Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 "Monza"

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Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
The successor model with the 2600 cm³ engine at Retro Classics 2020

The name Alfa Romeo 8C was the generic term for a series of automobiles by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo , which was produced from 1931 to 1939. It had been developed from the series 6C, which was being developed at the same time . The designation 8C stands for eight-cylinder, the displacement was initially 2336 cm³. Accordingly, these vehicles were called "8C 2300" . In addition to numerous, from various companies such as Zagato , Touring , Castagna , Pininfarina , Figoni , Vanden Plas and other car body road models, there were also versions for racing.

Alfa Romeo produced them in three forms. These were the Le Mans , the longer chassis version with the obligatory rear seat, which won this famous race four times in a row from 1931 to 1934 , the short chassis Mille Miglia Spider , repeated road racing champion in competitions all over Europe, and the Grand Prix Monza , dominant in the first half of the 1930s in so-called "open wheel racing". There were also two victories in the Spa 24 Hours . Tazio Nuvolari , Rudolf Caracciola , René Dreyfus and others established and confirmed the world fame of the Alfa Romeo brand on the 8C Monza models.

background

The engineer Vittorio Jano was brought to Milan in 1923 to design a racing car for Alfa Romeo. However, he was soon commissioned with the development of road series vehicles after the company withdrew from racing after two very successful but financially unprofitable seasons.

Jano's first work for Alfa Romeo was the 6C 1500, which was launched in early 1927. This six-cylinder car was actually designed specifically for road use, but the more powerful versions for the racetrack turned out to be very competitive. In fact, the 6C won the Mille Miglia three years in a row . Encouraged by the success of the 6C, Alfa Romeo released Jano's P2 Grand Prix car in 1930 and commissioned him to design a new sports car and Grand Prix car for 1931. The new car, the Alfa Romeo Tipo A, was an extremely complex twin-engine machine that was barely competitive. The new sports racing car 8C 2300, on the other hand, went down in history as one of the best and most successful racing cars ever built.

technology

Alfa Romeo 8C 2.3 liter, compressor

Jano's top priority was to develop a new and, above all, larger and more powerful engine to face the ever-increasing competition. As with the P2 from 1924, he opted for a longitudinally installed eight-cylinder in - line engine , which he designed from scratch. The engine was built with two cylinder blocks of four cylinders each. The gear drive of the overhead camshafts and the supercharger were located between the cylinder blocks. This reduced the torsional vibrations of the crankshaft and camshafts. The two blocks were initially made of gray cast iron, which was soon replaced by a lighter aluminum alloy . The displacement could be increased to a little more than 2.3 liters thanks to an exceptionally long stroke of 88 mm and a bore of 65 mm. The engine's performance has also been increased with a Roots compressor . In the production version, the engine developed between 155 and 165 hp. The competition engines generated around 180 hp. The power was transferred to the rear axle via a four-speed gearbox.

The lightweight chassis contributed to the success of the 6C: A ladder frame made of sheet steel was offered in two versions with a long (3100 mm) and short (2750 mm) wheelbase . For the “Monza” Grand Prix version, the wheelbase was shortened to (2650 mm). A running ("rolling") chassis with a short wheelbase weighed 1000 kg. Both axles were rigid and suspended on semi-elliptical leaf springs with friction dampers . The car had mechanically operated drum brakes with a cable.

Racing history

Road racing

The 8C 2300 by Baconin Borzacchini and Amedeo Bignami at the Mille Miglia 1932 on the Passo della Raticosa

The first 8C 2300 made their debut in 1931 at the Mille Miglia . Two cars with Zagato bodies were used by Tazio Nuvolari and Luigi Arcangeli . The two new 8Cs were very fast, but had tire problems throughout the race. For this reason and because of an accident at Nuvolari, the victory went to Rudolf Caracciola in the 7.1 liter Mercedes-Benz SSK . A few weeks later, Nuvolari won the Targa Florio in the rain . That was the beginning of a series in which the 8C 2300 won each of these two "classics" three times in a row.

Grand Prix

Tazio Nuvolari in the 8C 2300 Monza at the Monaco Grand Prix 1932

The two cars used in the Targa Florio had an even shorter wheelbase of 2650 mm. They had been built as an interim solution for Grand Prix use until the twin-engine Tipo A was ready. Both types were used side by side at the Italian Grand Prix on May 25, 1931 in Monza . The debut of the Tipo A was overshadowed by Arcangeli's fatal training accident. During the race, Nuvolari switched from his Tipo A to an 8C 2300 after two hours and won the race together with Giuseppe Campari .

The later built Grand Prix 8 & Cnbsp; 2300 were named "Monza" after this victory. Interestingly, the slotted radiator cover that became the most typical feature of the "Monza" was not found on the 1931 models. The 8C 2300 was successful in several Grand Prix races until it was replaced by the Tipo-B - Monoposto in 1932 .

