Alfa Romeo will debut the eagerly-anticipated Alfa Romeo Stelvio in the UK for the first time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, 29th June – 2nd July.
The marque’s first SUV in its 107-year history will swap the Stelvio Pass for the famous 1.6 mile Goodwood Hillclimb for its inaugural UK dynamic first glance.
Having first been unveiled at the LA Auto Show, those attending the Festival of Speed will be lucky enough to witness the Stelvio’s distinctive Italian styling, thrilling performance and Q4 all-wheel drive at close quarters.
It’s the second year in a row that Alfa Romeo has unveiled a new model at the iconic automotive event, after the marque uncovered the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulia sports saloon on its stand in 2016.
The range topping Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, powered by a 510hp Bi-Turbo V6 engine, will appear on the Alfa Romeo stand alongside the recently launched 280hp 2.0-litre petrol engine Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce.
Showcasing the full power of the Italian manufacturer, the modern line-up will be completed by the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the high-performance Alfa Romeo 4C Spider.
While the launch of Giulia and Stelvio signify the start of a new era for Alfa Romeo, fans will still be able to experience Alfa Romeo’s iconic motorsport heritage. Transported over specially from Alfa Romeo’s official museum, Museo Storico, the Alfa Romeo GTAm, Alfa Romeo 33/3 Le Mans and Alfa Romeo 155 DTM will all take on the Goodwood Hillclimb during the weekend. As an extra treat for life-long F1 fans, the Alfa Romeo Brabham F1 will be on static display in the Martini paddock.
Andrew Tracey, Country Manager, Alfa Romeo UK, commented: “Goodwood Festival of Speed encapsulates the Alfa Romeo spirit of being inspired by the past whilst looking to the future, so as with Giulia last year, it made perfect sense for the UK reveal of our hotly anticipated Alfa Romeo SUV, Stelvio, to take place at this year’s festival.
“With a modern range of cars spanning from supermini, to hatchback, to saloon, to sports coupe and now SUV, we really do have an exciting line-up of cars all deserving of the iconic Alfa Romeo badge.”
Historic cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Alfa Romeo GTAm
- Maximum power: 210hp
- Max speed: 143 mph
- Production year: 1970
The 1750 GTAm is derived from the American version of Alfa Romeo’s famous Giulia GTA coupé. Unlike the model sold in Europe, the GTAm was equipped with Spica indirect mechanical fuel injection making it more suitable for competition. The main differences in the bodywork were the extensive use of steel instead of aluminium and the fibreglass extensions riveted on the wheel arches, which gave the car an even more aggressive and race-bred appearance. Modifications to the engine were just as important, with the overall displacement increasing to 1985cc.
The GTAm soon reaped success in the European Touring Car Championship, with Toine Hezemans winning in Monza, Budapest and Jarama. The hat-trick of victories led to Hezemans taking the championship crown at the end of the season. Italian drivers Andrea de Adamich and Gian Luigi Picchi won at the Nürburgring, while Picchi also won at Dutch circuit, Zandvoort.
Alfa Romeo 33/3 Le Mans
- Maximum power: 400 hp
- Max speed: 193 mph
- Production year: 1970
The 33/3, produced in 1969, featured a new box-section structure made of Avional, with the gearbox cantilevered beyond the rear axle. Various configurations were tested for the body and often changed according to the track: in most cases the open version was used, but there were also several closed cars.
Despite the car taking the chequered flag at Zeltweg and Pergusa in 1969 it continued undergoing work to improve its performance. Two years later an even better version hit the tarmac boasting an incredible 420 hp. It also featured a redesigned gearbox with five speeds and was reduced in weight, down to just 650kg.
The modified car proved to be a fierce competitor from its first race, claiming victories in the Brands Hatch 1000 Kilometres and The Six Hours of Watkins Glen. However, its most memorable performance of the season was its victory at the iconic Targa Florio.
Alfa Romeo 155 DTM
- Maximum power: 420 hp
- Max speed: 130 mph
- Production year: 1993
After the 1992 racing season, Alfa Corse, Alfa Romeo’s factory racing team, decided to increase their range of vehicles by working on several racing versions of the 155. One of the most ambitious targets was to be competitive in the hugely popular and challenging DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft), the German Touring Car Championship.
The 155 underwent a drastic modification process in order to be fit for purpose for the championship. The standard 60° V6 engine in light alloy was transformed while still observing two main limitations: both the distance between the cylinders and the material used for the engine block had to be the same as in the production versions. Additionally, the bodywork was made of carbon fibre and the chassis was reinforced with a roll cage.
Unbelievably the car was victorious on its debut at the Belgian circuit in Zolder. It was the first of many victories for Nicola Larini who went on to win the championship in 1993. Incredibly, Larini chalked up 10 out of the 20 races that year, the most race victories in the history of a DTM campaign. Alessandro Nannini contributed two victories that year, too.
Alfa Romeo Brabham BT-45B F1
- Maximum power: 500hp
- Max speed: 200 mph
- Production year: 1977
In 1975, the 33’s engine gave Alfa Romeo the chance to return to Formula 1 in style. That was the season in which Autodelta finally managed to take the World Championship for Makes with the Tipo 33 TT12, winning a phenomenal seven races out of eight. From there an agreement was reached with Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham Martini Racing Team, one of the highest profile teams at the time, for Alfa Romeo to supply 12-cylinder engines, slightly modified to fit the monocoque of the BT 45.
The integration of Alfa Romeo’s class-leading engineering attracted the likes of Carlos Pace, John Watson and World Champion Niki Lauda to the team. Lauda went on to win two races in 1978.
About Alfa Romeo’s official museum, Museo Storico
The four vehicles on display are borrowed from Alfa Romeo’s incredible heritage collection and are often on display at the recently-reopened Alfa Romeo museum in Arese, Milan. Completely refurbished this year, the museum has more than 70 of the collection’s 250-plus cars on display at any given time (69 of the most significant pieces in Alfa Romeo’s historic collection within the museum plus various temporary exhibitions), grouped together in sections titled “Timeline”, “Beauty” and “Speed”.
For more details on the museum, which is open from 10am to 6pm every day (closed Tuesdays, open to 10pm on Thursdays) please visit www.museoalfaromeo.com.
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