Alfa Romeo begins 2024 by celebrating two very important anniversaries. This year is the 70 of the Giulietta Sprint, unveiled in 1954, as well as the 50 of the 1974 Alfetta GT; two much-loved and commercially successful models that – each in their own way – tell the story of two memorable eras, extraordinary times in Italian automotive history.

To mark the occasion, the mastery of the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile has produced two new logos, deliberately presented at the beginning of the year. Their aim is to support club and brand events throughout 2024, making them emblems of the tribute the Alfisti fandom will pay to two cars that have taken their rightful place in the collective unconscious, as icons of functional beauty and noble Italian sportiness.
The wide range of club events and all the brand's communications will therefore bear the official “made at the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile” emblems.

Distinguished by minimalistic and elegant lines, the two logos retrace the features of the two cars, adorned for the occasion with their signature, in the same font as on their bodywork. The dates of the celebrations complete the tribute.

The Alfa Romeo Centro Stile offers both emblems in a range of color solutions, to make them extremely functional for different applications.
 

Celebrations at the Alfa Romeo Museum
The Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese has already scheduled two events to celebrate these major anniversaries. The context is Backstage, a series of lectures begun in 2018 to explore Alfa Romeo history using unpublished materials from the Documentation Center and testimonials from the historians, designers, test drivers, and mechanics who played an active role in or had in-depth knowledge of that car or project.

On Sunday, May 5, the spotlight will be on the Alfetta GT, with the Giulietta’s turn coming on June 2. The lectures will take place in the Museum’s Giulia Hall, preceded by a parade to which owners of that specific Alfa Romeo model are invited.
The full schedule of Backstage lectures will be posted on museoalfaromeo.com soon.

The third Tribe Days will definitely be the pinnacle of the celebrations. A unique event aimed at all four-wheel enthusiasts: Alfisti fans and others, clubs, collectors, enthusiasts, the merely curious, all united by their passion for the brand.
 

History of the two cars:

Giulietta Sprint (1954): The car that marked Alfa Romeo's transformation into a major automotive industry was undoubtedly the Giulietta, “Italy's girlfriend”. In 1952, Alfa Romeo production was focusing solely on the 1900, so the idea of a more modern car with a more limited displacement made headway.
Having discarded the initial plans for a 350-cc small car, and for another 750-cc front-wheel drive model (although the code 750 would also be used in later projects), by August 1952 it was clear that the car’s layout would be conventional, with a front engine and rear-wheel drive. Within a year, the first prototype took to the road, a compact coupé created by Ivo Colucci's bodywork department, equipped with a 1100-cc four-cylinder twin-cam light alloy engine. Its displacement was then increased to 1300 (1290 cc). With a single-barrel carburetor, it delivered 65 hp, for a top speed of 165 km/h, but at the end of its career, with the latest evolution in 1958 and a twin-body carburetor, its power rose to 79 hp, running at up to 170 km/h. The gearbox and differential housing were also made of aluminum. The drum brakes, with their helical fins, were based on the 1900’s.

In early 1954, the mechanics were on the home stretch, but only sketches and a few rudimentary prototypes of the body survived. However, Finmeccanica announced the delivery of a certain number of units to selected shareholders. The impasse was resolved by Rudolf Hruska, recently called on by Giuseppe Luraghi to reorganize the plant with the aim of producing 50 Giulietta cars per day: an external coachbuilder would assemble a small series of coupé versions to be delivered to shareholders while they waited for the sedan. After initial mistrust, the Alfa Romeo-led IRI accepted the proposal: the sketches were presented by Boneschi, Boano and Bertone. The latter, assisted by designer Franco Scaglione, then came up with a compact and well-proportioned car, with minimalistic, refined and sporty lines: the Giulietta Sprint.
The car was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show on April 21, 1954, but two weeks earlier, a preview was held in the courtyard at Portello for insiders and authorities: two actors jumped out of a helicopter dressed as Shakespeare’s Romeo and… Juliet.
The Giulietta made its mark on sales as soon as it was introduced. A few days later, orders had to be suspended; the plant was already overrun. As well as the sporty and successful lines, its success was down to performance, putting the car at a level that had not been seen before in its category and undermining competitors in a much higher class.
This would become the turning point for Alfa Romeo, the dawn of a great automotive industry. Production of the Giulietta in its various versions continued for 11 years: a total of 177,513 units were made, 24,084 of which were the Sprint.
 

