As you probably know the Italian car maker is celebrating 100 years of motoring heritage and to mark such an important event, the company has designed the Alfa Romeo Centenary sculpture which is being displayed on the front lawn of Goodwood House at the 2010 edition Goodwood Festival of Speed
in West Sussex.
The British motoring event will kick-of between 2-4 July and besides previewing the new Giulietta hatch the automaker will also bring the Alfa 159 ‘Alfretta’ and the Alfa 33 Stradale prototype.
The Alfa Romeo Centenary sculpture was designed by Gerry Judah and it showcases two iconic models, which are the 1925 World Championship
winning Alfa P2 Grand Prix race car and the modern Alfa 8C Competizione super car.
Alfa Romeo press release :
Italian sporting car manufacturer, Alfa Romeo, is delighted to be the
featured marque at this year’s prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed
in West Sussex (2-4 July) as the company celebrates 100 years of proud
motoring heritage.
As well as the Centenary celebrations, the 2010 Festival of Speed
will mark the public debut of the hotly anticipated new Alfa Giulietta –
a stylish 5-door hatchback that delivers sporty performance, design
confidence and technology in the true spirit and tradition of the
brand.
In addition to the festival, Alfa Romeo will be previewing the
Giulietta to a select audience at the first modern day Goodwood Moving
Motor Show today (Thursday 1 July).
As would be expected, a long list of prized historic Alfas will
feature at this year’s Festival, including the 1925 World Championship
winning Alfa P2 Grand Prix race car which joins its modern counterpart,
the Alfa 8C Competizione on the Centenary central sculpture which
proudly celebrates Alfa Romeo – with design inspiration taken from the
marque’s iconic Cloverleaf badge.
In all, it is expected that over 50 important Alfa Romeos will be at
this year’s Festival, including 16 priceless examples which will make
the pilgrimage from the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese, Italy. Four
of these, the 8C 2900 B Speciale tipo Le Mans 1938, Gran Premio Tipo B
(P3) 1932, Gran Premio Tipo 159 ‘Alfetta’ 1951 and 155 DTM 1993 will be
seen in action on the Goodwood Hillclimb course.
The Hillclimb is the Festival of Speed’s principal attraction. Taking
place throughout the weekend, this challenging 1.16 mile course starts
as a tree-lined run through the southern corner of the Goodwood Estate
which then turns to sweep past the front of Goodwood House before
climbing a steep and narrow Estate road bordered by flint walls and
dense woodland groves towards Goodwood’s equine racecourse on top of the
magnificent South Downs.
The course rises over 300ft from the start line to the finish, and is
very technical and challenging, putting the skills of the world’s very
best drivers to a stern test of concentration and speed.
The remaining 12 historic Alfa Romeo models will be ‘shared’ between
the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance and the Cathedral
Paddock, while the P2 Grand Prix racer features on the Centenary central
sculpture.
In the Supercar Paddock, Alfa’s latest supercar offering, the
convertible 8C Spider, will be turning heads with its award-winning
looks and distinctive V8 growl as it makes its way past the crowds, up
the historic Goodwood Hill.
Appearing as part of the magnificent static display in the Cathedral
Paddock will be historic delights such as the Alfa Gran Premio Tipo 512
1940, the car that never raced due to the advent of World War Two, and
the 164 Pro-Car which features the world’s first ever 10 cylinder
engine.
Alongside this exhibition of exceptional racing heritage, the 33
Stradale prototipo 1967 will grace the Cartier lawn, showing the crowds
why Alfa Romeo design has been so highly revered through the decades.
Designed by Franco Scaglione, this 1967 prototype was the most
expensive car of its time and considered to be one of the most beautiful
cars ever made.
In Alfa Romeo’s customary stand-out red exhibition stand, the all-new
Alfa Romeo Giulietta will make its UK public debut at Goodwood, taking
pride of place alongside an Alfa 8C Spider which will also appear as a
static model at this year’s Festival.
Combining sportiness and elegance, the C-segment Alfa Giulietta is
the result of Alfa Romeo’s new direction in style, but the name still
holds an important place in Alfa Romeo’s enviable legacy, dating back to
the 1950s.
The sporty, five-door compact goes on sale in the UK on 24 July from
£16,995 OTR, packed with technology including Alfa’s DNA system,
Start&Stop and the sporty Q2 electronic differential.
Located on the front lawn of Goodwood House, and designed to embody
the spirit of Alfa Romeo, the Centenary central sculpture showcases two
of the marque’s most important cars; the iconic 1925 World Championship
winning Alfa P2 Grand Prix racer which led to the introduction of the
laurel wreath around the original Alfa Romeo emblem, and the
ultra-modern, award-winning, Alfa 8C Competizione super car.
Revered artist and designer of the Alfa Romeo Centenary central
sculpture, Gerry Judah says: “With such a vast and rich heritage, trying
to encapsulate all that is great about Alfa Romeo was no easy task. So
many factors played a part in the creative process, from the beauty of
the cars themselves which are often art forms in their own right, to the
passion the marque shows and holds in so many hearts – I felt it was
important that the sculpture complemented and expressed these messages.
“The perfect way of communicating this was to use two of Alfa’s most
iconic cars – past and present – the P2 and the 8C Competizione – both
legendary in their own right with the connection of the first and most
recent Alfa Romeo to feature an Alfa eight-cylinder engine.
“Translating their connection and representing the best of all that
is Alfa Romeo, there was no better symbol to take inspiration from than
Alfa’s famous Cloverleaf badge, which has donned past, present and
hopefully future high performance Alfa Romeos. The easiest part of this
project was choosing a representative colour – which of course had to be
Alfa Red.”
Goodwood Festival of Speed founder, Lord March added: “Alfa Romeo has
one of the most enviable pedigrees of any motor manufacturer, and a
history that has become legend. With this year’s Festival celebrating
‘The Passion for Speed’ there couldn’t be a more appropriate marque to
celebrate this with. As an Alfista myself, the brand epitomises the
beauty of motoring, and I’m honoured that we can help celebrate Alfa
Romeo’s Centenary at this year’s Festival. And I look forward to a
bright future for the marque through the debut of the new Alfa
Giulietta.”
