced and many others that weren't, perhaps around 30,000 drawings and designs. Quite an incredible number. Edgardo Michelotti in the archive that contains thousands of his father’s drawings. “Dad was very prolific, but also incredibly fast. In one night, with a sandwich, some good wine, a pack of cigarettes and the radio blasting, he could produce a 1:1 scale drawing of a new model, showing all the measurements and details, ready to be made,” Edgardo recalls. “Apparently he made a thousand models from the early Fifties to 1961. For Vignale alone he drew 311 cars, of which 150 Ferraris, which all went into production. He didn’t feel the need to sign off on them all, he loved his work: he was paid just for the design, and even then not much. Perhaps even just the full-size drawing.” Zanellato Archive - 1949 rendering for the production of a Ferrari Spyder Super Sport, which was never built. The egg-shaped frame with a square grille appears for the first time, later to become a distinguishing feature of the 1950s’ Ferraris. Design for the OSCA 1500 Coupé. The car was presented at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. It was the first car to use the “pagoda-style roof”, one of Michelotti’s inventions. Michelotti began drawing at a young age, seven or eight years old, passing the time he spent in bed – six months – suffering from a chronic inflammatory disease affecting both hip joints, bilateral coxarthrosis. At the time, the only cure was quinine and absolute rest. That was when he realised he could draw. He drew everything. And this disease revealed a talent. His father gave him the idea of cars, when he saw that a coachbuilder was looking for an apprentice. Not just any old coachbuilder, but Stabilimenti Farina, the largest coachbuilder in Turin. It was run by Giovanni Farina and his two sons: Nino, a future Formula 1 world champion with Alfa Romeo in 1950, and Attilio (Giovanni Battista was Giovanni’s younger brother, who set up Pininfarina). Rendering of the Démon Rouge, the model built in 1954 on a Fiat 8V chassis, perhaps the most famous concept car designed by Michelotti. To appreciate its “overwhelming beauty” and the amazing stylistic boldness, we should always consider the historical period in which it was presented. Study of the Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Turismo built by Allemano (1955). Michelotti was 16 when he was hired. At first he worked under Pietro Frua, a style manager with a tough character. Indeed, Frua was sacked on the spot after an argument with Attilio, and Giovanni Michelotti took his place. He was just 17. And that was when he began to surprise everyone with his creativity. Michelotti stayed at Stabilimenti Farina until 1949, when he opened the first professional car design firm in Italy. A powerhouse of ideas, he drew everything: in particular, small Fiats and Abarths, as well as microcars, beach cars, sports cars, super sports cars (the two Ferraris that won the Mille Miglia in 1951 and 1952 were his), advertising vehicles, buses, tractors, motorboats, scooters and dream prototypes. He worked for many famous coachbuilders, including Allemano, Balbo, Bertone, Vignale, Ghia and Moretti. But never for Pininfarina. “I suppose he had some kind of verbal commitment with Attilio to never work for Pinin,” Edgardo imagines. Two of the many 1962 renderings created to study the four-headlight front of the new BMW 1800/2000. Michelotti’s contribution to the Bavarian car manufacturer's new image was significant. Rendering from the late 1960s for the study of the new BMW 1600 Coupé. Although his cars become famous worldwide, little is known of him. Indeed, very few people know that he was the man behind the most original Ferraris of the early Fifties, all the Vignale cars, especially the Ferraris, like the beautiful Vignale Barchetta 166 and 212 Spider, as well as the 1952 Ferrari Berlinetta 340 Mexico Tuboscocca Vignale. Or the 1953 Maserati A6 GCS Spider Vignale; the 1953 Fiat 8V Vignale and 8V Siata; the 1953 Cunningham C3, considered “one of the ten most beautiful contemporary cars”; the Renault Alpine built by Allemano in 1954 based on one of his drawings. And also, the spectacular Demon Rouge built on a Fiat 8V chassis in 1955, the first to use a hidden handle in the door pillar; the 1958 Lotus Eleven Ghia Eagle; the futuristic Lancia Nardi Raggio Azzurro of 1955 and 1958; the 1961 Giulietta SV Conrero Goccia and many others besides. In 1958 he was the first Italian designer to work with the Japanese (Hino Contessa) and in 1959 his first BMW and Triumph creations, further developed in the ‘60s, were produced. The lines were completely different even though they were all designed by the same person in the same period. study of the Abarth 850 Scorpione built by Carrozzeria Allemano. Michelotti did these drawings in just a few minutes (1959). Edgardo Michelotti mimes his father’s use of these French curves to draw the design of an Aston Martin DB3 for Vignale in 1953. The French curves Giovanni Michelotti used to produce his drawings. Every stylist has their own: they are the fingerprints of their style. Among his many stylistic innovations, we may recall the 1960 “pagoda-style roof”, which added greater side visibility (the sides are higher in the centre) on a more compact car. This solution was later adopted by Mercedes for the 230 SL and Lancia for the Fulvia HF. Or the egg-shaped frame with a square grille, which became a style feature of Ferraris in the 1950s. “He had clear ideas, when he drew he rarely rubbed anything out and corrected it. Sometimes he didn't even do the 1:10 scale drawings. He didn't do any sketches, he just started creating the car he had in mind in scale 1:1,” Edgardo states. “His speciality was three-quarter views, which were the most spectacular and effective for impressing the clients, and these took him just a few minutes. He was also a maniac for safety, and his technical and marketing background allowed him to understand the needs of the clientele according to their origin: French, English, German, Japanese. He thought of everything in advance, and delivered projects that were 90% feasible.” Design for the 1955 Bugatti Tipo 252 Gran Sport. Study of a 2+2 coupé on a Cadillac chassis for Vignale in 1956. Design for the 1959 Cisitalia 750 Spider. “He had learned that aerodynamics is important in the first two thirds of the car, safety is fundamental for the people in the centre and once you get to the back you can concentrate on saving weight,” the journalist Gianni Rogliatti said of him in 1964. Of his production in the 1970s, we should remember the Matra Laser (1971) with its wedge-shaped profile; the Fiat 128 Pulsar (1972), the world’s first car to adopt impact-absorbing polyurethane bumpers; the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Nart commissioned by Luigi Chinetti in 1978, with a far more streamlined front than the Pininfarina Daytona; the Lancia Mizar, still today the only car built with four gull-wing doors, and the BMW 2002 Turbo, all between 1972 and 1974. “He was a man of contradictions: a classically trained designer who became an iconoclastic stylist, a great car communicator in the sense of the poetic metaphor of escapism. But when appropriate, he was perfectly able to work with more restrained models. This is demonstrated by the Triumph TR4 and Spitfire spiders, evergreen forms of majestic simplicity,” the car historian Angelo Tito Anselmi wrote. Design of the DAF Siluro. The top view highlights the wedge shape. The Siluro was presented at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show. 1975 study of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 commissioned by Luigi Chinetti’s NART. Pininfarina built the Daytona Spider on the same chassis. Edgardo took over the company when he was just 26, with little experience. He studied architecture, and in the company he was just one of the draughtsmen, an employee like all the others. With twenty or so staff, draughtsmen and workers, he continued until 1991 when he was forced to surrender to the new reality of the car manufacturers’ in-house style centres. “Other coachbuilders had closed, and the atmosphere in Turin had already become tainted. I was 39 years old. We just closed it down, we weren’t even bankrupt,” Edgardo recalls. And the closure was also fatal for setting up the archive. During the final move, many of the drawings that had been kept in the company were stolen overnight. “The person who took them later said they did it to stop them from being destroyed. But then they gave them to collectors or sold them at international auctions,” Edgardo states. “Many of those drawings were certainly the ones of the Triumphs, because I have very few of the Triumph Spitfire, the TR4. The Victoria and Albert Museum bought a lot of them and luckily they at least gave me some high-definition digital copies. I’m still missing a lot of the ones done for the Turin coachbuilders, though I think I have all of the ones for Moretti. And I have lots of the Ghia Aigle ones.” Giovanni Michelotti in the early years of his career as a freelance stylist. The study was set up in one of the two rooms of his home in Turin (the other was the bedroom). To the right, his son Edgardo, today the curator of his father’s Archive. Edgardo has no idea of how many drawings his father did throughout his career. “I have six thousand of them, but I reckon there are between 25 and 30 thousand drawings. Perhaps even more". "Of course, he didn't take away the ones he did when he was at Stabilimenti Farina, and I guess they’ve all been thrown away. That’s what they did at the time. Vignale threw loads of material away, and so did Balbo and Ghia. When they didn't need the drawings any more, they burned them: nobody thought of saving them for posterity at the time. But I think my archive contains the world’s most varied collection of my father’s work. He worked all the time, doing research and designing new things. Some of them were later literally copied by other designers, as Piero Castagnero did at Lancia, he stole some ideas from the Osca 1600, presented in Geneva in 1959, and he made the Fulvia HF, with the pagoda-style roof that was criticised at the time. My archive contains some patents and some contracts he signed with BMW, Triumph, with Siata. And I’ve got tons of correspondence. I think we can say that it’s possible to reconstruct a significant part of motoring history, from the 1950s to the ‘70s.” SpeedHolics would like to thank the Archivio Storico Michelotti for allowing us to publish the drawings illustrating this article - http://www.archiviostoricomichelotti.it/ -- Gilberto Milano , class of 1949, professional journalist, began writing about economics and industry and later turned to motoring. Especially historical motoring, specialising in the investigation of all aspects of collecting. He has written for all major Italian magazines. This is his first article for SpeedHolics.