Le Mans

The Alfa Romeo 8C 2300LM by Raymond Sommer and Luigi Chinetti , winner of the "24 heures du Mans" in 1932

After the Italian Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo entered the Le Mans 24-hour race with the 8C 2300 . Another, significantly modified version of the 8C 2300 was prepared for this application. It was given a long chassis with a wheelbase of 3,100 mm because additional space was required for the mandatory four-seater body that Zagato built from aluminum. Three vehicles were prepared, but only two were used in the race after the engine of the third car was irreparably destroyed in practice. The strongest competition was again the Mercedes SSK, which the track characteristics with its long straights suited.

The 8C 2300s used by the Alfa Romeo works team were canceled after 99 laps. But an 8C privately registered by Britons Earl Howe and Tim Birkin was still in the race and achieved overall victory with a lead of over 100 km over the fastest Mercedes. The 8C also dominated the race in the following three editions and even scored a triple victory in 1933 . In 1935 the 8C 2300 achieved a podium finish for the fifth time in a row by finishing second with Pierre Louis-Dreyfus and Henri Stoffel .

Whereabouts

While around 188 units of the street version of the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 were built, the exact number of racing models is not documented, probably also because of modifications that cross the model.

chassis Use and whereabouts
2111032 The car, built as a works racing car in 1932, was sold to Scuderia Ferrari in early 1933 . She had the original Monza body replaced by a Spider body built by Zagato. Ferrari fielded this 8C with Tazio Nuvolari victorious in the Mille Miglia. The # 2111032 served Scuderia Ferrari for several more seasons and was returned to its original Monza shape during this time. After his time at Ferrari, this Monza was driven extensively until 1948 when it took part in the opening weekend at Goodwood. After stays in Africa and Europe, the car was sold to an American owner. At the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2005 he showed the car with the Mille Miglia winning number 98.
2111042 This example, which is also included in the works racing car, was built by Alfa Romeo in early 1932 and was intended as an interim solution until the new Tipo B / P3 Grand Prix car was completed . It was then sold to Raymond Sommer , who used the car in both Grand Prix and sports car races . Sommer scored an impressive victory at the 1932 Grand Prix de Marseille , defeating Tazio Nuvolari in one of the new Tipo B. He then sold the car to the amateur racing driver Juan Zanelli . The Chilean drove the car quite successfully in the years that followed. Like so many other 8C 2300s, the 2111042 chassis was equipped with a road body, which in this case was built by Papler in Germany. In the 1960s, a replica Monza body was fitted onto the chassis and the car became a staple of the UK's VSCC (Vintage Sports-Car Club) events. In the 1990s, the Monza was restored again and shown in Pebble Beach in 1999. It was then purchased by the current owner, who drives the car regularly, as seen at the historic Monaco Grand Prix in 2008.
2111046 As one of the works cars from 1931, this 8C 2300 Monza was sold to Milan at the end of the season. During the 1933 season it was used at various events. In 1934, another owner used the car in a Klausen race . It has had a number of Italian owners since then before it was acquired by a French collector. He sold the car back to Italy, where it remained for many years. After a long time in Germany, it is now part of a Swiss collection. It is considered to be one of the “most original” Monza, with many of the components that can only be found in the 1931 models. In 2009 and 2010 it was carefully restored by a British specialist company.
2211077 This example was specially built for the Swedish private driver Per Victor Widengren . Painted in the Swedish racing colors blue with a yellow stripe, it was driven successfully in Scandinavia. Widengren used the car on both paved tracks and ice rinks. The car was also used in some races on the European continent. In 1935 the body was converted to a single-seater layout and, as with many of the AR works racing cars, the engine capacity was increased to 2.6 liters. At this point, the paintwork also changed slightly, with three cream colored stripes replacing the single yellow band. Widengren eventually sold the car to a compatriot in the summer of 1936 and the car stayed in Sweden until the mid-1980s. At this point it had already been restored once and used extensively in historic races. A new owner had it restored again in the Netherlands. Chassis 2211077 was brought back with the three white stripes in the second paint job used by Widengren. The current owner acquired the car in the 1990s and regularly presents it at historic racing events such as the Goodwood Revival Meeting 2007.
2211097 In 1933 the Alfa Romeo factory team switched to the Tipo B. However, it still offered its customers the 8C 2300 Monza. One of the last to be built is the car with chassis 2211097, which was sold new to Philippe Étancelin . Étancelin drove his light blue 8C very successfully in France in 1933 and scored several victories. The car was then driven by a new owner in Switzerland. After the war, the car reappeared with a modified body (with fenders ). While the car was later in American ownership, it was returned to its original condition (before the conversion) in the 1970s. The restoration was completed in 1981 and the car was regularly used by owner Peter Giddings. The car then changed hands several times. Eventually its entire history was discovered and a restoration of the 1933 specification began. After completion, the car had the original light blue paintwork and the leather part under the windshield, which is typical of Étancelin's racing cars. In this configuration, the 8C could be seen in the supporting program during the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix.
2211120 This car is one of the specimens used by Scuderia Ferrari and later fitted with the new 2.6 liter engine. Ferrari used it at the Monaco Grand Prix with Tazio Nuvolari, who led the race until he had to retire on the last lap. In July 1933 it was approved for road traffic and then took part victoriously in the Swedish Grand Prix with Antonio Brivio . In the same year it was also used in the Mont Ventoux hill climb and in San Sebastian . The vehicle was then rebuilt by Scuderia Ferrari and used again in 1934 with the designation SF28 . Changes made included adjustable hydraulic dampers that the car still carries today. It was then driven at the Mille Miglia, where it finished fifth. Contrary to rumors that the car had been destroyed, it was sold to South Africa in 1936 and used in smaller races. It was driven extensively in the 1950s and 1960s until the car was damaged in an accident in Kyalami in 1968 . It was fully restored in the second half of the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1986 the ex Scuderia Ferrari machine was acquired by a German enthusiast along with the original Brianza body, which had been removed in the 1950s. In 2012 the 8C competed victoriously at the Goodwood Revival.
2211130 Although the car was sold new to an Italian customer, it was the first Monza to appear at a British event: a May 1933 race at Brooklands where Brian Lewis drove instantly to victory. The originally red car was then painted in British Racing Green . The contemporary racing career of the 2211130 chassis lasted until 1939. The Alfa Romeo stayed in England and finally passed into the hands of Patrick Lindsay in the 1960s . He used the car extensively before giving it a complete makeover. The 8C 2300 remained in the possession of the Lindsay family until the end of the nineties, before it was sold to Belgium.
2211138 This Monza was built before the 1933 season and most likely sold new to French racing driver Jean-Pierre Wimille , who used it in various races, with second place at the Grand Prix de la Marne and the Grand Prix du Comminges in 1933 being the best results. The car continued to be driven in 1934 under new ownership, including by Raymond Sommer . In July 1935, it was most likely used to set a series of international class D speed records at Montlhéry . Piston failure prevented an attempt to hit the 48 hour record. The 8C 2300 was then sold to Portugal and finally (in the second half of the 1930s) to Brazil. The chassis 2211138 was driven at various events in South America before it was finally withdrawn from active racing. It changed hands several times, but was in remarkably good condition when Colin Crabbe discovered the car in 1980. The car was returned to England, fully restored and made available to Crabbe in time to show the car on the 50th anniversary of the 8C 2300. After a period in the hands of Jeffrey Pattinson, it is now part of an impressive collection of historic racing cars in Germany.
2311218 The copy with the chassis no. 2311218 was first sold in Italy in the 1930s and has had several owners since then. But it was driven quite often between 1934 and 1948 and secured seventh place in its class at the Klausen race in 1934. In 1947, this car achieved third place overall at the Circuito di San Remo and second overall and first place in its class at the Sassi – Superga hill climb . In 1948 this car took first place again. in its category at the Cantania-Etna hill climb. This "Monza" sold for more than 10 million US dollars at the Gooding & Company Auction during Monterey Car Week.

