Miguel Sánchez
HERITAGE HUB PHOTOS: FCA HERITAGE
This 2019 FIAT turns 120 and Abarth 70. If you add to that the long history of Lancia and Alfa Romeo… You have concentrated a large part of the history of Italian motorsport. Imagine the responsibility of taking care of all this legacy! A legacy that until recently was divided between the FIAT Centro Storico in Turin, the Officie Classiche in Abarth and Lancia in Miriafiori and the Alfa Romeo Museum in Milan.
Obviously that supposed a logistical framework that, in one way or another, had to be unified. The solution has come with the inauguration of the ship Heritage hub in Miriafiori. With its 15.000 square meters, a permanent exhibition with more than 250 vehicles, space for temporary exhibitions, the custody of the historical archives and the FCA Heritage workshop.
In short, a living space where you can not only admire a resounding sample of classics through guided tours, but also find spare parts or process the authenticity certifications of FIAT, Lancia, Abarth or Alfa Romeo vehicles. And if that were not enough ... From here the participation of the group's classics in events and competitions will also be managed. A brilliant initiative with which FCA cares for and energizes its legacy. Let's go into Office 81.
OFFICINA 81: A LIVING MUSEUM IN THE HEART OF MIRIAFIORI
The Miriafiori factory is a milestone in FIAT history. Located south of Turin and inaugurated in 1939, Its 2 million square meters house about 12.000 employees with the capacity to assemble up to 1.115 vehicles daily.. Currently, it continues to be a key factory for the FCA group, which has invested 1000 billion euros in it in the last 8 years.
Within this entire complex is the Workshop 81. A 15.000 square meter warehouse inaugurated in 1963 for the manufacture of gears and transmission shafts. Empty for a few years this has been the place chosen for the installation of the FCA Heritage Hub. Beyond centralizing here the offices and workshops in charge of maintaining the classics, the exhibition space plays a leading role.
In the central part we find eight spaces with eight vehicles in each of them. His approach is to be thematic sections from which to highlight aspects such as innovation, records, emblematic sports cars, the history of Italian utility vehicles… From here the sides of the ship add vehicles to more than 250. Only the sum of such emblematic brands as FIAT, Abarth, Lancia and Alfa Romeo could create something like this.
FCA HERITAGE HUB: 8 FUNDAMENTAL SECTIONS
Although the Heritage Hub has just been officially opened, the truth is that it still has a little time to roll at full power. We are waiting for what will be a virtual museum on its website, as well as the temporary exhibitions calendar. All of this promises very juicy, but while we're going to take a telegraphic look at some of the jewels of Office 81.
In the section archistars We are given a tour of the models that most innovated at the time. These include a Lancia Lambda - the first production car with a monocoque chassis - and a Lancia Flavia - the first Italian model with front-wheel drive and four-wheel disc brakes. And by the way, now that the electric ones are more and more common ... The curious X1 / 23 of 1974.
En Epic journeys y Records and Races the sportiest ones are concentrated. Here we have the most amazing Abarths and the legendary rally Lancia. This is joined by such curious examples as the FIAT Campagnola AR51. A robust all-rounder that crossed Africa from Cape Town to Algiers in just 11 days. Also noteworthy is the Lancia Delta Integrale with which Miki Biasion won the Rally Safari. It still has the dent from running over a zebra!
Style Marks is responsible for grouping the models that were icon for their respective brands. It is there where you can find a Stratos, the Fulvia HF1600 from Monte Carlo 1972, the FIAT-Abarth 124 and 131… Spectacular. And in good contrast to other areas such as Small and Safe, where we are offered a tour of the successful urban FIATs and some Lancia from the 30s and 40s.
In short, a non-stop vehicle that we will surely reel off little by little. And is that the FCA Heritage Hub promises itself as a place from which we will get a lot of news.
Pd: For the tranquility of the most Alfistas we have a clarification. Although the maintenance of the classic Alfa Romeo will be coordinated from the Heritage Hub together with those of the other brands of the FCA group, Alfa Romeo will continue to have its full performance. Alfa Romeo Museum in the defunct Arese factory.
