Please feel free to submit your questions, comments, remembrances and suggestions to me using the "Guestbook" button below.
It has been my sincere pleasure to share the Autodelta and Carlo Chiti history with all of you around the Alfa world.
Please stop back often as I update the site with new and even more interesting materials coming from interesting people who wish to share their part of the Autodelta history with all of us.....
Robert Little
New York
The 500 Kilometers of Imola, Circuit Dino Ferrari, Summer 1972.
name: Claudy Schmitz email: autodeltat33@gmail.com Home Page: City: Sainte-Ode State: Country: Belgium comments: Fantastics !!!, i look after picture like that since a long time. Thank to you so much... time: 2014-02-16 07:04:49
name: Pierre V email: Home Page: City: State: Country: Sweden comments: Truly awesome pictures and story!!!
Thanks again for sharing!
Regards Pierre time: 2014-02-20 10:51:47
name: Victor Cerami email: NYAROC@gmail.com Home Page: www.NYAROC.com City: Oceanside, LI State: New York Country: USA comments: Thanks for the announcement and link to your amazing Autodelta files. Wonderful pictures and great memories!
time: 2014-02-20 12:24:24
name: Wille R. email: veloce@telia.com Home Page: www.duettoregister. com City: State: Country: comments: Really nice, thanks for sharing. Wille
time: 2014-02-21 03:44:00
name: Brian Shorey email: bshorey@yahoo.com Home Page: www.shorey.net City: Gilroy State: Ca Country: USA comments: Wow! Amazing pictures, thanks so much for posting them, and the stories with them. time: 2014-02-21 20:09:11
name: U. Zensen email: zensen@muenster.de Home Page: City: Münster State: Country: Germany comments: Thank you very much for the great article about Autodelta,the pictures are stunning. Funny enough, the Autodelta buildings are still in existance and look quite similar today (from the outside) time: 2014-02-21 15:50:37
name: Barry Edmunds email: giulia105@optusnet.com.au Home Page: 24 Alec Crescent City: Fawkner State: Victoria Country: 3060 comments: Thanks very much for preserving and then passing on the history and those wonderful photographs of a great era and a great man. time: 2014-02-24 20:37:38
name: Romeo Gross email: info@romeogross-fotograf.ch Home Page: www.giulia-tz.com City: Grüningen State: Zürich Country: Switzerland comments: Can`t believe it. Fantastic pictures. You`re a lucky man, took part at the right time with a great racing Team. Keep up the good work. time: 2014-02-25 09:32:44
name: Max Pershyn email: Max.pershyn@gmail.com Home Page: City: Calgary State: Country: Canada comments: The materials are perfect! Thank you very much for sharing. Great time and great people! time: 2014-02-26 12:15:15
name: Thom Fransen email: t.fransen@alleggerita.nl Home Page: City: Helden State: Country: Netherlands comments: Thank you very much for sharing your lovely pictures of Alfa's aladins cave. Looking foreward too the next episodes. Thom time: 2014-02-26 14:50:39
name: Carl R. Davis email: carl750@sandprairie.net Home Page: City: Galena State: IL Country: USA comments: Enlightening and well written. time: 2014-02-27 11:50:46
Hi Robert
Your account of your time at Autodelta and a very special insight into it's workings is simply "fantastico"! I have saved the pages (can't remember when I did that previously with any others) and will read and re-read them. Thank you very much.
Les Singh, Wellington, New Zealand
Robert, thank you so much for sharing your Autodelta experience. I am really looking forward to the installments.
Eric, thanks for the reminder.
