One of the privileges of owning an Alfa Romeo (and there are many!) is being invited to participate in events such as Italian Car Day, organised by a consortium of clubs at Brooklands Museum, on the site of the old banked circuit, back in October 2021. And a cold but sunny January gives you a chance to organise some photographs into an account of some of the highlights, starting with the obligatory picture on the banking of the old circuit.
And I can confirm that the banking is steeper than you might think. As the titles suggest, this show is a celebration of not just Alfa Romeo, but of Italian cars in general, old and new. Let’s take an informal and unscientific amble through a personal selection of some of the less usual cars, cars not always frequently seen on the British classic motoring scene but worthy nonetheless. But we’ll start with some Alfas, and not just my 1996 Spider 2.0 Twin Spark.
The oldest Alfa Romeo I caught was this 1930 6C Spider Zagato – a reminder that before the war Alfa was not a manufacturer of cars for every man by any means – perhaps the easiest thing to compare the pre-war Alfa Romeo to is the post war Ferrari, manufactured by the chap who ran the Alfa racing team in the 1930s.
It isn’t often you can follow with a 1976 Alfa Romeo Montreal for something less expressive, but a nice example of the Montreal is always worth showing, even if the car itself arguably had some fundamental flaws.
Alongside it is Alfa Romeo SZ, a Zagato designed coupe based on the Alfa Romeo 75 (Milano) 3.0 litre V6 saloon.
The Dino 246 (not officially a Ferrari) is an all time favourite of mine (and a regular Fantasy Garage candidate) but a 1962 Giulietta Sprint in Rosso Alfa has to run it close.
But perhaps the most surprising and intriguing Alfa Romeo was this 1971 Junior Z. Z for Zagato, Junior as it based on the floorpan, driveline and suspension of the Alfa Romeo Spider 1300 Junior, the almost immortal coupe version of the Giulia saloon as clothed by Giugiaro and Bertone.
The Junior Z was always a very limited volume model – just over 1500 were built in four years (1969-73) in two versions. This is an earlier 1300 series 1; the series 2 was 1600 and with a re-profiled rear end.
It may only have had 1300cc, but it was the Busso Alfa Twin Cam engine and in 1969 its 90bhp and 109mph were notable. And better looking in the metal than it is pictures – is this my star of the show?.
The Fiat 124 Coupe is a car that is often overlooked in the UK – obscured by the Ford Capri on one hand and the Fiat Spyder on the other, and with styling that was comparatively low key for a late 1960s coupe.
This is a 1967 example, of the first series and in a period colour. Despite the format of the front number plate, it is a British registered car. To me, this has aged very well, and would shade an early Capri on most criteria.
This Spyder has a Swiss registration, and is clearly a much later car, in fact a 1979-85 Spidereuropa, with the small round front wing marker lights rather than the larger items fitted to North American cars.
Many people’s favourite, and one of the most recognisable, Fiats from the 1970s was the X1/9. This is a 1977 1290cc version.
Perhaps you prefer black, also 1290cc, from 1978. Alongside is a 1990s Fiat 500, in sports trim.
Fiat has a terrific history of small cars, many of which have featured on CC over the years, none less than the 500. But the rear engined Fiat family had many members, not least the larger 850. This example is a 1971 850 Coupe, actually 903cc but that’s just being pedantic.
Or may be you prefer blue and yellow, in a sort of competition vibe? The Italian format number plate would make evading parking fines easier….just sayin’. Alongside is a 1980s Fiat Uno Turbo, Fiat’s competitor to the Peugeot 205GTi and the like.
My pick of the rear engined Fiats on the day was this 1964 Fiat 600D, fitted with a 767cc engine and decked out in Abarth trim. I’m not clear whether this car was originally an Abarth, but was most definitely a favourite.
This car is in reality the big brother of the Nuova 500, or rather the 500 is a later contraction of the 600. This edition actually has a 767cc engine, as used in some the overseas versions sold as SEAT 800, NSU Fiat Neckar Jagt and was also the basis for the innovative Multipla.
The styling may look dumpy, and perhaps not as appealing as the Fiat 500. But the reward is the space inside. In 1950s Italy, that mattered more.
