A historical exhibition and at the same time a historical exhibition. The temporary exhibition “The Golden Age of Rally: the great challenge”, officially inaugurated at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, in fact pays homage to the history of the world rally, but at the same time its scope is such as to make it itself a historical event, because it rarely happens to attend in a single complex the review of all the most winning cars of a world championship. A real rally encyclopedia that can be visited in person, which will remain open from October 27th until May 2nd 2023. The opening date is not accidental, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the victory of Gino Macaluso in the 1972 European Championship paired with Raffaele Pinto .
“The Golden Age of Rally” would not have been possible without the contribution of Gino Macaluso Foundation for Historic Cars, which provided almost all of the models on display. It was Gino Macaluso himself who meticulously selected the cars, making sure that they corresponded in all respects to the original technical specifications and that they boasted an extremely important palmares, which was followed by intense philological restoration work in the workshop over the years. Nineteen cars are on display at the MAUTO: BMC Mini Cooper S (1966), Ford Cortina Lotus (1966) Ford Escort RS Miki (1969), Porsche 911 st (1970), Lancia Fulvia Coupè HF 1.6 (1970), Fiat 124 Spider (1971), Alpine Renault A110 (1973), Lancia Stratos (1976), Fiat 131 Abarth GR.4 (1978), Lancia rally 037 (1984), Lancia Delta S4 (1986), Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v (1990), Lancia Delta HF Evolution Safari (1992) Audi quattro (1981), Renault R5 Turbo (1981), Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 (1986), Toyota Celica GT-4 ST165 (1990). For visitors there will also be the opportunity to learn the peculiar history of the Fiat X1 / 9 Abarth, prototype Gino Macaluso collaborated in the development on behalf of the engineer Aurelio Lampredi, with the intention of starting the series production and the homologation process in Group 4. The project was, however, put aside at the end of the 1974 Giro d’Italia..
The exhibition covers a time span that goes from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. The choice is not accidental, as the advent of electronics in modern rallies radically changes the discipline, making it not necessarily better or worse, but different, as a natural consequence of progress. MAUTO therefore sets itself the goal of preserving the historical memory of an unrepeatable period, in which creativity made the difference even more than marginal earnings and where the ingenuity of the protagonists was not obscured by computers. The only outsider in the exhibition is the Fiat Punto S1600 winner of the Sanremo Rally in 2001, spearhead of the racing team founded by Gino to participate in the Junior World Rally Championship. However, “The Golden Age of Rally” is not limited to just the cars, but aims to tell the discipline of rallying at 360 °. There are replicas of the service stations and of the different road surfaces faced by the cars, as well as design drawings, tools, suits and helmets, allowing you to appreciate the evolution of the drivers’ clothing.
The exhibition also inaugurates the redesigned classrooms on the ground floor, normally used for the design area and temporary exhibitions. Along the exhibition path there is a hall of fame, paying tribute to the exploits of champions such as Biasion, Mäkinen, Kankkunen, Mouton, Pinto and Sainz, as well as a room with up to an hour of footage. “The Golden Age of Rally” finally sees the light after having been in the pipeline for a long time since before the pandemic, with MAUTO postponing its opening to be able to reach a wider audience. An audience that can only count on a large participation of the Turinese, relying on the centrality of Turin in the discipline, see the commitments of Lancia, Fiat, Abarth and Martini. “The history of Italian motoring was made in Turin: it was therefore right to start from here with this exhibitionwhich we will then take to other museums around the world“explains Monica Mailander Macalusopresident of the Foundation established with the family in memory of Gino Macaluso. “The exhibition is not intended to be just an exhibition of prestigious cars, but aims to be an in-depth study of the humanistic culture linked to them: the models on display are a harmonious summary of technological innovation, artisan tradition and the beauty of avant-garde design, which is was able to excite and involve entire generations in the last century “. Monica Macaluso underlined the international scope of the exhibition, defining the MAUTO as “Only the first stage”, to pursue the commitment of “Bring out our history”.
Among those present at the inauguration stands out Miki Biasion, world champion 1988 and 1989, as well as the only Italian twice world champion and present in the FIA hall of fame. The very champion from Veneto opened up, trusting that he was rarely as excited as at the sight of the MAUTO exhibition, gathering part of his own life, not only as a driver. Biasion also offered his own personal interpretation of the exhibition, identifying the story of numerous challenges: those between manufacturers, such as Lancia-Audi, Fiat-Peugeot or Lancia-Toyota; the challenge of car manufacturers in obtaining information from rallies to be transferred to products in dealerships; the challenge of southern European pilots to try their hand on dirt, snowy and icy surfaces, while vice versa the Scandinavian actors faced the challenge of special stages on asphalt. An exhibition, according to Biasion, which also highlights how human brains did what today is the competence of computers. The curator of the exhibition echoed the Italian champion, Stefano Macalusowhich highlighted the story of the company through the cars. The victory of the Mini Cooper S at the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally for example, it tells of a clear change, demonstrating that sportiness was not typical of Gran Turismo, but also of small cars born from large series production. A sports motorsport destined to become more and more popular.
Benedetto Cameranapresident of MAUTO, summarized the event as follows: “The Golden Age of Rally exhibition is a rigorous, complete and spectacular celebration of the history of rallies which confirms the commitment and vocation of Mauto in the world of motorsport. This unprecedented exhibition is also an enhancement and a tribute to the competence of the Turin and Piedmontese territory which, in a particularly significant historical period, has been able to express cars and talents capable of reaching the top of the international rankings. Local manufacturers and teams, such as Fiat and Lancia, Abarth and Martini, but also designers such as Gandini, Giugiaro and Pininfarina are the creators of the symbols of an engine epic, which we now have the pleasure of showing to the public. ” Mariella Mengozzi, Director of MAUTO, on the other hand, he underlined the broad scope of the exhibition: “With The Golden Age of Rally, MAUTO confirms its role as an international museum institution: the excellence of the artefacts on display, the creativity and the quality of the installations express a capacity for realization that aligns with the most renowned museums in the world. Let us consider this shows the real starting point of the MAUTO after the pandemic period; our growth strategy is based on the ability to attract the public of the youngest, and motorsport – first of all the rally – is certainly one of the most exciting themes, because it relies on the emotions of the challenges, on the courage, on the personality of its protagonists. A great opportunity not only for MAUTO, but for the whole territory “.
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