Alfa Romeo 8C

This article explains the historic 8C series of automobiles of the 1930s. For the automotive series of the same name for the 21st century, see Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione .

Alfa Romeo Type 8C Monza (1931)

Alfa Romeo Type 8C (1932)

Alfa Romeo Type 8C 2600 Monza (1934)

The 8C's motor has a Roots blower

Alfa Romeo 8C 2.9A (1936)

Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Berlinetta (1938)

The Alfa Romeo 8C are a series of automobiles by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo that were manufactured from 1931 to 1939. It was further developed from the series 6C, which was being developed at the same time . The designation 8C stands for eight-cylinder .

8C 2300

→ Main article : Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 "Monza"

The cubic capacity was initially 2336 cm³. Accordingly, these vehicles were called 8C 2300 . Four cylinders are cast together. The engine has two overhead camshafts and an aluminum cylinder head . This engine developed 142 hp (104 kW) as standard, and 178 hp (131 kW) in the Monza racing version. The 8C had a drawbar axle on leaf springs at the rear . The differential was located directly behind the gearbox and drove the rear wheels via drive shafts running diagonally in the two drawbar tubes. On each wheel there was an angular gear with bevel pinion and ring gear.

The body was not made by Alfa Romeo, but by bodywork companies , depending on the customer's requirements : Zagato , Touring , Castagna , Pininfarina , Figoni , Vanden Plas and others. Two wheelbases with 2750 and 3100 mm were available. The racing version of the 8C achieved numerous successes in the 1930s. Four victories in a row were achieved at Le Mans from 1931 to 1934 . Tazio Nuvolari , Rudolf Caracciola , René Dreyfus and others established the world fame of the Alfa Romeo brand on the 8C models. In addition to the racing cars, elegant coupés and convertibles were also created for wealthy customers, because the cars were very expensive.

188 vehicles of the types 8C 2300 had been produced by 1934.

Technical specifications

Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 with short wheelbase (1932)
engine	8-cylinder in-line engine (two blocks of 4 cylinders each)
Displacement	2336 cc
Bore × stroke	65 × 88 mm
Compression ratio	5.75: 1
Power at 1 / min	104 kW (142 hp) at 5200
Valve control	two overhead camshafts
Mixture preparation	Memini single carburetor, Roots blower
cooling	water
transmission	4-speed gearbox, not synchronized (rear-wheel drive)
Brakes	mechanically operated drum brakes
Front and rear suspension	Rigid axle with leaf springs (semi-elliptic) and adjustable friction shock absorbers
Body and frame	Steel body on ladder frame
wheelbase	2750 mm
Track width front / rear:	1380/1380 mm
wheel size	5.50-19
Dimensions L × W	3962 × 1651 mm
Empty weight (without driver)	approx. 1000 kg
Fuel consumption	approx. 20 l / 100 km
Top speed	approx. 170 km / h

8C 2900

Alfa Romeo 8C-35 Tipo C from Scuderia Ferrari

The successor in 1935 was the 8C-35 Tipo C, also known as the 8C 2900, with front wheels individually suspended from the crank arm. In addition to racing cars for motorsport, elegant, technically sophisticated individual vehicles were created. The top speed is 185 km / h. 30 vehicles had been built by 1939 (other sources cite 43). Today the 8C are among the most expensive classic cars on the market.

literature

• Larry Edsall; Valeria Manferto; Legends of automobile history from the beginnings to the 21st century Wiesbaden White-Star-Verlag 2006, ISBN 3-939128-52-X , pages 66–69.

Web links

Commons : Alfa Romeo 8C  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Chronological listing of the 8C models with different body structures.