IX Raduno Internazionale

18/06/2006

Few but good?
Put in this way it would sound presumptuous and the (many) clubs attracting hundreds of members would appear to be too diverse or aiming only to make money with membership fees. In reality it is not so but the Alfa 6C 2500 International Register is certainly a club for “few” and, a trifle immodestly, also of “good”. Simply because a substantially single-model Register (we are speaking about the 6C 2500 and the 6C 2300) for such cars, rare in their days and rarified today, when it summons its members, obviously cannot rely on enormous crowds. But on attentive and passionate collectors, yes.
Founded in 1994, with the usual difficulties in finding cars and members in the four corners of the earth, where the 2300/2500 have found those who know how to take loving care of them, in these years the Register has managed to bring together at home and abroad, the elegant silhouettes of this Alfa Romeo model through organising pleasant gatherings, in marvellous landscapes and important events.
Undoubtly the 6C 2500 was a transitional model in Alfa Romeo's production, from the dark years straight after the war to the difficult ones of reconstruction, to the arrival of the 1900, which would make the Portello plants leap, if not to mass production, at least to large amounts. Then came the Giulietta. But this is another story.
And the story of Alfa also passes throughy Magreglio, a sunny place near Como, looking, from the heights of Ghisallo, on to the lake , dear to Manzoni, where ingegner Nicola Romeo spent large part of his last years. Therefore, on Sunday 7th May, with the local authorities present and with the affectionate support of participants in the 6C 2500 rally and many members of the public, an Italian flag unveiled the name plate of the street dedicated to NICOLA ROMEO. In honour of the engineer from Naples the band played a beautiful “o' sole mio” which touched and moved everyone present. His daughters Piera and Irene, in their nineties, grandchildren and great grandchildren of a large family were greeted with a long ovation by the friends of the 6C 2500 Register, and not only.
Friends who since the previous Friday had brought to Lecco about thirty vintage Alfas to continue the evening around Bellagio. The following day an interesting visit to Moto Guzzi and its Museum where everyone could appreciate the historic nature that the firm in Mandello has instilled in its world famous motorcycles.
Sunday morning, in the Spring sun, the 6C 2300 (among which a beautiful “Pescara” and a “Mille Miglia”) and the 6C2500 (there was a rare early series 1 sedan and some racy Touring and Pininfarina) faced the steep climb to Ghisallo. On the broad square, among hundreds of people and dozens of exhausted cyclists, I had the pleasure of pointing out to the small crowd the features of the cars, accompanied by some newer models, to mark the evolution of this small but significant part of Alfa's history. I would like to thank Claudio Giorgetti, Stefano Centanni and Daniela Maestri Romeo who, together with the staff of “Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo” gave their contribution to an event which has warmed the hearts of all the people present.

Gippo Salvetti
(presidente dell'Alfa Blue Team)

Articoli
ACI Lecco, Maggio/Aprile