Description
Issue 338 – April 2024.
What was the world’s first ever hot hatchback? Well, Italy invented the genre in 1971 with the fabulous Autobianchi A112 Abarth – and we’ve driven two of these pocket rockets to find out just how fabulous. And talk about handsome: we feature two of Bertone’s finest coupes of all time: a unique Aston Martin DB2/4 and a restored Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale – almost certainly the best in the world. Surely one of the best saloon cars of the 1950s was Lancia’s Aurelia B12 – that’s our verdict after driving a superbly preserved original. We get under the skin of the spectacular Fiat S76 (the infamous ‘Beast of Turin’) and investigate how Ferrari’s ‘Palace Coup’ of 1961 kick-started Modena’s vaunted Motor Valley. We also have a new team car (a super-rare Abarth Punto Scorpione) and a report on Alfa Romeos in New Zealand. Finally, we line you up perfectly for Italian Car Day on 4 May 2024 with a celebration of 30 years of our very own show at the Brooklands site. Don’t miss it!
What was the world’s first ever hot hatchback? Well, Italy invented the genre in 1971 with the fabulous Autobianchi A112 Abarth – and we’ve driven two of these pocket rockets to find out just how fabulous. And talk about handsome: we feature two of Bertone’s finest coupes of all time: a unique Aston Martin DB2/4 and a restored Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale – almost certainly the best in the world. Surely one of the best saloon cars of the 1950s was Lancia’s Aurelia B12 – that’s our verdict after driving a superbly preserved original. We get under the skin of the spectacular Fiat S76 (the infamous ‘Beast of Turin’) and investigate how Ferrari’s ‘Palace Coup’ of 1961 kick-started Modena’s vaunted Motor Valley. We also have a new team car (a super-rare Abarth Punto Scorpione) and a report on Alfa Romeos in New Zealand. Finally, we line you up perfectly for Italian Car Day on 4 May 2024 with a celebration of 30 years of our very own show at the Brooklands site. Don’t miss it!
CONTENTS
AUTOBIANCHI A112 ABARTH – Pocket Rocket twin test
ALFA ROMEO GIULIA SPRINT SPECIALE – Road test of probably the world’s best SS
ALFA ROMEO 156 – Revisiting the 1998 launches of Alfa’s saloon in Lisbon and UK
LANCIA AURELIA B12 – Superior 1950s saloon driven
FERRARI: AFTER THE REVOLUTION – The fallout from the infamous 1961 ‘Palace Coup’
FIAT ‘BEAST OF TURIN’ – Full story of Fiat’s fire-breathing 28-litre S76
BERTONE ASTON MARTIN DB2/4 – Glorious coupe from the pen of Franco Scaglione
ABARTH PUNTO SCORPIONE – Ultra-rare hot hatch on the Team Cars roster
LANCIA YPSILON & ABARTH 600e – News of the latest Italian car launches
AUTO ITALIA AT BROOKLANDS – 30 years of Italian Car Day at Brooklands
NEC CLASSIC SHOW REPORT – Classic Car Show highlights from Birmingham NEC
ALFAS IN NEW ZEALAND – AROC’s 49th Fest Annuale
OBSCURATI – Barison BRM H16: a mysterious F1-powered 1960s supercar