Bob, I read everything on your website last night! Any way to make the print bigger? My eyes were feeling the strain. You had the job that so many of us would wish we could have working in a kind of a "skunk works" developing some of the most famous races cars in history. I was fascinated to read about the racing developments of Ing. Chiti. Wasn't there a Brabham that he was involved with that used a fan as a way of creating down force, and could the be attributed to his genius creativity? Christopher Boles
name: Bruce Sharer email: rbsharer@aol.com Home Page: City: Raleigh State: NC Country: USA comments: Marvelous - I'm sorry that I missed out on experiencing that era. Your work helps make up for that void.
time: 2014-03-04 16:35:57
Anonomous: Oh my god Robert, had to click and scan through the site…was about to go to bed but had to read just a little J
It’s just amazing to see those pictures and you can almost smell the petrol and oil and it’s just as you can (but not) reach out and touch the cars and touch the “atmosphere” in the garage…
What a treat to sleep in that trailer, absolutely fantastic picture, love it! And of course as a swede it also “hit” me when I saw the picture of Jo Bonnier…
Thank YOU!
Will be interesting to see how next part can be better than this first part! J But I guess you have a couple of aces up your sleeve…
Hi Rob,
I just wanted to say how wonderful your first Autodelta article is... A real treasure trove, I wait with much anticipation for the next instalment. Thank you so much for making this information publicly available.
Kind regards,
Max Banks
Bob,
Just my many thanks for sharing photos (in colour) from a golden era in my opinion! I am so interested to see the next set of photos since they are just excellent so far!
Carlo
name: Giovanni Gracci email: Home Page: City: State: Country: comments: I was only 7 years old in '72 but your photos bring back memories of time spent with my Papa at the races and the time we had at home playing with AFX slot cars of the same racing class!
Keep up the good work
time: 2014-03-07 20:42:45
name: Sten K Ljungquist email: sten.ljungquist@gmail.com Home Page: City: State: Country: Sweden comments: Highly intresting of an bygone era and wonderful pictures to match the story. Thank you so much for sharing. time: 2014-03-12 04:15:14
name: David Atkins email: bargaitalia@yahoo.co.uk Home Page: City: Nuneaton State: Warwickshire Country: England comments: I have a Autodelta Giulietta Turbodelta one of only 361 and the only one in the UK
time: 2014-03-12 13:40:10
Hello Mr. Little,
Superb, your second part. We could really imagine the "ambiance" in the workshop of Settimo
Thanks again
Claudy
As the owner of a fully restored 74 GTV,the last one imported into the US,I appreciate you posting these very interesting photos. Thanks for posting these photos.
Just a quick note to say how delighted I am to read your notes on this great man. I appreciate you making these memories available to all of us Alfisti.
Greg Modelle
I am happy witnessing the success of the Autodelta story. To be honest, I am not surprised too much as it is a beautifully composed piece indeed!
Vladimir
name: Alex Lynn email: alexl@iinet.net.au Home Page: City: Perth State: WA Country: Australia comments: My brother directed me to this site. The photos are fantastic and so is your story. Thank you for sharing! I managed to visit Museo Storico Alfa Romeo back in 2010, and was lucky enough to not get caught venturing into barricaded areas hiding all sorts of machines. I'm sure I would have seen a few cars and engines right from the AutoDelta shop.
Cheers. time: 2014-03-18 01:05:14
Dear Robert,
let me introduce myself: I am an Alfa Romeo enthusiast from Budapest / Hungary, and all I wanted to say is ... thank you VERY much for your insider series on Autodelta!
I can only congratulate to both textual and photographic material you are sharing with us, and I can only express and transmit a million thanks also from my colleague whom with we own together a small workshop specialized on Alfa restorations . I also have to admit that we envy you quite much for being the lucky one that you could be part of the show ...
I always wanted to make a time machine so I could talk to Mr Chiti in person as I always thought he must have been a great person, and special thanks goes to you also for the part where you remember about him !
Some words on us: besides making project cars and restoring customer's cars, we also have our own "loved ones", a black Montreal and a black Alfetta (if you have some time and visit our page, you'll find some nice pics I hope).
We were in Monza last year in September at the celebration of Autodelta's 50th anniversary, and I still hear engine roar and smell as I read your lines, which are nicely extending the experience now.
Thank you very much, and eagerly waiting for the 3rd part!
