Alfa Romeo Swiss Grand Tour: Aigle-Gstaad-Aigle, Pure Driving Pleasure

A delightful route through the mountains, with just a few selected stops and all the engineering thrills of the Alfa Romeo S.Z. With 6 cylinders and 210 HP, this is perfect for discovering the racing spirit of the “Biscione” even off the track

Words Alessandro Giudice

Photography Alessandro Barteletti

Video Andrea Ruggeri

Swiss Grand Tour is a project to discover itineraries driving classic Alfa Romeo cars, in partnership with Astara, the distributor and importer of the Brand in Switzerland.

Canton	Vaud
Route	Aigle-Gstaad-Aigle
Distance	101 km
Travel time	2h 15min
Driving pleasure	5/5
Panorama	4/5

The appointment was at Aigle Castle, standing on a slight hill surrounded by vineyards. Driving up towards it, the last 100 metres of a narrow road are lined by high, plastered bastions, that makes you feel as if you're driving between two walls of snow. It was a bright day, the blue sky and the red object shining ahead after the last bend looked more like a space ship than a car. This is thanks to its extraordinary clean lines and volumes and smooth, polished shapes; the large windows that blend into the shiny black roof make it seem more like an airplane cockpit than a passenger compartment.

[click to watch the video]

(Map by Sansai Zappini)

The Alfa Romeo S.Z. still manages to catch your eye today, 36 years after it was launched, demonstrating that originality and genius withstand the time of all styles and fashions. A prerogative of Zagato, who has always signed his special cars with that unmistakeable touch of personality: “who dares wins”. And the S.Z. remains part of this tradition. It looks like an aerodynamic study, and at the time divided Alfa fans between those who criticised it and those who loved it unconditionally. Like Daniel Imhof, who has owned one for 18 years, and has turned his passion into his life’s work, with a workshop in Bex (in Route des Tioleires 3, just in case you want to drop in), which works only on Alfa Romeos, whether modern or vintage, road or racing models.

He met us in Aigle with his magnificent S.Z. ready for a spin, sixty or so miles of pure adrenalin following a ring around the slopes of the Vaud Prealps. The start and end of the route was Aigle, the capital of a district renowned for its wine-making traditions, expressed by a famous, fragrant dry white and the vineyards that surround the town for miles. In addition to the historical centre, with its characteristic Rue de Jérusalem, and the bike racing track, which is also home to the International Cycling Union, the world’s sports cycling body, the medieval castle is the most interesting site in the town. Inside, the Wine Museum narrates the age-old local culture with exhibitions, objects and artefacts. We took the main road no. 11, a major road that runs east to Wassen, even though we would take a turn off way before there.

Right from the first bends, as the road climbed upwards, we realised that the route was a funfair for the S.Z. You could hear the 6-cylinder engine roar in different tones with each gear change, and feel the way it followed the bends along the road: safe, precise, without any jerks or rolling. Following in a hybrid Junior, the road was a bit tougher for us, even though the dynamic attitude of the new Alfa crossover is a pleasant surprise in terms of set-up and stability, especially when braking..

The climb from 436 metres a.s.l. in Aigle to 1445 metres at the first mountain pass, Col des Mosses, is just over 10 miles. But beware: this beautiful stretch of road is also a favourite with motorcyclists, who often come in large groups, so take care, especially near the bends.

Over the pass, we descended towards Chatêau d’Oex and Rougemont, an area that, due to its microclimate and lack of wind, has become a paradise for hot air balloons (there is even a museum devoted to them in Chatêau d’Oex), and trips are possible all year round. This is the Pays-d’Enhaut district, the holiday place-to-be in the Canton Vaud and the nearby Bernese Highlands. A few miles from the two towns lies Rossinière, a village with 500 inhabitants renowned for the artistic façades of its wooden houses, and is well worth the detour. One of these houses is the impressive Grand Chalet (5 floors and 113 windows), originally used to age the traditional Etivaz DOP cheese for which the area is famous, but later in 1977 bought by the painter Balthus, who lived here for a long time. And if you like chalets, another place to see is Saanen, where many of them nestle in a large plain among the meadows and along the road.

Here we were already in the Canton of Bern, where we turned off the main road to the right, towards Gstaad, the most famous and elegant hamlet in Saanen. Here, what immediately catches the eye is the Gstaad Palace, the 5-star hotel that dominates the town from above like a castle. Built in 1913, since then it has welcomed the international jet set, who satisfy their desire for high-quality shopping in the cosmopolitan boutiques and local luxury brands. And chalets are also the most representative and exclusive architecture in the pedestrian town centre, whether private homes, stores and hotels, many of which have spas, the quality of which has made this mountain town a point of reference for the whole country.

After some luxury pampering, driving pleasure still had to wait, because, however straight, the road to Ormont-Dessus demands a stop at the start of the cable car leading to Glacier 3000: a spectacular, magical place at the foot of the glacier, with an amazing view of the over-4000 metre peaks that surround it. But the S.Z. called, and Daniel answered. When we reached Ormont-Dessus, we could have chosen to back-track and return to Aigle along the same road. But instead, we reached the cable car to Les Diablerets and headed up to Col de la Croix at 1778 metres. The road here was less busy and much narrower: it took around forty minutes to cover the 10 miles and 5/6 bends to Villars-sur-Ollon, and put the pressure on both the Alfa Romeo and its driver. Who got out of the car, ready for a coffee but with a big smile on his face: “For me, Alfa Romeo means performance, beauty and sound, and these are the ideal roads for a car like the S.Z.. Pure emotion, mile after mile”.

The last stretch of road descends towards the pretty town of Ollon, where our roads separated. As Daniel Imhof took his red coupé back to the workshop in nearby Bex to relax after the ups and downs of the Vaud mountains, and we returned to Aigle: twenty or so miles separated us from a glass of fragrant, dry white wine gifted to us by the vines that shine more than ever in the sunset.

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THE COLLECTOR: Daniel Imhof

I’ve been mad about cars since I was a child. When I was 15, I began an apprenticeship as a mechanic. But I wasn't interested in all cars, just Alfa Romeos. At that time, in the Seventies, Alfas were unique. They had aluminium engines, double overhead camshaft, and 130 HP when their competitors stopped at 80: it was a different world. As soon as I finished my apprenticeship I went to work for Alfa Romeo. From that day I was able to live the dream, every day, with the brand I loved. A few years later I set up my own firm and since then have always worked with Alfa Romeos. My clients are wonderful, all true enthusiasts. Some come from far away just to have the carburettors tuned or some other special job. I take care of every mechanical detail. It’s an all-consuming passion.

Anyone who has an Alfa Romeo likes to drive it like a sportsman, and although I’ve never been a professional, I’ve been taking part in track events for over forty years, just for the pleasure of driving. Of all my Alfa Romeos, the S.Z. has a special place in my heart. It has a legendary, slightly larger 3-litre V6 engine, height-adjustable suspensions and holds the road like a dream. Driving pleasure at its best. Once there was a slogan: “Alfa Romeo thrills the road.” For me, not just the road but the spirit too. It’s pure emotion with the S.Z. For me, Alfa Romeo means performance, beauty and sound.