The History of Alfa Romeo  (by Elvira Ruocco)  Article 1

In 1950 the Formula 1 World Championship sees Alfa Romeos triumph on the circuits all over the world. Nino Farina is the first racing car driver to be crowned World Champion. His fellow and rival Juan Manuel Fangio prevails in 1951

The fabulous Alfettas (little Alfas) occupy a very first-rate position in motor racing history. From 1938 to 1951, with exception of the stop due to the war period, they have dominated on every track worldwide. No other racing car has had a so long lifetime and perhaps no other car has ever ended undefeated any sport season.
The 158 signature meant the engine capacity (1.5 litres) and the number of cylinders (8). It had been designed by Gioacchino Colombo in Modena and started its career under the badge of the new “Alfa Corse” sport organization run by Enzo Ferrari, on August 7, 1938 at the Circuit of the Montenero (Livorno) where it won the 1st and 2nd place in absolute ranking.
The first period of achievements in races of this car ended with the 1940 Tripoli G.P., owing to the world conflict that forced to an almost complete standstill in competitive activities. The Alfettas and the developmental cars were secured; those thin red fireballs constituted a technical heritage of inestimable value.
By the renewal of competitions in 1946, changes were made to the engine which raised power to 255 HP from the 225 HP of 1940. The Experiment Service, headed by eng. Gian Paolo Garcea, was responsible for the preparation and race assistance of this monoposto, which, after the overwhelming victory (first three absolute placings) at the Nations’ Grand Prix that took place in Geneva on June 21, 1946, was called by the press: “the symbol of recovery of our country”; “the superb affirmation of the Italian industry”; “first in the ranking of the world racing car production.” In 1950 the F.I.A.’s International Sport Committee organized the first edition of the Drivers World Championships, a racing series devoted to formula one cars, that is cars with a supercharged 1500 cc engine capacity or up to 4500 cc without compressor. It was an exciting news because never till then a world title had been assigned to individual drivers. There had been a world constructors title, but one had to go back to 1925, when Alfa Romeo won with the P2.
It was immediately clear that it was a new outstanding springboard for car industry, a top-level championship that would have produced unforgettable names and rankings. But it also became a territory for a new Italian challenge: the red Alfas against the red Ferraris. A duel that led back the Italian technics to the peak of world values, giving back, as in Nuvolari’s times, sense and colour to the motoring sport of the second postwar period.
After the threefold victory in the 1947’s Grand Prix of Belgium with the Alfettas of Wimille, Varzi and Trossi at the top of the results, a French journalist wrote: “…it looks like we were gone back by 22 years when, right here in Spa, the Alfa Romeo P2s of Ascari e Campari made a pit stop and the drivers, sitting at table, had a snack, so large was their advantage on opponents”.
1950 was a triumphant year for the Alfetta: 11 absolute victories out of 11 Grand Prix, which lead Alfa Romeo to the victory in the Formula One World Championship, a triumph celebrated in Monza where Giuseppe Farina crowned World Champion. In the second place ranked Juan Manuel Fangio, the Argentinian racing car driver of Italian extraction, enlisted by Alfa Romeo for its return to the competitions.

Farina on the 158:


In 1951, the Alfettas, on which relevant improvements were made, were introduced with the new “159” designation. The engine, after the fitting of the two-stage fuel system, gave 425 HP at 9300 rpm on the dyno. The chassis had been reinforced, the rear axle replaced by the De Dion type solution, the fuel tanks enlarged to reach a 250-litre capacity and the body had been slightly widened to hold the dynamic intake and the tanks.
People in the Alfa’s pits were renowned owing to their refuelling speed: the mechanics were able to change a full set of tyres and to refill the tank in 22 seconds. During such in-race refuelling, the mechanics threw a rubber cloak on the driver in order to protect him from possible sudden blazes or from dangerous fuel spurts. Unlike Ferraris, the Alfettas needed a larger number of refuellings since provided with a supercharged engine.
The Alfetta 159 went along the previous year stages again, by confirming its best performances both on fast circuits and on mixed-course ones and closed its sport year by triumphing at the Barcellona Grand Prix where it seized its second Workd Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio.

Fangio on the 159:


