1969 was a landmark year in Autobianchi’s history, as it saw the launch of what would turn out to be the brand’s longest-serving and best-selling model, the A112… But also the short-lived and soon forgotten A111.
The Autobianchi A111 was an indirect replacement for the Primula, which mated the latter’s suspensions and running gear with a more traditional three-box sedan bodyshell and a particularly well-appointed interior.
However, the A111 received little marketing support and was quietly discontinued in 1972. By then, Fiat’s upper management had decided, following the recent acquisition of Lancia, that Autobianchi’s offerings were to be confined to the lower end of the market.
The A112 story began sometime in 1966 as Fiat’s project X1/2. In the intentions of Dante Giacosa, the X1/2 was to replace the outdated rear-engined Fiat 600 and 850.
About 3.2 meters long and equipped with the 850’s engine mounted transversely at the front sending its power to the front wheels, the X1/2 was to finally bring Fiat’s mass-market offerings into the modern era.
The Autobianchi A112 (picture from Wheelsage.org) アウトビアンキA112（画像はWheelsage.orgより引用）
However, Fiat’s vice president Gaudenzio Bono had other ideas: the X1/2 would instead become an Autobianchi, while Fiat would offer a larger, more spacious car, which was codenamed X1/4 and reached production in 1971 as the Fiat 127.
Unable to compete with Fiat on price, Innocenti cleverly positioned the Mini as a cut above Fiat’s cars, attracting a younger, more educated, and urban clientele. The strategy worked a treat: by 1969, Innocenti sold almost 50.000 Minis a year, something Fiat wasn’t willing to tolerate any longer.
Italians love cheap small cars with a touch of style, and the Autobianchi A112 became a runaway hit. By the time the upmarket Elegant and the sporty Abarth joined the range in 1971, Autobianchi had already sold over 200.000 A112s.
The Autobianchi A112 LX (picture from media.stellantis.com) アウトビアンキ A112 LX（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
Yearly sales for the Milanese brand peaked at nearly 114.000 units in 1973, the year that saw the first of many restylings the A112 received over its 17 years on the market, during which around 1.3 million examples were sold.
But there’s only so much plastic cladding you can graft onto a 1960s design to make it look like it belonged in the era of compact discs and shoulder pads: enter the Autobianchi Y10.
The Autobianchi Y10 (picture from media.stellantis.com) アウトビアンキY10（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
Sales were slow initially, but the Y10 then enjoyed a long and successful production run. Nevertheless, by the late 1980s, the Autobianchi brand was on borrowed time, as the Y10 began being marketed under the Lancia brand everywhere except its native Italy.
When the Fiat Group ran into financial trouble in the early 1990s and began shrinking its manufacturing footprint, Autobianchi’s Desio plant was among the first to go in 1992. Production of the Y10 moved to Alfa Romeo’s Arese factory later the same year, and the model soldiered on until 1996.
Autobianchi: The Story Of The Most Important Italian Automaker You’ve Never Heard Of
アウトビアンキ。イタリアで最も重要な自動車メーカーの物語。
Unless you’re an Italian over the age of 40, you’re unlikely to have ever heard about the Autobianchi brand. Although it may be easy to dismiss it as a footnote, the Milanese firm’s role in automobile history is actually far from inconsequential… And here’s why.
The Y10 from 1985 (picture from media.stellantis.com) 1985年のY10（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより）
From Bianchi to Autobianchi
Few people know that the Italian brand Bianchi, mainly associated with high-end racing bicycles, also built automobiles, and began doing so as early as 1900.
By the late 1930s, Bianchi had established itself as a purveyor of classy mid-sized cars and sturdy diesel trucks that competed more-or-less directly with Lancia’s products on the Italian market.
However, the end of WWII left Bianchi as nothing more than a smoldering heap of ruins, much like the rest of Italy’s industrial fabric.
While production of bicycles and trucks resumed quickly to cater to the demands of post-war reconstruction, Bianchi’s attempts to re-enter the automobile market never went beyond a few prototypes, and a deal was struck in January of 1955 with Fiat and Pirelli that saw Bianchi’s trucks division merge into a new entity called Autobianchi.
The new company’s mission was to build in Bianchi’s facility located in Desio, near Milan, a small two-seater car based upon the floorpan and running gear of the Fiat 500, which was then in the final stages of development.
The Autobianchi Bianchina was presented at Milan’s science and technology museum in September 1957 and was, in a way, the polar opposite of the Fiat 500 it was based on.
The Autobianchi Bianchina (picture from Wheelsage.org) アウトビアンキ ビアンキナ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
Whereas the small Fiat’s body design was guided by the need to optimize weight and costs, the Bianchina was instead deliberately frivolous, sporting all of the styling tropes typical of the period: tailfins, abundant chrome decorations, two-tone paint, and whitewall tires.
The buying public quickly embraced the Bianchina, so much so that it initially outsold the Fiat 500 itself, despite the higher retail price.
Bianchi’s worsening financial situation saw it divesting its stake in Autobianchi by 1958 already, while 1960 saw the launch of an even cuter, and nowadays highly sought-after, Bianchina cabriolet.
The Autobianchi Bianchina (picture from Wheelsage.org) アウトビアンキ ビアンキナ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
The original two-seater model was then superseded in 1962 by the Bianchina “quattro posti,” a four-seater sedan that, together with its wagon and van derivatives, remained on sale until 1969 and remains the most common Bianchina variant on the classic car market.
By September of 1967, the remaining partner Pirelli sold off its stake in Autobianchi, which became a wholly owned Fiat subsidiary. Production of the Fiat 500’s wagon variant, known as the “Giardiniera,” was relocated to Autobianchi’s facilities, and the model was marketed as an Autobianchi from 1968 until its discontinuation in 1977.
During the 1960s, Fiat still enjoyed almost complete control of the Italian car market, and the role of Autobianchi often became that of the firm’s “guinea pig” to test more advanced technical solutions and vehicle concepts on the market under another name.
One such experiment was the Autobianchi Stellina, introduced in 1963 and the first fiberglass-bodied car to enter series production in Italy.
