McLaren-Alfa Romeo 1970

After retiring from racing at the end of the victorious 1951 season, a year in which the 'Alfetta 159' powered Juan Manuel Fangio to win the world title, Alfa Romeo returned to Formula One in early 1970 as a sole supplier of engines to several teams.

The eventual return of Alfa Romeo to F1 racing took place in 1969 thanks to the interest of President Luraghi who wanted McLaren Cars to adopt the 33-3 sport engine for their new M14D.

It was Dr. Luraghi, a bright and strong manager from IRI, the real architect of the return... the true 'motive force' of the 105.33 project that launched Alfa Romeo back into racing competitions. 

Dr. Luraghi, as CEO of Alfa Romeo S.p.A. at Portello had the unenviable task of reversing the financial and economic situation of Alfa Romeo.  He firmly believed that victories in racing were very important to sell the company's “family cars that win the races” theme.  His dream was to put the “red fireball racing cars” with the “Quadrifoglio” back at the top of the most important challenges.

Alfa Romeo already had his own “Dream Team”; it was the ”Servizio Esperienze Speciali”, directed by Ing. Orazio Satta Puliga and Ing. Giuseppe Busso.

Luraghi, considering the past experience and the current world of racing cars, decided that the goal to reach was the championship in the 2-liter Sports category.  But he decided to support the team “Servizio Esperienze Speciali” with an ad-hoc external structure....to be called "Autodelta".

In order to maintain a sense of autonomy while at the same time enjoying the special handling required in racing world, Luraghi decided to adopt "Autodelta", the small factory in Udine into the Alfa Romeo S.p.A. sphere of influence.  

Autodelta back then was a short drive north of Venice.  Originated by Ing. Carlo Chiti with his friend Ludovico Chizzola in 1963,  Autodelta in 1970 was able to supply  8-cylinder 90 ° V-8 engines to the McLaren M14D of Andrea de Adamich and, later in 1971 to the March 711 of Nanni Galli and Ronnie Peterson.

1970 McLaren-Alfa Romeo V-8 M7D

1971-1972 March - Alfa Romeo Formula 1 

Alfa Romeo:  Back to the Future

Brabham - Alfa Romeo 1974-1978

Text by Roberto Motta with Robert Little

                                                                   Copyright  Robert B. Little

In June of 1974 Bernie Ecclestone had contacted Ing. Carlo Chiti to explore the possibility of using the relatively new Autodelta 12 cylinder boxer engine.  

According to historical accounts, Ing. Chiti had dreamed of Alfa Romeo S.p.A. returning to full participation in Formula 1 since the withdrawal of the firm from Formula 1 back in 1951 due largely to economic difficulties.  Besides the unrelenting demands upon him to raise the power output of his V-8 for his T-33 series cars, Chiti pushed himself and his small engineering team to design in 1971 his own flat 12 cylinder for the day when the firm would return to Formula 1 racing.  

The agreement with Brabham was merely a stopping off point among his hidden plans to become a true constructor of Formula 1 cars supplying its own chassis and engines...

According to Ing. Chiti:  

"It was Andrea de Adamich once again who helped the operation to take place.  He had retired finally from racing in 1974, but had continued to enjoy excellent relations with Bernie Ecclestone, the patron for whom he had raced in 1973. Ecclestone was a very different man from the one we know today..." 

(Chiti was speaking early in the year 1991, three and one half years before his untimely passing following a heart attack in June of 1994).

Ing. Chiti continued..."He was taking his first steps in Formula 1, but he had immediately showed his ability by gaining a generous and prestigious sponsor in Martini.  He had also realized that the backing of a major firm would assist the return to the top rank of the team of which he had just become the owner.  And not just that - - it had become clear to him that his Brabham fitted with the classic 8 cylinder Ford Cosworth, could not hope to do much against the 12 cylinder boxer of Ferrari".  

The engine that Ecclestone wanted to make that clear distinction with was the new Autodelta 12 cylinder.   It had just recently made it's debut at the Targa Florio in 1973 and had won its first championship race at Monza the following year.  Ecclestone had taken notice when de Adamich proposed the collaboration sometime thereafter.

