03.05.2023Charismatic privateer: Gianni Giudici with Alfa Romeo in the DTM

The designers and engineers could really work off on the high-tech Class 1 racing cars. Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Alfa Romeo sent their well-known works teams and works drivers into the fight for the prestigious DTM title. Even for manufacturers of this size, the effort involved was immense, not to mention the privateers who were the backbone of the DTM in the beginning.

Nevertheless, smaller teams and private drivers also entered the race with such challenging cars. The ck-modelcars label WERK83 has released one of them as a model: the Alfa Romeo 155 by Gianni Giudici from the 1995 season.

Giudici had already started single-seater racing in his native Italy in the early 1970s. His career led him from sports car racing to touring cars. After races in the Italian championship, the then 47-year-old made his DTM debut in 1993. Initially, Giudici used his Alfa for two seasons with his own team, Scuderia Giudici.

For the season 1995, Giudici joined the factory squad, which included Alessandro Nannini, Nicola Larina and Giancarlo Fisichella at the start. Their cars wore designs in the typical Alfa red or the logos of traditional sponsor Martini. Giudici's Alfa 155, on the other hand, was neither red nor equipped with a legendary sponsor. Instead, his car was a very special, deep dark shade of blue, making it all the more collectible as a model.

It wasn't enough for the points. Giudici dropped out eight times in 14 races and finished the season in 25th place overall. The best race result was twelfth place on the opening weekend in Hockenheim. In the ITC, the international offshoot of the DTM, the Italian finished in the top ten twice in the street race in Helsinki and ultimately finished 18th in the points table.

But from today's perspective, the results and points are irrelevant. Rather, the model is a reminder of a charismatic privateer who, in the shadow of the top stars, helped to write one of the most exciting chapters in DTM history.

Gianni Giudici drove car races until 2016, most recently sporadically. He is now 77 years old. His Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti from the 1995 DTM season in scale 1:18 by WERK83 has steerable front wheels, doors that can be opened and an interior that is true to the original.

Gianni Giudici Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti #13 DTM / ITC 1995 1:18 WERK83, RRP €69,95, item-no.: W1801007

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Gianni Giudici Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti #13 DTM / ITC 1995 1:18 WERK83

35,95 €