"Because the cars designed by Zagato were not only winning, but, above all, they were - and still are - beautiful, for some people the most beautiful ever. Not for nothing, Zagato's DNA lies in sporty elegance or what has been called Necessary Beauty in Alfa Romeo".

Honored, happy, excited to take part in the "most beautiful race in the world" thanks to two names that are part of our DNA: Alfa Romeo and Zagato.

Our Elisabetta Cozzi takes part on board the 1989Alfa Romeo S.Z. with the number 801, completing the selection of the third generation of Zagato Contemporary cars, produced in a very limited edition and never seen together. The cars will compete in the race, racing the 1000 Miglia together with the vintage cars, sharing the same program, albeit with a separate ranking.

The race, which set off from Brescia on 15 May, will return to the city on Saturday 18 May, after stops in Milano Marittima, Rome and Bologna. "It isa novelty that opens up new horizons for the race organised by 1000 Miglia Srl which, in addition to celebrating the Zagato Centenary ," reads the press release, "offers the opportunity to present the public with a never-before-seen Travelling Collection, featuring some of the world's motoring masterpieces. ”

   

Taking part in the 1000Miglia means being part of motoring history. A history that renews and amplifies its charm, edition after edition. This is told by the numbers that, also in 2019, demonstrate the love for Alfa Romeo. 430 vintage cars of extraordinary historical, technical and sporting value 71 manufacturers 4 stages: from Brescia to Cervia-Milano Marittima, from Cervia-Milano Marittima to Rome, from Rome to Bologna and then from Bologna to Brescia. 5 cars belonging to the Military category, driven by representatives of the Italian Armed Forces (present for the 6th consecutive year) 130 modern cars for the side events: Zagato 100, Ferrari Tribute to 1000 Miglia and Mercedes Benz 1000 Miglia Challenge. 425 crews registered 32 countries from all 5 continents. 98 cars that have participated in at least one of the 24 editions of the 1000 Miglia race held from 1927 to 1957. The most represented country continues to be Italy with 36% of participants admitted. The Netherlands is in second place with 15% of those accepted, followed by Germany (10%) and the United Kingdom (9%). The most represented brand will be Alfa Romeo with 39 cars, followed by Jaguar with 36, Fiat with 31 and Mercedes-Benz and Lancia with 29 each.

A special thanks goes to Zagato, which gave us the opportunity to participate in "Zagato 100", an event created to celebrate the first 100 years of the company founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919.

A story to know

Among the creations of Ugo Zagato, who founded the company in 1919, and his son Elio, there are authentic masterpieces that wrote some of the most glorious pages in the history of the Brescia race: from the very elegant Alfa Romeo 6C Gran Sport of the 1920s - which triumphed with Giuseppe Campari in 1927 and 1928 and with Tazio Nuvolari in 1930 - to the magnificent "double bubble" Gran Turismo of the 1950s, such as the Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ or the FIAT 8V berlinetta, which dominated their category.

From the very beginning, the 1000 Miglia has been part of Zagato's heritage, and its special bodies have always shared its values. Now in the third generation of the founder's family, with Andrea and Marella, this year the Milanese Atelier celebrates its first 100 years.

1000Miles of history

Over the last few decades, there have been numerous reconstructions, more or less faithful, of how the extraordinary epic of what would later be known as "the most beautiful race in the world" began. The best known and obviously reliable version is undoubtedly the one written by one of the founders, Giovanni Canestrini, in his famous book "Mille Miglia" published in 1967. In these pages - also taken up by Giovannino Lurani in the equally famous "The history of the Mille Miglia", in 1979 - the memorable episode occurred on December 2, 1926 is described, the day now officially recognized as the date of birth of the Mille Miglia. Canestrini, with his style tinged with a pinch of ill-concealed irony, tells of the arrival at his home in Milan in Via Bonaventura Cavalieri of the group of Brescians made up of Franco Mazzotti, Aymo Maggi, Renzo Castagneto, (the other three "musketeers") and his friend Flaminio Monti. The rest of the story is now legend, until Franco Mazzotti says the fateful words: "Coppa delle Mille Miglia". Giovanni Canestrini's chronicle, although close to the facts, is partial and conditioned both by the desire not to awaken ancient controversies and by the period in which he writes, a little more than two decades after the tragic events that saw the end of the fascist regime, after the World War. A reading of a similar article by Canestrini himself, published in the "single issue" of the 1930 Mille Miglia, although it does not alter in the slightest the narrative of the events carried out thirty-seven years later, offers a more complex vision - and more in keeping with the reality of the time - of how events really unfolded in that late autumn of 1926. In order to better understand how that meeting in the Canestrini house came about, we have to go back in time a few years, just after the First World War.