Daniele (lanzidany)

First of all, thanks to the guys from Mitoblog and Alfa Romeo who are letting us enjoy some unforgettable experiences!

The day started early in the company of the legendary driver, and then with getting to know the other guys who would be sharing this adventure with me. We get in the car but we don’t know where we’re headed (no one wants to tell us); we get to the Balocco motorway exit and everything’s clearer. With the paperwork for getting into the track out of the way, we go in and stop on a stretch reserved just for the Mito; she’s there, black, with 17 inch wheels, a few stripes on the bodywork, waiting for us with Philippe Krief (who needs no further introduction)!

Seen in real life she’s amazing: definitely a high impact car and very beautiful to see… I don’t have any further doubts – it’s an excellent job from an aesthetic point of view!

Topic of the day is the suspension; a very delicate subject for the Mito – there have been a lot of criticisms of it saying that it’s not up to Alfa standards! I won’t go into the technical descriptions – I’ll let the video with Philippe Krief do the talking – but I can tell you that they’ve done an inspiring job: you can’t begin to imagine what you can do in this car without much difficulty! It doesn’t slip on the bend, you can push her as far as you like but she stays glued to the tarmac (and it wasn’t always nice and smooth – there were loads of patchy stretches with a lot of holes)!

The day then continued at the Arese Museum: it’s impossible to describe the emotions you feel when you see the cars that have made modern motoring history and hear stories from people who love this brand!
As of today, I’m even more of an ‘Alfista’.

P.S. I didn’t meet Greta, but Fernanda isn’t bad at all (looks count too).

lanzidany

Luca (seneca)

Hi guys, sorry for being a day late but yesterday I had to devote the entire day to my better half, especially after I told her she had been defended by the legendary MiTo team so that I’m not allowed to spend too much time on the computer… yeah, well done. (But anyway I’ve managed to leave the odd message on the sly;-P)

Okay, okay, I’ll get on with the story of my day… hi to all the guys… WHAT A STORY!

Daniele??? I reckon you were waiting for a call…

Here’s how a little dream comes true – the long expected call from the MiTo team had arrived, but only after I’d noticed that sentence would also have meant perfection - the trip organized down to the last detail, pick-up at the station, and then her – a perfect car – which I now call “THE CAR”, THE MiTo.

We get to Balocco and you can already breathe excitement in the air. We go into the legendary track as if we really were ‘special ones’ and finally we can pay all our attention to that 4-wheeled jewel, technology and aesthetics together in the best ways possible to create a unique vehicle.

The great Philippe Krief explains the details of the day’s topic to us – the suspension – and manages to be easily understood despite the highly technical language – he’s a real master. And then he’s off, Krief, a myth in a MiTo. In a few laps he gives us a taste of the car’s full potential without leaving behind the comfort level that’s been created despite it being a sports car. Supercar shivers...Krief takes the MiTo to the edge, but she doesn’t even think about folding… ah, just to be in the driver’s seat…

And then we’re off, blasting questions, getting full answers – no one holds back our enthusiasm, and we can let off all our inquisitiveness.

Unfortunately the trip to Balocco eventually comes to an end, but the team doesn’t stop treating us. A great restaurant and then something even better to help it go down – the Historic Alfas Museum. A living legend, all furnished with the museum guide’s brilliant explanations.

The dream sadly finishes in the evening and we go back to reality. But the memory of a unique day remains… and then, who knows, you can always hope for a second chance. Thanks MiTo Team!!!

seneca

Paul (Pullie147)

Tuesday april 29:

After receiving my plane ticket late Monday afternoon, this was the day things were getting started. I took the plane to Milano Orio at 19:20 an arrived in Milan around 9pm. Before I got out of the plane I already received a textmessage from driver Alberto that he was waiting in a grey Alfa 159 sportswagon outside and that he had a lot of troubles with the parkingpolice. Of course this made me feel right at home in an instant!

After meeting Alberto we set off to the centre of Milan: this Alberto sure knows how to drive! Around 10pm we arrived at the beautiful 4-star hotel where fellow Alfa enthusiasts Daniele from Turin and Thomas from London where waiting. A lot of car-talk and a couple of beers later it was time to go to bed.

Wednesday april 30:

Alberto picked us up at the hotel around 8:15am, but not before we had had a very nice breakfast. Alberto still refused to tell where we were going, but I had my own ideas already. I proved to be right, we were going to Balocco, the Alfa Romeo test circuit! On these 'holy' grounds, (with as much security as Fort Knox!) we met Philippe Krief from Alfa Romeo and Andrea and Guido from alfamitoblog. Then, all of a sudden we saw a slightly camouflaged but very beautiful black MiTo with 17" wheels and the 1.4 155 bhp engine, which was going to be 'our' MiTo for the day. I can promise you the car looks stunning!

Philippe told us all about the suspension of the MiTo and the brakes, which was very interesting, and after this he took us around the Balocco testtrack for a lot of rounds at the most incredible speeds. The car is very stable, amazingly fast and by far the best balanced car I ever got to drive in!

Then it was time to leave Balocco and let Alberto take us back to Milan for a delicious long lunch with incredible Italian seafood. After that we headed for Arese to visit the 'Museo Storico Alfa Romeo' (the museum about the history of Alfa Romeo) to get a private tour. As a big Alfa fan this was the icing on the cake, very interesting and definately a place I had always wanted to go to.

Finally Alberto took me to Milano Orio airport where my plane left for my flight to Amsterdam at 9:40pm.

I can look back at a most interesting and incredibly nice day. It really was an unforgettable experience to meet the MiTo way before the press or anyone else could, which I have to thank everyone involved for from the bottom of my heart! Philippe, Andrea, Guido and of course Alberto: Mille mille Grazie!, or in Dutch: ontzettend bedankt! Hopefully a new MiTo will be in my parkingspace before too long ;-) because this sure is MY car!

Ciao,

Pullie147