But by the 1970s things had improved. Style was becoming more important (we’re talking Italy…) and this 1974 Fiat 128 Coupe shows that.
Looking back, why did people choose the Morris Marina Coupe ever, for anything? Leave the front poking out of the garage and the neighbours might think you’d bought a Jensen Interceptor.
I saw more Fiat 128s in one day that I had in several years. This is a 1971 128 estate – 1116cc showing the Ford Escort how to do it in a compact car.
A compact car that some say would be not bettered until the VW Golf (Rabbit) arrived in 1974. But what’s in front of it?
A Fiat Dino 2000 convertible, guarded by a bevy of 131 Mirafiori (Brava) saloons. If you don’t want one of these, then as the adverts suggest, you need to go to Specsavers. This is a 1968 car, and am I going to be asked to leave the country if I say I’d rather have this than a 1968 E Type roadster? Perhaps Italy would grant me asylum?
A 2 litre convertible Fiat, at your normal dealer, a man more used to selling 124 saloons, with a 160bhp V6 Ferrari engine shared with the Dino? The engines were built side by side with Ferrari engines, which were rated at 180bhp. Who cares – you’re so weak at the knees looking at it there’s no way you could drive it well enough to spot the difference. Perhaps this is my star of the show?
In the 21st century, when people say “Fiat” you almost instinctively think “small car” – Punto, Uno, Panda or 500. But cast your mind back to the 1970s; the range went from the 500 to the 130.
How to define the Fiat 130? What’s the comparator? Less sporting than a BMW 5 series, more modest than a Mercedes-Benz 280E or Jaguar XJ6 2.8, more modern and spacious than a Rover 3500, more completely engineered than Ford Zodiac or Granada, Vauxhall Cresta or Opel Commodore or Diplomat, less challenging than a Citroen DS, less conservative thana Volvo 164, and more successful commercially than an Alfa Romeo Alfa 6 (just).
I guess it is an Italian take on the Peugeot 604, albeit five years earlier. A 2.8, later a 3.2 litre V6 (140bhp, then 165hp) and fully independent suspension and a five speed gearbox (or automatic). Road manners were pretty good, as the specification might suggest and of course the Coupe was an absolute stunner.
I was surprised to find there still over 50 registered in the UK, from a total production run of just 15,000 in 7 years. Complete hen’s teeth, and in this condition. The star of many a show I’m sure.
And. now Lancia, with three absolute belters.
It is fair to say that the Lancia Aprilia is not an everyday sighting – no Lancia is now. It was the last car designed by Vincenzo Lancia himself, before he died in 1937 and featured a compact, overhead camshaft V4, in the Lancia tradition that lasted until the Fiat takeover in 1968, sliding pillar suspension and unitary construction and was built on a long wheelbase (96 inches) yet was stiff enough to dispense with the B pillar.
Drive went to the independently sprung rear wheels, and the style was sufficiently aerodynamic to let the car reach 80 mph on Mussolini’s autostradas. Impressive for 50 bhp and 1486cc.
Just 27,00 were built from 1937 to 1949; this is a 1948 car imported to the UK in 1961. It’s worth noting that left hand drive was an option in many markets, including “drive on the right” markets, so this car is quite likely to have been imported used from Italy with right hand drive.
The Lancia Beta – hmmm. Where to start? The first Fiat funded Lancia, with a Fiat derived engine. in many ways it was a typical 1970s saloon – front wheel drive, transverse engine, styling that was sharp and contemporary but which wouldn’t frighten the horses. And it could made in greater volumes and at a lower cost and therefore with more profit (or even some profit) than the previous Flavia and Fulvia ranges.
All in, a very appealing package, spoiled only by the corrosion saga that not only effectively, in the UK at least, killed the Beta in the market, mortally wounded the Lancia brand and was a major contributor to the image of fragility and unreliability Italian cars still (unjustly) carry in the UK now. This is a 1974 1400 cc series 1 car, the only one registered and on the road in the UK. Arguably, this car was never replaced – the later Delta was smaller, the Thema bigger.
If you get wobbly at the sight of a Beta, than this 1984 (so close to the end) Lancia Gamma Coupe will have you needing a sit down. That’d give you time to admire the styling fully – is this ultimate evolution of the Pininfarina Floride? Was this the best looking coupe of the 1970s? It’s got to be up there.