The Autobianchi Stellina (picture from Wheelsage.org) アウトビアンキ・ステリーナ（画像はWheelsage.orgより引用）
Under the unstressed plastic panels, though, the Stellina hid a sturdy steel unibody that made it no lighter than a Fiat 600 and about as prone to rust. Performance wasn’t outstanding either, given the engine and running gear of the Stellina were carried over, practically unchanged, from the Fiat 600.
By 1965, the arrival of the faster and sexier-looking Fiat 850 Spider transformed the Autobianchi Stellina from a hard sell into an impossible one, and production was quickly terminated.
The Autobianchi Primula (picture from Wheelsage.org) アウトビアンキ・プリムラ（画像はWheelsage.orgより引用）
The launch of the Mini in 1959 made waves in the European automobile industry and, as Fiat’s engineering supremo Dante Giacosa wrote in his memoir, caused in him some regret for not having insisted on the studies for a car with front-wheel drive and transverse engine he did over a decade earlier.
No longer wanting to be held back by the ingrained skepticism regarding front-wheel-drive of Fiat’s upper management, Giacosa cleverly involved Nello Vallecchi, then head of Autobianchi.
Manufactured in lower volume and under the Milanese brand, the eventual failure of Giacosa’s daring front-drive compact car project would not compromise Fiat’s reputation and bottom line and could therefore be greenlighted.
Just like Alec Issigonis, Giacosa had to adapt an existing engine but, crucially, placed the gearbox beside it rather than in the engine’s sump, where it was on the Mini.
The Autobianchi Primula (picture from Wheelsage.org) アウトビアンキ・プリムラ（画像はWheelsage.orgより引用）
This solution, made possible by the Primula’s track being around 100 mm wider than the Mini, kept the engine and gearbox lubrication separate and allowed the two items to be manufactured and tested independently.
Autobianchi built around 75.000 Primulas between 1964 and 1970, and roughly half of them were exported, France being the market where the Primula found most appreciation.
The Primula’s technical layout was then embraced not only by Fiat itself but by nearly every successful compact car introduced from the mid-70s onwards.
Seemingly everyone likes Alfa Romeos, but nobody buys them. Yet that hasn’t always been the case, as demonstrated by the brand’s all-time ten biggest sellers.
The MiTo (picture from media.stellantis.com) MiTo（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
Italians love small cars with a touch of style, and that’s proven to be the case even for the MiTo, which sold well enough during its decade on the market to gain the tenth spot on this chart.
The Alfa 75 (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ75（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
Launched on the occasion of the Marque’s 75th anniversary, it would prove the last new model presented by the company before being taken over by Fiat and the last rear-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo sedan built before the advent of the new Giulia in 2015.
Perhaps better known by US enthusiasts as the Milano, even though less than 10.000 units were sold Stateside between 1986 and 1990.
The Alfetta (picture from media.stellantis.com) Alfetta（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
The “backbone” of production at the Arese plant near Milan for over a decade, the Alfetta was a sophisticated sport-sedan Italians couldn’t have enough of. Americans were less impressed, though, as only about 7000 examples found their way Stateside between 1975 and 1980.
6) Giulietta “940” (ca. 480.000 cars between 2010 and 2020)
6）ジュリエッタ「940」（2010年～2020年、約48万台）
The Giulietta Green Cloverleaf (picture from media.stellantis.com) ジュリエッタ・グリーン・クローバーリーフ（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
This model is the only one for which a precise total figure isn’t yet available. I’ve got quite a personal connection with this Alfa, as I styled its interior.
469.067 Giuliettas were made by the end of 2019, but the model remained in production until the end of 2020, during which an estimated 11.000 examples were made.
The Giulia (picture from media.stellantis.com) ジュリア（画像：media.stellantis.comより引用）
This quintessential Alfa Romeo model needs no introduction: it enjoyed continued success over its long production run, and it’s now a beloved classic that’s the cornerstone of the market for vintage Alfas.
The 147 (picture from media.stellantis.com) 147号機（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
The 147, built on the same platform as the 156 (with a 49 mm shorter wheelbase) but occupying a lower segment of the market, further boosted the Marque’s fortunes by the turn of the Millennium and increased profitability due to better economies of scale, as the 156 and 147 shared most components and subsystems.
The 156 (picture from media.stellantis.com) 156号機（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
The 156 almost singlehandedly brought Alfa Romeo’s market share in Europe’s major markets up to levels the brand had never reached before or since, thanks to its stunning exterior design, a wide range of lusty engines, and handling prowess.
On top of that, the 156 proved a winner on the racetracks as well, conquering four European Touring Car championships in a row between 2000 ad 2003. Who said that Alfa’s “golden age” was during the 1960s?
The Alfasud (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファスード（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
The first front-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo model to enter series production, the Alfasud was a technical triumph and a commercial success. Unfortunately, severe quality issues in the Naples factory caused too many Alfasuds to rust prematurely and terminally, causing lasting damage to Alfa’s reputation.
The production figure reported here does not include the 121.434 Sprint coupès that, if counted together with the sedans, would bring the tally just north of a million cars.
The Alfa 33 1.7 Green Cloverleaf (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ33 1.7 Green Cloverleaf（画像：media.stellantis.comより引用）
The Alfa 33 was built upon the solid foundations of the Alfasud’s platform and running gear but, thanks to a slightly upmarket image courtesy of the all-new exterior design from Alfa’s Centro Stile, it proved a runaway hit.
However, the model had already outstayed its welcome by the time production wrapped in 1995, and 33s quickly began to be mercilessly scrapped. 40 years since the first examples rolled off the Naples production line, though, enthusiasts are quickly rediscovering the 33, and prices for good survivors have been firming up lately.