"Ecclestone wanted his team to be different from the others, and it didn't take much to convince de Adamich that the agreement with Alfa would enable him to make the necessary leap in quality."  

The brilliant designer Gordon Murray had succeeded in creating a first class BT44B car using the Cosworth powerplant.   But when the agreement was reached between Chiti and Ecclestone in June of 1975,  the parties found that it was necessary to completely revise the BT44 chassis to enclose the flat 12 cylinder with all of the unknown variables between the chassis, the engine, the transmission,  the team cultures and the language difficulties that all came into play.

                                                                                                        - Robert Little

By 1976, after more than twenty years from its retirement from Grand Prix racing, the Casa del Portello finally returned to F1 motor racing providing Brabham with its own Alfa Romeo 12-cylinder boxer engine. 

This event signalled their return to the highest motor racing formula that ultimately culminated with the return of an all-Alfa Romeo single-seat Formula 1 car in 1979.

By the end of 1975, the Casa del Portello won the World Championship for Makes campaign with their 33TT12 powered by the 'Tipo 105-12' boxer engine. The reliability and power of the engine allowed the 33TT12 to win most of the scheduled races and by doing so attracted the notice of Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone.   

He requested the engine for his Formula 1 team along with the collaboration of Alfa Romeo driver Andrea de Adamich.    

Mr. de Adamich, who had retired from active participation from the racing world in 1974, had maintained a good relationship with both the Alfa Romeo organization and with Bernie Ecclestone for whom he competed in 1973 with the BT42.

Brabham was a small team that had achieved good success in the 1974 championship series, taking 2nd place in the constructors standings and allowing Carlos Reutemann to take 3rd place in the drivers' standings.

Ecclestone was aware that his cars, powered by the Ford Cosworth V-8 engine were unable to compete against the Ferrari-powered cars with their 12-cylinder boxer engines.  Furthermore, he was looking for something that would allow his team to stand out from other British teams.   de Adamich did not have to struggle to convince Eccelstone that the agreement with Alfa Romeo had the potential to allow a much sought-after leap in quality and performance.

After brief negotiations, Ecclestone signed an agreement with Alfa Romeo which undertook to supply him with the engines and follow their development.

The BT45 is born.

Once the agreement had been reached, the British engineers led by designer and aerodynamicist Gordon Murray modified a Brabham BT44 chassis to accommodate the Milanese engine and initiate  the first feasibility tests.

On October 13, 1975, on the Silverstone track, the first Brabham-Alfa Romeo made its track debut.

The results were not encouraging. The Brabham and Alfa Romeo technicians, who had imagined up front that their collaboration would not be easy quickly faced its first problem: the Alfa Romeo 'boxer' required a specialized chassis.

The flat twelve cylinder allowed the car's center of gravity to be lower and to deliver more power than the V-8 Cosworth, but it was heavier, had larger overall dimensions and higher fuel consumption. To solve the frame problems, Murray then designed a new car which was called BT45.

Here are the images above from the BT45 presentation of October 26th, 1975.

Below is shown the first version of the BT45-001.

The Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT45 shown here competed in the 1976 Canadian Grand Prix    Notice the variation in air intake designs shown between the BT45s in photo above and below.

The Technique

The new car from the outer design standpoint was the natural evolution of the BT44. It maintained the shape of the front with the water radiators placed in front of the front wheels, while the car body had more of the same square and massive shapes. 

The aerodynamics, however, were somewhat different, with the rear completely flaired and two striking vertical air intakes, which had the task of diverting the 'clean' air from the rear tires to the  channel towards the rear wing, while simultaneously conveying more fresh air towards the trumpets intakes of the engine.

Heavily reinforcing the chassis, Murray re-designed the front suspension with a scheme already tested... with the shock absorber spring assemblies packaged inside the car compressed from the bottom upwards thanks to an aluminum balance wheel put in traction by a tie rod. The rear suspension consisted of a shock absorber spring assembly, transverse arms and longitudinal linkage.

