Auto Italia Magazine - Auto Italia Issue 353

In this issue

Our cover car this month is the sublime Maserati A6G/54 Zagato – and after driving it, we think it might be the best Gran Turismo car of the 1950s, setting the scene for later Ferraris. Speaking of Maranello’s finest, we have the full story of Nicola Materazzi, the man who persuaded Enzo Ferrari to turbocharge his cars, from F1 to the 288 GTO and F40. There’s a competition flavour to two big stories this month, as we test drive an Alfa Romeo 75 built for hillclimbs and sprints, and tell the story of Lancia’s ‘forgotten’ 1970s rally hero, the Beta Coupe Gr.4. Back down to earth, we enjoy a spin in a lovely Fiat 850 Spider and guide you through buying a used Fiat 500X. And we also answer the burning question: which is the best Italian hot hatchback you can currently buy – Alfa Junior Veloce or Abarth 600e Scorpionissima? The 2025 show season is now well underway, too, as we bring you all the latest event reports and news from the Italian car world. Bellissima!
CONTENTS MASERATI A6G ZAGATO – Possibly the best Gran Turismo car of the 1950s ALFA ROMEO 75 – Testing an Alfa 75 built for hillclimbs and sprints ALFA ROMEO JUNIOR V ABARTH 600E – 280hp sizzling siblings go head-to-head, but which is better? LANCIA BETA GR.4 RALLY – A rare piece of rallying history breaks cover: the forgotten Beta Coupe FIAT 850 SPIDER – Fiat’s small 1960s sports car really punched above its weight FERRARI TURBO STORY – The story of Nicola Materazzi, the man who turbocharged Ferrari FIAT 500X BUYERS’ GUIDE – Not just a Jeep with a smile: we bring you a full buying guide to the useful SUV TEAM CARS – The ins and outs of owning a Fiat 500X LET THERE BE LIGHT – Lighting pioneers and eyebrow-raisers AMTS LINGOTTO – Classic car show returns to the home of Fiat in Turin TOUR AUTO 2025 – Classic action from Paris to Nice on both road and track ICE ST MORITZ 2025 – Top-end cars on ice OBSCURATI – Alfa Centauri