For over forty years, this was the man who developed - and personally drove - the Ferrari prototypes that went on to become the Prancing Horse’s most iconic models. The story of Ferrari’s historical chief test driver, with some legendary characters, road and racing cars, special series and some unique vehicles, also with an eye on the Formula 1 single-seaters Words Alessandro Giudice Photography Alessandro Barteletti Video Andrea Ruggeri Archive Courtesy of Dario Benuzzi and Ferrari Archives The colour red is very much at home in Vignola. In early summer, the pale pink of the cherry blossom painting the orchards surrounding the town for miles is replaced by the bright red of the Mora cherry, which crown's Vignola’s European reputation for its high-quality fruit crops. Yet despite his family’s farming origins and working the land, it was another shade of red that charmed the young Dario Benuzzi: that of the Ferraris that shot through town every day, before climbing up into the Apennine hills along the route that the “Cavallino” test drivers used to test the Gran Turismo cars. The young man’s career was, at least at first, also a bit of an uphill climb, that classic apprenticeship that started with the decision to leave the fields and the family tradition in a place where agriculture is sacred, to work in a small local workshop training as a mechanic. Not just cars, but also motorbikes, trucks and a few tractors. And then, the turning point: a friend started to work as a test driver at Ferrari, they spent their evenings together talking about engines, until one day fate winked an eye at the plane and the Panaro River, and this was his chance. Not to be missed, because precisely in Maranello they were looking for young new test drivers, and Dario Benuzzi (who got his “D” licence during his military service, on the icy bends around the barracks in Pontebba, Friuli, between Austria and Slovenia) applied. This was the start of the most extraordinary, incredible, thrilling and engaging forty-seven years that a 25-year-old from Vignola could hope for. “Just to say, training us to drive to a certain level, during the course we practised in some serious cars, a Dino 246 and a Daytona.” Curiously, Benuzzi uses the male “il” pronoun to talk about the Ferraris, and not the female “she” that is usually used when talking about cars. [click to watch the video] The selection was tough, and the trainer Roberto Lippi, who had a weak spot for racing, and even took a Ferrari 275 GTB on the snow-covered roads of the 1966 Monte-Carlo Rally, chose a couple of the would-be test drivers: one was Benuzzi, the only one of the two who could drive the Daytona sideways round the big bend at the Modena Aerautodromo, which was still open in 1971. “The first two years were spent mostly focusing on duration, at least 5-600 kilometres a day and perhaps even more, from early morning to late at night, testing the cars for the US market. When we weren’t driving, we spent time in the workshop, working on the engine carburation, and in the test room.” For Dario, working in the ‘Esperienze’ department, everything revolved around Giorgio Enrico, chief test driver, the man who decided who did what. In this situation, Benuzzi made his mark: for his professionalism and dedication, of course, but especially for his innate driving sensitivity, which allowed him to sense even the slightest sign of a malfunction, even suggesting potential solutions to the engineers. When Enrico’s health began to prevent him from personally testing the cars, Benuzzi was called in by the management and moved from the “duration” tasks to “development”, putting him in charge of a new model. The project that crowned his new role at Ferrari was for the Testarossa, directed by the engineer Stefano Govoni.  “At that point, my whole world changed. I had to decide if an engine, a gearbox, a set-up was right for that type of car or if they had to be changed.” They started from the “mulotipo” - a curious blend of the word “muletto”, used by the drivers to define a car on which solutions are tested, and “prototipo” - prototype, and then created the actual prototype, the most advanced version of the car under development. Model by model, in an average of three years, this process led to the much-hoped-for “approval”, the final thumbs up from the test driver to the company so that serial production could begin. A huge responsibility… “Certainly, but also a very thrilling process. When you got to the end you wanted to start all over again, especially with some of the more particular models.” Like the 288 GTO, which followed on from the Testarossa. Initially designed to take Ferrari back into the Group B competitions, it was developed by the engineers in the GES (acronym of Gestione Sportiva, sporting management, the racing department in Maranello), and Dario was always in pole position for the tests. “It was a beautiful car, only visually related to the 308. It has a 400 HP engine, supercharged with two turbos and an intercooler and had some great but at times surprising thrust, it was a car to be driven with great attention.” And then came the F40. “After the GTO, we didn't think we could do anything more, and yet this project came along and we all fell in love with it. I think it is the car that I had most fun working on in my whole career. Not the best performing, but certainly the truest: a prototype style, no electronics, twin-turbo, light and powerful. It’s the Ferrari that, if I could, I would have in the garage.” Back then some people called him “prof” (professor), because all it took him was a quick drive round to understand what was wrong, but it wasn't always hunky dory. The historic entrance to Ferrari at Via Abetone Inferiore 4 in Maranello, which has remained virtually unchanged since its origins; BELOW Dario Benuzzi “at work”, exiting the sweeping corner of the Fiorano track with smoking tires, of course behind the wheel of a Ferrari: the F40 was the car he felt most attached to. “For the F40, for example, I wanted the brake to be harder than normal, so you needed a pressure of 50 kg and not the usual 30. This was to prevent the driver, reacting quickly in an emergency situation, from blocking the wheels and consequently swerving. A choice that apparently went against driving comfort, but was necessary for a car packed with power but without a vacuum servo or ABS, or even power steering.” A delicate topic, this, as Benuzzi, being on the side of those who had to put powerful cars on the market, personally experienced the transition from analogue to electronic, passing through some of the major mechanical facilitations. “Like the hydraulic steering (Benuzzi never calls it power steering…) which marked a major turning point, for Ferrari and for all high-performance cars.” And not only those, we might say. “Sure, but in terms of speed, precision and sensitivity, the driveability hydraulic steering adds to super-sports cars can’t be compared to the advantages it offers normal cars.” Prior to electronics, which help, prevent and correct, everything was in the hands of the driver.   What is the secret for approving the perfect car? “You have to start from the assumption that the car isn’t built around you personally and your skills and habits, but must be suited to everyone. So if you're not sensitive enough to understand this, you’re in the wrong job. And then you need driving skill. When you take out a prototype car, you never know how it will behave and you need not the cunning but the intelligence to not overdo things, always calculating what could happen. