Elite Traveler July-August 2017

Alfa Romeo ITALY, 1910

The Milan-based Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili — or ALFA — introduced its first car in 1910, the 24 HP. Five years later, Nicola Romeo became the new director of the company and Alfa Romeo was born. Between the wars, racing driver Tazio Nuvolari took numerous victories for the Italian marque, and in 1950 Giuseppe Farina won the inaugural driver’s Grand Prix Championship, a feat repeated by Juan Manuel Fangio the following year. Alfa Romeo had its moment of cinematic glory when Dustin Hoffman took the wheel of an Alfa Romeo Spider in the 1967 film The Graduate , which did worldwide sales no harm at all. alfaromeo.com

1900 Super Sprint CLASSIC

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Just 854 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprints were produced between 1953 and 1958, and this relatively limited production run only adds to the allure of the exceptionally pretty two-door coupe. Based on the four-door Alfa Romeo 1900 family sedan, the Super Sprint featured a body created by the Italian bus-building company Carrozzeria Touring, while the cabriolet version featured bodywork by Pininfarina. The Sprint Coupe was powered by an enlarged 2.0-liter engine, which endowed it with the ability to reach a top speed of 118mph.

Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint

Stelvio MODERN

Alfa Romeo claims that its forthcoming Stelvio model will create a new emotional twist on the traditional SUV. It may have a point, for the vehicle, which is named after a 9,045ft mountain pass in Italy, looks more racing car than family runaround. The Stelvio will cost around $40,000 in 2.0-liter guise, with the range-topping twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 Quadrifoglio model priced around $80,000. The fact that the SUV shares a platform with the new Giulia sedan bodes well for any owner eager to tackle the Stelvio Pass and its 48 hairpin bends — the Giulia is one of the best handling Alfas ever.

AstonMartin ENGLAND, 1913

Aston Martin celebrated its centenary four years ago. The company, originally known as Bamford Martin Ltd, was founded by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin in Henniker Mews, London in 1913. A year later the name Aston Martin was adopted following Lionel’s success at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire. During the 1950s, numerous motorsport victories — often with Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel — helped cement Aston Martin’s reputation. Today, Aston Martin benefits from a technical partnership with German company Mercedes-AMG and produces five high-performance models, including the four-door Rapide S, at its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. astonmartin.com

THE DB11 IN NUMBERS Price $200,285 Engine 5.2-liter biturbo V12 Power 600hp 0-62mph 3.9 seconds Maximum speed 200mph

DB5 CLASSIC

The moment that really seared Aston Martin into the psyche of the public was when secret agent James Bond, 007, got behind the wheel of a Silver Birch DB5 in the 1964 movie Goldfinger . The combination of the suave Sean Connery and the sleek, 282hp, six-cylinder 4.0-liter coupe was an irresistible one. Also offered as a convertible, 1,059 DB5 models were built between 1963 and 1965. Today, Bond continues to be seen in the very latest Aston Martin models, but he drove the DB5 again in 2012’s Skyfall and it’s a sure bet we haven’t seen the last of this iconic car.

DB11 MODERN

The latest Aston Martin to carry the initials of Sir David Brown — the man who poured 25 years of his life and much of his personal fortune into saving the company — is the DB11. It’s the company’s first completely new model in over a decade, and at the touch of a button drivers can change the car’s character, choosing from GT, Sport and Sport Plus modes. Critics have already hailed the car as one of the finest GT cars for sale, boding well for the slew of new models Aston Martin is set launch in the coming years.