We haven’t time today to do the Gamma justice – it was a complex car with a convoluted background and history. But no other manufacturer ever tried to enter the European premium saloon market with a four cylinder engine, especially a flat four, even if it was consistent with the preceding Flavia and 2000.
Factor in that the camshaft and power steering pump were driven off the same belt which had a habit of stripping its teeth when asked to support full lock when cold, and you can see a weakness emerging. Wrecked engines don’t sell luxury cars, even ones that look like this. Fewer than 7000 Coupes were built, and just 15000 saloons. Quality not quantity.
And to finish, a pair of true exotica.
The Lamborghini Espada has had a lot of love on CC over the years, including from me. This is a 1973 Series 3 example, built around a very tightly packed 3.9 litre V12 engine.
The styling was by Gandini whilst working at Bertone, and is perhaps one of the most recognised and distinctive fur seater cars ever made in Italy. Fun fact – this is the one of the few Lamborghinis not named after a bull but rather it was named for the sword used by a bullfighter or torero. My favourite Lamborghini? A close second to the Miura, probably.
Never have hooped bumpers looked so good.
And my first Maserati on CC – a 1970 Maserati Indy, so named to recall Maserati’s wins at the Indianapolis 500 and perhaps identify one of the larger target markets for the car.
Like the Espada, this was a four seater but used a 4.2 litre V8. The car was the first Maserati built after Citroen bought the company in 1968, a venture that led to the Citroen SM (Sports Maserati with a Maserati designed V6 engine). You might have expected an exciting technical specification, and parts of it were – Vignale styling, an twin overhead cam V8 with a dry sump and four Weber carburettors, wishbone front suspension, and a live rear axle on semi-elliptic springs.
To me there’s something in the styling, especially at the rear, that leads me to think 1970s GM coupes, such as the Vauxhall Cavalier Sportshatch, and even the Rover 3500 (SD1).
So, what should take as Star of the Show?
I don’t know much about the Montreal or its “fundamental flaws”, but I think it’s absolutely beautiful, right up there with a Muira.
edit: I just did a quick bit of research and learned they were designed by the same fellow, Marcello Gandini!
Very cool meet I was peering into the background trying to spot my cousins car he has ono of those little Spyders in blue with the 3.0 Busso V6 but maybe he didnt go some very nice cars there
There’s something for everyone! So many nice Fiat coupes we don’t often see in the US… The Indy, however, might be one of my favorites of the day; I think I’ve only seen one in my life (at Meadowbrook Concours). Great pictures!
Between the featured cars, and the many interesting examples that can barely be made out in the background of every picture there must be enough material for several days worth of CC.
As a small car fan, I would be torn between a Fiat 850 coupe (I almost bought a 5 year old 68 but bought a Valiant instead), and a 128 Coupe.
Though nowadays I doubt that I could be able to fit behind the steering wheel of either.
Hope there is a Part II to the above photo album.
I could wonder all day at such a car meet.
Very much enjoyed the portfolio.
Quick note, the little red 90s FIAT next to the black X1/9 is the slightly later Seicento (600).
Awesome collection. Some of these I had never even heard of before, like the Montreal, the Junior Z, and the 850, so thank you for the mini-education.
Only Italian car I’ve ever driven was a rented Alfa Romeo MiTo, and unfortunately it was kind of a piece of junk…so one day I hope I get the oppotunity to drive a “real” Italian car.
Fulvia, Delta Int’s galore, an SZ (!) and even what seems like a Stratos peeking around the corners of the pictured subjects…Methinks the best is yet to come!
But seriously, what a great outing/day, such eye candy and diversity. The Espada is stunning, as is the Gamma Coupe, and of course the Montreal amongst many others. Thanks for this feature, quite enjoyable to see cars that were driven there and enjoyed/used.
Too much goodies, but I’ll take the blue Fiat 124 Coupe. That must have been a great event, with a perfect location to boot.
Love the cars and pictures.
Isn’t it Neckar Jagst?
You are correct and I can’t spell (in German at least)
I love the Junior Z: the shape, the semi-loop front bumper, the greenhouse, the Kamm tail. Maybe they were sort of cliches at the time, but Alfa did them so much better than anyone else.