Wishing best regards and good health
Peter
name: Paul Bayly email: dabaylys@bigpond.net.au Home Page: City: Medowie State: NSW Country: Australia comments: Wow,what a wonderful site! many many thanks for sharing this with the world. An era that will not and cannot be replicated. time: 2014-03-19 03:38:37
name: Marco Pestana email: squadraalfaromeomadeira@gmail.com Home Page: www.SquadraAlfaRomeoMadeira.blogspot.pt City: Ponta do Sol State: Madeira Island Country: Portugal comments: Amazing ! Thank you for all important and fantastic information, about one " Sant Graal " Alfisti, after II WW, the Autodelta and Carlo Chiti. grazie ! Viva Alfa Romeo !
I've really been enjoying your "Inside the Walls" series. Thanks for sharing it with us. There is something about the late '60s/early '70s that seems magical. I sometimes wonder if that might not have been the golden age for sports and racing cars. I'm an aerodynamicist, and I got especially excited when I saw the picture of the model shop with the wind tunnel models. I'm curious, did you get any pictures of the wind tunnel?
Regards,
R.W.
Dear Mr. Little,
I enjoyed very much your series of photos inside Autodelta. I am fascinated by the inner workings of most race shops and organizations but Autodelta holds a special interest for me. I own and vintage race a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce and have been an Alfa fan since the 70's.
You are very fortunate to have been able to turn your passion into a career. I envy your experiences with the team and like to fantasize that under different circumstances I would have done the same.
Knowing and working for Carlo Chiti must have been an enlightening experience. Interesting to note that most great things are accomplished by singular great men.
I look forward to your next series of photos.
Thank you,
Joe L.
name: Pedro Marques email: pereira.marques@clix.pt Home Page: City: Lisboa State: Lisboa Country: Portugal comments: WOW Robert. Thank you so much for your effort. time: 2014-03-21 13:55:05
name: Niclas Påhlsson email: niclas72@hotmail.com Home Page: City: Skanör State: Country: Sweden comments: Hi Robert! Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures and stories. Best regards Niclas Duetto 1300 + Berlina 1750 time: 2014-03-23 02:40:50
Dear Robert,
I,ve just read Part two. Fantastic and with very very beautiful photos.
Terrific the models and the work of Mr Bordoni. Particular fellow the man who biult the exhaust manifolds!!!!!
complimenti, bellissimo lavoro in ricordo di Chiti e di Autodelta, thank you, Renzo
see you on 1000Miglia!!!!
name: dario Callegher email: dario.callegher@me.com Home Page: City: miami beach State: FL Country: United States comments: great memories of my childhood on your pictures... i remember all those men that worked with my father, amazing people!!! thank you for sharing D
Dear ,
You have a new entry in your GuestBook! You may view the contents of the entry below:
name: Luca email: Home Page: City: Rome State: Country: Italy comments: congratulations for the article. it really is a shame to see a piece of automotive history that dies so :( time: 2014-03-24 20:41:30
name: Adriano Dimauro email: age222@hotmail.com Home Page: City: Melbourne State: Victoria Country: Australia comments: AWESOME!!!!!! Theres nothing like seeing brand new pics :-) Excellent stuff! Im imagining having the "infirmaria" as my bedroom in 1972, no chance id sleep.......too many Autodelta beasts would talking to me! Looking forward to the next install time: 2014-03-26 06:10:50
name: Bill Way email: bill@billway.us Home Page: City: New York State: NY Country: USA comments: Beautiful job, especially the treatment of Ing. Chiti.
Bravo.
WW time: 2014-03-29 13:04:30
name: Bill and Patrick Byrne email: Home Page: City: State: Country: USA comments: Robert- Please accept out sincere gratitude and appreciation for your diligent preservation and sharing of this priceless history. Many thanks, Bill and Patrick Byrne (Father and Son, Alfa collectors and racers) time: 2014-04-01 13:00:37
name: Hannelore Nehme "montigirl521" email: hdn-alfamontreal@t-online.de Home Page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74918552@N08/ City: Hann. Muenden State: Country: Germany comments: Thank you VERY much for this interesting page !!! Wonderful to see this hidden photos, I am looking forward to the next level ! Well done ... :-)) Forza Alfa (OO==V==OO) Hannelore time: 2014-04-07 03:14:36
name: Phil Hehir email: phil@hehir.co.nz Home Page: City: State: Country: New Zealand comments: Fantastic to see such memories and a wonderful gift you have provided with your pictures, comments and personal history. time: 2014-04-06 22:21:51
"Inside the Walls" is so relevant to me personally: I visited them in 1978 in order to buy some cams for my Alfetta GTV2000, I entered the gate where those guys were sitting for a group portrait (shown in Part One), and saw nothing but walls everywhere. All technical activity was shielded by internal walls. I finally talked to their chief technician in an office. I would have loved to have a tour on their premises, but not to happen! Today factories have a very different approach to public relations!