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of things happen, even on approved cars. There’s always even a minimal warning that something’s not right, and you have to be able to capture that.” The Fiorano track, an operational hub of excellence for drivers, testers, and technicians at Ferrari; BELOW After the F40, Benuzzi continued developing several special limited-edition models, such as the 660 hp Enzo, produced from 2002 to 2004 in just 399 units to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Prancing Horse. This was preceded in the 1995-1997 period by the 349 units of the 520 hp F50 (pictured on the far right), which marked the company's 50th anniversary. Like the time when, in Fiorano, out on a demonstration run with a Chinese journalist, he felt something rough in the brakes and, two laps later, one of the front carbon discs exploded: “I was doing 230 km/hour, and the car skidded, I managed to hold her and get to the gravel on the side of the track. I looked at my passenger, who was clapping in delight. He had really enjoyed it, far more than I did.” Electronics didn't change the testing methods. Every car is approved in “Race” mode, so without the interference of the electronic controls, the ABS or ASR: “The car must be perfect on its own without any electronic assistance, as this cuts in only when drivers find themselves in trouble on normal roads and choose to enable it.” For Benuzzi, the work was always very hard going. Three or four models were developed at any one time, in addition to special cars, as happened with the F50, Enzo and LaFerrari, as well as racing cars, like the F40 LeMans and the 333 SP, with their ventures into the F1 world: “I always tested the single-seaters before they set off for a Grand Prix, a final check to make sure everything was OK.” Benuzzi explains, and adds: “The Formula 1 is a perfect car: it brakes more and quicker than you expect, and its road holding and power are extraordinary. And what is great is that when you stop, there are twenty people all over you asking what’s wrong, and in just a few minutes they make the changes and you’re off again checking them. Fantastic! Drivers don't only need the ‘physique du role’, they also have to have quick reactions and clear-headedness. I remember I was a mess after ten laps in Fiorano, my neck hurt because of the G force that pushed my head outwards on every bend: it was such an effort keeping it straight!” In addition to the control tests, for the F1 Benuzzi also developed the electro-actuated gearbox, which was an innovation for the time but not something the drivers were happy with. “One day, Piero Ferrari called me and told me that I had to test something very secret. He made me do a few laps in a single-seater with a manual gearbox, and immediately afterwards as many again in one with an electro-actuated gearbox. Aside from the initial difficulties in developing the mechanism, I really liked this system straight away: changing gear without having to take your hands off the wheel and holding it firmly made everything much quicker and more effective, as well as much safer.” Sitting in the living room of his home, Benuzzi flips through the photos that tell the story of his career; BELOW Dario Benuzzi's career was defined by significant relationships, both personal and professional. With Piero Ferrari (left), with whom he shared a passion for cars and mechanics, and with Michael Schumacher (right), during a driving session at Mugello with engineer Petrotta and the yellow Enzo from the Experience Department A life spent working with some of the world’s most beautiful and exclusive cars meant that Dario Benuzzi had to deal with some very extraordinary characters, including the chairmen who over time held the reins of the Prancing Horse. According to him, they all had one thing in common: a heavy foot, i.e., the tendency to drive very fast. Starting from Enzo Ferrari, of whom Benuzzi was particularly in awe. “One day I got a call from Dino Tagliazzucchi, his historical chauffeur, who asked me to drop into the office in Fiorano because the Commendatore wanted to speak to me. I went in all worried, thinking that I had done something wrong, but he said that the brakes on his grey Ferrari 412 were hissing: ‘I already have to put up with the hissing fans because we're not winning the Formula 1, at least help me get rid of these hissing brakes!” I did the job, took the car back and, to my surprise, Ferrari wanted to do a lap round the track to check that everything was OK. He was already 87 years old, he got in and set off. When he screeched to the end of the straight, I didn't think he would make it. He hit the bend, braking at the last second, then accelerated out and along the track. At the end, he said: ‘Good job, they don't hiss anymore’, then he called Dino and had the 412 put in the garage. He never used it again.” Benuzzi always appreciated Luca di Montezemolo’s enthusiasm and managerial skill. “He literally changed Ferrari in terms of development, prototypes and the working environment. He was one of those who said ‘Benuzzi said so’ and this became the official approval for any change.” And did he have a heavy foot? “If I had to go out with him the next day, I always had a sleepless night. He was fast, nothing ever happened, but for me, sitting next to someone who drives fast has always been a problem.” Benuzzi also has a fond memory of Sergio Marchionne, underlined by that touch of sadness because of his unexpected and premature death. “He was a gentleman. I remember one weekend he had booked the track in Fiorano for a meeting with the managers of the American group. I sent 2-3 cars with the test drivers, and during the coffee breaks he had the guests do a few laps. On the Saturday morning, his secretary called me and asked me why I wasn't on the track. ‘Because nobody told me to be there’, I replied. ‘Mr Marchionne needs you - she said - are you available?’ I tell her no, I have a prior engagement with my wife, but if he wanted, I could be there the next day, on Sunday. ‘That could be tough, tomorrow morning he has a meeting at 7 and is leaving for Detroit straight afterwards, but I’ll ask’. She came back to the phone and told me, OK, he would be waiting for me on the track the next day at 9. I went in the next morning, he apologised for forcing me to work on a Sunday, and then had me on the track with a manager he had promised the thrill of driving round Fiorano with me to. ‘Show him how you drive’, then he got in the helicopter and left”. A double corner along the road frequently used by testers, leading from Maranello to Serramazzoni, in the province of Modena. Benuzzi behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. For the Team, Dario was responsible for the development of the electro-actuated gearbox and also tested the cars before each World Championship race. Another fundamental character for Ferrari was Amedeo Felisa, the engineer who graduated from Milan Polytechnic, who worked in Maranello for 26 years, as Technical Director, then General Director and finally as CEO. He was first and foremost a huge fan, and sometimes would drive for miles in the cars being developed, just for his own personal and professional pleasure. Benuzzi worked with him practically all the time. “He called me Ben, he would phone me and say: ‘Come down here to the machine and buy me a coffee, and there we would talk about cars, he would ask me about the problems, we would discuss possible solutions. On a couple of occasions, he would shout down the technical department, to get things done that I had suggested and that hadn’t been done. He was another one who said ‘Benuzzi said so’.”   And while the Ferrari top management all more or less put their efforts and their personality into developing a globally recognised image of dream-car legends, legendary enterprises and champions at the wheel, some of the people in Benuzzi's story had some other roles that were in any case profoundly linked to the company and his work. Such as Piero Ferrari and Franco Gozzi. The Commendatore's son always had a thoughtful attitude and respected people's roles, and over time this brought him charisma and respect, beyond his important name. “A very nice person, polite and competent. He drove very well and was able to understand the car instantly. When I asked him to try a car, he was always very willing and happy to do so. We would head up towards Serramazzoni, and we exchanged opinions on the driving performance and dynamics. I remember at the time he drove a green 308 GT4, a Bertone”. Franco Gozzi was a real character, a highly skilled communicator, Enzo Ferrari's undisputed right-hand man and a key figure in public relations. He would involve Benuzzi in a range of institutional situations, from presentations to the press to meetings with customers, from making videos and brochures of the models to taking VIP guests out on the track. “Gozzi was an incredible person, he could solve any problem. There are many anecdotes about him. For instance, once we took a car to Montefiorino castle, near Modena, for an institutional photo shoot. The photographer wanted to take the car inside the castle, but it was slightly wider than the main entrance door, perhaps just a centimetre. So he asked the photographer which side of the car he wanted to photograph, and he said: “The right.” And he made me squeeze through, sacrificing the left-hand side of the car, which we had repaired later. When he wanted something, he would stop at nothing and nobody. Except for Enzo Ferrari, of course!” Benuzzi met so many famous people that he has trouble thinking of special encounters. He mentions Lucio Dalla - “I often saw him on the Via Emilia, between Modena and Bologna, with his red Gloria, a 48-cc moped. Then Montezemolo brought him to the track and I took him for a spin in the F40” -, Eric Clapton - “when I asked for tickets to one of his concerts for Roberto Fedeli, who was head of the GT Ferrari and also a musician, at the end of the performance he gave him his guitar” - and the astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti - “she