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With its 3 main sections, 6 floors, and more than 70 cars, the Museo Alfa Romeo in Arese/Milan bears witness to the many remarkable events in the life of this brand: the company’s history, the beauty of its bodyworks, the races, the speed, the driving pleasure and the long list of victories obtained in more than one century of history.
But apart from the ‘top 70’ vehicles on display and selected to represent the brand’s values, there is much more to this story. The Museum’s backstage holds the remaining pieces of the historical Collection: hundreds of cars, engines, objects, mechanical parts, trophies, models. An extraordinary patrimony safely kept in the
storage rooms in Arese, in a space separate from the Museum halls, which is organised over two stories like an actual garage. The Collection is in fact an operational space in every sense, the special reserve we can tap into on special occasions, such as exhibitions or events.
In the year of its 110th anniversary, Alfa Romeo will open the doors of this extraordinary area – which has been closed to the public until now – to reveal the unseen chapters of the Brand’s history to Alfa enthusiasts worldwide.
A journey called Open Backstage – a virtual journey for now – which will be hosted by the @museoalfaromeo Facebook and Instagram channels. With a number of videos and posts supported by the shootings carried out by the few photographers who have been granted exceptional access to these ‘hidden’ treasures, we will guide
you through this discovery of some truly special pieces: from the Alfetta Spider and the Eagle, both designed by Pininfarina in the 1970s, to the Alfa Centauri prototype; from the 177 that marked Alfa Romeo’s return to Formula 1 in 1979 to the Romeo tractor; from the futuristic Scarabeo to the incredible 164 Pro Car which,
under its family sedan body, hid a mechanics derived from Formula 1.
When we will get the green light to reopen the Museum in Arese to the public, visitors will also be able to visit this area of the Collection live in small groups and with pre-booked guided tours: a surprise that Alfa Romeo would like to dedicate to all lovers of the Biscione in this special year for the brand (for information:
collezione@museoalfaromeo.com).
Some of these objects – in total more than 150 cars, 100 engines, protype components and equipment, as well as dozens of trophies, models, artworks and much more – were exceptionally exhibited in the Museum for one day on the occasion of the series of Backstage events, a monthly review of meetings dedicated to an in-depth study of the less known chapters in the brand’s history. In 2019, and in the first months of 2020, we ‘revealed’ - and, whenever possible, started the engines – of some rather unknown models, like the “Yugoslavia” prototype, a forefather of the Giulia from 1959, the Tipo 103, and the prototype of the New York Taxi designed
by Giorgetto Giugiaro for the M.O.M.A. in New York. Or, even outside the automotive industry, just to prove Alfa Romeo’s eclectic nature, the racing motorboat Popoli, the futuristic kitchen which was the brand’s ‘alternative’ production during the war, or the authored sculptures commissioned by Alfa Romeo from artists like Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro, Bruno Munari or Luigi Fontana. The full series of 2020 Backstage events will resume as soon as the Museum reopens.
Read the full programme here:
In the meantime, thanks to this virtual tour of the storage rooms in Arese, join us for a discovery tour of the other unseen pieces, many of which – like the C.E.M., for instance, an innovative electronic engine control system from the 1970s – testify to the intense and innovative research performed by Alfa Romeo throughout its history. But also cars and projects which made people dream in the past, or could have made them dream, had they not remained prototypes and had they had the chance to prove their worth to the world.
Enjoy the ride!
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the following photographers for allowing us to use their shots to offer this virtual ‘backstage’ journey of the museum while the museum stays closed to the public due to the Covid-19 emergency:
Rémi Dargegen
Dennis Noten
Kevin van Campenhout
PlanImage
2020 Archivio Zagato – Zed Milano srl
Bernd Schweickard
Degler_Studio.
Info: museoalfaromeo.com