The future of transportation, according to Fiat in 1998 (c. Wheelsage.org) 1998年、フィアットが語る未来の交通手段 (c. Wheelsage.org)
Seems like a million years ago now, but there was a time when minivans were the hottest market segment, with every automaker worth its salt competing for a piece of the pie. Fiat’s entry into this category, the 1998 Multipla, can be considered the best minivan ever designed.
one of the few cars to have been holistically designed around its intended function
機能性を徹底的に追求した数少ないクルマ
Fiat’s solution was brilliant: six seats of identical size in a three-abreast configuration. Sounds simple enough, but that meant ripping the car design rulebook to shreds. That’s because we’re all used to see cars with a fuselage-like cross-section: wider at the base on the windows and gently tapering upwards.
Seating comfortably three people across instead of the usual two made that impossible, given the vehicle could only be widened so much before it became impractical. That’s why the Multipla’s sides went up straight as a wall. One mostly made of glass, letting light into a spacious cabin whose dashboard, for once, didn’t look like the butt of an elephant thanks to its brightly colored textile covering.
Six identical seats, the key concept that drove the Multipla’s design (c. FCA Emea Press) ムルティプラのデザインを牽引したキーコンセプトである6つの同一シート（c. FCA Emea Press）
The Multipla’s front end was another example of thoughtful design: the traditional headlight unit was replaced by three smaller elements placed according to their function. This coherence through every aspect of the Multipla’s design is what makes it truly special, one of the few cars to have been holistically designed around its intended function. Clever but in a laid back, playful way: the Multipla doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Yet it bombed.
Fiat designed a car around the average family’s practical needs but underestimated just how much of an irrational, emotional purchase a car still was. The Multipla was too bold a statement for many, as most people find reassurance in conformity.
The Multipla’s funky front end was also dictated by function (c. FCA Emea Press) ムルティプラのファンキーなフロントエンドも機能で決まる（c. FCA Emea Press）
But there’s a group of people who’ve always loved the Multipla: those who owned it. Not only for its space and comfort but also because it drove much better than it had any right to do, thanks to its wide stance and low center of gravity.
New York’s MOMA included the Multipla in its “Different Roads” exhibition dedicated to the future of transportation… But the Multipla was perhaps too clever for its own good, and sales never lived up to Fiat’s expectations. In a clumsy attempt to broaden the Multipla’s appeal, Fiat gave it a more conventional-looking front end in 2003, which stayed with the model until production ended in 2010.
Everyone likes the Alfa Romeo Montreal, and it’s easy to see why. But if you’ve ever wondered why there’s an Alfa Romeo named after a Canadian city, here’s your answer…
Picture from media.stellantis.com 画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用。
Expo ‘67
Our story begins on the 28th of April, 1967, with the inauguration of the World’s Fair in Montreal. The visitors of the pavilion dedicated to mankind’s technical achievements were treated, among other marvels of the modern world, to the sight of two identical Alfa Romeo coupés resplendent in pearlescent white paint.
It’s unclear why, of all of the world’s automakers, the Expo’s organizers chose Alfa Romeo, but it does make sense once you consider the brief was to express nothing less than “the highest aspiration of man in terms of cars.” After all, some would argue that was already Alfa’s whole business!
Pulling it off wasn’t easy, though, as the Expo’s organizers approached Alfa Romeo just nine months before the event’s inauguration.
The dauntingly short timeframe led the company to choose the existing Giulia GT’s platform as a starting point and outsource the task of designing and constructing the two prototypes to Nuccio Bertone’s famed Carrozzeria, as creating heart-stopping show cars within impossible deadlines was his firm’s specialty.
Bertone’s designer, Marcello Gandini, had just finished working on the Lamborghini Miura and its design language clearly influenced the Alfa prototypes despite their front-engine configuration.
The Expo 1967 prototype (picture from the Author) 1967年の万博のプロトタイプ（写真は筆者提供）
As the cars’ intended purpose was simply to wow the Expo’s visitors, Bertone dug deep into its bag of tricks, concealing the headlights behind slots in a giant clamshell bonnet and adding non-functional side slots. The latter was a design element borrowed from a previous Bertone creation, the Canguro from 1964, and was there purely for dramatic effect.
The result was a sleek vision for the future that promised a level of performance way beyond what the installed powerplant could actually muster, as both show cars were equipped with the base Giulia Ti 1.6 liters twin cam engine, rated at 92 HP at 6000 Rpm.
The Expo 1967 prototype (picture from the Author) 1967年の万博のプロトタイプ（写真は筆者提供）
While that was already more than enough for sitting on a turntable, it was clear to everyone at Alfa Romeo that an eventual production model needed a powertrain just as exotic as Bertone’s bold exterior design suggested.
In short, the Montreal project became a production reality thanks to a unique set of unrepeatable circumstances: the contemporary availability of a Bertone design so stunning it couldn’t be ignored and Autodelta’s racing V8 engine during a period of growth and confidence in the future for Alfa Romeo as a whole.
That doesn’t mean the transition from the Expo’s stage to Europe’s roads wasn’t a challenging one, though.
Autodelta’s V8 made plenty of power, but it was a highly-strung screamer designed with racing in mind, and transforming it into the smooth, flexible powerplant Montreal owners know and love took a laborious re-engineering process.
The Montreal’s engine (picture from the Author) モントリオールのエンジン（写真は筆者提供）
The remarkably compact aluminum engine block with iron cylinder liners remained very similar to the one used on the 33 sports prototypes, but its displacement grew to roughly 2.6 liters thanks to a 2 mm wider bore and a 12,3 mm longer stroke.
The new crankshaft abandoned the 33’s flat-plane design for a more traditional 90° cross-plane to achieve a better balance. However, the engine block’s tight dimensions limited the size of the more substantial counterweights the new crankshaft needed, forcing Alfa Romeo to source an aerospace-grade sintered tungsten alloy named “turconit,” specifically chosen for its high specific weight.
To keep the bonnet line as low as possible, the Montreal’s V8 retained the dry-sump lubrication system used on the 33s, a solution typical of racing engines but rarely used on production ones due to its additional costs.
The Lucas indirect fuel-injection system used on the 33 racing engines was far too crude for road use and was replaced for the Montreal by a system developed by the Alfa Romeo subsidiary Spica.