wrote me a lovely letter after I took her out on the track. She said that even though she piloted jets, when you fly it feels like you are still, but in a Ferrari you can really feel the speed.” The statue of the Prancing Horse in the center of Maranello, at the intersection of Via Claudia and Via Giardini: standing 3 meters tall, it was crafted from sheet metal by artists Fabrizio Magnani and Alberto Poggioli; BELOW When a famous personality visited Ferrari (left, Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla), Benuzzi's task was to offer them the thrill of a few laps on the track. He also assisted with testing sessions, as he did with multiple MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (pictured on the right), who also tested a F1 car at Fiorano. Another funny anecdote concerns Gozzi and a special visit. “He told me to get ready, because I had to take a beautiful woman out on the track. A black limousine with Bologna plates turned up and out got Bo Derek, accompanied by a beautiful young girl wearing a very light floral dress. They were testing the Formula 1, and the mechanics all started to comment on the guests in local dialect: ‘I prefer that one, I the other, I would do that, I would do the other’, and so on. Gozzi left them to it as he explained the single-seater to Bo Derek, while the other girl watched on, smiling. Only when they were leaving at the end, Gozzi took the girl by the arm and led her to the wall in front of the pits where the mechanics were working on the car, and in dialect said: ‘Stop a minute, I forgot to tell you something: this young lady is not American, she’s from Bologna, and she perfectly understands ‘Modenese’ and everything you said!’ That's how Gozzi was, he always played the situation down, he had a wonderful spirit.”   Before we finish our chat, please explain one thing: what were the other cars on the market like, the ones you exchanged with the other manufacturers or the ones the “Competition Analysis” department bought with its own budget? “Everyone did a good job. Some were excellent on the track but then maybe out on the road, at the first dip they would jump, the rear would lose its grip and spin out. In the end, I’m sorry to say because I sound like an advert, but there is no one else like Ferrari.” Always frank and precise, this is Dario Benuzzi, with his actor’s face, deep gaze and the awareness of having turned a passion into an extraordinary career. After millions of miles behind the wheel of some of the world’s most beautiful cars, he’s enjoying a life travelling with his beloved Miriam. Do you miss your previous life a little? “There is a time for everything, even though sometimes I have doubts. For example, when I’m driving with my wife sitting next to me and she says ‘watch out there, go that way, take care the road’s wet’. So I get in my Giulia Q4 Turbo and take a drive out in the hills by myself. When I get home, I say, ‘OK, I still know how to drive’.”

An “unidentified object” on wheels that aroused curiosity and speculation, leading both journalists and the public to come up with stories bordering on science fiction. A skilful marketing trick by the Portello-based company, in partnership with Carrozzeria Touring, that led to a very unique car, and we will tell you all about it through another very special encounter. Words Fabio Morlacchi Photography Paolo Carlini Archive Courtesy of Alfa Blue Team, Sanesi Family, Fabio Morlacchi Archives Introduction Looking back at the story told by SpeedHolics of the Alfetta 158 on show at MAUTO - National Automobile Museum in Turin, “Alfa Romeo 158: the 159.109, a Milanese in Turin” (see the Yearbook 2023) , at the end of the long interview directly with “her”, the 159.109 pointed out another racing car further back in the half-dark hall, another Alfa Romeo that she often chatted to when things were quiet. And looking in the direction she indicated, I thought I saw a faint flash. The Disco Volante 3000 during a practice session in the winter 1952. The single windscreen was replaced by a longer one. As I believe that some cars communicate with us, I went back to the MAUTO a second time to hear the story of that other car, the C.52 Disco Volante 3000. And here I am again, in that large, half-dark hall. And once again, I see that faint flash coming from the Carello headlamps ... Disco Volante - “I haven’t had a busy life, in the sporting spotlight like the 159.109 over there, and I’m not used to talking. Please let her do it for me. But remember, there’s something that has annoyed me for a very long time, like a stone stuck in the tyre treads. My engine isn't the CM.3000 3500, but the previous 3000 developed by Giuseppe Busso! I don't know why, but after the first edition of the Museum catalogue, they always wrote that I had a 3500!” So here I am, tasked once again with telling you a story. A Fiat CR.32 formation in the late 1930s. The fighter plane had a Fiat A.30 RA Bis engine, a 24-litre V12 600 HP, designed by the engineer Tranquillo Zerbi. Perhaps the aliens were watching from above The story Monday 22 August 1936, in the sky between Venice and Mestre. Two pilots and their Fiat CR.32 biplane fighters took off from a Royal Italian Air Force airbase nearby, hit the throttle hard on the Fiat A.30 RA Bis 600 HP engines and managed to tail, for a short time, a metallic flying saucer with a diameter of between 10 and 12 metres, before it disappeared from view at high speed. The alarm was given across the skies of North-Eastern Italy. Benito Mussolini was promptly informed of the event:  “Are they armed? Are they friends?” “Duce, perhaps they are English!” “What did the pilots see?” “A Saturn-like, disc-shaped aircraft that gave off a regularly flashing bright orange-white light, with smoke and sparks.” “Deny, deny any version you hear! Put it all down to an optical effect.”  With its developments monitored by Mussolini in person, this was the first sighting of a flying saucer documented by the military in Italy, and many others would follow. The facts became known after the war.  On 24 June 1947, the US businessman Kenneth Arnold was flying his plane when he saw a formation of large flying saucers over Mount Rainer, near Seattle. This was when the term “flying saucer” was first coined and became immediately popular. In an incident a few days later, on 8 July, in Roswell, New Mexico, an alien flying saucer crashed to the ground in the desert and was recovered by the US Air Force. In 1952, the same United States Air Force coined the term UFO, Unidentified Flying Object, to define these unknown objects. In the popular imagination, we continue to talk of flying saucers – or “disco volante”, in Italian. There were many “sightings” after the war, arousing both curiosity and apprehension among the people, not without a strong attraction to those alien ships about which nothing technical was known, except that they were able to chase off even our most modern planes. But did people really see them? Were they Martians? At the time the popular belief was that the aliens came from the nearby red planet … Alfa Red?  But there’s more: in spring 1952, some flying saucers were seen in the sky above Milan. And, in early May of the same year, Alfa Romeo announced the presentation of a new Sport category car in Monza. This was quite unusual; this type of car was never presented officially to the press and was usually kept under wraps until just before the race. This is the first oddity. Between late May and early June, the journalists and curious onlookers at the Autodromo saw a red flying saucer. It went really fast, but had 4 wheels and some of the people there swore that they saw not an alien, with green skin, a trumpet-shaped nose and pointed ears at the wheel, but Consalvo Sanesi, Alfa Romeo's chief test driver and an able F1 driver.  Sanesi entered the track driving the new C52 Disco Volante spider with a 3000-cc straight-6 engine, the first version to be ready and tested. The Alfa Romeo Chairman Pasquale Gallo was also present. Gioachino Colombo, the car designer, standing near the entrance gate, shouted some final advice to the driver above the roaring engine and the “music” that came out of the poorly-silenced short twin exhausts. Sanesi put his foot down hard, accelerating along the straight in front of the stands and into the short circuit, causing the Disco Volante to skid visibly into a slight counter-steer with a clear side roll into the porphyry bend on the Brianza circuit. At the end of the first day of test runs, the 3000 had driven at an average speed of 177 km/h, while on one of the following days, the 2-litre, 4-cylinder model, completed in the meantime, recorded an average of 164 km/h, faster than the Formula 2s! Test driver Consalvo Sanesi enters the track with the Disco Volante 3000 during the first tests in Monza. Gioachino Colombo stands on the right, shouting out some advice The Disco Volante 3000, driven by Sanesi, slightly counter-steering during the first tests in Monza, May-June 1952 Curiously, to track the new car and take the official photographs to be used for the analyses, one of the three 1900 sedan prototypes that remained at the “Sperimentale” (the Alfa Romeo Experimental Department in Portello) was fitted with test plates.  