the museum smells of alphas

Today we are talking about a magazine that inherits the Quadrifoglio's past, even though Mario Fontana, the editor of the new Profumo di Alfa magazine, admits that he has never read one. Partly in order to preserve, he explains, a certain independence and not to be influenced by all the mammoth work done by the Quadrifoglio publishing house from the 1970s onwards.

Profumo di Alfa is the new bimonthly magazine for those with Alfa in their hearts and nostrils. The first issue will be out on 15 January 2022, but Fontana has been working on it for a long time - months, years - and doing research.

The cover of the first issue of Profumo di Alfa magazine, to be published on 15 January 2022

A step back. Mario Fontana started out as a journalist in the early nineties and launched and made famous newspapers such as Al Volante and In Sella for Universo Publishing House and then Auto Oggi and Cambio for Mondadori: newspapers created to compete with more prestigious titles, perhaps, but less close to the public.

Al Volante used to be displayed on newsstands among much more specialised magazines ," says Fontana, "which were certainly beautiful to browse through but in my opinion were too far removed from the reader. In fact, Al Volante was a pioneer in its field: we were the first to publish the price list of cars and to use language that was not too specialised, which even enthusiasts with no knowledge of mechanical engineering could understand. Then the other magazines followed".

For Mario Fontana, when telling the story of a car, it is not only the mechanics and design that are important but also the history, the social, cultural and economic context in which it is set. A type of storytelling that, if you think about it, is perfectly in line with the spirit of the Fratelli Cozzi Museum.

Mario Fontana with the Montreal

We were the first in 1998 to put ourselves on the side of readers/consumers and to look at cars with different eyes ," explains Fontana, "trying to meet the needs of enthusiasts, families and anyone who wanted to buy a car. For example, at the time, some magazines used to fill the boot with tennis balls to show how big the car was. But who in real life carries hundreds of tennis balls? So we went to Ikea and tried to load furniture into the boot. I have always experienced our magazines as services to the public.

After all, as Mario proudly explains, Al Volante was a compact magazine: perfect for a woman's handbag. While Auto Oggi, the weekly magazine devoted more to technology, followed the world of motorsport and performance, a magazine more for enthusiasts.

Returning to Profumo di Alfa, the magazine remained in the drawer because of the pandemic, but the idea was born two years ago.

You will never find a detailed technical data sheet in the bimonthly," explains Fontana, " but rather the essence of a car. We want to tell the story of the successes and failures of certain historic models, the mistakes or the great marketing gimmicks, the projects and the stories. We hope to be useful to many people and to evoke great memories".

THE EVENT OF 20 FEBRUARY 2022

The first issue of the magazine Profumo di Alfa will be presented at the Fratelli Cozzi Museum with an event that was initially scheduled for 16 January 2022 but has been postponed to 20 February 2022 .

With Mario Fontana, Massimo and Giuseppe Colombo, there will also be Andrea Cajani from the Portello stable. In addition, there will be the head of the Pink Montecarlo Motorsport/Scuderia del Portello team, with the shocking pink car on display at the Museum and in connection from Belgium the drivers Vanina Icks, Tamara Vidali and Alexandra Gallo.

Participants will be given a copy of the first issue of the magazine!

Buy your ticket with the button below