Alfa Romeo and the Mille Miglia are two names packed with fascination and legend, both for the prestige of the Brescian race and the epic feats of the drivers and the Portello-built cars on the roads of the unforgettable Italian marathon. No other marque can boast of competing in such a large number Mille Miglias, and especially not of such a series of successful results "collected" by Alfa Romeo in the celebrated Race of the Red Arrow. To tell this long and spectacular story of road racing at its best is the authoritative pen of Andrea Curami, who relives the long and distinguished career of Alfa Romeo at the Mille Miglia, all illustrated by rare archive pictures.

24 editions from 1927 to 1957. 24 races featuring the greatest ever cars and drivers participated in the years either side of the Second World War. This in the briefest of terms is the Mille Miglia, the race par excellence; the marathon that for almost three decades traversed Italy, bringing to the nation’s roads stars of the calibre of Varzi and Nuvolari, Biondetti and Fangio, Ascari, Moss and Taruffi driving for the likes of Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Lancia and Ferrari. The book draws on a wealth of photographic documents, in particular for the post-war editions, from the Novafoto-Sorlini Archive, an important collection featuring the shots taken by the official race photographer, Alberto Sorlini, between 1947 and 1957. Thanks to this previously unpublished and spectacular material, the book evokes an era in which unforgettable chapters in motorsport history were written.

1957: the last Mille Miglia. It was the tragedy of Cavriana, the crash of the Alfonso de Portago-Ed Nelson Ferrari 335S and the 11 bodies on the asphalt that wrote the last page in the story of this fascinating yet dangerous road race. But the 1957 marathon was the most enthralling of them all, enlivened by the contentious battle between the drivers brought together in a single team by Enzo Ferrari and that culminated in victory for Piero Taruffi, who retired from racing after winning the “most beautiful race in the world”. The story of this race is told mile after mile in this book, using the unfolding news of the Brescia-Rome-Brescia marathon, but also the testimonies of the protagonists, behind the scenes happenings, the cars, the men and women. And extraordinary pictures, many previously unpublished. This book is set against a backdrop of Italy in the late ‘50s and an unforgettable era of motor racing. This is the first in a series of books which will tell the stories of all the post war Mille Miglias over the next few years, ranging from the 1947 race to the tragic 1957.

Who has been the world’s greatest driver, and how do you prove it? With an eye for detail and a flair for storytelling, this book explores motor racing’s rich history in pursuit of the best driver the world has ever seen. Most enthusiasts have a strongly held opinion as to racing’s finest driver over the century of the motor car. By putting aside bias and personal opinion, this book’s exhaustively researched, results-based analysis provides a definitive answer through clear and logical evaluation. These carefully considered, significant statistics, when merged together, reveal with incisive objectivity motor sport’s greatest driver as well as the qualities that define greatness. Contentious? Possibly. Thought-provoking? Definitely. Author Angus Dougall captures many aspects of the motor racing world with a selection of revealing anecdotes on the highlights of racing’s biggest stars, together with stories that bring to life people, places, insider’s opinions of drivers, circuits, constructors, politics, insights, and comments on many of the drivers. For readers wishing to peruse the actual detail, there is a vast array of appendices displaying extensive race results lists, charts on driver performance, and car analysis. Motor racing fans, climb on board and hold on for an intriguing ride to the pinnacle of greatness.

First held in 1927, and staged periodically over the next 30 years, the Mille Miglia ("thousand miles") road race was one of the greatest of all motorsport events. It attracted a vast number of entries, from amateur drivers in family cars as well as the great drivers and marques. Published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the last race, this fascinating book recreates the races, the atmosphere, the politics, the technical changes – even the weather and road surfaces.

Having left motor racing in the early 1950s - at least officially - Alfa Romeo returned to the sport once again at the start of the following decade due to the commitment and enthusiasm of Autodelta. This Alfa offshoot distinguished itself by preparing and racing about 30 of the manufacturer's different cars that really did make history. Among them, the Giulia TZ holds a place at the head of the crowd. It had a 1.5-litre, 113 hp engine from the Giulia SS, front and rear suspension of modern conception, disc brakes and an especially bold body shaped by Zagato on a modern tubular chassis. Those were the strong points of this car, which scored results of absolute prestige in its brief career at Sebring, in the Targa Florio, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Tour de France. Vito Witting da Prato, already the author of a meticulously written book on the Alfa Romeo SZ, covers the winning, human, technical and sporting factors of this unforgettable car in a monumental work. A book which, to the precise text and painstaking historical reconstruction, has been added illustrations of previously unpublished pictures and technical designs by Autodelta.