Alfetta GT (1974) The launch of the Alfetta was followed two years later by a coupé version, assigned with the unenviable task of replacing the legendary, best-selling Bertone coupé, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1963 as a sports version of the Giulia. However, the wheelbase of the Alfetta GT 1.8 was shortened by 110 mm and the suspension was sportier. The bodywork was still designed by Giugiaro – who by then had set up his own business, Italdesign – according to very modern standards, already partly anticipated with a prototype from a few years earlier, based on the 1750 GTV: hatchbacks with a fastback tail that ended very high up with a hint of a spoiler. The lines were taut and angular; the front, with four recessed headlights, was low and assertive. Actually, the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile had already clearly left its mark in the design. The driver’s seat also reflected the sporty tone, with its low, relaxed position and single instrument – a large speedometer – in front of the driver. The tachometer and secondary instruments were in the middle of the dashboard.

The Alfetta GT, however, was intended as more of a grand tourer than an extreme sports car, with great attention paid to practicality: there was enough space inside for four people, the rear windows could be wound down, and the large trunk was easily accessible via the tailgate.

As soon as 1975, the mechanics of the Alfetta GT would already be modified slightly, from 122 hp at 5500 rpm to 118 hp at 5300 rpm. One year later came the debuts of an entry-level version, with a 109-hp 1.6 engine (only produced until 1980) and simplified specifications, and of the GTV (GTS in the UK market) with a two-liter engine.

Production ended in 1986, after 136,275 units of the various versions had rolled out of the factory.

Europski parlament je usvojio rezoluciju o velikim projektima prometne infrastrukture u EU u kojoj je pozvao države članice da svoje nacionalne projekte usklade sa strategijom razvoja europske prometne mreže koja po novom prijedlogu na četiri od devet koridora uključuje i Hrvatsku.

Prometne mreže država članica ne mogu se promatrati izolirano jer je europska prometna mreža TEN-T jasno prepoznata kao vizija čije koristi nadilaze izolirano nacionalno djelovanje. istaknuo je Europski parlament (EP) u rezoluciji i pozvao na tijesno usklađivanje strateških prioriteta EU i država članica.

Rezolucija napominje da su za provedbu tih projekata nadležne države članice, no poziva na jačanje uloge europskih koordinatora koje je imenovala Komisija kako bi se olakšala realizacija infrastrukturnih projekata duž koridora TEN-T-a.

Komisiji bi se trebao omogućiti veći nadzor nad planiranjem i provedbom projekata na koridorima prometne mreže, smatraju europarlamentarci, jer se prioriteti država članica uglavnom utvrđuju u nacionalnom kontekstu i stoga se u okviru takvih projekata mogu zanemariti prekogranične dionice u kojima se nalaze veliki infrastrukturni projekti koje sufinancira EU.

Za projekte u okviru mreže TEN-T članice trebaju osigurati pojednostavljene administrativne postupke kako bi se oni ubrzali, traži Parlament i upozorava da je EU trenutačno suočena s nezapamćenom situacijom zbog nužnosti istovremene apsorpcije brojnih izvora financiranja.

Države članice često nemaju administrativni kapacitet za upravljanje svim financijskim sredstvima dostupnim iz Mehanizma za oporavak i otpornost uz istovremeno nastojanje da prije kraja 2027. apsorbiraju 392 milijarde eura kohezijske politike, upozorava se u rezoluciji.

U rezoluciji se ističu uspješni projekti sufinancirani iz proračuna EU, među kojima i poboljšanje povezivosti cesta u mreži TEN-T s južnom Dalmacijom u Hrvatskoj, u što je uloženo 418 milijuna eura, te nadogradnja postojeće željezničke pruge Maribor - Šentilj u Sloveniji u koju je uloženo 195 milijuna eura.

Devet koridora, Hrvatska po novom uključena u njih četiri

Prijedlog Uredbe o transeuropskoj prometnoj mreži koji je Europska komisija predstavila u prosincu 2021. predvidio je devet koridora, a Hrvatska se nalazila na njih tri. Po prijedlogu Parlamenta i Vijeća EU, o kojem se trenutno vodi trijalog s Komisijom, Hrvatska je potom uključena u četiri koridora: Mediteranski, Baltik-Jadran, Rajna-Dunav i Zapadni Balkan.

Za rezoluciju usvojenu na plenarnoj sjednici u Strasbourgu je bio nadležan Odbor Europskog parlamenta za proračunski nadzor u kojem ju je podržao i hrvatski neovisni eurozastupnik Mislav Kolakušić, a na davanje mišljenja pozvan je Odbor za promet i turizam.

Valter Flego, eurozastupnik IDS-a i član Odbora za promet i turizam, naglašava da "prometni projekti na koridorima moraju biti nacionalni prioritet svih članica, usklađeni s transeuropskom prometnom mrežom (TEN-T)".

