'L'Angelo dei Bimbi & Angelino' a charity initiative sponsored by Alfa Romeo and Sylvia Oberti

Alfa Romeo supports the charity initiative 'L'Angelo dei Bimbi & Angelino' (The children's angel and Angelino), which aims to put a smile on the faces of children in hospital all over the world. The carmaker enthusiastically agreed to sponsor Sylvia Oberti, the Californian rally driver who for the last eleven years has been competing in the most important international rallies, to collect funds for various social initiatives.

She is a skilful, determined driver, who was voted 'Outstanding Woman of the Year in Sports and Athletics' by the Women's Hall of Fame in 1996, when she was received by Pope John Paul II, who promised her the full support of the Catholic Church for her cancer awareness campaign.

From Italy to Japan, Argentina, Chile, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Ireland, every country has recognised this girl's determination, the first woman to complete the historical Mille Miglia race alone. And from May 6 to 9, Sylvia Oberti will be behind the wheel of her red car once again, competing in the 'Mille Miglia' with her mascot Angelino. Angelino is a teddy-bear which has accompanied her on her travels around the world since 1992, collecting more than Euro 750,000 so far, which has all been donated to charity.

During the 'Mille Miglia', the public will be able to purchase an Angelino teddy-bear and the children's book (in English and Italian), 'The journey of the magical little red Barchetta, of Angelino and the Lady driver', written by Sylvia and illustrated by Jorge Ferrerya-Basso. And enthusiasts will also be able to buy a scale model of the 'Angelo dei Bimbi' aircraft.

It was December 28, 1948, when a small private aircraft powered by a four cylinder 120 Hp Alfa Romeo engine crossed the Atlantic to reach South America. It was piloted by Leonardo Bonzi and Manuer Lualdi, who embarked on this unusual venture to raise public awareness of the 15,000 South American children who had been mutilated or orphaned by the War. That was not all. In those days, the 'Angelo dei Bimbi' was the smallest and most powerful plane to have crossed the ocean. It was an exciting adventure, which convinced the Gazzetta dello Sport to launch a subscription to support the humanitarian initiative, and the result was amazing: in a very short time almost 7 million lire were collected, and donated to Bonzi and Lualdi when they returned from their journey of hope. Today this legend lives on in a scale model that Alfa Romeo offers to the large number of enthusiasts all over the world.

The entire sum collected through donations and the sale of 'L'Angelo dei Bimbi & Angelino' gadgets will be given to a number of Italian children's hospitals. But the initiative will not end there, because Sylvia and Alfa Romeo have decided to repeat their experience of last October 2 (the day dedicated to Guardian Angels), when Sylvia personally took presents to a large number of children in hospitals along the route of the 'Mille Miglia' race. This year she will also distribute Alfa Romeo models and gadgets. And a number of Alfa Romeo dealers will help the hospitals to set up playrooms with television sets, DVD players and Play Stations.


Turin March 3, 2004

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