The Cars
1933 ALFA ROMEO MONZA
1937 ALFA ROMEO 8C2900A

The Mille Miglia (“Thousand Miles”) started in 1927 and was one of the most popular races in Europe. The cars departed from Brescia on the “partenza,” as shown in the diorama, and raced down the east coast of Italy to Rome, making a circle back to where they started, a distance of about a thousand miles.

A large number of cars were entered, sometimes several hundred, and it could take up to half a day for all to depart Brescia, equally spaced. The prestige of the event and large number of entrants spurred companies like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and others to make special models specifically to compete in the Mille Miglia.