The 130 was something we saw in North America only in magazines, regretfully. It isn’t stunning, exactly, but I’m a big fan of the upright, glassy greenhouse, particularly in contrast to today’s squashed offerings.
Wow, great selection of cars and photos Roger! The Junior Z and Maserati Indy are both new to me, but like so many of the other cars, they’ve got rather lovely styling. Star of the show for me? The Espada is stunning, especially so in that rich red, but the Gamma Coupe is the one I’d drive home.
Some nice machinery here.
The Fiat 124 Sport Coupe would shade a Capri on ANY criteria, not to mention being strong competition for the 105 Alfas and Lancia Fulvias.
The Fiat 130 needed more power and a mandatory manual gearbox but in sedan form is understated elegance personified.
The Gamma coupe an a less successful retread of the Fiat 130 Coupe styling template.
Can’t say I’m a fan of the 105 Zagato. Give me a regular coupe any time.
And I love that 128 estate.
I’ve owned two Alfa’s here in the US and never been invited to an Italian car show. Or any car show for that matter. In areas automotive, the UK certainly shows some cultural superiority. As to the cars, I love the Junior Z and the 124 Coupe. Gamma, not so much.
A splendid collection! I’d forgotten about the Junior Z’s existence; a superb little bomb. An d so much more…
When I was a small child in the early 80s, my neighbour had a red 850 Sport. It was replaced by a beige Toyota Starlet, which was less interesting and less rusty. It went to an enthusiast and was still on the road years later.
Years ago a friend had a SEAT 850 Salon . He thought it was a step up from a Suzki 125 . Working partime during college he moved up to a ok Fait X1/9 1500. I drove one of the last Spitfire 1500 and we swopped keys. The Fait was way ,way better. Quicker ,so it felt , and a better ride. . He thought the Spitfire rode like a horse cart.,bucking when hitting every bump in the road.
Gamma Berlina s looked like a over grown Alfasud with out the reliability.
The British executive market required PAS and automatic trans and at least a 6 cylinder engine not a flat 4 . I payed £1500 for a 4 year old model. . Oh yes alarm bells must have been ringing…I had just sold a good Rover 3500 Vanden Plas . Should have known better. Had the car had a better engine and transmission and a more lux dash it would have been a winner. Wonder if any one has been brave enough to do an engine swop?
Any more shots of the Fiat 131 Brava that was next to the Fiat Dino? That was my first car although I had a 2-door, but the one in your photos does have the ’79 rims like my car. Rare on the streets of the US today because they were driven year round compared to Spiders and X1/9s which saw garage duty in the winter. Same engine as used in the Spiders, but a far more dependable 5-speed. Miss that car immensely, though a ’80 Spider has been my companion for over 25 years now.
I do have a few more – perhaps I’ll have to do part 2…..
I’ll tune in for that for sure. Looks like there were a few 131s there as I spotted a couple more in the background of your photos.
Star of the show for me would undoubtedly be the ’67 Fiat 124 Coupe. I don’t know about understated, to me it’s one of the most beautiful and elegant designs of the 60s.
My daughter works at Brooklands. On this day she was at the Ferrari/Lamborghini gate – but she said she liked the little Fiats best and I’d have to agree!
Wonderful selection of cars at an amazing place. The Lancia Aprilia would be the star for me.
The Montreal for me, mostly because it was the first “exotic” car I came across. Great photos as usual and I too hope for a part 2.
So many superb machines, it’s hard to pick just the one! I might have to cheat and take two… The Aprilia for the 4-door category, and the 124 Coupé for the 2-door. But change the colour on that Maserati, and I might reconsider.
Aprilia. They fascinate me, being monocoque, pillarless, alloy V4 (pushrod), inboard rear drums, a kind of multilink independent rear, real aero, 21 secs to 60mph and 80mph from 1.35 litres – in 1937! And they don’t have any name for being fragile. My car of the show.
Consolation prizes for that Classy Soviet, the 130 saloon, the sweet-as-sugar 128 coupe, and the (outside) of the Gamma. The Espada as a consolation’s consolation: some days massively beautiful, others, a bit awkwardly flattened.
Nice work, Sir.