Both axles were equipped with a stabilizer bar.

The braking system used self-ventilating discs with 4-piston calipers. The front discs were mounted to the wheels, while the rear discs were mounted in-board to the sides of the transmission.

The BT45 had its initial shake down session in mid-October when, driven on the track by Reutemann, it made only one lap at a reduced pace due to engine lubrication problems.

The BT45 was therefore forced to return to the workshops to adopt a new larger oil tank, and to replace the recovery pumps of the lubricant circuit.

On 26 October, the BT45, distinguished by a white livery and the brand of the sponsor Martini, was officially presented on the Balocco circuit in the presence of Moro, Chiti, Ecclestone, Cortesi, Vittorio Rossi and the drivers Pace and Reutemann.

During the meeting with the press, the Milanese manufacturer announced its future sporting program schedule which included the abandonment of the 1976 World Championship for Makes competition, and the total involvement of Autodelta in the preparation of 'boxer' engines for Brabham.

During the day in front of the corporate leaders, the car safely covered only a few laps of the track.  During the following days, it was subjected to an intense development program were problems of undersizing the chassis and the anomalous functioning of the engine were highlighted.

Recall that the Milanese boxer was derived from the unit mounted on the 33TT12 and that its use on sports cars allowed the use of an oil tank with a capacity of about 30 liters... while on the BT45 the oil tank had a capacity of only 8 liters. Furthermore, the characteristics required of an engine used in endurance races, where it was subjected to prolonged stresses over long time periods were aimed at the durability and solidity of the structure, rather than the absolute containment of weight.  

Autodelta technicians were thus forced to develop the engine to improve its lubrication and reduce its weight.

1976 Brabham Alfa Romeo horizontally opposed 12 cylinder chassis  BT45-001

This 12 cylinder boxer 180 degree 2993 cc  520 horsepower 12 cylinder car was introduced on October 26, 1975 at the Alfa Romeo private testing facility at Balocco.   Chassis  BT45-001

1976 Canadian Grand Prix Brabham Alfa Romeo BT45  Notice the variation in air intake designs between those two BT45's in photos above.

Discussion and Commentary

“It was difficult..." Ing. Chiti said, "... and Ecclestone and I knew that very well. But the important thing was not to be too discouraged by the early poor results.  The Brabham men had to learn to suffer, to forget what they’d achieved in the previous seasons, just as we people from Alfa had to learn to work in perfect harmony with the English team.”

According to an account written by noted historian Doug Nye in his book “The Grand Prix Car 1966 – 1985”, Mr. Nye wrote that the collaboration between Brabham and Autodelta was filled with difficulties.

"Initially, communication with Autodelta was poor; without warning such vital items as engine mountings could vary by as much as one-half inch from an engine to another causing nightmares in assembly and preparation." 

The first season was difficult not only for the team but especially for Carlos Pace and Carlos Reutemann...in their first season with the new BT45 car...two drivers of South American extraction with easily depressed attitudes when faced with adversity.

At their introductory race at the Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying held on Friday January 23, 1976  the two cars could only manage to place 10th and 15th on the grid.

And throughout the entire season mediority plagued the team.   Tension developed to the point that Reutemann quit the team by the 12th race of the season and was replaced immediately by Irishman John Watson.  

The public began to question the wisdom of the match-up between the two organizations...reliability problems with the engine and powertrain continued to plague the team with Carlos Pace relegated to 14th place in the final season championship ranking.

1977 Brabham BT45B Alfa Romeo

1977 Brabham BT45 B Alfa Romeo with designer Gordon Murray (L) and driver John Watson

The BT45B

In the winter of 1976 - 1977, Murray and Ing. Chiti worked to improve the car. The designers anticipated the BT45B's race debut to be at the South African Grand Prix. The car had new rear suspension, engine mounts and a new gearbox, while further changes were made to the air intakes to allow the 12-cylinder boxer to breathe deeply and deliver power of around 530 hp.

