The Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 or 8C-308 is a Grand Prix racing car made for the 3 litre class in 1938. Only four cars were produced, actually modified from Tipo C with the engine mounted lower into the chassis and a slimmer body.[2][3] The chassis was derived from the Tipo C and the engine from the 8C 2900. The 308 was engineered by Gioacchino Colombo under the control of Enzo Ferrari who was then in charge of Alfa's racing team, Alfa Corse. The car debuted at the Pau Grand Prix in 1938, where two cars were entered to race, one for Tazio Nuvolari and the other for Luigi Villoresi.[4] Both drivers had to withdraw from competition, however Nuvolari had by then set a lap record. The next race was the Tripoli Grand Prix. The new 312 (3-litre, 12 cylinders) and 316 (3-litre, 16 cylinders) were entered, but they had engine trouble during practice and Clemente Biondetti took the start at the wheel of the 308 held in reserve. He failed to finish, while Hermann Lang, driving a Mercedes-Benz W154, was the winner. In this race, Eugenio Siena, driving a 312, was killed after hitting a wall.
 | |
| Category | Grand Prix 3 litre |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Alfa Romeo |
| Designer(s) | Gioacchino Colombo |
| Production | 1938 |
| Predecessor | Alfa Romeo 12C |
| Successor | Alfa Romeo 158 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Chassis | channel section side members[1] |
| Suspension (front) | independent with trailing links, coil springs, hydraulic dampers |
| Suspension (rear) | independent with swing axles, transverse leaf springs |
| Engine | Alfa Romeo 2991 cc straight-8 Roots supercharged 295 bhp (220 kW) @ 6000 rpm front engined, longitudinally mounted |
| Transmission | Alfa 4-speed manual |
| Tyres | Pirelli |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants | Alfa Corse |
| Notable drivers | Tazio Nuvolari Luigi Villoresi Jean-Pierre Wimille Achille Varzi Raymond Sommer Óscar Alfredo Gálvez Chico Landi |
| Debut | April 1938 Pau Grand Prix |
In the 1938 Mille Miglia, Clemente Biondetti and Carlo Pintacuda took the first two places. Biondetti's car used a 300 bhp (220 kW) Tipo 308 engine, while Pintacuda's used a 225 bhp (168 kW) 2900B.[5]
In 1938 and 1939, Raymond Sommer won a couple of hillclimb competitions at La Turbie with 308;[4] Jean-Pierre Wimille won a couple of races in Europe in the 1940s. One of the cars was brought to Argentina where it gathered some success and victories in the hands of Óscar Alfredo Gálvez. The car that Gálvez used in Argentina is now in the Juan Manuel Fangio museum.[6]
One of the cars was sold to the US after World War II and Louis Durant drove it to 6th place in the 1946 Indianapolis 500; the next year it placed 7th with Walt Brown. In 1948, Johnny Mauro drove the car to 8th place; this car is now located in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.[7] It is probably the same car that was also used in the 1940 Indianapolis 500, which was Raymond Sommer's ex car.[1]
Overall Alfa Romeo's 3 litre formula cars (Tipo 308, 312 and 316) were not a great success. Instead, the new car for the 1500 cc class, the 158 voiturette, designed in 1937 and first raced at the Coppa Ciano in August 1938, proved much more successful.
Technical Information edit
| Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 | |
|---|---|
| engine | 8-cylinder in-line engine |
| displacement | 2991 cm³ / 182.5 cu in |
| bore × stroke | 69mm × 100mm |
| compression ratio | 6.1 : 1 |
| Power at 1/min | 295 hp / 220 kW at 6000 |
| valve control | two overhead camshaftn / 2 valves per cylinder |
| mixture preparation | 2 Weber carburetors, dual Roots blowers |
| cooling | Water |
| transmission | 4-speed transmission, not synchronized (rear-wheel drive) |
| brakes | hydraulically actuated drum braken on all wheels |
| Front suspension | Cross arms, coil springs, hydraulic dampers |
| rear suspension | pendulum axle, semi-elliptical transverse leaf springs, hydraulic telescopic dampers, friction dampers |
| body and frame | Aluminum body on ladder frame |
| Wheelbase | 2750mm |
| Track width front / rear | 1350mm / 1350mm |
| front tire size | unknown |
| Rear tire size | unknown |
| Dimensions L × W × H | 4000mm × -mm × 1160mm |
| curb weight (without driver) | 870 kg |
| tank capacity | unknown |
| fuel consumption | unknown |
| top speed | 260 km/h (162 mph) |
Main victories edit
- 1938 Grand Prix Rio de Janeiro, Carlo Maria Pintacuda
- 1939 Circuit des Remparts - Angoulême, Raymond Sommer
- 1946 Grand Prix de Bourgogne, Jean-Pierre Wimille
- 1946 Grand Prix du Roussillon - Circuit des Platanes - Perpignan, Jean-Pierre Wimille
- 1947 Grand Prix de Rosario, Achille Varzi
- 1948 Grand Prix São Paulo, Jean-Pierre Wimille
- 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, Óscar Alfredo Gálvez
Indianapolis 500 edit
- 1940 Chet Miller, 17th
- 1946 Louis Durant, 6th
- 1947 Walt Brown, 7th
- 1948 Johnny Mauro, 8th
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ a b "CARS (PART 1) ALFA ROMEO". kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman. Archived from the original on 19 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ Borgeson, Griffith (1990). The Alfa Romeo Tradition. ISBN 0-85429-875-4.
- ^ Venables, David (2000). First among champions. ISBN 1859606318.
- ^ a b "The Unknown History of the 308 in Argentina". ddavid.com/formula1. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ Title:"Classic and Sportscar" magazine, Published: April 2007, Article: "Alfa 8C-2900B MM", Page 192, ISSN 0263-3183
- ^ "Un tributo al chueco... Museo Juan Manuel Fangio - Alfa Romeo 8C-308".
- ^ "Johnny Mauro - Denver, CO". coloradoracingmemories.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-01.