It used a mechanical pump driven by the crankshaft via a rubber belt and fed by two electric pumps located in the fuel tank. The system was similar to the one used on the US-spec Spiders and GTs and was quite advanced for the era, its sole weakness being the period mechanics’ stubborn reluctance to learn how to service it properly.
For the sake of simplicity, the double spark plug per cylinder used on the 33 engines was abandoned in favor of an electronically-controlled capacitor discharge ignition system (the first on a production Alfa engine) using just a single plug per cylinder.
The result was a remarkably compact and light powerplant rated at 200 HP at 6500 Rpm but that, most importantly, produced already 90% of its maximum torque output at just 2700 Rpm.
As the engine’s torque output was far beyond what the Giulia’s gearbox could handle, Alfa Romeo settled for a ZF S5/18 manual five-speeder, which sent power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential.
The Montreal’s interior (picture from media.stellantis.com) モントリオールの内装（画像：media.stellantis.comより引用）
Body and chassis
Perhaps the least inspiring aspect of the Montreal is its chassis design that, due to costs and time constraints, remained a close derivative of the 1750 GTV, albeit with a 2 mm wider track at the front and 12 at the rear.
The braking system used ventilated discs on all four wheels, and the Montreal sat on four Michelin 195/70 tires mounted on Campagnolo 14" alloy wheels whose characteristic “turbine” design would go on to feature on many subsequent Alfa models.
The bodyshell of the Montreal was manufactured by Bertone near Turin, starting from the floorpan and firewall pressings supplied by Alfa’s Arese plant, where the bodies were sent back once fully completed to receive their engines and running gear.
Even though the Montreal’s exterior design nowadays garners almost universal admiration wherever it goes, contemporary critics were somewhat less impressed when the car went on sale in 1971.
Compared to the prototype from nearly four years earlier, the production car appeared chunkier and less streamlined due to the many modifications made to make more room in the cabin and under the bonnet.
Despite the V8’s compact dimensions, the bonnet line and scuttle still had to become taller, and so did the roofline. The rear end became taller and chunkier, too, to accommodate the large fuel tank and spare wheel. The windshield had a less aggressive rake, the curvature of the side windows was reduced, and the front overhang was nearly 6 cm shorter than the original prototype. The black NACA duct on the bonnet was fake, while two of the six slots on each side did serve as outlets for stale cabin air.
However, what was considered the cutting edge of automotive design was moving on rapidly at the time, and the Montreal’s voluptuous curves seemed almost old-fashioned against the sharp wedge designs that Bertone itself was pioneering at the time.
Nevertheless, initial enthusiasm for Alfa’s new flagship GT proved high: 668 cars were delivered in 1971, which became 2,377 the following year: an excellent result given the model’s steep retail price and high running costs.
To put that into perspective, Alfa Romeo’s sold 5443 copies of the successful Spider in the same year.
Conceived in a period of prosperity and optimism, the Montreal was decidedly out of place in the new era of high fuel costs, speed limits on motorways, and double-digit inflation. Alfa Romeo itself as a company had changed, its management preoccupied with much more pressing issues like falling productivity, poor quality, and skyrocketing costs.
Montreal production fell to a trickle, but the model remained on Alfa’s catalog until as late as 1977: just 27 cars were completed that year, up 4 units from the 23 made in 1976.
During that period, Autodelta’s boss Carlo Chiti thought of installing the Montreal’s V8 in a small series of Alfetta GTs built to challenge the Lancia Stratos’ dominance in the world rally championship.
However, the production tooling had already been disposed of by then, as the expensive powerplant had no place in any of the future Alfa Romeo models.
The two original prototypes from the 1967 Expo returned to Italy once the exhibition closed and still survive in the Alfa Romeo museum’s reserve collection.
A must-see exhibition that’s a passionate, loving tribute to the greatest rally cars of all time.
ラリーの黄金時代
史上最高のラリーカーへの情熱と愛情に満ちたトリビュート、必見の展覧会です。
著者からの写真
It all started with an X1/9, albeit a rather special one.
That’s because it was the fortuitous discovery and subsequent restoration of the X1/9 Group 4 prototype he raced with Clay Regazzoni in the 1974 Giro D’Italia that spurred Luigi “Gino” Macaluso (European Rally Champion in 1972 with Raffaele Pinto and the Fiat 124 Abarth, later a successful entrepreneur in the horology sector) to build over the years an outstanding collection including the most important rally cars of all time.
Following his death in 2010, his family took care of the collection and, in 2018, established in his memory the “Fondazione Gino Macaluso Per L’Auto Storica” to spread the culture of vintage racing and sports cars and pay tribute to those who gave their contribution to motorsport.
Turin’s Museo Nazionale Dell’Automobile, better known as the “MAuto,” is now hosting a temporary exhibition curated by the Fondazione Gino Macaluso, titled “The Golden Age Of Rally” that will run until May of 2023.
It is a passionate, loving tribute to three decades of rallying history starting from the mid-60s, when the discipline saw its popularity spike following the Mini Cooper’s successes, up until the early 1990s and the end of Lancia’s involvement in the sport.
Speaking of Lancia, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Turinese brand features heavily in this exhibition, starting from the Fulvia HF 1600 that took part in the 1970 Safari Rally. The grueling African marathon required a unique car set-up, which included a prominent tubular bull-bar able to withstand accidental impacts with large wild animals.
But an exhibition about rallies cannot do without a Stratos sporting the iconic Alitalia livery. Interestingly, the car on display started life as a Stratos Turbo Gr.5 for the 1976 Giro D’Italia and only later became a rally car, driven by Raffaele Pinto in the 1977 Montecarlo and Sanremo rallies.
Lancia’s against-the-odds triumph versus Audi in the 1983 championship is undoubtedly one of motorsports history’s most extraordinary tales. It’s represented by a gorgeous 037 Evo 2 driven by the late Attilio Bettega in the 1984 season, pitted against the Quattro that won the 1982 Sanremo rally with Stig Blomqvist at the wheel.
