How to drive a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza ex Scuderia Ferrari
9 Agosto, 2024
During The ICE St. Moritz I have filmed this 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza.
Designed in 1930 by Vittorio Jano starting from the contemporary Alfa 6C, it was produced in both road and racing versions and named according to the engine displacement and the type of bodywork mounted. For Jano a car, even if designed for racing, not only had to be powerful but also stable, manageable and as light as possible in order to be able to adapt to road use as well. This was the key philosophy behind the extreme success of the 8C family and which made these cars to be successful both in the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio but also in Grand Prix races and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Vittorio Jano designed a straight-8 engine which was built up from two blocks of four cylinders with the gear drive to the overhead camshafts sandwiched in between. Its first displacement was of 2.3 litre engine and it was paired with a roots-type supercharger. The max power output was of around 140hp. Subsequently the dispacement was increased to 2.6-litre and then up to 2.9-litre which gave their name to the various 8C 2600 and 8C 2900.
The first success came at the Targa Florio 1931, with Nuvolari at the wheel. Another important victory came at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza of the same year, with a modified 8C 2300 single-seater with a shortened wheelbase, upgraded engine with a max power of 165hp, new bodywork with sharpened tail, different front grille and exhaust pipe placed along the left side of the car. Since then this version was nicknamed 8C 2300 "Monza" and produced in only 10 units to participate in numerous grand prix throughout Europe.
In 1933 the successes of Alfa Romeo in motorsport competitions were marked by Enzo Ferrari's Scuderia Ferrari which had already raced and won with Alfa Romeo cars since 1929. Scuderia Ferrari (and subsequently also many private drivers) increased the engine displacement of their 8Cs to 2.6-litre, to obtain 180hp at 5600 rpm.
The 8C Monza featured in this video should be chassis 2211120. It was entered by Scuderia Ferrari in the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix for Tazio Nuvolari, who lead the race until he had to retire on the very last lap of the race. Over the winter, the car was rebuilt at Scuderia Ferrari and chassis renamed F28 (as per Ferrari nomenclature after each car they built).
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*Michael - Automotive Mike*
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