ARNA TI con MUSEOCITY 2024: UN VIAGGIO VERSO UN MONDO LONTANO

What does "far away" mean to you?

Far away in time, far away in space, culturally far away: distance can manifest itself in so many different ways. What if, for a few days, we try to bring this "far" into our home? We might discover, for example, that after all, everything is closer than it seems.

Arna was a controversial car, far from Alfa Romeo's taste and logic. Today it is even more distant in time (it is from 1983) and space (it was born in collaboration with the Japanese Nissan), but that is precisely why we decided to make it the protagonist of the 2024 edition of MuseoCity, whose theme is "Worlds in Milan."

Perché vogliamo avvicinarci a lei, sicuri che ancora una volta saprà stupirci. E magari dissipare qualche pregiudizio!

You can also get close to Arna (she doesn't bite, at most she rumbles) during thespecial opening on March 3 at 3 p.m.

MuseoCity's goal for this edition is as follows: to highlight its openness to the outside world and to others, its sensitivity to new cultural influences, and to tell the stories, spaces, times and places where exchanges of ideas, projects and cultures take place.

Se vuoi scoprire in anteprima tutte le caratteristiche di Arna, ti lasciamo di seguito l’articolo piubblicato nel n.13 della rivista Profumo di Alfa. Un grazie, come sempre, va al direttore Mario Fontana per questo approfondimento sulla nostra Arna TI che compie i sui primi 40 anni.

First, however, remember to register for the event by clicking in the red box below.

Here is the program:

15:00 - 15:15 reception and guest registration

3:15 p.m. welcome by Elisabetta Cozzi and guided tour of the museum

Arna TI Conference Start.

Introduction with stories by Davide da Fidel, an actor who will moderate the meeting along with Alfa's Perfume editor Mario Fontana

3:45 p.m. - Arna and Alfa Romeo dealers: the launch, sales techniques - Testimony by Elisabetta Cozzi

4 p.m. - And in Japan, what do they say? Yuko Nugochi and Mario Fontana tell the story of Oka Shigemitsu.

4:10 p.m. - Matteo Licata: Arna and Arna TI, the historian's word.

Ore 16.30 –Axel Marx e Arna Jubilé, la versione Svizzera.

4:40 p.m.-Clay Regazzoni and the Arna. The tale of Alessia Regazzoni, Giacomo Tansini and Luca Tombolini

5:15 p.m. - William Jonathan - Arna: the ugly duckling

17.30 conclusion by Davide Da Fidel and Mario Fontana

E’ un grande onore per noi aver avuto il Patrocinio del Consolato Generale del Giappone a Milano. 

Arigato gozaimasu!

Ecco di seguito l’articolo di Mario Fontana sull’Arna TI.

Quando si accendono le luci del Museo Fratelli Cozzi ai visitatori sfugge sempre un “WOW”, beh diciamocelo è naturale nel momento in cui decine di faretti improvvisamente illuminano 60 vetture lucide, belle, ordinate secondo una sequenza temporale ben precisa che scandisce il passare degli anni, e insieme a loro anche quelli della nostra storia ma… c’è n’è ancora qualcuna di loro che attende nascosta fra le quinte gli ultimi ritocchi prima di entrare a sua volta in scena. Una di queste è l’Arna Ti. Molti di voi si chiederanno: l’Arna? Certo, perché Pietro Cozzi, il fondatore della Concessionaria con il suo famoso “mettila lì”, che stava a indicare ai meccanici quale macchina appena ritirata da una permuta era da ricoverare nel garage in attesa di un futuro restauro, non si era limitato a salvare da un ingrato destino solo vetture iconiche, sportive o di rappresentanza ma, appunto, anche la piccola e vituperata Arna, perché comunque sotto al suo cofano dagli occhi a mandorla batteva un motore boxer che già aveva fatto innamorare milioni di alfisti. Questa poi, agli occhi esperti di Pietro Cozzi, era speciale: una rara Ti, modello che fu presentato al Salone di Ginevra del 1984 (ne furono prodotti in quattro anni poco più di 3000 esemplari. Ndr). E oggi, in occasione dei suoi primi 40 anni, si prepara per il suo debutto insieme alle più famose sorelle sul palcoscenico del Museo per essere ammirata come si conviene. 

It had its own why 

Only in recent years has the fruit of the joint venture with Nissan and Alfa Romeo, the Arna, been experiencing a second youth and a revaluation by collectors, because its line in its early days never fully won the hearts of enthusiasts and car buyers in general. One of the main reasons why the Arna, even from its introduction, did not arouse enthusiasm was its undecided identity (see Scent of Alfa No. 8. Ed.) It was a cross between the ruggedness and reliability typical of Japanese cars and the sportiness for which Alfa Romeo was known. This amalgamation of styles and design philosophies created a car that actually lacked a bit of personality, driving consumers away rather than attracting them. In addition, the Arna objectively had quality problems that undermined its reputation. Although the materials used in the cabin, as well as the bodywork and engine were free from criticism, the same could not be said of the assembly, which left much to be desired, making the driving experience less enjoyable than other cars of the time on the market. Finally, at the time of its launch, there were already well-established and popular cars in circulation, both Italian and foreign, two among them the VW Golf and the Fiat Ritmo, which offered better performance, more attractive design, and better build quality. In the face of this fierce competition, the Arna was simply eclipsed. Viewed 40 years later, we have to agree that time has been a gentleman with the Biscione's small car, and its compact line-though wider than the Alfasud-has survived four decades unscathed, albeit light years away from Alfa Romeo styling and even in spite of a survey conducted in 2008 by the daily Il Sole 24 Orewhere it would come out as "the ugliest car" ever.

