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09 Jul 2021

The Stellantis Heritage department and Leasys, sponsors and partners of the 39th Cesana-Sestriere

Sunday, July 11th will witness the running of the 39th edition of the Cesana-Sestriere, one of the biggest international historic sportscar racing events, forming part of the European and Italian vintage car speed championships.

The Stellantis Heritage department and Leasys, sponsors and partners of the 39th Cesana-Sestriere

 

  • Sunday, July 11th will witness the running of the 39th edition of the Cesana-Sestriere, one of the biggest international historic sportscar racing events, forming part of the European and Italian vintage car speed championships.
  • Over 120 drivers will stake their claim on the spectacular 10.4-km track, rising from 1,300 m above sea level at Cesana Torinese to 2,035 m at Sestriere, both renowned mountain resorts.
  • The race Sponsor is the Stellantis Heritage department, which will also feature in the Cesana-Sestriere Experience parade, with a rare model of the 1951 Lancia Aurelia B20, owned by the department itself.
  • Leasys, the event partner, will take part in the Cesana-Sestriere Experience with two New Fiat 500 models from its LeasysGO! car sharing fleet, one at the start and another at the end of the parades on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
  • Stellantis and Leasys will also provide and put on display an extensive fleet of service cars consisting of the latest models from the Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Fiat brands, up to the most recent full-electric New 500 from the LeasysGO! car sharing scheme.

 

In the morning of Sunday, July 11th, following technical checks and official qualifiers the two days before, taking to the road will be the 39th edition of the Cesana-Sestriere, a time trial for vintage cars organized by the Automobile Club Torino. The “CE-SE” – as it is known in the racing world – began in 1961 to celebrate the centenary of Italian unification, and has gradually become one of the main international competitions in historic sportscar racing, forming part of the European and Italian vintage car speed championships.

 

A unique, selective and spectacular 10.4-km route on the hairpin bends of the Olympic Mountains, rising from 1,300 m above sea level at Cesana Torinese to 2,035 m at Sestriere, both internationally renowned mountain resorts in both summer and winter. Named after Giovanni Agnelli and heightened by the more than 120 cars taking part, the race this year also features the Cesana-Sestriere Experience parade. One of the cars appearing will be the famed 1951 Lancia Aurelia B20 belonging to the collection at the Stellantis Heritage department, the event Sponsor.

 

The Stellantis Heritage department – the main task of which is to recover, protect and enhance the tremendous historical heritage of the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia brands, specifically the fleet of the more than 600 vintage cars it owns – has decided to deploy the Lancia Aurelia for this model’s bond with the “Olympic Mountains”, based on victories in the Sestriere Rally: in 1951 by the B10 sedan driven by Ascari and Villoresi, followed by the B20 coupé in 1952 with Gino Valenzano and Mario Poltronieri at the wheel.

 

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the unveiling of this model. Produced from 1951 to 1958, it sold very well from the start, despite its none-too-low price for the time (around 2.6 million Italian lire). Fitted with the first V6 in automotive history, a 2000-cc designed by the engineer Francesco De Virgilio – the soon-to-be founder of Gran Turismo, it also stood out in other Italian and international competitions, including the Giro di Toscana, the Giro di Sicilia and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it came in 2nd in 1951, the only car ahead of it a Ferrari. The model taking part in this competition is one of the first 90 produced in April 1951, in a highly elegant trim with black bodywork and grey fabric interiors.

 

Last but not least, it is worth a mention that the Stellantis Group and Leasys will be providing the competition with a vast fleet of service and exhibition/parade cars, made up of the Abarth 595 Monster Yamaha and the 695 70° Anniversario, the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and several models of the full-electric New Fiat 500. These big names of the new LeasysGO! car sharing scheme will be displayed in Sestriere’s Piazza Agnelli and in Cesana’s Piazza Mercato, where all visitors can take advantage of a special offer to discover the new service, available in Turin, Milan and Rome.  An exclusive opportunity to come into contact with the latest innovations in the automotive world, and to contribute to the dissemination of a culture of zero-emissions and therefore environment-friendly mobility.

 

Turin, July 9th, 2021

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