All the cars on display, including the fearsome Delta S4 Group B, are genuine racers painstakingly restored to their “works” specification. Some, like the Delta Integrale 16v driven by Didier Auriol in the 1990 Sanremo rally, are actual rally winners.
A personal favorite, however, must be the Delta Evo from the 1992 Safari: apart from a few bodywork repairs following a racing accident, its livery and fittings remain just as they were at the finish line in Nairobi.
The “MAuto” has been hosting some truly excellent exhibitions over the last few years, but we can safely say “The Golden Age Of Rally” stands head and shoulders above all previous efforts.
The care that went into each vehicle’s presentation, from the graphics to the lighting, clearly demonstrates the first-hand involvement of the Macaluso family, their love for the cars and what they represent.
「MAuto」はここ数年、素晴らしい展示会を開催してきましたが、「The Golden Age Of Rally」はその中でも頭一つ抜きん出た展示会であると断言できます。
Scarabeo: The Weird, Secret Alfa Romeo Project You’ve Never Heard Of
Scarabeo is the Italian word for “beetle,” but for a few knowledgeable Alfa Romeo fans, it is also the name of one of the most tantalizing “might have been” chapters in the Marque’s long history.
The 1966 OSI Scarabeo show car (picture from Wheelsage.org) 1966年のOSIスカラベオのショーカー（画像はWheelsage.orgより引用）
Our story begins in February of 1966, less than a month after Alfa’s experimental department had begrudgingly surrendered the development of the 33 sports prototype to Autodelta, the racing department of Alfa Romeo headed by Carlo Chiti.
But the Portello’s proud engineers, headed by the great Orazio Satta, had racing in their blood and weren’t at all happy to leave all racing cars development to Chiti’s outfit, even if that’s precisely how Alfa Romeo’s president Giuseppe Luraghi wanted things to go.
“Losing”the 33 proved a particularly bitter pill to swallow for its creator Giuseppe Busso, who began working on a new racing car project in the hope that, by sticking within an inferior category and with a significantly cheaper car, he may keep this new program from going off to Autodelta.
Similarly to what happened with the 33 sports prototype, the new project received a type “105” code (105.56, to be precise) even though it very obviously wasn’t a direct derivative of the Giulia sedan.
Busso started from the advanced aluminum H-shaped frame he devised for the 33, which housed the fuel in a rubber bladder tank packaged inside the thick chassis members. However, to simplify construction and reduce costs, he did away with the 33’s complex magnesium castings at the front and at the rear, where a Giulia GTA engine was mounted transversely in place of the 33’s longitudinal V8.
The 1.6 liters, dual ignition GTA engine was mated to a standard Giulia gearbox, which sent power to the centrally mounted differential casing via a short, oblique propshaft: a somewhat crude solution imposed by the need to keep costs down.
The engine compartment of the third Scarabeo prototype (picture from the Author) スカラベオプロトタイプ3号機のエンジンルーム（著者撮影）
Fitting the engine transversely made for a shorter wheelbase and placed the driver closer to the rear wheels than the 33.
This created a remarkably compact and low-slung car that was a promising replacement for the Giulia TZ on the racetrack and an ideal base for a jaw-dropping show car.
The Turinese firm OSI (an acronym for Officina Stampaggi Industriali) may not enjoy the same recognition as Bertone or Pininfarina, yet in the mid-60s was a well-established company whose well-staffed styling studio was ideal for giving Busso’s racing car a look to die for.
Penned by Sergio Sartorelli and exhibited at the Paris and Turin motor shows during the autumn of 1966, the OSI Scarabeo stirred the imagination of critics and the public alike, including president Luraghi, who instructed Busso to build a functional prototype for testing, as the show car was actually engineless.
There’s no way of knowing exactly why the prototype was named “Scarabeo” and who chose it, but it most likely stems from the car’s rather striking shape and diminutive size.
Two “Scarabeo” running prototypes were ultimately built: one whose body only consisted of a rudimentary front skin, which ran at the Balocco proving ground in 1968, and a complete car sporting a much more conventional design than the original show prototype.
The Scarabeo in Alfa Romeo’s museum (picture from the Author) アルファロメオのミュージアムにある「スカラベオ」（筆者撮影）
Both survive in the Alfa Romeo museum’s collection, while the original, non-functional motor show model found its way across the Atlantic and has yet to be seen since. However, it’s believed to have survived and apparently will be restored and equipped with a period-correct drivetrain.
However, not only Busso’s hopes to keep his new “baby” away from Carlo Chiti and Autodelta were ultimately dashed, but the whole project ended up pretty much dead on arrival.
With Autodelta’s resources already overstretched between dominating touring car racing with the Giulia GTA and developing the three-liter version of the 33 sports prototypes, the Scarabeo project languished and ultimately fizzled out entirely in 1969.
But Busso resurrected his idea of a small mid-engined sports coupé made from existing Alfa components around 1972, probably with an eye to the growing popularity of rallies.
The “Scarabeo II” (picture from the Author) スカラベオII」（画像は筆者提供）
However, instead of a bespoke racing chassis, the new car’s structure would have been a traditional steel unibody built from a modified Alfetta floorpan and was therefore given a type “116” code (116.21, to be precise) like any other Alfetta derivative.
What this new project has in common with the original Scarabeo is the transverse mid-engined layout featuring the weird oblique propshaft to send power from the standard Giulia gearbox to the differential.
In fact, the engine and transmission were regular production items lifted straight from the 2000 GTV parts bin, except for a bespoke oil sump to clear the De Dion rear suspension.
The engine bay of the “Scarabeo II” (picture from the Author) スカラベオII」のエンジンルーム（筆者撮影）
With no resources available for a new and original design for the so-called “Scarabeo II” prototype, Busso resorted to having a modified Junior Zagato body grafted onto the Alfetta floorpan. By the way, the giant air scoop on the roof, which led some to call this prototype “periscopica,” is functional and feeds directly into the engine’s air box.
The prototype was built in 1973, but just as it happened for the original Scarabeo, the project had already lost momentum by the time it hit Balocco’s tarmac in early 1974: in the aftermath of the oil crisis and with Alfa entering a period of turmoil from the shop floor up to the boardroom, the timing simply couldn’t have been worse for such a project.
