The crazy A.L.F.A. "Siluro Ricotti", (3)

EN - The gorgeous A.L.F.A "Siluro" (meaning "Torpedo" in italian) looks like an imaginary steampunk vehicle, but it was actually built by a small group of visionary men just over a century ago.
This iconic car was based on a A.L.F.A. 40/60 HP chassis; the zeppelin-shaped body was conceived in 1913 by renowned coachbuilder Ercole Castagna and engineer Giuseppe Merosi for Count Marco Ricotti, a rich nobleman from Milan.
Its teardrop shape resulted in a better aerodynamic efficiency than the standard 40/60 HP model: as a consequence it could reach a higher top speed (139 Km/h or 86 mph) than the standard bodied-cars. Because of this, the car was officially named 40/60 HP Aerodinamica.
A couple of years later, count Ricotti had it modified and the roof was partially removed, transforming the Siluro into a sort of convertible: maybe the noise, the heat and the smell of a 6-litres engine located in the cockpit were too much for the Italian count and his friends?
Unfortunately the original car got lost in the following decades, when the body was probably dismantled and scrapped. Some parts were found in the 1970s in a scrapyard; starting from what was left and using the original drawings and pictures, in 1979 Alfa Romeo decided to rebuild the Siluro Ricotti and to display it in the Museum in Arese, where it still rests today.

IT - La magnifica A.L.F.A. "Siluro" sembra un veicolo immaginario uscito da un racconto steampunk, ma in realtà si tratta di un'auto realmente costruita poco più di un secolo fa da un piccolo gruppo di uomini visionari.
Partendo dal telaio di una A.L.F.A. 40/60 HP, il famoso carrozziere Ercole Castagna e l'ingegnere Giuseppe Merosi idearono una forma che richiamava un dirigibile: a commissionare l'opera nel 1913 era stato il conte Marco Ricotti, un ricco nobiluomo milanese.
La particolare forma a goccia permise di ottenere una maggiore efficienza aerodinamica (da cui il nome ufficiale 40/60 HP Aerodinamica) e di conseguenza una velocità massima più elevata (139 Km/h) rispetto ai modelli standard.
Poco più tardi il conte Ricotti fece modificare la vettura, rimuovendo parte del tetto e rendendola una sorta di cabriolet: il rumore, il calore e l'odore di un motore da 6 litri di cilindrata posto direttamente nell'abitacolo erano forse troppo per il conte e i suoi amici?
L'auto originale è sfortunatamente andata perduta nei decenni successivi, quando la carrozzeria fu probabilmente smontata e demolita. Alcune parti del telaio furono ritrovate negli anni '70 presso un autodemolitore: a partire da queste e utilizzando disegni e fotografie dell'epoca, nel 1979 Alfa Romeo decise di ricostruire il SIluro Ricotti e di esporlo nel museo di Arese, dove riposa ancora oggi.

Back to Arese: the reborn Alfa Romeo Museum
(check out all the photos)

Taken in: Italia / Lombardia / Arese (show map)

Taken on: August 1, 2015

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alfa

romeo

lombarda

fabbrica

automobili

steampunk

siluro

ricotti

torpedo

1913

40/60

aerodinamica

aereodinamica

steampunk car

auto

voiture

classic

d'epoca

airship

dirigibile

museo

arese

museum

2015

nikon

d300s

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Camera: Nikon D300S, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, 20mm (=30mm), ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D300S
Lens:	10.0-20.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length:	20mm (35mm equivalent: 30mm)
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	+1 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows
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