Like every year, the championship kicked off with the Argentine Grand Prix. The BT45 performed very well and allowed Watson and Pace to record 2nd and 6th fastest times. On race day, the two BT45s took turns in command, until Watson's car was forced to retire due to a broken drive shaft, while Pace's car took a sweaty 2nd place due to a physical ailment of the driver.

In Brazil the BT45s started very fast, but already on lap 7 Pace's car was betrayed by the impetuousness of its driver and ended the race after a off-road excursion. Watson's car had the same fate and he abandoned the race on lap 30.

Finally, in South Africa, the BT45B made its debut, obtaining the 2nd fastest qualifying time in qualifying with Carlos Pace. In the race, Watson's car was the fastest on the lap and took the first points with 6th place.

A few days later, Carlos Pace was the victim of a plane crash that cost him his life. The Anglo-Italian team was forced to hire a substitute to face the rest of the championship; the choice fell on Hans Stuck Jr., son of the legendary driver of the thirties.

At Long Beach Watson's car triggered an accident at the first braking point and was disqualified, while Stuck's car abandoned the race on lap 53 due to broken brakes.

In the subsequent Grand Prix of Monte Carlo, Watson's BT45B set the fastest time, but at the start its wheels skated on a painted pedestrian crossing and was passed by Scheckter's Wolf. After more than halfway through the race in 2nd position he retired with gearbox problems.

During the summer season, Lauda set out to win his second World Championship with Ferrari... at the same time the expiration of his contract was fast approaching. 

After serious contractual misunderstandings with Ferrari, Lauda decided to accept Bernie Ecclestone's proposals, and in Zandvort he signed the contract with the Anglo-Italian team for the 1978 season. 

Before the end of the season, after mathematically winning the Drivers' World Championship, Ferrari let go of the Austrian driver and replaced him with the young Gilles Villeneuve.

Throughout the season, the BT45B, which faced its last race in the Japanese Grand Prix, continued to achieve excellent times in practice, particularly with Watson...failed to clinch the much-desired race victory.   Among the results obtained was 2nd place of Watson in France and the two podiums in Germany and Austria with Stuck.

The new 1978 season began in Buenos Aires with newcomer John Watson sharing the front row in qualifying with James Hunt.  

The revised BT45B began the season with new, more angular and efficient bodywork and engine breathing configuration, newly designed suspension components and a lighter engine weight.  

Irrespective of the improvements noted, the team failed to win a single race within its first three years of existence and suffered its greatest loss with the death of Carlos Pace on March 18, 1977 before the 4th race in a light plane crash.   

The Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT45C of Niki Lauda in 1978 trim with Alfa Romeo V-12 "1260" engine.

Alfa Romeo 'Type 1260'

The Alfa Romeo 'type 1260' engine, i.e. 12 cylinders in 60 ° V, characterized by bore and stroke measurements of 77.0 and 53.60 mm (2995 cc), exploited all the experiences of the previous boxer, of which it maintained some details. such as the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons and cylinder heads. 

Designed by the Autodelta staff directed by engineer Carlo Chiti built in just four and a half months, this engine due to its narrow 60 ° V architecture, was built according to its use on a 'Ground Effects' chassis configuration 

With its granite appearance, its structure was characterized by narrow and high cylinder banks, which gave it a sense of solidity and great power. Each group of 3 cylinders was placed next to each other with an identical ignition interval. The separate exhaust manifolds merged with a Type 3 system into one and then flowed into a single exhaust.

The 12-cylinder Alfa also stood out for its tremendous noise, typical of very fractionated constructions.

The V-1260 engine made it possible to create internal wings that were 40 cm wider than when cornering, and owing to the lateral venturi, they gave a downforce estimated at several hundred kg. weighing on the wheels.

At the time of its track debut, which took place on Lauda's BT48 in December '78, it had an output of 525 hp at 12,200 rpm.

In 1981 the 1260 type changed bore and stroke measurements which took the values of 78.5 and 51.5 mm (2,991 cc).