"Danas smo učinili izuzetni korak ka daljnjem povezivanju Hrvatske, željezničkim i cestovnim koridorima, s ostatkom Europe. Naime, usvojena Rezolucija o velikim prometnim projektima u EU u svojoj srži govori o činjenici da nacionalni prometni prioriteti moraju biti usklađeni s EU prometnim ciljevima, odnosno s TEN-T mrežom. To je izuzetno važno uoči nadolazećih parlamentarnih i EU izbora u RH, budući da ne želimo mijenjati strateške europske prometne prioritete svakih par godina - ovisno o rezultatima izbora", rekao je Flego za Hinu.

Spoj Istarskog ipsilona na slovensku mrežu autocesta, spoj Zagreb-Maribor-Graz, spoj Rijeke prema Italiji...

"Posebice me veseli činjenica što su prepoznati kao prioriteti oni pravci koji spajaju dvije ili više država, poput spoja Istarskog ipsilona na slovensku mrežu autocesta ili spoja Zagreb-Maribor-Graz ili pak spoja Rijeke, preko Slovenije, do Italije. Takav dugoročni pristup osigurava nesmetano izvođenje planiranih dionica u TEN-T koridorima te najiskrenije apeliram na Vladu RH da bude spremna s projektima kako bi već sljedeće godine mogla operativno povlačiti ogroman novac od planiranih 26 milijardi eura za realizaciju spomenutih koridora", kaže hrvatski eurozastupnik. 

Flego je u priopćenju istaknuo da prometno povezivanje Hrvatske mora biti strateški cilj Vlade RH te da rezolucija stavlja naglasak na nadzor i kontrolu trošenja europskog novca i traži donošenje Europskog ubrzanog postupka za projekte u TEN-T mreži.

"Time će se konačno stati na kraj blokiranju projekata od šireg europskog značaja i ubrzati procesi dovršetka TEN-T mreže! (...) Istarski ipsilon i poveznica sa Slovenijom ulaskom Hrvatske u Schengen tako postaju ključni infrastrukturni projekti, ne samo Hrvatske nego EU u cjelini, što je danas potvrdio i Europski parlament. Još jednom apeliram na Vladu RH i Ministarstvo da budemo spremni te da sa slovenskom stranom riješimo pitanje poveznice Ipsilona na slovenske autoceste", zaključio je Flego.(Hina)

 Automotive designer and executive Harley J. Earl was born on this day in 1893 in Hollywood, California. Earl began his automotive career when he dropped out of Stanford to join his father’s coachbuilding business, Harley Automotive Works.

 There he learned the art of crafting custom car bodies, many of which were going to Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time, including Tom Mix. After Cadillac dealer Don Lee purchased the business, he named Earl director of the custom body shop. Cadillac General Manager Lawrence P. Fisher would pass through the shop and witness Earl’s talent.

While on a national tour of dealerships, Fisher observed Earl at work. He noticed how he used innovative design methods for sculpting his bodies, such as using clay to define lines. Fisher, impressed with what he saw, commissioned Earl to design a body for the 1927 LaSalle, Cadillac’s brand new companion brand. Earl accepted the task. When it finally rolled onto showrooms it sold in great numbers. Its success landed Earl as the director of GM’s new Art and Color Section. 

Harley Earl’s Car Contributions

In 1937 the Art and Color Section was renamed the Styling Section. GM President Alfred Stone soon promoted Harley Earl to VP, making him the first styling person to ever make VP at a large automotive corporation. In his career, Earl would introduce many iconic vehicles, including the Buick Y-Job in 1939, recognized as the first concept car. He would also assist with Allied camouflage research during WWII and authorized Frank Hershey’s 1948 Cadillac design, which would usher the tailfin era. Perhaps his most lasting contribution was starting Project Opel, which would become the Chevrolet Corvette. 

Earl retired as a VP in 1958 at 65 years old, then a mandated retirement age. His influence on the automotive industry lasted well beyond that. His own motto of making American cars long and low remained in practice among most major automakers through the 1970s. Earl passed away in 1969 following a stroke. In 1986 the Automotive Hall of Fame inducted him and the Detroit Free Press named him the third most influential Michigan artist of the 20th century, behind Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.

 After finding massive success as a partsmaker in Detroit’s blossoming auto industry in the early 1900s, the Dodge Brothers, John and Horace, signed a deal to build parts exclusively for Ford. 

