Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta
leaf springs, hydraulic dampers | |||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Swing axle*, transverse leaf spring, hydraulic dampers * | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tyres | Pirelli | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | Alfa Romeo SpA | ||||||||
Notable drivers | Jean-Pierre Wimille Giuseppe Farina Juan Manuel Fangio Luigi Fagioli | ||||||||
Debut | 1938 Coppa Ciano Junior (158) 1951 BRDC International Trophy (159) | ||||||||
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Constructors' Championships | Not applicable before 1958 | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 2 (1950 – Giuseppe Farina 1951 – Juan Manuel Fangio) |
The Alfa Romeo 158/159, also known as the Alfetta (Little Alfa in Italian
Overview
The first version of this successful racing car, the 158, was made during 1937/1938. The main responsibility for engineering was given to Gioacchino Colombo.[3]
The car's name refers to its 1.5-litre engine and eight cylinders.[4] The voiturette class was for racing cars with 1.5-litre engines, standing in the same relation to the top 'Grand Prix' formula (usually for 3-litre engines) as the Formula Two does to Formula One today. Alfa's 3-litre racing cars in 1938 and 1939 were the Tipo 308, 312 and 316.
The 158 debuted with the works Alfa Corse team at the Coppa Ciano Junior in August 1938 at Livorno, Italy, where Emilio Villoresi took the car's first victory. At that time the 1479.56 cc (58.0 x 70.0 mm) engine produced around 200 bhp (150 kW) at 7000 rpm.[5] with the help of a single-stage Roots blower. More success came at the Coppa Acerbo, Coppa Ciano and Tripoli Grand Prix in May 1940.[6] Soon World War II stopped development of the car for six years. After the war the engine was developed further to push out 254 bhp (189 kW) in 1946.
In 1947, the Alfetta was put back into service. The new rules allowed 1500 cc supercharged and 4500 cc naturally aspirated engines. The 158 was modified again, this time to produce over 300 bhp (220 kW) and was denoted as Tipo 158/47. The car made a tragic debut in the 1948
In 1950, the 158 was eligible for the new World Championship of Drivers. The car won every race in which it competed during that first season of Formula One; it was incredible that a car which had originated in 1938 was so victorious, most likely because all the other constructors (as few as there were) had less money to build and develop their cars and the Alfa had so much development time. The Alfa Romeo team included talented drivers such as Giuseppe "Nino" Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, the latter of whom later won the World Drivers' Championship five times.
At the end of the
After an unsuccessful bid by Alfa Romeo to obtain government assistance to meet development costs, the team announced their retirement from Grand Prix racing at the end of 1951 (leaving the development of the 2.5-litre
The car's last Grand Prix win came in 1953 at Merano Grand Prix, Italy.[4]
Technical data
Technical data | 158/39 | 158/50 | 159 |
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Engine: | Front mounted 8-cylinder in-line engine
| ||
Displacement: | 1479 cm³ | ||
Bore x stroke: | 58 x 70mm | ||
Max power at rpm: | 225 hp at 7 500 rpm | 350 hp at 8 600 rpm | 425 hp at 9 300 rpm |
Valve control: | 2 overhead Camshaft, 2 valves per cylinder | ||
Upload: | Roots compressor |
2 Roots compressors
| |
Gearbox : |
4-speed manual, transaxle | ||
suspension front: | Double longitudinal links, transverse leaf springs, hydraulic shock absorbers
| ||
suspension rear: | Pendulum axle | De Dion axle
| |
Rear suspension: | Transverse leaf springs, hydraulic shock absorbers
| ||
Brakes: | Hydraulic drum brakes | ||
Wheelbase: | 250 cm | ||
Dry weight : |
630 kg | 700 kg | 710 kg |
Race victories
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position, results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Points | WCC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | 158 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 | P | GBR | MON | 500 | SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | 88 | -* | ||
Giuseppe Farina | 1 | Ret | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | ||||||||
Juan Manuel Fangio | Ret | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | Ret | ||||||||
Luigi Fagioli | 2 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
Reg Parnell | 3 | |||||||||||||
Gianbattista Guidotti | DNS | |||||||||||||
Consalvo Sanesi | Ret | |||||||||||||
Piero Taruffi | Ret | |||||||||||||
1951 | 159 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 | P | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ESP | 75 | -* | |
Giuseppe Farina | 3 | 1 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 3 | 3 | |||||||
Juan Manuel Fangio | 1 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Ret | 1 | |||||||
Toulo de Graffenried | 5 | Ret | 6 | |||||||||||
Consalvo Sanesi | 4 | Ret | 10 | 6 | ||||||||||
Gianbattista Guidotti | DNS | |||||||||||||
Luigi Fagioli | 1 | |||||||||||||
Felice Bonetto | 4 | Ret | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
Paul Pietsch | Ret |
* The Constructors' Championship was not awarded until 1958.
See also
- Mercedes-Benz W165
- Ferrari 125 F1
- Maserati 4CLT
- BRM Type 15
- Veritas Meteor
Legacy
The 158/159 Alfetta remains one of the most successful cars in the history of Formula One, having won every race it entered in 1950, and winning 4 out of 7 races (with a podium in all of the other 3) in 1951.
Notes
- ^ "THE ORIGINS OF THE ALFA ROMEO 158/159". enzociliberto.it. Archived from the original (DOC) on 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ISBN 1-85532-646-9.
- ^ "The Golden Era Of Grand Prix Racing". kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman. Archived from the original on 19 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ ISBN 0-85429-875-4.
- ^ "Grand Prix Cars – Alfa Romeo 158". ddavid.com/formula1. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ "1938 Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta". supercars.net. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ "Jean-Pierre Wimille: The man who would have been champion..." grandprix.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles EMEA Press: Alfa Romeo GP Tipo 159 Alfetta at F1 British GP - Press Releases - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles EMEA Press Archived 2019-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, accessdate: 11. July 2019
- ^ "Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta". www.petergiddings.com.
- ^ McKelvie, Steve (November 11, 2011). "Talbot Lago T26-C Grand Prix Car".
- ^ "The Alfetta's last call". forix.com. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
- ^ a b Mike Lang, Grand Prix, Volume 1, 1950 to 1965, Haynes Publishing Group, 1981, page 39