Description:

The Aguzzoli 01 Alfa Romeo is a unique piece which has, in the historical panorama of Italian motoring and Alfa Romeo specifically, a very important position.

The car was born in 1963 from the passion of Giovanni and Sergio Aguzzoli, father and son, large cured meat traders as well as Alfa Romeo dealers in Parma, and Luigi Bertocco, Ferrari test driver. The idea was to create a grand touring car that could compete on equal terms against the Abarth Simca 2000 and the Porsche Carrera 1600, the undisputed queens of the races of that period.

The project bears the signature of Neri and Bonacini, who came from the disused Maserati racing department with the support of a young engineering student, Giampaolo Dallara, who considers the Aguzzoli his very first project.

The idea was in fact revolutionary and followed the Anglo-Saxon ideas that wanted the rear-central engine, so the team designed a tubular frame on which an Alfa Romeo engine was installed, first of the 1300 cc Giulietta and then of the 1600 cc Giulia subsequently brought to 1750 cc, combined with a Citroen ERSA gearbox mounted turned 180° with front clutches and modified for use on English single-seaters. Later the gearbox was replaced with a more competitive and reliable Hewland Mk9. The bodywork, with unusual and very personal lines, was designed and built in aluminum by Piero Drogo at his Sport Car body shop and constituted a first step towards a different aerodynamic concept of the rear part, later taken up by more famous cars such as the Ferrari 250 Le Mans. A solution that made the car extremely competitive.

The car was tested by Bertocco on the Modena circuit and gave encouraging results, so it was decided to make its racing debut in Monza for the Coppa Fisa on 14 November 1963. The driver should have been the strong Milanese driver Giampiero Biscaldi, who at the last minute decided to change teams and drove a Giulia Ti Super from Scuderia Sant'Ambreus, and he was substituted by Tino Brambilla. As chance would have it, the Giulia TZ also made its debut in that very race and all the Alfa Corse staff, led by engineer Nicolis, were present. The Emilian car aroused much admiration and interest from the Arese technicians, to the point that the idea of ​​evaluating a serious collaboration was taken into consideration. Unfortunately this was not possible because agreements had already been made between the engineer Carlo Chiti and the Alfa Romeo dealership of the Chizzola brothers from Udine, and Autodelta was born. On the contrary, Aguzzoli's project was considered a problem due to the modern and innovative configuration of the Emilian car.

In the meantime, a second model was built, but with a fiberglass bodywork designed by the sculptor Reggiani. The two cars took part in some uphill races including the Trento-Bondone and the Cesana-Sestriere, with good results until they took the overall victory, with Bertocco at the wheel, in the Castione Baratti-Neviano Arduini ahead of the much more powerful Abarth Simca 2000.

Other participations and victories followed, always led by excellent riders such as Giampiero Biscaldi, Tino Brambilla, Enrico Pinto, Luciano Selva, Roberto Bertuzzi and the motorcycling champion Umberto Masetti. Tino Brambilla himself achieved a brilliant class victory in the Coppa FISA held in Monza in 1964. The following year was followed by participation in the 1000 km of Monza with the Brambilla-Selva crews at the wheel of the 01 and Pinto-Galimberti of the 02.

Aguzzoli was therefore "persuaded" not to continue with his project which created quite a few problems for the Giula TZ, so the two cars contested a few more minor races driven by friendly drivers and were then parked in the garages of the Alfa Romeo dealership for many years.

The 01 was then sold and was used in rallycross and hillclimb races, but not with the Aguzzoli name.  It changed several engines and bodywork and unfortunately the original aluminum one was lost, but the chassis was never modified.

Then rediscovered after a few decades and years of research, it is now undergoing a complete restoration, after having received valuable information from Sergio Aguzzoli himself, nicknamed Condor for his particularly hooked nose.

The entire chassis part was completed at the Facetti workshop while the complete reconstruction of the bodywork, again in aluminium, was carried out by Elis Garuti who, then a young apprentice at the Drogo body shop, collaborated in the construction of the original bodywork at the time and had preserved some precious photos and drawings from that period. Windscreen and lights are fitted.

The engine was prepared in accordance with the specifications of the time, in the 1,600 cc version, at the Facetti workshop and delivered 170 horsepower on the dyno while the gearbox is a period Hewland.

The car needs the final assembling of the mechanical and electrical part, body painting and a final setup. It is for sale due to a lack of time of the owner in following all the remaining works.

It has been published in many books and several articles in period and modern magazines.

The glorious Aguzzoli 01, forerunner of a design school that changed the concept of racing cars and daughter of a pool of technicians who contributed significantly to the history of racing cars, is eligible for the most iconic events and a frontrunner in Peter Auto, Masters, Goodwood and Alfa Revival Cup.

 

Keyword Search Terms:

GTP