REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT – ALFA ROMEO

REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT

ALFA ROMEO

CARS IN MOTORSPORT SINCE 1945

If I was organized, I’d have a better idea of how many Alfa Romeo titles I have on various bookshelves. And in receiving this latest Alfa Romeo title, ALFA ROMEO – CARS IN MOTORSPORT SINCE 1945, its coffee table format requires another coffee table. But as a two-time Alfa owner, one-time Alfa salesman and a Forever Alfa enthusiast, author Peter Collins opus – recently released by Veloce Publishing – is an invaluable resource, and should be in the trunk of every new Alfa Romeo sold; even those – such as the Stelvio and Tonale – without trunks.

Founded in 1910 as A.L.F.A., and knows as Alfa Romeo since 1920, in the early years the Alfa DNA was divided between luxury coachwork and motorsport. Notably, Enzo Ferrari cut his competitive teeth at the wheel of Alfa Romeos. He would subsequently move from behind the wheel to the management of Alfa’s racing organization before forming his own company prior to World War II. Mr. Collins devotes his work to those Alfas racing following the war, while noting that much of that early postwar competition took place with prewar cars filling the grids; for the Alfa team the prewar Alfa Romeo 158/9s were first out of the gate. Even for those of us paying regular attention, the sheer breadth of Alfa Romeo involvement in competition over almost 80 years is jaw-dropping. And Collins catalogs all of it. 

The amount of research necessary to acquire the pics, confirm the information and assemble them in a logical chronology would seem to require an editorial team in the hundreds. Obviously, Alfa’s competitive exploits were well chronicled by contemporary outlets, but this is well before the internet and much of the content hadn’t been previously digitized. All of the photos are amazing, but the early b&w pics are beyond – for lack of a better adjective – amazing. 

Within the book’s 300+ pages are seemingly all of Alfa’s competitive entries. For me, the most visually compelling includes the Tipo 33 on the book’s cover, with Roberto Businello behind the wheel. But that car is but the most obvious of many winning visuals, including the TZ1 (which, at least in its sheetmetal, out-GTO’d Ferrari’s own GTO), the competition Alfa Romeo GTA and more production-derived GTVs. If you were following the Trans-Am series in the late ‘60s you’ll know driver Horst Kwech enjoyed considerable success campaigning Alfa Romeos in the ‘sedan’ series, and Kwech is here. 

I was also reminded of Alfa’s presence in Formula One, first as an engine supplier to Brabham and then, within a few years, fielding its own cars and teams. None of this led to any significant successes – even with drivers John Watson and Niki Lauda in the cockpit – but the promise was there, even as the Ferrari, Lotus and McLaren teams dominated. 

Falling well short of Formula One, but perhaps more important to moving the metal, was the work done by privateers at the wheel of Alfa sedans and sportscars. The early Berlinas and Giulias are prominent, as is the success of Alfa’s 155 in the Touring Car competitions. 

As most of those carmakers whose histories date back more than a century already know, and those car companies establishing themselves in the ‘70s and ‘80s have grown to learn, involvement in motorsports is far more than simply showing up on Sunday in hopes of selling on Monday. A serious competitive effort infuses the engineering and marketing teams with both a mindset and skill set that can easily make its way onto the showroom floor. 

Obviously, racing for the checkered flag while racing may result in better performance, but that improved performance is probably aligned with lower emissions or improved efficiency. And while historic victories in those years immediately after World War II may seem far removed from today’s Tonale, they’re not so far removed from the still-available Giulia sport sedan. You should drive one, telling the dealer Peter Collins sent you.

Collins’ book, ALFA ROMEO – CARS IN MOTORSPORT SINCE 1945, is published by Veloce, and retails for $120 in the U.S. More info is available at Veloco.co.uk.