Thankfully, though, the unique prototype was stored rather than scrapped, and following a conservative restoration in the mid-80s, it’s been preserved in the Alfa Romeo museum’s collection ever since.
Alfa Romeo would only produce a mid-engined car well into the current Millennium, with the arrival of the gorgeous 4C in 2013. But that’s definitely a story for another time…
The hottest of the hot hatchbacks lived only two years, but it has since become a coveted modern classic that’s perhaps more in demand now than it’s ever been. This is the story of the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA…
The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファロメオ147（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
If the 156 almost singlehandedly saved Alfa Romeo in 1997, inaugurating a new era of record sales the brand has yet to repeat, the launch of the 147 in 2000 further boosted the Marque’s fortunes: 651.823 147s would be produced between 2000 and 2010, which places it high among the Marque’s most successful models.
As the 147 was built on the same platform as the 156 (albeit with a 49 mm shorter wheelbase) and shared with it most major subsystems, it was a no-brainer for Alfa Romeo to create a GTA variant of the 147 too, which was presented in November 2002, about a year after its larger sister.
The Alfa Romeo 147 and 156 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファロメオ147と156GTA（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
The hottest “hot” hatchback
The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA could accelerate from naught to 100 Km/h in 6.3 seconds and reach a top speed nearing 250 Km/h: figures that, upon its launch, few models in its category could match.
Such performances were possible thanks to one of automobile history’s greatest engines: the last evolution of Alfa’s melodious V6 engine, known by enthusiasts the world over by the surname of its original designer, the legendary Giuseppe Busso.
The 147 GTA’s engine (picture from Wheelsage.org) 147GTAのエンジン（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
The specification of the 3.2 V6 used on the 147 GTA was exactly the same as the 156, and it produced 250 HP at 6200 Rpm: the highest among all period competitors, including the mighty Volkswagen Golf R32, which was perhaps the Alfa’s closest rival both in performance and technical terms.
What the Golf had that the Alfa didn’t was four-wheel-drive, but that wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of Alfa’s engineers.
During a special event dedicated to the 156 and 147 GTAs at Alfa Romeo’s Arese museum, I had the pleasure to listen to a couple of engineers who worked on these projects and learned from them that a four-wheel-drive transmission was indeed investigated for the 147, but dismissed on costs grounds.
On top of the costs associated with the added driveline components, their presence would also have dictated a redesign of the V6 engine’s oil pan, a new oil pump, and rerouting of the associated plumbing. Technically feasible, but hardly justifiable from an economic standpoint against the limited production volume expected for the GTA.
The Alfa 147 shared with the 156 a sophisticated chassis design that featured a double wishbones front suspension and a McPherson at the rear, which was significantly uprated to match the GTA’s performance.
Compared to the standard Alfa 147 configuration, the GTA’s front suspension had a reinforced lower beam, revised spring and damper settings, a repositioned steering link, and a larger diameter anti-roll bar.
The rear McPherson was modified in geometry and construction, with different attachment points to the body, revised spring and damper settings, and a larger diameter anti-roll bar.
The brake package was again shared with the 156 GTA, with 305 mm ventilated front discs with Brembo calipers, 276 mm rear discs, and an upgraded servo. Steering was the quickest this side of a go-kart, with just 1.8 turns lock to lock.
The original GTAs from the 1960s were lightweight, stripped-out racers whose body panels were made of aluminum to shave as much weight as possible. However, the 147 GTA was a very different animal, as much about luxury as it was about performance.
Interior of the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファロメオ147GTAのインテリア（画像：media.stellantis.comより
It came loaded with a luxuriously appointed interior, dual-zone climate control, Bose sound system, plus the full suite of electronic driving aids, including the stability control VDC. Xenon headlights were optional, like the beautiful iridescent paint “Bianco Nuvola,” which was the model’s launch color.
Choosing a favorite between the 156 and the 147 GTA is nearly impossible, as both cars could be considered as genuine masterpieces among modern automobile designs.
Even though the 147 GTA is perhaps a tad more extrovert in its appearance than the 156, due to its different target market, the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo designers once again managed to strike the right balance between sportiness and elegance.
The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA in “Bianco Nuvola” (picture from media.stellantis.com) ビアンコ・ヌヴォラ」のアルファロメオ147GTA（画像：media.stellantis.comより）
The 147 GTA’s wings were widened to accommodate its 17" “teledial” alloy wheels and 225/45 tires. The new front bumper incorporated an enlarged front spoiler and two ample air intakes for better airflow to the radiators.
The aesthetic package also included a relatively small spoiler above the rear window, side skirts similar to those used on the 156, and a new rear bumper integrating an aerodynamic extractor.
The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファロメオ147GTA（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用
Epilogue
As often happens with beautiful things, the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA only had a short and fleeting existence. Two years and it was gone, during which just 5029 cars were sold, of which 1004 were equipped with the Selespeed automatic transmission. Interestingly, the country that bought more 147 GTAs wasn’t its native Italy but Japan, where 878 examples were exported from new.
The Alfa 156 is one of the Marque’s greatest successes, and the best examples are starting to become collectible, especially those carrying three magic letters: GTA.
The Alfa 156 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ156GTA（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
About a quarter of a century from its launch in Lisbon in October of 1997, we can certainly include the 156 among the most important Alfa Romeo models in history.
One of Alfa’s major commercial successes, with over 670.000 cars (673.435, to be precise!) examples made, the 156 almost singlehandedly brought Alfa Romeo’s market share in Europe’s major markets up to levels never reached by the brand before, on the back of its stunning looks, wide range of lusty engines, and handling prowess.
But as time passes and the number of surviving examples dwindles, the best 156s left are starting to garner the attention of enthusiasts and collectors, especially those carrying these three magic letters: GTA.
As previously mentioned, the turn of the Millennium was one of the rare bright spots in Alfa Romeo’s turbulent history.