Over the years it has always maintained a high standard of reliability and power, reaching, in its latest versions, 540 horsepower at 12300 rpm and a torque of over 35 kgm at 9,000-9,500 rpm.

1978 Brabham BT46C - Alfa Romeo 

The winner of the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix...the Brabham Alfa BT45B 12 cylinder.  This revolutionary design by Gordon Murray was challenged on a number of different grounds and was quickly and permanently excluded from further Formula 1 competition.  

Year later Carlo Chiti, looked back on his Brabham-Alfa Romeo days and told his memoir writer and friend Oscar Orefici: 

"This was the beginning of our troubles- and it was Lauda's fault.  Eccelstone had ordered that our drivers should not try to win, because he was afraid that if the new car triumphed on its first appearance, it might create problems in the world of sporting politics. But Niki turned a deaf ear ...he was after fame and glory." 

It was a cold rainy Friday afternoon in May of 1978 on the Cote d'Azur...only a few yards from the workshop where the Brabham team was busily preparing for the weekend Monte Carlo Formula 1 trials...  

This is where Ing. Chiti chose to carefully and somewhat vaguely confirm what the automobile racing press had been whispering about for months....that Autodelta would be testing a new "Alfa-Alfa" car for the first time at Balocco within several months. 

Chiti knew that his word would be dutifully published the next day in the Italian Gazette newspaper and read by Ecclestone.  Needless to say, Ecclestone was beyond furious...

Chiti did not deny the story... trying to take advantage of some language difficulties, but nevertheless attempted to wriggle out of the vorcerious anger of his partner Bernie Ecclestone.

Looking back over his long and lusterous career, Ing. Chiti explained:

"My intention was to create a Formula 1 team for us , and at the same time to continue to provide engines for Brabham.  This policy was actually put into effect by Renault, for one, later on, but Massacesi, our Chairman, wouldn't have it; he was convinced that it was damaging to Alfa Romeo's name to go on being associated with a controversial and difficult personality like Bernie Ecclestone." 

The fact remained for the past three years the Brabham - Alfa Romeo collaboration had failed to achieve much more than a couple of pole positions and a few high non-podium finishes.   The car never won a Grand Prix race up to the middle of the third season and had to be content with a couple of 4th place finishes and a second place fuel-starved finish in 1977 by the Irishman John Watson.  

The rising volume of disputes and inter-company bickering continued to rage between Ecclestone and Chiti over their failure to achieve anything remotely successful between their two powerful organizations.  

To Ecclestone's way of thinking the Alfa Romeo 12 cylinder engine and drivetrain was totally to blame for a vast majority of the substandard outcomes. 

In near total secrecy, and in true Machiavellian fashion long dreamed about by the Ingegnere a decade prior ...behind the walls of Autodelta in Settimo Milanese an experimental Formula 1 car named the Alfa "T" (for Total Alfa Romeo components or Totale) had been designed and was being constructed. ..with the full support and backing of Alfa Romeo S.p.A. ..unbeknownst to its Brabham team partner.   The true design of the new Formula 1 car had been initated in 1976.

"The break was entirely Massacesi's fault" Ing. Chiti had said.

A decisive meeting took place in August, at Malpensa airport in Milan.  "We had made an appointment there with Ecclestone to discuss the future.  While we were waiting for him to arrive, the Chairman said to me:  'Alfa can't run itself by association with a type like Ecclestone'. 

By the time the Canadian Grand Prix was held, the Brabham team returned to their familiar Cosworth V-8 engine while Autodelta proceeded on its own way with an "Alfa-Alfa" all Italian philosophy.

1979 Alfa Romeo 177 12 cylinder boxer 3000 cc

                                      Alfa Romeo 177: Back To The Future
                                    

                                            Text and photos courtesy of Roberto Motta

                                                                  Copyright  Robert B. Little

Little known to non-Alfisti's, the Alfa Romeo "Typo 177" was one of the most popular cars and important cars in the history of Alfa Romeo in competitions.   After a long development period the 177 participated in only four races without reporting significant results, but it allowed the 'Biscione' to return to the world of Formula 1 with a real project.

