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Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale Rendered as a Modern Mille Miglia Road Racer

Germany has the Nurburgring, France is home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Italy boasts a racing circuit known as the Temple of Speed thanks to records such as the 231.523 miles per hour (372.6 kph) hit by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2005. The Italian Republic has also given us the Mille Miglia, one of the most grueling open-road endurance races and an exciting event during its glory days.
Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study) 14 photos
Photo: Iago Valiño on Behance
Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)Alfa Romeo Duetto Stradale rendering (Mille Miglia barchetta road racer design study)
Inaugurated in 1927 then folded in 1957 after two fatal crashes, Alfa Romeo is the undisputed leader of the 1,000-mile event. The Italian automaker won 11 races out of 24 in total, more than Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz.

Even though Mille Miglia is a shadow of its former self since 1977 because it’s since morphed into a regularity race, the romanticism surrounding the 1927 to 1957 era soldiers on. Alfa Romeo itself often mentions the round trip from Brescia to Rome in marketing materials, and why wouldn’t it? After all, it’s motorsport legacy.

Many of the cars that participated in the original run of the Mille Miglia were open-top roadsters with seating for two, and this gets to the Duetto Stradale in the photo gallery. A rendering that comes courtesy of pixel manipulator Iago Valiño, the barchetta design study “was an introductory project to surface modeling in Autodesk Alias” according to the Spanish transportation design student.

In addition to the striking looks and the divider between the driver and passenger, the main air intakes are integrated into the faired-in headrests. Indeed, this is a mid-engine and rear-wheel-drive design with the four-cylinder turbo engine of the Alfa Romeo 4C sports car. The silver part of the rear deck is actually a trunk, suitable for only a backpack and driving gloves according to the rendering’s creator.

Given how light the 4C is, an all-carbon body shell and tub for the Duetto Stradale should translate to a curb weight of less than one metric ton. The 4C, for reference, tips the scales at 895 kilograms (1,973 pounds; dry weight) while the spider is a little heavier at 940 kilograms (2,072 pounds; also the dry weight rating).

Because of the health crisis, the board of directors of the Mille Miglia has agreed to postpone the 2020 edition to Thursday the 22nd to Sunday the 25th of October. “The people’s health comes first and, in the hope of the best and quickest solution for this unprecedented situation, we all have the responsibility to participate in the collective effort underway,” said Aldo Bonomi, head of the Automobile Club of Brescia that currently owns the trademark logo of the race.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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