Autodelta V12, Alfa Romeo. Monaco Grand Prix, 1982.
Legendary Italian designer Vittorio Jano, dual world champion Alberto Ascari and the mastermind behind both the pre and post-war dominant Mercedes teams Alfred Neubauer.
Jano was famed for designing legendary cars such as the Alfa Romeo P3, Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta, Lancia D50, and the original Ferrari 206 Dino road car, named in honour of Enzo Ferrari’s late son. Jano took his own life in 1965 after falling ill, months after the death of his own son.
Despite losing his father to motor racing (in a car designed by Jano), Ascari would go on to have great success, equalling his father’s number of Grand Prix victories, but also passing away in a similar way to his father at the same age (only a matter of days after this photo), also leaving behind two children and a wife. In his short career, he won two driver’s championship in dominant fashion for Ferrarin in 1952 and 53, and still holds seven different records fifty years later.
Alfred Neubauer was the brainchild behind the dominant pre and post Mercedes teams, winning a slew of Grand Prixs and Driver’s championships. He retired when Mercedes withdrew from motorsport after the tragedy at Le Mans in 1955. He died at the age of 89 in Stuttgart in 1980.
what we miss … Alfa Romeo
a view at the Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 litre V8 used in the Benetton-Alfa Romeo 185T
Alfa was the only engine manufacturer to use a turbocharged 8 cylinder engine, where the competition used either 4 or 6 cylinder engines
The Alfa Romeo was notoriously harsh on fuel, sometimes using upwards of 300 litres during a race. This was made even more difficult when refuelling was banned in 1984, with fuel tank capacities set at 220 litres.
going naked … René Arnoux waiting in the pits while mechanics work on his Ligier-Alfa Romeo
a combination set up early in 1987 that never saw the llight of day during the actual Grand Prix season, FIAT pulled the plug on the deal & left Ligier stranded, having to use Megatron engines, which were in fact ex-BMW blocks
I never knew this! Does anyone have any more information on this story?
what we miss in modern day F1 …. enormous engines … Alfa Romeo V12 that powered Niki Lauda’s Brabham BT48
A car for the motoring aficionado
Back in the day. One Alfa Romeo you won’t see gracing the road.
Not to be an annoyance, but this is actually a Brabham BT48, Brabham’s 1979 race car powered by an Alfa Romeo V12. It wasn’t very reliable, including back-to-back races at Hockenheim and Osterriechring where the team suffered duel engine failures.
Alfa Romeo entered a team late 1979, and the reliability was similar. While Brabham went on to win 2 titles with a Cosworth and then BMW engines, Alfa failed to score a podium finish in their ten years returned to the sport. Did nothing to tarnish their impressive record from the early 50’s and pre-war years.
Interesting to note, as well, is that the BT48 Brabham was driver by two drivers who would become triple world champions: Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.