Sales were buoyant thanks to the 156 and its smaller hatchback sister, the 147, whose introduction brought increased economies of scale, as the two cars shared the platform and most major subsystems.
In short, the time was right for Alfa Romeo to celebrate by offering enthusiasts something special like the 156 GTA, launched in September 2001 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The Alfa 156 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ156GTA（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
A historic nameplate
This high-performance derivative of the 156 marked the return of a historic nameplate, even though it kind of betrayed its original use and meaning.
GTA stood for Gran Turismo Alleggerita, and it was first used in 1965 for a “homologation special” based on the Giulia Sprint GT but with aluminum body panels to save weight, hence the term “Alleggerita,” which is the Italian for “lightened.”
However, the 156 GTA was anything but a stripped-back racer.
The luxurious interior of the Alfa 156 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ156GTAの豪華なインテリア（画像：media.stellantis.comより）
It came with a luxuriously appointed interior and was complete with all the gadgets, so it tipped the scales at 1485 Kg, which put it among the heaviest models in the 156 range.
The 3.2 liters V6 engine, rated at 250 HP at 6200Rpm, is undoubtedly the defining element of the 156 GTA, setting it apart from the rest of the range in the period and making it so much more desirable for collectors nowadays.
The 156 GTA’s 3.2 V6 engine (picture from Wheelsage.org) 156 GTAの3.2 V6エンジン（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
It represented the last evolution of the V6 engine designed by the legendary Giuseppe Busso and first introduced in the Spring of 1979 under the hood of the sadly unloved Alfa 6 sedan.
Two decades later, though, the powers that be at Alfa Romeo’s parent company Fiat Auto considered Arese’s V6 kind of a “legacy” product, manufactured in relatively small volumes in a factory soon to be closed.
The idea of a 3.2 liters V6 was first mooted in July of 1998 when the Alfa engineers were mulling possible evolutions of their engine that came without additional costs.
As 78 mm was the maximum stroke obtainable from the raw crankshaft castings and without modifications to the block, the idea was to replace the existing 2.5 and 3.0 versions of the V6 with a 2.8 and a 3.2 liters that shared the same 78 mm stroke, but paired with a 88 and 93 mm bore diameter respectively.
The 2.8 liters V6 never made production, but the 3.2 liters became the ideal engine for the GTA project, because it gave the car the powerful and distinctive powerplant it needed with minimal investment in hardware.
The 156 GTA, available in both sedan and Sportwagon body styles, could accelerate from naught to 100 Km/h in 6.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 Km/h.
The Alfa 156 Sportwagon GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ156スポーツワゴンGTA（画像：media.stellantis.comより）
To rein in such exuberance, the Alfa engineers reinforced the lower beam of the double-wishbone front suspension, repositioned the steering link, and increased the diameter of the anti-roll bar. The rear MacPherson strut system had different body attachment points and a thicker anti-roll bar, while springs, shocks, and bushings were stiffer on all four corners.
As one would expect, the braking system was uprated as well, with 305 mm ventilated front discs with twin-plunger Brembo calipers and 276 mm discs at the rear. ABS and ASR were, of course, standard equipment, as were the lovely “teledial style” 17" alloys, shod with 225/45 tires.
Thankfully, the designers of the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo chose not to mess with perfection: the stylistic changes made to the GTA merely reflected the technical ones while remaining pleasantly understated: the new bumpers, wider fenders, and side skirts only noticeable by the most attentive onlookers.
As often happens with Alfa Romeos, the 156 GTA is perhaps more in demand now than it was in the period.
Less than 5000 examples of the 156 GTA were produced (2625 sedans and 2026 Sportwagons) between 2001 and 2005.
With such a limited production volume, it sure doesn’t surprise that the GTA never received the restyled front end designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for the 156 range, which was introduced in 2003.
The Alfa 156 GTA (picture from media.stellantis.com) アルファ156GTA（画像はmedia.stellantis.comより引用）
The GTAm
In December of 2002, Alfa Romeo presented at the Bologna Motor Show the 156 GTAm, a prototype built by the Fiat Group’s racing division, then known as N-Technology.
The aim was to transfer some of the technology from that year’s 156 GTA SuperTouring racers into a road car. Equipped with huge 8 x 19" wheels shod with 235/35 tires, Eibach springs, and adjustable Bilstein dampers, the 156 GTAm looked bitchin’ in black with its wider fenders and deep chin spoiler.
To ensure the go matched the show, the GTAm was equipped with an uprated V6 engine whose cylinder bores measured 97 mm in diameter rather than 93, resulting in a 3.5 liters displacement.
The unique Alfa 156 GTAm (picture from the Author) 個性的なアルファ156GTAm（写真は筆者提供）
Although the power rating quoted at the time for the GTAm was 300 HP, the experimental 3.5 liters engines built in the period at Arese only achieved about 280, according to people involved with the project.
Development of the 3.5 liters version of the Alfa V6 was quickly abandoned, though, as the 156 GTAm wasn’t greenlighted for production.
Even though some independent tuners have since built even larger displacement “Busso” V6s, Alfa Romeo engineers I’ve spoken with already considered the 3.5 a step too far because of the restriction of coolant passage around one of the cylinders in the rear bank.
Production of the Alfa Romeo V6 engine at Arese ended on December 31st, 2005. In a rather poignant coincidence, its original designer Giuseppe Busso died just a few days later, on January 3rd, 2006.
So ugly it’s beautiful: The story of the Alfa Romeo SZ/RZ
Interest in the Alfa Romeo SZ and its ragtop sister RZ has been steadily increasing over the last few years, with asking prices for the finest examples edging into six figures territory. Yet hardly anyone wanted these cars when new…
…Welcome to the story of the Alfa Romeo SZ, perhaps better known as “il Mostro.”
...アルファロメオSZ、通称 "イル・モストロ "の物語へようこそ。
The Alfa Romeo SZ (picture from Wheelsage.org) アルファロメオSZ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
A new beginning
Our story begins in the immediate aftermath of Fiat’s takeover of Alfa Romeo, which ceased to exist as an independent corporate entity on the 31st of December 1986.