name: Emmanuel Ziino email: eziino@showtech.com.au Home Page: City: Sydney State: NSW Country: Australia comments: Thank you for sharing - this is why the ALFA spirit lives on! The history, the passion and the connection between people from all over the world. Thanks again. time: 2014-04-16 03:15:07
name: Don Black email: italmotion1@comcast.net Home Page: italmotion.com (being rebuilt) City: Ft Myers State: FL Country: USA comments: Bob, Having been a small part of this history, I can understand the effort you have put into your work. Nostalgia is a very powerful form of energy, in that it re-energizes old memories such as mine in a manner almost therapeutic. You have returned some youth to my 80 yr old grey matter. For that, I thank you. I am sure that all of my "Meneghini" and "Areseini" colleagues thank you also, for your wonderful time machine.
name: Olaf Roeten a.k.a. Zagato_Olaf email: olafroeten@cs.com Home Page: City: Bussum State: Country: The Netherlands comments: Dear Robert,
What a magnificent story with great pictures! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Cheers! Olaf Roeten a.k.a. Zagato_Olaf time: 2014-04-26 07:00:00
name: Martin Kapp email: martin.kapp@kapp-coburg.de Home Page: City: Coburg State: Country: Germany comments: Robert, great pictures! I envie you for this interesting times. Thank for sharing these rare photos. I restore the Alfa Mille Bartoletti transporter and some photos could help me to get some details right. Please email me, thanks. time: 2014-04-29 13:33:40
And I just wanted to tell you what a great story this has become. I found the first part rich on facts and details, and now this last chapter, where you take us through the Targa Florio race in 1972, both exciting and humorous. You are a great storyteller, Robert, and on behalf of all the Alfisti in Norway, I would take this opportunity to thank you so much for your fantastic contribution to our magazine. I hope you will enjoy our interpretation of your story, when you receive your copy of the magazine towards the end of June.
Best regards
Ole Petter
name: Jordi VAQUER NAUDI email: info@step2.cat Home Page: http://www.step2.cat City: FIGUERES State: GIRONA Country: CATALUNYA (Spain) comments: Alfa: the first car I can remember when I was kid in street version (6C) and some time later in a racing version in Montjuïch(TZ Tubolare). Great job! Thanks to share with us. time: 2014-05-31 12:51:45
I came across your web site today by chance and was very pleasently surpised! Great photos and history about your time with Autodelta. I have been to Settimo many times as I live not far away and have visited the Alfa Romeo archives a number of times recently too as part of my research into the Trofeo Alfasud race series for writing a book. I went to visit "Dorino" Zeccoli a few weeks ago as well - great guy even at 85 years of age!
Any information would be very helpful. Complimenti again for what you have made public.
Ciao! I am a devoted Alfista from Sydney, Australia, and amazed at your beautiful pictures of life inside the walls of the hallowed Autodelta. I have dreamed of such pictures and only just tonight seen them for the first time. Bellissima! I wonder is it possible to buy print copies of these pictures?! I would love to hear from you! Kind Regards, Jonathan
Read all this and remember the great days of Motor racing....This will never come back and let us give those who died for the love of the sport a few minutes of our thoughts. Thank you for sharing this Robert Little!
name: Marco email: Home Page: City: State: Country: Germany comments: Thank you .... it was for me like christmas and birthday together.. sincerly from an true ALFISTI !!! time: 2014-06-28 05:56:20
name: Mel kaminski email: Melkaminski@hotmail.com Home Page: Melkaminski@hotmail.com City: Nanaimo State: British columbia Country: Canada comments: This means so much to all of us you can tell by the response , well done! time: 2014-06-21 18:59:56
Wow, Bob -- the pictures and stories on your site are absolutely fantastic! What a treasure trove of information!!!
