Story and Photos by Roberto Motta
“The legends back on track” was held on 21 and 22 September, at Monza to celebrate 50 years of Autodelta. Organized by the Italian Alfa Romeo Register, it attracted a large gathering of Autodelta racing cars and featured more than 700 cars on the track. Of these, about 300 racing cars were from Europe, Russia, Japan, and the United States.
Also participating were many of the drivers and technicians who contributed to the success of Autodelta. In the course of a conference, they entertained fans and journalists by telling stories about their part in the history of Alfa’s famous racing arm. The group included Nino Vaccarella, Teodoro Zeccoli, Gianluigi Picchi, Andrea de Adamich, Mauro Pregliasco, Bruno Giacomelli, and Camillo Marchetti.
Autodelta’s founder and chief engineer, Carlo Chiti, passed away in 1994 at the age of 70, but his son Arturo and his daughter Olga attended in memory of his father. Arturo accepted an award on behalf of the unforgettable Tuscan engineer.
Carlo Chiti's son Arturo accepts an award on behalf of his father.
The more than three thousand fans were on hand to get the chance to see some of the cars that made Autodelta history; the cars rarely leave the garages where they are jealously guarded, and now take to the track only on special occasions.
Several TZ1 and TZ2 were on hand to celebrate Autodelta's fifty years.