During its turbulent last few years as an independent automaker, Alfa Romeo had too often been in the news for the wrong reasons. So in February of 1987, the CEO of Fiat Auto, Vittorio Ghidella, instigated the development of a new two-seat sports coupè to mark the beginning of a new era for Alfa Romeo.
Designing a two-seat sports coupè for Alfa Romeo is arguably every designer’s wet dream.
Still, Walter de Silva and his team at Alfa’s Centro Stile weren’t left free rein, as the same brief was also given to a Fiat Advanced Design team in Turin that included Robert Opron, formerly head of design first at Citroen and then at Renault.
Full-scale models of the two competing proposals were presented to Ghidella in July of 1987, and the one developed in Turin ultimately got the nod.
Ghidella had demanded a design with a “strong emotional impact,” and the concept from Opron and Antonio Castellana certainly fulfilled the requirement, albeit perhaps not always in a positive sense.
The Alfa Romeo SZ (picture from Wheelsage.org) アルファロメオSZ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
As elegant and subtle as a punch in the face, the blocky, brutal wedge shape of what was then known as the “ES 30” was shortly after handed over to Zagato to complete its development for production, which was to take place at the Milanese company’s workshops.
The ES 30 prototype broke cover at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, and the car went on sale as the Alfa Romeo SZ a few months later: it had taken less than two years to go from the initial sketch to the showroom floor.
While the SZ’s design very much broke with any established aesthetic convention, the model’s remarkably short development time meant that the underpinnings of Alfa’s new sports coupé remained resolutely old-school.
Alfa Corse’s engineers drew from their experience with the Alfa 75 Turbo IMSA to prepare the sophisticated rear-drive transaxle architecture that debuted back in 1972 with the Alfetta for one last glorious encore before leaving the stage forever.
The torsion bars that characterized the Alfa 75 front suspensions were abandoned in favor of compact coaxial coil spring-shock absorber assemblies, also adopted at the rear in place of the separate spring and shock absorber elements used on the production Alfa 75.
The Alfa Romeo SZ (picture from Wheelsage.org) アルファロメオSZ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
To better clear curbs and parking ramps, the SZ and RZ were equipped with an electro-hydraulic system that lifted the car’s ride height by a maximum of 40 mm, actuated via a switch on the center console.
Wheels and tires were substantially upgraded compared to the 75 V6, with a staggered setup of 16" split-rim OZ Racing alloys 7" wide at the front and 8" at the rear. The brakes were derived from the Alfa 75 Turbo Evoluzione, and there was no ABS or traction control.
The result was a car whose handling and roadholding characteristics have led many journalists and owners to wish the SZ had been given more power, as the chassis could easily have handled it.
The three-liters V6 engine used on the SZ is a close relative of the unit used on the late Alfa 75 V6s, known by the nickname “Potenziate,” which is the Italian for “more powerful.”
Compared to earlier iterations of the “Busso” V6, the adoption of a more modern Bosch Motronic 4.1 system in place of the older L-Jetronic simplified the hardware and allowed more precise engine management.
The version used on the SZ and RZ had a different injection map and new pistons for a higher compression ratio, resulting in 207 HP at 6200 Rpm versus 190 at 6000 Rpm for the 75.
The SZ broke new ground for Alfa Romeo in body construction, with thermoplastic injection molded composite body panels applied to the underlying steel monocoque, built from an Alfa 75 floorpan modified in the rear due to the SZ’s much shorter rear overhang.
The Alfa Romeo SZ (picture from Wheelsage.org) アルファロメオSZ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
However, using composite materials didn’t transform the SZ into a featherweight: in fact, the finished car weighed nearly as much (1280 Kg) as the Alfa 75 V6 it was based upon, and the SZ’s superior top speed (245 Km/h vs. 220) was primarily due to its lower drag coefficient.
しかし、複合材を使ったからといって、SZが羽毛のように軽くなったわけではない。実際、完成した車の重量は、ベースとなったアルファ75 V6とほぼ同じ1280kgで、SZの優れた最高速度（245Km/h vs. 220）は、主に低いドラッグ係数に起因するものだった。
Poor timing
Available exclusively in “Rosso Alfa” with a tan leather interior, the SZ was manufactured by Zagato in its atelier of Terrazzano di Rho, a stone’s throw away from the Alfa Romeo factory in Arese, where all the running gear was produced.
The list price in Italy was a whopping 93 Million lire, roughly equivalent to 90.000 Euros today but that, back then, was enough to buy you two Alfa 75 V6s or a Porsche 911 Carrera.
Yet, despite looks only a mother could love and panel gaps you could walk through, what ultimately doomed the SZ was, for the most part, plain old poor timing.
Envisioned amidst a collector car boom, the SZ was launched right on the verge of an economic recession that saw demand for classic and exotic cars collapse, meaning Alfa Romeo soon found itself sitting on unsold SZs, despite a production run of just 1000 cars.
In an attempt to “move” the unsold stock, Alfa Romeo organized a one-make racing series for SZ owners in 1993. Thirteen cars were converted into race cars, and some have been cropping up for sale in recent auctions and events.
The Alfa Romeo RZ (picture from Wheelsage.org) アルファロメオRZ（画像はWheelsage.orgより）
Although they look almost identical, all body panels were different save for the front wings and boot lid. The RZ had a revised bumper and door sills, and the bonnet no longer featured the ridges seen on the SZ.
RZ buyers could choose between three paint colors, black, yellow, and red. Yellow and red cars got a black leather interior while black ones came with a rather lovely burgundy interior.
However, chopping the roof arguably did nothing for the car’s looks, and the RZ’s intended production run was never completed. Unsold roadsters and coupès could reportedly still be purchased at a discount until as late as 1995.
What’s even sadder is that the cold market reception received by the SZ spooked Fiat’s management into canceling the planned limited production run of 1500 copies of the widely acclaimed 164 Protéo, presented at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show.
However, it seems the time has finally come for these quirky, distinctive Alfa Romeos, as a new generation of enthusiasts embraces their idiosyncratic style and thoroughbred underpinnings.
