History

A 60-year history of passion, people and engines: a step-by-step reconstruction of the 5 big moments in Balocco’s history.

The Test Track is founded

In the 1960s, the car market was booming and Alfa Romeo needed its own track to test both mass-production cars and racing vehicles.
The Test Track was built at Balocco, in a strategic location between Turin and Milan.
It could reproduce the various conditions cars could encounter during their lifespan, in the secure and secret conditions required.
Its headquarters was the Bella Luigina farmhouse.

The Autodelta Years

The Alfa Romeo track, the first to be built at Balocco, takes up some of the corners from the most famous Formula 1 circuits.
Autodelta – the Alfa Romeo racing department – had its own workshop here, where legendary cars were developed: from the Giulia Sprint GTA that dominated the Touring classes and the Tipo 33 that won two World Sports Championships to Formula and rally cars.

Balocco expands

Over the years, new tracks, facilities and workshops were added.
In 1987, when Alfa Romeo was acquired by the Fiat Group, the Balocco Proving Ground was developed further.
In the early ’90s, the surface area was tripled to reach 550 hectares.
New tracks were built, from the Langhe, a reproduction of the mountain trails of Piedmont, to the High-Speed Ring and its parabolic corners.

A modern Proving Ground

Needs change and Balocco remains at the forefront.
In the 2000s, specific new tracks were created: the Dynamic Platform, several fords with a range of features, the new Off-Road Track, the ramps of the Slopes and other facilities, for a total of 27 tracks.