The journalists began to wonder where the incredible cars they had just seen were heading, also because everyone’s lips were sealed at Alfa on the subject. This was the second weird thing. They wouldn’t be competing in the Mille Miglia as they thought because, it had just finished . Perhaps Le Mans that was in less than a month, the Targa Florio, and certainly the 1953 Mille Miglia, they wrote! Alfa had timed the event perfectly to get the journalists’ imagination going. Initially the two versions were recognisable by a few details, and the 3000 was slightly wider, with a twenty-centimetre longer wheelbase and a more pronounced rear overhang, which gave the car a more slender line. The tyres were also wider. But these were all characteristics that were hard to note when looking at the car on its own or in motion. During the first test runs in Monza between late spring and summer 1952, the 3000 version had a single windscreen in front of the driver’s seat, while the very slightly later 2000 had a longer windscreen running across the two seats. On the smaller 4-cylinder version, the twin exhaust pipes were at the rear, while in the 6-cylinder version they were beneath the left-hand door. The headlight frames also different, practically non-existent on the 2-litre version and very visible on the 3-litre version. In subsequent tests, when the 2000 was also ready, the 3-litre version also had the same long windscreen, probably useful for protecting any engineer-passengers, at least from the wind racing in their faces, leaving them to enjoy the adrenalin rush caused by Sanesi’s “heavy foot”. The Alfa Romeo had just left the Formula 1 having won the first two World Championships in 1950 and 1951. The “Alfettas” – the 158 and its evolution the 159, with 450 HP reached on the test bench by some particularly successful and “fresh” engines, had reached the end of their development and began to occasionally show the first signs of failure in some engine parts, including the cylinder head. To remedy these problems, everything had to be done from scratch, or at least preparing new crankcases and heads to replace those that had been in use for years, with costs that Finmeccanica, the state financial holding of the IRI Group that Alfa Romeo belonged to, wasn't willing to cover. Better to withdraw undefeated. Perhaps these futuristic Disco Volantes were the cars intended to race in the Sport category after the three special competition berlinettas, the C.46 Competizione or Sperimentali, with a prepared 6C 2500 engine. The sports journalists already saw them as rivals of Mercedes and Ferrari. Aside from the engines, the new Sport category cars were the work of the engineer Gioachino Colombo, assisted by part of Orazio Satta’s team and watched with interest and curiosity by the Alfa Chairman, Pasquale Gallo. Having worked at Portello in the 1920s and later at Itala in Turin, Gallo was a technician, a poet and a bit of a dreamer, and very much in love with Alfa Romeo. When he was hired at Portello in January 1924, Colombo was “loaned” to Ferrari, which managed the Alfa Romeo racing team until 1929. In 1937, he designed the 158 in just a few months. Returning to Alfa Romeo, after the Alfa Corse racing department had been set up in late 1938, he was deputy manager of the racing car design department. Colombo left Alfa in August 1947, to return in February 1951 to manage the car design department, and left again on 31 August 1952, finally leaving the technical team in the hands of Satta and Busso. Returning to the C.46 Competizione, it is worth mentioning that the third and last car built was never equipped with the racier 145 HP 6C 2500 engine, but rather a unique 2995-cc straight-6 engine based on an engine designed by the technical team of the Spaniard Wifredo Ricart just before he left Alfa Romeo in March 1945. When Gioachino Colombo left Alfa Romeo in 1947, he was replaced temporarily as head of the design team by Luigi Fusi until Busso's return. Having returned to Portello in January 1948 after a short break working for Ferrari for 18 months, Giuseppe Busso began to design a new engine at the end of the year, having assessed the one made by Ricart, a straight-6 2700 cm3, originally fitted with a single overhead camshaft, hydraulic tappets, coolant pump driven by an electric servomotor, underlining the fact that nothing is created from scratch in motor mechanics, things are merely developed. The 6C 3000 engine mounted on the Disco Volante 3000 The engine was completely redesigned by Giuseppe Busso, inspired by the Gazzella 2-litre, a sedan prototype developed during the war. It had a 3-litre engine capacity and a crankshaft with double overhead camshaft, originally intended for a large, American-style sedan, the 6C 3000. This was the replacement of the 6C 2500, the engine of which had been in production, initially with a 2.3-litre engine capacity, since 1934. Life-size plaster model of the large US-style 6C 3000 sedan, totally out of tune with the Alfa Romeo tradition. The project was stopped and replaced with a smaller, more agile sedan, the 1900, later known as the “sedan that wins races”. Now that’s a real Alfa! Busso started developing the engine in the autumn of 1948, and in the summer of 1949 three engines were ready, complete with spare parts, and bench testing began. Consalvo Sanesi tested the chassis of the large sedan in November 1949, but in early 1950 Finmeccanica stopped the project for this large and expensive car. 1949 saw the start of the project for the first modern Alfa Romeo, the 1900, finally equipped with a monocoque and a 4-cylinder, 1.9-litre engine with double overhead camshaft, officially presented in Milan for the first time in the autumn of 1950. In 1951, developments began on a 4-cylinder, 2-litre engine based on the 1900 type. The relationship between the 6-cylinder, 3-litre and the 4-cylinder is clear, even though the 2-litre, 4-cylinder had an aluminium crankcase, in contrast to the cast iron engine block produced as standard on the 1900 and those used on the engines of the four subsequent 2000 Sport/2000 Sportiva cars from 1954-56. The 6-cylinder, 3-litre version, originally designed during wartime and so in a period when precious materials such as aluminium, destined almost exclusively for building planes, were scarce, had a cast iron crankcase from the start, with only the crankshaft in aluminium. This choice was also imposed to ensure the required rigidity for the cylinder block with six straight cylinders, reducing the torsion effects of the long shaft. The final bore measurement chosen by Busso while developing the engine, was 82.55 mm (3 1/4 inches), common in 6 and 4 cylinders but unusual with the strange decimal places, explained by the need to source the pistons and processing machinery from England immediately after the war when it was practically impossible to find anything in Italy. The piston stroke was also different, 92 mm for the 6 cylinders and 88 mm for the 4 cylinders, with actual engine capacities of 2995 and 1884 cc. After Finmeccanica stopped the 6C 3000 project, as we have seen three 3-litre engines (and respective spare parts) had already been built, and one of these was fitted on the third berlinetta C46 Competizione, consequently renamed the 6C 3000 C50; this was driven by Sanesi in the 1950 Mille Miglia. In the 4-cylinder engine used on the Disco Volante, the bore had been taken to 85 mm, with an 88 mm stroke, and an actual engine capacity of 1997.4 cc. The preparation had a good thrust, and indeed the engines apparently delivered 158 HP at 6,500 rpm. This was quite high, and might have indicated a compliance with the US SAE regulation, which required that engine power be measured without any accessories or exhaust systems mounted. 130 HP at 6000 rpm, the data given on the official technical data sheet of the time drafted by Alfa Romeo itself, would appear more plausible; it would seem to be indicated here according to the German DIN or Italian CUNA standards, where power was measured practically in the actual operating conditions. The data provided by Luigi Fusi in the notes he made in the ‘60s from memory are improbable: according to these, on the bench the 2000 reached an outstanding 188 HP, i.e., 94 HP/l, in November 1952! The data probably refers to the 3000-cc version, as for the 3-litre it states around 190-200 HP at 7000 rpm, the engine prepared with more thrust than the one mounted on the berlinetta C50 Competizione, which reached 165 HP at 6000 rpm. Not bad at all, if we think that the original mono-carburettor version envisaged for the large 6C 3000 sedan delivered 120 HP at 4800 rpm. Weighed unladen, the scales stopped at 660 kg for the 2-litre Disco Volante and 100 kg more for the 3000, with a much larger engine built mostly using the much heavier cast iron. The cars were in any case very light and aerodynamic, modern, very unusual and attractive, with a name that was also clouded in mystery. What could be more intriguing for fans of the time, when UFOs were often seen in the skies around the world? We have seen that – much to the chagrin of Busso and his technical team, Colombo returned to Alfa Romeo once more in an executive role. And so the engineer from Legnano had to manage the project and the first developments of the new sports car. This is why two groups of engineers were set up in Alfa. One looked at the new car in an overly diffident and critical manner, the other with the enthusiasm that is usually devoted to one’s own creations. The genesis of the new car was very quick. Alfa Romeo filed the patent for the original “Bodywork for cars with symmetrical biconvex profile with on-board wing-flared sides” in the summer of 1952, in the name of Colombo just before he finally left Portello, and with the approval – under duress – of Carrozzeria Touring, which at the time included Alfa as one of its largest and prestigious clients.  