Summer is coming, or so the weathermen tell us, which can mean only one thing, the season of car festivals is fast approaching. One venue and one festival above all has made its mark and found a special place in the heart of enthusiasts and competitors alike. The Goodwood festival of speed like no other attracts famous cars and even more famous drivers from around the globe. Stirling Moss and John Surtees are regular visitors, along with Daemon Hill, Phil Hill and many other Formula one drivers both past and present.

Over the past couple of years the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo has provided numerous historically important and in some cases unique cars for the British, and recently worldwide, car loving public. But these cars are not kept behind fences, guarded by burly security guards, they are accessible to drool over (and believe me they are worth drooling over) and to be watched driven with gusto along the length of Lord Marches drive.

Lineup of a Tipo B 8C Monza and 8C 2900B	Alfa Romeo 159 Grand Prix car from 1951	Brabham Alfa Romeo BT45	Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix car from 1932

All of the above cars made runs up the drive to the delight of the crowd, but along side the vintage and historic cars were this years formula 1 cars and WRC cars, driven sometimes against the clock up the drive and sometimes just for fun. A certain Mr J Herbert entertained the crowds by performing burnout after burnout along the whole length of the drive. One of the most interesting cars for the modern Alfa Romeo enthusiast was the ex- Giancarlo Fisichella 155 DTM. The car is of the 2.5 litre variety and contested the 1996 season in the DTM German Touring Car Championship.

The Famous Alfa Romeo 2.5 litre V6 Engine

Pictures showing the windscreen air intakes, and Giancarlos office.

The year after Giancarlo did battle around the racetracks of Germany in this very car, the young Italian prodigy made his debut in the world of Formula one.

In 2001 the Museo Storico pulled out all the stops and brought over a stunning collection of cars, these included a 1951 159 Grand Prix car, a Giulia TZ2, 3000 CM Roadster and the fabulously futuristic 1900 Disco Volante Coupe and Roadster. These Disco Volantes are unique cars and it is a tribute to Lord March and the organisation of the Goodwood festival of speed that the Museo feel confident not only to bring these cars to Goodwood out of their sterile and safe environment, but also to run them in a spirited and entertaining manner.

The 159 Grand Prix car of 1950/51 used a 1.5 litre supercharged straight 8 producing 450bhp. This was the most powerful forced induction 1.5 litre engine right up until the turbo era in F1 in the early 1980's almost 30 years later.

The futuristic Disco Volante Coupe in the paddock at Goodwood and also on a run up the drive.		What more can you say about a car this stunning. Sure a contender for the worlds most beautiful car.

The Disco Volante Roadster making its way back to the paddock after a run up to the top of the drive.

The 159 Grand Prix car is the legendary 1.5 litre straight 8 'Alfetta' conceived by one Enzo Ferrari, it was the dominant pre war motorcar and then the post war Grand Prix master. It earned Alfa Romeo the first ever world championships in 1950 and 1951, and gave the legendary Farina and Fangio their first world titles.

The Disco Volantes or 'Flying Saucers' of the early 1950s were truely shocking when first seen, and are still striking designs today 50 years later. This coupe version has a 3.5 litre 6 cylinder engine and can reach 140 mph. Similar cars were raced in the 1953 Mille Miglia where they came close to winning the event. The roadster ,or spider bodied cars, were fractionally slower at 135mph , but the body shape provided less lift than the closed coupe, so they prove to be a more stable car. Only 2 Disco Volante spiders were built, and the one brought to Goodwood is the only one of the pair ever to have been raced.

On the left is the Giulia TZ1. An awesome competitor in the small capacity GT classes

Here is the Giulia TZ2 , described as a baby GTO. Very Light , very noisy and very very fast.

The TZ1 design phase was started in 1959, but a slow gestation period ,because of other commitments meant that the first chassis was delivered to Zagato for the body at the beginning of 1961. Most of the components for the car were taken from the Giulia, with the exceptions of the rear suspension, brakes and wheels. The car was extensively developed both mechanically and aerodynamically before it was finally shown to the the public in 1963. The car made its motorsport debut in October that year at Monza where it won easily, the next year it went on to take class victories at the Sebring 12 hrs, Targa Florio, Coupe des Alpes, and Le Mans.

1964 saw the development of the TZ1 into the TZ2, power was upped from 160 to 170bhp with the introduction of a twin plug engine, a modified chassis and dry sumped engine saw the car lowered, and a new fibreglass body with a low roofline saw the emergence of a very sleek car. The TZ2 debuted in 1965 and went on to compete alongside the TZ1.

Unfortunately the whole project was shelved at the end of '65 to make way for the GTA cars, at the end of the project a total of 112 TZ1's and 12 TZ2's had been built. As such they are very rare and desirable cars and it was a great privilege to see both a TZ1 and TZ2 make their way up the drive at Goodwood

The Museo Storico 3000CM Roadster

2 Disco Volante's a 3000CM and a 159 GP car, not something you will see everyday.

The Alfa Romeo 3000 CM or Competitizione Maggiorata, that's 'Increase Competition' if like me your Italian is not up to scratch, was developed in the early 1950's and was competed by drivers such as the great Fangio in Le Mans, the Mille Miglia and the Supercortemaggiore GP. The car shown above is built around a tubular chassis with a 3.5 litre six cylinder engine producing 275 bhp. Truely a car with Increased Competition!!

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