gallery

  • The 8C 2300 in the "Spider" version (wheelbase: 2750 mm)

  • The “Le Mans” version (wheelbase: 3100 mm) with the mandatory rear seat.

  • The Monza variant (Grand Prix version) with the shortest wheelbase (2650 mm) in the "open wheel" version.

rating

The Bugatti Type 35 went down in history as the “most successful racing car of all time” , but the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 with three victories in the Mille Miglia, three in the Targa Florio, four in Le Mans and the Grand Prix victory in Monza is just behind. One of the reasons the 8C 2300's successes have been somewhat forgotten could be the attention it received from the Tipo-B - Monoposto Grand Prix and its successor, the 8C 2900 . But these three machines, all designed by Vittorio Jano, were successfully driven by some of the greatest racing drivers of their time and established Alfa Romeo's international reputation as a sports and racing car manufacturer in the 1930s.

Web links

Commons : Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 "Monza"  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Murphy: 1933 Alfa Romeo 8c 2300 Monza. July 25, 2008, Retrieved July 8, 2020 (American English).
  2. ↑ a b c Alfa Romeo 8C (English)
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h 1931 - 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza - Images, Specifications and Information. Retrieved July 8, 2020 .
  4. ↑ 1931 - 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Specifications. Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Simon Moore: The Legendary 2.3. Parkside Publication, Seattle 2000, ISBN 0-9617266-0-3 .
  6. ↑ Information as of the year 2000.