The light steel pipe chassis of the Disco Volante at Touring handles easily and effortlessly. The Disco Volante takes shape at Touring In fact, the Disco Volante was the result of a very close and secret collaboration between Alfa’s Colombo, along with some of his close colleagues, Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni and Federico Formenti, respectively owner and head of the Touring Style Centre. Only the Chairman of Alfa Romeo, Pasquale Gallo, was “kindly” allowed to take part in the meetings. The project was drafted during secret sessions held both during the day and often during the evening.  The secret design (… of course, it was for a flying saucer!) was developed considering the mechanical dimensions very closely. The chassis continued to follow the new tubular technique, integrated and completed by smaller pipes housing the aluminium panels shaped by the panel beaters, which formed the bodywork in line with the classic Touring method. It was therefore indispensable to work in synergy, to avoid doubling the parts and increasing the weight, and that was how things were done. Although a serious project, it was actually great fun for the people involved. Who would ever have thought of designing and building a car that was fundamentally unsuited for racing due to the width of the bodywork without being able to exploit it to widen the axle tracks to improve the road holding, a powerful, bare-bones car built cheaply that would become a legend for its unique beauty! Then there was the issue of the original name, “Disco Volante”, which, as explained, in November, again in agreement with Touring, Alfa Romeo deposited for its own exclusive use. The suspensions of the new Sport were taken from the standard 1900 sedan, including the rigid rear axle, in the new version with  lower longitudinal tie-rods and upper central triangle to control the transversal axles shaking and complete the guide in extension . This type of rear suspension with rigid axle was to characterise all Alfa Romeo’s production up to the advent of the Alfetta in 1972. Busso’s team wanted to use a rear De Dion axle, which was what then happened for the later 3000 CM and 2000 Sport/2000 Sportiva, designed when Colombo had once again left Alfa Romeo for the last time.  The 6-cylinder Disco Volante 3000 engine tested on the bench; the three large Weber 48 mm dual-body carburettors clearly visible. On the right, the test driver, driver and mechanic Alessandro Gaboardi Winter 1952, Alfa Corse department on the corner of Via Traiano and Viale Serra. In the foreground, a 3000 CM coupé with a temporary front, bodied by Colli. Probably the first one prepared The brakes had two shoes for each brake (4 are often specified, incorrectly), with helicoidal-finned aluminium drums, while the engine returned to the aluminium crankcase of the first sedan prototypes, later abandoned due to the known problems of flexure and noise, which were unacceptable on a passenger car. But here it was significantly ribbed during casting with a thick rhombus pattern to stiffen the cylinder block. According to Giuseppe Busso, it was Colombo who wanted this solution, which turned out to be expensive while saving only five or six kilos in weight. Counter-weighted engine shaft, single fuel supply with two Weber double body horizontal draught carburettors with simultaneously opening throttles, the same as the ones used on the 3000-cc engine, which however mounted three of them. The dynamic air intake on the carburettors of the 3-litre were characteristically positioned against the right-hand horizontal lobe of the chassis and covered by a mesh, originally further back and poorly visible on the 2-litre.  Four spider versions of the Disco Volante were built, one 3-litre and three 2-litre. After the tests conducted in the summer of 1952, in order to improve the aerodynamics Touring successfully modified the style of a spider 2000 to become a coupé, to offer three configurations of the same car to be tested and “fed” to journalists and enthusiasts: 2000 spider, 2000 coupé and 3000 spider. Today the beautiful coupé seems almost to be the inspiration that led Sir William Lyons’ team of stylists to create the 1961 Jaguar E-Type, another wonderful car legend that, in this case, was produced in series. The 1900 Disco Volante coupé in its final appearance, photographed outside the Touring sheds. Note the wording ‘Superleggera’ and that never used elsewhere, “Disco Volante”, in the same font in the place of the license plate. With the polished aluminium perimeter profile. Note the mirror-finished twin exhaust beneath the left-hand door without silencers Detail of the rear mirror reserved for the registration plate, with the identification wording that was never seen again Perhaps at this point, if he was still alive, Henry Ford would even have agreed to not wear a hat any longer! Poor Mr. Ford, I always end up mentioning him, but with some Alfa Romeos that is inevitable! In October, to present its range of new production and racing cars, Alfa Romeo organised a day in Monza called “A chilling encounter”, to which artists and scholars, poets and philosophers, painters and dramatists were invited, all people usually considered distant from the car world. Drivers including Ascari, Fangio, Farina and Sanesi, took these unusual guests out in the various versions of the 1900 and the Disco Volante on the Brianza track, slippery with rain, and the spectacular success of the event was assured. Although considering that the Disco Volante was not designed for racing, in the autumn of that magical year 1952 it was decided to modify one of the two remaining spider 2000s for uphill racing, removing the characteristically large sides to narrow the bodywork to a conventional size in order to make it more drivable both on the circuits and on the mountain routes. Also in this case, Touring made all the changes quickly and easily, and the Disco Volante, defined somewhat hypocritically, as Busso said, as the “narrow hip” type, began its competition career in January 1953, the only Disco Volante to do so. Alfa Romeo never had the “narrow hip” Disco Volante compete officially but often loaned it to private drivers to take part in races, mainly in southern Italy, in 1953 and 1954. In 1954 the car was sold to the Swiss driver Jean (Willy) Ducrey, who raced it a few times in Switzerland and France. In 1959, the “narrow hip” returned to Italy, purchased by the Neapolitan driver Luigi Bellucci, who raced it in 1953 while it still belonged to Alfa Romeo. Fritz Schlumpf bought it from Bellucci in early April 1963 through Jean Studer, a former driver and partner of an Alfa Romeo dealer in Switzerland. Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni of Carrozzeria Touring recalls a fifth Disco Volante and gave the VIN number, but there is no trace in any archive or any memory of this spider 3000. It is very probable that the chassis was built, not completed with bodywork and later destroyed at the “Sperimentale”, given the “propagandist” intention of the car, and also because there was only one other 3000 engine available, which they perhaps preferred to keep as a reserve for the existing 3000 or the berlinetta C50. And then, the 1900 was already in production and had to be marketed. It was therefore quite logical to afford more space to the 4-cylinder version. It should be noted that efforts were in any case made to exploit the 6C 3000 engine. In late 1951, negotiations were held with the Paris-based company Facel-Metallon, which was interested in the construction licence for the engine and related production machinery, and a contract was drafted specifying an initial royalty of 3% on each of the first 1000 (!) engines built and the related spare parts. It is not known which car the French wanted to mount it on (and they would in any case have to use the wording “Manufactured on licence from Alfa Romeo”), but nothing came of it and, after its brief period on the Disco Volante 3000, the 6C 3000 engine finally entered Portello history. Winter 1952, Alfa Corse department on the corner of Via Traiano and Viale Serra. In the foreground, a 3000 CM coupé with a temporary front, bodied by Colli. Probably the first one prepared Alfa Romeo exploited the ownership of the Disco Volante name even after the original Touring creations. The subsequent 3000 CM spider and coupé (but with a 3.5-litre engine) which raced intensively in the following sporting seasons in the hands of drivers of the calibre of Fangio, Kling, Sanesi and others, initially received this name from journalists and enthusiasts, practically forcing Alfa Romeo to adopt it semi-officially, even though they did not have the typical biconvex bodywork and were not bodied by Touring, but by Carrozzeria Colli.  In fact, in early December 1952, Alfa asked Touring to make the new sports cars with the new 3500-cc engine at a cost that could not exceed the offers of other coachbuilders, a sign that it had “already had a look around”. The matter was finally solved in late August 1953, when Alfa received Touring’s official refusal to produce the bodywork for the new Sport at the indicated financial conditions. In any case the job had already been given to Colli, in Viale Certosa in Milan, a few hundred yards from Touring’s headquarters in Via Ludovico Da Breme, also close to Portello. The letter, dated when Alfa already had a few of Colli’s 3000 CM taking part in the races, seems to be done at the request of an “official” reply (verba volant, scripta manent...) and relieved Alfa from any potential problems.  