This was the two-year period in which the first postwar Formula One was applied, which had a peculiar feature. Right at the end of 1951, the two technical solutions proposed by the formula for the engines, supercharged or not, found their full development, after legendary sport battles fought by machines and men of an incomparable driving style, like Farina and Fangio who were fellow and rivals.
By winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza which consecrated him world champion, Giuseppe Farina (“Nino”) realized an old dream to attain a success on the circuit that counts the greater sport tradition and to add his name to those of Campari, Nuvolari, Varzi, Fagioli, Stuck, Rosemayer and Caracciola in the golden roll of honour.
Born in Turin on October 30, 1906, he nourished a passion for cars and races ever since he was a child. He used to be brought to school by a chauffeur with the small Type 0 Fiat and, by disobeying father’s orders, sometimes he persuaded the chauffeur to give him up the wheel for some short tract. That was his first driving school. Later, in the coachbuilding works of his father in Tortona Avenue, with the help of his brother, he succeeded on Sundays to set up a track on which they were running for hours on the small “Temperino”. He carried out his first race as mechanic for his uncle Pinin Farina. He officially started his career as driver indeed in the summer of 1930, in a hillclimb race: the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo. However the Alfa 1500 went off the road and Farina suffered severe fractures which kept him away from competitions for some years.
He became Italian champion in 1937 after having raced at the wheel of several cars showing a great determination and exceptional endowments of bravery. For him each race was a challenge which he absolutely had to win: the car had to be always exploited to the highest degree.
He also found the time to graduate. This added some touch to his already relevant personality and brought him the nickname of “flying doctor”. His talents were noticed by Enzo Ferrari who appointed him a member of the Alfa Romeo team and, when Nuvolari left Alfa and passed to Auto Union, became the first driver of the Milan House in an automatic way.
After the second world war, he resumed racing and, in 1950, found himself in Alfa in company of Fangio and Fagioli making up the team that was called of the “3 F”.
He was also nicknamed “the lord of speed” owing to his composed expression when he was driving, without any effort. He was shy, the most shy of all the ace drivers and the shyness complex was maybe the only reason for unhappiness in his life. His hobby was collecting stamps and used to spend whole evenings in his study to stick those tiny paper squares.
When Alfa Romeo decided to give up racing at the end of season ’51, he stepped down embittered by complaining about the fact that his past had not adequately been acknowledged.
It has always been spoken, wrongly, very little of such great champion, either when he was winning, either after the road accident which costs him his life, in 1966, near Chambery, when he crashed into a pole at the wheel of his Lotus Cortina. Perhaps because such his manners of publicity-averse gentleman were not very suited to the racing world and its followers.
Juan Manuel Fangio (“el Chueco”) was born in Balcarce (Buenos Aires) on June 24, 1911. He disdained the farmland way of life and began to work as mechanic by taking part in some races. He broke such activity to enter the artillery school and, upon his return to Balcarce, he created a car servicing firm: the “Fangio, Duffart and Cavallotti”. In 1934, he took part in his first race aboard a Ford with which he intensified his racing business. In 1940 and 1941, he was Argentinian national champion, since he won long and tough competitions like the classical “Carreras”. In the postwar period, the victories in Rio, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Rosario brought him the popularity of an idol. In 1950, he was enlisted by Alfa Romeo and entered the lists of the first Formula One world championship. He finished as the runner-up, behind Farina, but, in his memories, that was the most beautiful season of his racing life, even though the title, which he would have won a good five times, slipped from his hands by a hair’s breadth.
He did not know then that he would have become a great champion, a “master” for his driving style. The fact that Alfa had called him in its racing team was: “as when an opera singer is called for the first time at the LaScala theatre.” Often, he made use of musical analogies speaking about Alfa. He said that the engine of his Alfetta had reached the perfection of a symphony and that he was feeling as a “violinist who drives his bow on the strings of a Stradivari.”
The press did not comment very positively on his agreement with Alfa Romeo. Many people wondered why the Milan House had appointed a foreign driver. The truth was that Alfa did not make questions of local pride but just had asked for the best ones.
It was maybe in order to dampen the controversy that the general manager, eng. Antonio Alessio, after the first Fangio’s victory in Sanremo, delivered this speech at the Argentinian radio: “I am glad to bring the Alfa Romeo’s greetings to the Argentinian sports devotees in the day in which your champion Manuel Fangio takes over for the first time the wheel of our cars on the Europe’s racetracks. This alliance between the great Argentinian driver and the Italian vanguard car production yet passes over the sports and mechanics event to reassert, across the oceans that though less than ever divide us, the indissoluble bond of fraternity between our two peoples.
And thinking about Manuel Fangio’s origins, I am proud that it is up to a son of Italians, expressed by your generous land, to defend in Europe the colours of Alfa Romeo, worldwide forerunner of the Italian work. From the enchanting Italian Riviera which was the birthplace of whom first marked the ways towards the new Americas, and from which so many children of ours left to impregnate of their work your land, I wish that, in this joyful hour of omens and victorious promises, goes the greeting of Alfa Romeo to the glorious Argentinian Nation.”
In every race of such two sport years that saw him Farina’s opponent, there were important, more or less unusual and also controversial aspects. While the first world championship was taking place, the Italian press pointed to Fangio as possible winner but talked at length to demonstrate that it would not have been impossible for Farina to outdo the Argentinian ace, by underlining that the victory of an Italian champion would have been “morally legitimate’’, since Alfa Romeos were cars made in Italy. The Argentinian and European newspapers did not share the same opinion and were showing, with results at hand, that Fangio would have won. It was also insinuated that, since the public opinion claimed an Italian winner, the Alfa’s sport management would have had recourse to some stratagem to grant the Italian supporters’ requests.
Farina won and deservedly won because no trick can let anyone devoid of talent and merit turn champion.
Fangio got his revenge on October 28, 1952 on the circuit of Pena Rhin in Barcelona. “Campeon del Mundo!” shouted three hundred thousand spectators to his lap of honours. They hailed him in Spanish, his mother tongue, and he felt home. It was a unforgettable day that closed between “olè”s, mantillas and toreadors of Barcelona.
In 1952, as he could not have the Alfetta 159 any longer owing to the Alfa’s withdrawal from races, Fangio signed two contracts that bounded him to B.R.M. and Maserati for Formula 1 and 2 racing even though he stood faithful to the Biscione’s House for racing in the sport and touring categories. In 1958, he hung up his helmet and goggles, in the incredulity of the world of racing.
The attainment of two world championships in a row was the cause of joy and big pride for every workmen of the Portello; not only for the technicians and mechanics who had indefatigably worked close to drivers but also for the others, who only had seen the big ash grey trucks leave the Traiano Street’s plant.
Such double shot in world championships seemed sufficient to Alfa to (provisionally) close down the Grand Prix business, but it continued to keep its sport image going by taking part to competitions which are reminiscent of production cars.

Elvira Ruocco

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Translation by Fabio Grandi