__________________ Ruedi
: Clap:: Clap:: Clap:
Anonomous
name: Will Grime email: bigwill@btinternet.com Home Page: City: Dubai/Kelso State: Country: UAE/Scotland comments: Such an amazing collections of pictures and descriptions; I am truly grateful to you for posting them all. I visited Autodelta in 1986 and was treated with great courtesy and generosity. Sig. Chiti showed me the V10 engine that he was developing at the time, and was extremely generous with his time. Happy memories! time: 2014-07-23 08:05:29
Hi Robert,
You have a great site filled with interesting material, thank you for sharing all of it.
I love the part about you falling asleep in the cars, sounds like something I would have done! What an opportunity you earned, thank you for sharing.
Please let me know if you would like to share a shortened version of your "Inside the Walls" story on my site, I think it would be a great and fitting addition that people would enjoy.
name: Pablo Rivas email: privas@hotmail.it Home Page: City: Milan State: Country: Italy comments: Robert: Ho avuto l'onore di parlare con lei a Brescia alla partenza della Mille Miglia 2014 e la ringrazio immensamente per condividere con gli appassionati del "biscione" questi racconti e fotografie incredibili. Grazie infinite. time: 2014-08-31 14:53:24
I have already read your Autodelta story many times. Thanks a lot for sharing all the memorys and pictures. I wish I could have been there in those years.
-Niclas
name: Elvira Ruocco email: Home Page: City: State: Country: Italy comments: Dear Mr. Little, Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures and memories. Thank you very much. time: 2014-09-20 16:37:53
name: Ing. Giovanni Mariani email: g.mariani@etaengine.it Home Page: City: Settimo Milanese State: Country: Italy comments: What an emotion going through your story and your pictures! I'm running an engine design&development Company and also the CR&S speciality motorbike company here in Settimo Milanese, via Galvani, 200 meters from the corner of the Autodelta building. Every time I drive from via Fermi my thoughts go to the Chiti's engines vailing in the test cells inside Autodelta. With collegues and friends we will try to get the old Autodelta factory and to have again engines built there in the tradition of such a glorious heritage....if we will be successful we will certainly be in touch with you. For now, thanks again for the beautiful and moving story..... "SOME" Italians (certainly not living in Turin)DO NOT forget their past!!!! time: 2014-10-08 13:00:22
Robert:
It is an honor for me to know that a story like Autodelta, which still interests many people, have people like you who try to do not forget. I am Argentine, but, i live in Milano since over 20 years and, maybe as you know, the history of Alfa Romeo is always connected to the two countries and especially very strong in Milano. Sincer a long time i follow racing and classic car events and, every so often I write for a Argentineblog called Retrovisiones, created by true lovers of the “Biscione”, while some of them have been involved with the MM with cars of the “ Museo storico”. I hope you have more things to tell of the fabulous Autodelta years and the great hope that we are in Brescia next year.
Cordiali saluti
Pablo
name: DAVID RODRIGUEZ SANCHEZ
email: drodriguezs@terra.com Home Page: City: Madrid State: Country: Spain comments: Sir, thanks for this fabulous informations. The site is such a joy. Sorry me asking, did you ever see at Carlo Chiti's office, hanging on a wall or anywhere else, Franco Scaglione drawings for the Alfa 33 Stradale? Those have been never openly seen. Thanks a lot! d.
time: 2014-11-11 06:57:28
name: gabriele matta email: ilmago234@gmail.com Home Page: City: monza State: lombardia Country: italy comments: hello from italy,absolutely great page and great pics,autodelta is my passion from my chlidhooldmy partner is mariagrazia facetti daughter of carlo facetti alfas driver in the 60s and 70s she said thx too for great site hope you have more pics thx for share time: 2014-11-29 12:46:18
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