It is worth remembering that the new racing car not only didn't have the same original type of bodywork of the Touring Disco Volante, but neither the chassis, the suspensions or the mechanics generally. As Giuseppe Busso well recalls, their 3.5-litre engine was based vaguely on the 3000 originally intended for the 6C 3000 sedan, but this is practically a new project with completely different vital measurements, despite keeping that now-classic Alfa layout with six straight cylinders and double overhead camshaft with hemispherical expansion chamber and single power supply, here with six Weber 50 DCO horizontal monobloc carburettors. Some accessories were in a different position, and the distributor was splined to the rear of the exhaust camshaft like on the standard 1900 and the 3-litre Disco Volante 2000, while on the 3.5-litre it was positioned to the side of the crankcase. The tappet system was also different; on the 3.5-litre they were done by interposing valve lifters in oil bath, adjusted by calibrated pads, between the cam and the valve, instead of the classic adjustable plates. The subsequent reduction to a 3-litre engine, used on the “PR” (acronym of Passo Ridotto, “reduced wheelbase”) was also obtained by reducing the 3.5-litre engine stroke. But for now, as they say, that’s another story. The only Disco Volante 2000 of the three built, the spider with convex sides, polished and finished with greater care and equipped with a twin exhaust beneath the door, continued its “promotional work” and was loaded onto a Douglas DC.3 twin-engine plane and taken to New York, where from 21 February to 1 March 1953 the “World Motor Sport Show” was held in Madison Square Garden. The world’s production of the most beautiful sports cars of the day was on show at this prestigious exhibition, in a parade that made dreams come true! While it was travelling to Linate in an Alfa Romeo 450 truck, the ill-fated driver of a Vespa 98 hit the mudguard of one of the truck's rear wheels. Who knows, perhaps it was even one of the very first Vespas, with the body and cylinder built by Alfa... keeping things in the family! Transport from Portello to Linate airport for the BEA DC3 flight to New York. A Vespa 98 turns out of a junction as the Alfa tipo 450 passes and hits the rear right-hand mudguard. It may have been one of the very first Vespa 98s, with body and cylinder made in Portello... The Disco Volante waited patiently on the truck while the police assessed the scene, and at last it reached the airport, where the terminal was still under construction. The loading operations were stressful and it took a long time getting the car into the wide side door of the plane, pushed by hand and overseen by Formenti and Touring’s lawyer Ponzoni. At Milano-Linate airport, at last. At Linate airport, the Disco Volante 2000 is loaded into the BEA DC3 fuselage with a few hitches! Note the perplexed expression on some people’s faces ... Return to Milano-Linate: the rear damage caused when unloading it from the plane is clearly visible. The sides of the car touched the edges of the plane door and the car had to be slid inside directly from the truck, turning it immediately to fit longways inside the plane's fuselage. This was certainly the reason why the 3000 was not sent to the States, as the extra 42 cm length would have been an insurmountable problem for loading it onto the plane. It was weird that nothing went wrong, but on its return to Italy, during the unloading operations, the tail violently hit a beam, slipped and was ruined. The event in New York was a huge success, but despite this the Disco Volante was assured none of the much-expected commercial success that was described in the press. It was simply put to one side. Perhaps the mysterious fifth car was not completed but destroyed precisely for this reason.  The spruced-up Disco Volante 3000 at the Alfa Romeo stand at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show, among the 1900 range. We have seen how this car was deemed a brilliant exercise in style but ineffective in the sporting field. Or, perhaps that was precisely its purpose, to arouse international interest and advertise mass-produced cars, an amazing marketing strategy at reasonable costs, seeing as most of the mechanics were already available, including the now-useless 3-litre engine taken to the limits of its potential, and further fuelling the “Alfa Romeo legend”. Perhaps Sanesi knew or realised this, and that was what came across in the photos portraying him during the test runs at Monza. In one photo he has that typical, restrained and enigmatic smile, his penetrating gaze telling the photographer: “Nice isn’t it? Desire one, but buy a 1900. I’ll show you what it's capable of driving round the track in mine, but you will never know how awkward it would be among the other racing cars on the tight bends. Nothing like Le Mans!”. I hope the ladies won't be offended, but the real Disco Volante is like a curvy woman with wide, sensual hips, a slim waist and generous bust, totally unsuited for competition sports... As the interest aroused by the car confirms, Alfa continued to receive letters in the late ‘50s from enthusiasts from different countries, first and foremost the United States, asking how and where they could buy a Disco Volante. Today, all four Disco Volante “sisters” still survive in their original configuration or modified condition, aside from a few details. The 2000 spiders (the one taken to New York and the coupé) are on display at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. “Our” spider 3000 – the star of this story – is at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, gifted by Alfa Romeo in the 1950s, and as she herself has “told” us, she is often incorrectly indicated as having a 3500-cc engine. Curiously, only the first edition of the catalogue (1960) correctly stated that she has a 3000-cc engine. The 2-litre “narrow hip” is on display at the National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, France, bought by Fritz Schlumpf, shortly after the end of her long, if not intense, sporting career that ended in 1959. When other 4-wheeled flying saucers have been or are seen, they are merely the monsters created in the mind of a modern Mary Schelley. This is the story of a car that seems to come from deep space. A skilful marketing operation that produced a four-wheeled dream, that still today makes enthusiasts’ hearts beat faster.  Disco Volante - “Thank you so much! You know, here there’s another Alfa Romeo that has a few stories to tell, you must know her. She’s older than me and the Alfetta 159.109, her name is P2...”. I look around for her... I’ll be back to you again as well, I promise. And it’s been exactly one hundred years since ... Credits and Acknowledgments The author, Fabio Morlacchi was born in Milan in 1960, and studied architecture and advertising graphics. In 1983, he started working for an advertising agency, on the launch of the Alfa 33. A car fanatic from a young age, Alfa Romeo was a passion at home too, as both his parents worked there: his father was a designer and his mother worked in Sales. His love of planes came from his paternal grandfather, who was a bomber pilot and officer of the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) from 1918 to 1943. He is a member of the Alfa Blue Team, historian, speaker and writer on car history, particularly that of Alfa Romeo, as well as the history of Italian aviation. The photographer, Paolo Carlini , is a professional photographer from Milan with over thirty years of experience. He is a member of the Order of Journalists and the National Association of Prifessional Photographers Tau Visual. Specializing in commercial imagery, he has worked with prominent clients both in Italy and internationally. Carlini has captured portraits of artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, which have been exhibited in prestigious shows. He has also published photography books and shares his expertise through workshops and courses. Paolo Carlini is a respected figure in the world of photography SpeedHolics thanks the MAUTO – National Automobile Museum in Turin, for having made available the “Disco Volante” from its prestigious collection for this article. Appendix The Disco Volante “narrow hip” drivers and races Piero Carini: 2nd in the Coppa Sant'Ambroeus on 11-01-1953, 10th in Messina on 25-07-1953, 4th in the Coppa Intereuropa on 11-09-1953 Pietro Palmieri and Francesco Matrullo: withdrawn from the 12 Ore in Pescara on 16-0 8-1953 Goffredo Zehender and A. De Giuseppe: withdrawn after 8 hours at the MM on 16-04-1953 Soldani and Vivaldo Angeli: 11th at the 10 Ore in Messina on 07-7-1953 Nicola Musmeci: 8th in the Coppa D'Oro in Siracusa on 10-10-1954, position not known at the 1954 Catania-Etna Luigi Bellucci: 2nd in Avellino on 12-07-1953, 3rd in the Giro di Calabria on 02-08-1954, withdrawn at the G.P. Supercortemaggiore in Merano on 06-09-1953 (won by Fangio in the 3000 CM) Jean (Willy) Ducrey took part in several races during the 1954-1955 season, 3rd in the uphill race in Cote de Planfoy (F), withdrawn on the Bremgarten Circuit (CH), position unknown at the Gran Prix d’Orleans (F) on 05-06-1954, position unknown at the uphill race in Kandersteg (CH) in 1959.