So many collectors 

As mentioned earlier, not many Arna in the various versions were produced at the new Pratola Serra plant in the province of Avellino, in all there were just 58,000 from 1983 to 1987, the range was represented by the L (2-door) SL (5-door) model powered by the 1 boxer engine.2 of 63 hp and then the two-door Ti sports version that mounted the more powerful 1.3-which also equipped the Alfasud Sprint-powered by two twin-body carburetors that delivered 86 hp and took it to touch 170 km/h in IV gear, V was a "rest" highway ratio to optimize gasoline consumption. The marriage with the Japanese Nissan brought as a dowry a differentiated-structure bodywork that was "rust-proof" because it was treated with the zincrometal method, which put an end to the sad reputation that accompanied the old Alfasud cars, as Marco Colombo, for everyone Marchino, who has made conservation restoration his profession and who takes care of the Museum's cars, also confirmed to us: " It is true, Arna cars do not have the nasty defect of rusting, even if their bodies made a sea voyage starting from Japan and arriving as far as the port of Naples, the saltiness did not trigger the corrosion and, in fact, the cars that have been saved from the various scrapping campaigns that have been done in our country prove it. The Arna Ti from the Fratelli Cozzi Museum that I am refinishing in detail is proof of the goodness of the sheet metal and paint. This example that is almost 40 years old is in perfect shape and my intervention was really minimal."

The first start-up 

It was a beautiful spring day in 1986 when the first and only owner of this Arna Ti closed her eyes and started the brilliant boxer engine. She was a determined woman with a sporty temperament and, fortunately, the car's substandard advertising campaign had not conditioned her; in fact, her choice had fallen on the Ti version that Pietro Cozzi had warmly recommended. Accompanied by the classic rumbling of the four-cylinder engine, with a "clock" she engaged first gear and drove out of the Fratelli Cozzi dealership in Legnano, happy that she had immediately become an "alfista," as the advertisement of the time read. In the driver's seat, sitting on the two-tone wraparound seat, the lady felt like a real driver gripping the three-spoke steering wheel that was adjustable in height so as not to hide the tachometer, which was standard in this version, as well as the extra headlights in front and then the five gears like the "real" Alfas, finally, we imagine her looking in the rearview mirror and smiling at the sight of the black spoiler contrasting with the light paint of her Arna Ti. Sure, there was no power steering and it was a disadvantage for her to park because the steering wheel was a bit heavy in maneuvering but as soon as she engaged second gear the discomfort disappeared and the smile returned. Then the precision of driving on the fast suburban roads of northern Milan guaranteed that once she set the curve, the Arna would not flinch with various swaying: it was love at first sight. Sure enough, the lady, in August 1991, when she traded in her Arna for another model, also with the Biscione marque on the hood, showed how much care she had taken in handling the car: it was as good as new. Could Pietro Cozzi have let such a piece slip through his fingers? Exactly.

The control 

And here we come to the moment most dreaded by all classic cars: the visit to the mechanic. Ettore Grechi, the young expert who is employing his professionalism in the care of classic cars, in the presence of the Arna Ti flashed a reassuring smile and before even opening the hood told us, "Whatever I find I don't worry, here we are dealing with pure mechanics and zero electronics, a true paradise for someone like me. The origin is Alfasud, a hyper-tested engine so you can still find spare parts without any problems, plus this car has spent a good part of its existence hospitalized inside the dealership without doing much driving so all the mechanical organs have not worn out. Only the hoses and belts need to be checked to make sure they are tight after many years and, if necessary, a cleaning of the gasoline tank and the dual-body carburetor, in addition to checking the brakes, which are drum brakes at the back and disc brakes at the front, but not like the Alfasud that had them on the axle shaft, now they are on the wheels. In short, the classic routine maintenance and stop."

Entry into the collection 

When the Arna Ti was re-purchased by Pietro Cozzi in 1991, his daughter Elisabetta was still a young student and did not actively participate in her father's business, so there are no special memories about it. In the early 1990s, the small treasure Pietro Cozzi had collected over decades was still missing several models and the spark for the founding of the museum had not yet been ignited, but since 2015, when the museum was inaugurated and the list of cars to be exhibited was made, some of them were left on the "bench" to enter the field at the right time. We asked director Elisabetta Cozzi if the time has come for the Arna Ti to warm up before the convocation: "I thinkso.Yes the time has come for her debut at the Museum. So many people are looking for her and asking about her, especially Japanese visitors who consider the Arna to be a true or real myth. In addition, it must be said that a great many collectors of the Biscione marque, including many internationally, reserve a privileged place for her in their collections, a testament to their love for this all too much mistreated little hatchback, but thanks to my father's foresight now the fruit of the brief Nissan Alfa Romeo marriage will shine in the Museum's spotlight along with her sisters, after all ... the past is yet to be written."

Le immagini raffigurano i documenti e le foto storiche dell’Arna.