“Ci si pensa noi.” Translated from Italian to English, it simply means, “We’ll make it.” These were the words uttered in a Milan restaurant by legendary racing car designer Carlo Chiti, over dinner with Alfa Romeo President Giuseppe Luraghi. The year was 1963. Chiti had spent most of the 1950s in the employment of Alfa Romeo, but when their racing department ceased operations as the company focused on mass commercial production, he joined the Scuderia Ferrari. After helping to create the championship winning Ferrari 246 F1 and the 146 Sharknose, he went his own way and founded the short-lived ATS Formula One Racing Team. Now, it looked like a reunion was on the cards. Thanks to the commercial success of the Alfa Romeo siblings the Giulia and the Giulietta, profits were on the rise, but further innovation was desired. Luraghi had poured huge investment in the company’s new Arese assembly plant, where the brand new Giulia TI would be produced. The design team were working on both the prototype Type 105.10 and 105.11, which would have a 1600cc engine mounted on a tubular chassis, developed in collaboration with Zagato. The Type 105.11 hinted at a return to the racing world for Alfa. 100 units were needed to obtain the homologation, but Luraghi was hesitant to involve Alfa directly in the assembly, so he sought out his old employee and friend Chiti. Not long after this Milan dinner, Chiti established a new company, Auto-Delta. Under Chiti’s watch, the 105.11 project was scrutinized, improved and perfected. It scored famous victories at Targa Floria, the Nürburgring 1000 km, and the Les Mans 24 hr. After developing and achieving huge racing success with the TZ and GTA models, Alfa Romeo returned to buy Autodelta, and transformed it into the Alfa Romeo Racing Division.
Courtesy of Girardo & Co. Read more: http://ow.ly/MWJ350z62gq
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