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Desirable 750F Veloce Spider Model with Original Tunnel Case Transmission and No Quarter Windows Exciting Recent Garage Discovery of a Superb Original Veloce Spider Matching-Numbers, Documented with Certificate of Origin by Alfa Romeo Classiche 43,640 Recorded Miles, Believed to be Original 30-Year Previous Ownership with Vintage Registrations & Memorabilia in Dossier Unknown to the Veloce Register until its 2020 Uncovering & Public Sale Spring 2020 Recommissioning & Spring 2022 Service Update The 750F Giulietta Spider Veloce is an example of the ultimate expression of Alfa Romeo's 1,300 cc masterpiece. Utilizing the early SWB chassis and adding Weber side-draft carburetors, performance camshafts, and a specific oiling system meant to handle spirited use, the early Spider Veloces possess a rare combination of performance and style. Uncovered from a New Jersey home workshop in late 2019, remarkably preserved from limited ownership, AR1495*0351, this Giulietta Veloce Spider represents an exciting offering for the most discerning collector and Alfista purists. Upon closer inspection, it appears the Spider retains numerous original attributes and equipment specific to an early preserved 750F. The body remains straight with even gaps all around, with a largely untouched cabin. The underside has been steam cleaned and is remarkably solid with original jack points intact and spot welds found throughout all joining seams. A truly fantastic original specimen. Noted Original Features: Original windshield and Sekurit Glass Original IPRA Heater Original Spare FERGAT Torino Spare Wheel with Pirelli Tire Original FERGAT Torino Wheels with Stickers Still Attached Original Door Panels, Soft top Cover and Rear Upholstery Original Trunk Key Numbered #711 Matching Lock #711 Original Paint on Dash, Doors, and Jambs Original Veglia Gauges Original Tunnel Cas Transmission with Long Shifter Original Decals and Trim Throughout Original Twin 40 DC03 Carburetors Lucas Taillights Body #493/1493 is found stamped on the bonnet, trunk latch, and trunk floor. Original Radio Blank, Veloce Dash Switch Plug and Period Aviation Style Lap Belts Correct Rubber Front and Luggage Floor Mats Period AMCO Plexi Glass Accessory Quarter Windows, supplied loosely Lucas Fender Mounted Mirror After numerous years of static storage and 43,600 recorded miles, in Spring 2020, 03511 would receive recommissioning services including: a Rebuild of the Carburetors and Fuel System, New Front Wheel Bearings, Front and Rear Brake Hoses, New Front Wheel Cylinders, Air Filter, Oil Filter, Spark Plugs and Wires, New Distributor, Ignition Coil and Battery. A service noted on November 15, 1978 at 42,800 Miles was found with the car's original records. Shortly after its recommissioning, the Giulietta was acquired by a noted collector of distinctive automobiles. We were fortunate to recently require 03511. To further enhance its durability, safety and user experience, DriverSource performed a Spring 2022 service update. This included new Front & Rear Koni Shocks, correct Rear Spring Seats, Rear Axle Check Straps, Rear Brake Wheel Cylinders, Master Cylinder, Bonnet and Trunk Seals, as well as the installation of a new Stayfast Canvas soft-top, in place of the Alfa's original top. This 750F Veloce comes complete with and supported by a highly original Toolkit, Jack, Instruction Book (Owner's Manual), Keys, Alfa Romeo 1300 Spare Parts Catalog, 1976 Motorists Diary, early Registration and Ownership Records, Vintage Publications, Recent Parts Receipts, and Alfa Romeo Classiche Certificate of Origin. Engine Compression PSI/Cylinders 1. 130 PSI 2. 140 PSI 3. 140 PSI 4. 140 PSI Prized for their eager and balanced performance, impeccable road manners and reliability, Giulietta Spiders have made their way into a number of the world's most important collections. Here is an exceptional opportunity for a remarkably correct, complete, original, and ideally spec'd 750F Giulietta Veloce for the ultimate Alfista. 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce Driver Source Fine Motorcars If you are interested in the content of this listing, please contact the Dealer. Contact details are indicated below in the section "Contact the Dealer." Should you require confidential support from SpeedHolics for your inquiry, kindly complete the section "I am Interested." This listing is provided by SpeedHolics solely for the purpose of offering information and resources to our readers. The information contained within this listing is the property of the entity indicated as the "Dealer." SpeedHolics has no involvement in the commercial transactions arising from this listing, and we will not derive any financial gain from any sales made through it. 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SH ID 23-0315001 FEATURED BY SPEEDHOLICS In Stock SEARCH OTHER CARS United States Dealer This Car Contact the Dealer I am Interested Legal & Copyright Engine 1315*30999 (Matching Numbers) Production Date March 28, 1958 Delivery Date April 16, 1958 Market Destination New York Exterior Color Nero Vin AR149503511 Driver Source Fine Motorcars 14750 Memoriaö Drive Huston Texas Contact details sales@driversource.com 1 (281) 497-1000 Visit dealer's website If you are intrested in this car and you would like SpeedHolics to put you in touch with the right person, please fill in this form. Let us arrange everything for you. How to contact you? I'd like to receive weekly updates about new listings SUBMIT We take your privacy seriously. 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The notice and take down procedure is described here: https://www.speedholics.com/copyright Desirable 750F Veloce Spider Model with Original Tunnel Case Transmission and No Quarter Windows Exciting Recent Garage Discovery of a Superb Original Veloce Spider Matching-Numbers, Documented with Certificate of Origin by Alfa Romeo Classiche 43,640 Recorded Miles, Believed to be Original 30-Year Previous Ownership with Vintage Registrations & Memorabilia in Dossier Unknown to the Veloce Register until its 2020 Uncovering & Public Sale Spring 2020 Recommissioning & Spring 2022 Service Update The 750F Giulietta Spider Veloce is an example of the ultimate expression of Alfa Romeo's 1,300 cc masterpiece. Utilizing the early SWB chassis and adding Weber side-draft carburetors, performance camshafts, and a specific oiling system meant to handle spirited use, the early Spider Veloces possess a rare combination of performance and style. Uncovered from a New Jersey home workshop in late 2019, remarkably preserved from limited ownership, AR1495*0351, this Giulietta Veloce Spider represents an exciting offering for the most discerning collector and Alfista purists. Upon closer inspection, it appears the Spider retains numerous original attributes and equipment specific to an early preserved 750F. The body remains straight with even gaps all around, with a largely untouched cabin. The underside has been steam cleaned and is remarkably solid with original jack points intact and spot welds found throughout all joining seams. A truly fantastic original specimen. Noted Original Features: Original windshield and Sekurit Glass Original IPRA Heater Original Spare FERGAT Torino Spare Wheel with Pirelli Tire Original FERGAT Torino Wheels with Stickers Still Attached Original Door Panels, Soft top Cover and Rear Upholstery Original Trunk Key Numbered #711 Matching Lock #711 Original Paint on Dash, Doors, and Jambs Original Veglia Gauges Original Tunnel Cas Transmission with Long Shifter Original Decals and Trim Throughout Original Twin 40 DC03 Carburetors Lucas Taillights Body #493/1493 is found stamped on the bonnet, trunk latch, and trunk floor. Original Radio Blank, Veloce Dash Switch Plug and Period Aviation Style Lap Belts Correct Rubber Front and Luggage Floor Mats Period AMCO Plexi Glass Accessory Quarter Windows, supplied loosely Lucas Fender Mounted Mirror After numerous years of static storage and 43,600 recorded miles, in Spring 2020, 03511 would receive recommissioning services including: a Rebuild of the Carburetors and Fuel System, New Front Wheel Bearings, Front and Rear Brake Hoses, New Front Wheel Cylinders, Air Filter, Oil Filter, Spark Plugs and Wires, New Distributor, Ignition Coil and Battery. A service noted on November 15, 1978 at 42,800 Miles was found with the car's original records. Shortly after its recommissioning, the Giulietta was acquired by a noted collector of distinctive automobiles. We were fortunate to recently require 03511. To further enhance its durability, safety and user experience, DriverSource performed a Spring 2022 service update. This included new Front & Rear Koni Shocks, correct Rear Spring Seats, Rear Axle Check Straps, Rear Brake Wheel Cylinders, Master Cylinder, Bonnet and Trunk Seals, as well as the installation of a new Stayfast Canvas soft-top, in place of the Alfa's original top. This 750F Veloce comes complete with and supported by a highly original Toolkit, Jack, Instruction Book (Owner's Manual), Keys, Alfa Romeo 1300 Spare Parts Catalog, 1976 Motorists Diary, early Registration and Ownership Records, Vintage Publications, Recent Parts Receipts, and Alfa Romeo Classiche Certificate of Origin. Engine Compression PSI/Cylinders 1. 130 PSI 2. 140 PSI 3. 140 PSI 4. 140 PSI Prized for their eager and balanced performance, impeccable road manners and reliability, Giulietta Spiders have made their way into a number of the world's most important collections. Here is an exceptional opportunity for a remarkably correct, complete, original, and ideally spec'd 750F Giulietta Veloce for the ultimate Alfista. 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