Since Henry Ford didn’t have the capital to pay them directly for their services, he awarded them $10,000 in Ford Motor Company stock. As the brothers produced engines and other parts for the new Ford Model T starting in 1908, Ford’s success amplified their own wealth beyond their wildest dreams. However, the two were not content building other peoples’ cars. In July of 1914, the pair produced their last Ford part and went all in on building a vehicle with their name stamped on it. Just a few months later, on this day in 1914, the first Dodge car built for production purposes rolled out of their Hamtramck factory. It proudly carried a Dodge Brothers badge on its radiator.

By the end of 1914 less than 250 all steel Dodge Brother touring cars, the first all metal production vehicles, had been build. The new car cost featured a highly engineered L-head 4 cylinder engine and rode on a 110-inch wheelbase. When new, it went for $785, about $22,000 in 2022. The meager production numbers at the end of 1914 hardly foreshadowed the success they would find. By the end of 1915, after introducing a roadster model, more than 45,000 Dodge Brothers car would be on the road. This set a new record for highest production for a car company’s first full year and made them the third biggest automaker in the country.

What happened to the Dodge Brothers?

In 1919 Henry Ford was able to purchase the Dodge Brothers’ remaining Ford stock shares for $25 million. Adding the $5.4 million from dividends and $1.7 million from contract profits, all in they earned $32.1 million off their original $10,000 investment in the company. Unfortunately, they would not live to enjoy the wealth for long.

In 1918 a flu pandemic was sweeping the nation. The disease did not care about wealth, as John Dodge found out. He contracted the disease and died in January 1920. Horace fell sick with the flu the following December and suffered a similar fate. With John and Horace dead, their widows were given control of Dodge Brothers Inc. In 1925 the women penned a deal to sell the company to Dillon, Read & Co, investment bankers, for $146 million, about $1.7 billion in 2020. Only three years later the company sold again, this time to Chrysler, where it remains today as part of Stellantis..

 Ferrari 640 iz 1989, kojeg su vozili Mansel i Berger je bio prvi Ferrari od narednih u nizu do 1995 koji je koristio atmosferski V12 3.5 L motor.

Ali nije to jedino po čemu je ostao jedinstven taj bolid, nego to što ga je vozio Nigel Mansel, a koga je posljednjeg za života potpisao Enzo, plus što je to bio prvi F1 bolid u povjesti koji je umjesto klasičnog ručnog šestostupanjskog menjača imao sedmostupanjski sekvencijalni menjač koji se je uz nadogradnje tokom godina zadržao na bolidima sve do 2013, a koji su 2014 nasljedili osmostupanjski sekvencijalni menjači koji se koriste i do dan danas.

Medjutim taj Ferrari 640 najviše baš zbog tog sekvencijalnog mjenjača, koji u to vrijeme nije bio doveden na dovoljnom nivou pozudanosti, od 16 trka kolko je bilo te sezone i 30 moguća završetka trke (15 za svakog od vozača jer su po jednu trku propustili oboje). Gerhard Berger je odustao na 12 trka i to na 10 prvih uzastopno, došao do dva druga mjesta u Monzi i na Jerezu i jedno prvo u Estorilu, a u Monacu nije vozio zbog povrede koje je doživio na Imoli a u predhodnoj trci.A Mansel je odustao na 7 trka, u Španjolskoj nije vozio zbog odrađivanja kazne zbog diskvalifikacije na predhodnoj trci zbog sudara sa Sennom, diksvalificiran je bio i u Kanadi nekolko trka prije toga jer je napustio pit lane u krugu za zagrijavanje prije nego što je bilo pušteno zeleno svjetlo.

Pobjedio je u Interlagosu i na Hungaroringu, osvojio je dva druga mjesta u Paul Ricardu i Silverstonu i dva treća mjesta u Hocheinhaimu i na Spa. Čak do tih mjera u Ferrariju nisu vjerovali u taj mjenjač, pošto su još prije početka prve trke u sezoni Manselu iz Ferrarija nakon katastrofalnih predsezonskih testova ponajviše zbog kvarova na mjenjaču, rekli da nevjeruju da taj mjenjač moze trenutno izdrzati vise od 6-7 krugova, ali on je ipak pobjedio na toj trci u Interlagosu a upravo jer ga nije izdao menjač.

Ferrari 640, Monaco Top Cars Collection

A na kraju kolko je bio brz taj bolid ponajviše baš zbog tog novog revolucionarnog sekvencijalnog menjača, pokazuje to da bukvlano u svim trkama kad ih nije izadao Ferrari 640,sa oba vozača su bila na nekom od tri pobjednička postolja i da je taj Ferrari bio pouzdaniji sad bi Mansell vjerojatno imao 2 sp titule umjesto 1 iz 92( Williams) a Prost 3 umjesto 4 i Ferrari bi imao 17 konstruktorskih titula umjesto 16, a McLaren 7 umjesto 8.