An all-Italian car....  The chassis...   The engine...  and of course...   The driver.

In 1951, after winning the World Championship with Nino Farina in 1950 and with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1951 driving the famous 'Alfetta', the Alfa Romeo company retired from the world of Grand Prix.

Then, over the next few years and with the growing number of victories in the categories reserved for GT cars and in the Sport Prototype category,  the management of the Milanese manufacturer was the tempted to return to Formula 1 with one all-Italian single-seater and those thoughts became more than an insistent proccupation.

So much so that in the period 1970-1972, Alfa Romeo S.p.A. returned to the world of Grand Prix racing by supplying its V-8 engines to McLaren and March.

A few years later in 1976, after winning the World Championship for Makes title with the 33TT12, the Milanese manufacturer began a collaboration with the English team Brabham to supply its famous flat-twelve 'boxer' engine.

Unfortunately the results were slow to arrive and the relationship between the Italian technicians and their English colleagues deteriorated, so much so that in 1977, Ettore Massacesi, then General Manager of Alfa Romeo asked Autodelta to design and develop a new Formula 1 car with which to return to the world of Grand Prix racing.

Autodelta was the racing department of Alfa Romeo and its workshops were located in Settimo Milanese, a town northwest of Milano.

The technical manager for the development of the new F1 Alfa project was Ing. Carlo Chiti, one of the most brilliant designers in the history of world motor racing.

The new car called the 'Typo 177', was powered by the twelve-cylinder 'boxer' engine designed by Chiti and already used by Brabham in 1976.

This 'Typo 115-12' engine was characterized by measurements of bore and stroke of 77.0 and 53.6 mm respectively which gave it an actual displacement of 2995 cc and in its latest version was capable of delivering 520 horsepower at 12,000 rpm.  The chassis of the new single-seater used an aluminum monocoque which was mounted to the engine with a semi-load-bearing function.

The front suspension used overlapping wishbones and arms connected to the spring-shock absorber groups placed in a vertical position inside the car body.

The rear suspension was composed of overlapping wishbones with longitudinal reaction struts and spring-shock absorber groups placed in external inclined position.

The suspension was complemented by both adjustable anti-roll bars on the front and on the rear. 

The 177 prototype, shown above officially saw the light of day on May 30, 1978 when Vittorio Brambilla took the first laps out on the track on the Balocco circuit, the private testing laboratory of Alfa Romeo S.p.A. 

Finally after a year of testing, first secretly on the Brands Hatch circuit followed by development tests on the private Balocco proving ground and other European circuits...on May 13th,1979...the occasion of the 6th championship match, which took place on the Belgian circuit of Zolder, the Alfa Romeo 177 was entered and entrusted to Bruno Giacomelli.

During the two practice sessions characterized by rainy weather and by a slippery track, Giacomelli's 177 obtained the 14th fastest time, behind the Brabham-Alfa Romeo, powered by the Alfa Romeo 'Tipo 1260' engine with 60 ° V cylinders driven by the famous Austrian driver Niki Lauda.

On race day, Alfa Romeo 177 wrestled with De Angelis' Shadow, up to when, during the 21st lap, it was violently bumped in the rear by the De Angelis car and was forced to retire.

For the Alfa Romeo management and for the entire press contingent, it was a positive debut... although the 177 was by now technically an outdated car and definitely heavy. 

Born as an experimental car two years earlier, it was characterized by a dry weight of over 600 kg, and yes,...it  was racing against ground effect cars weighing just over 500 kg. 

Moreover, in this period, the Milanese house had already prepared one new ground effect car, the 179, of which was being secretly developed in anticipation of it's debut at the Italian Grand Prix.

About six weeks after July 1st '79, the 177 and Giacomelli returned to race at the French Grand Prix, which was held on the Dijon circuit and conquered the 17th fastest time. 

The day of the race, despite the great commitment of Giacomelli, the 177 passed the finish line in 17th position five laps behind the Renault RS 11 winning car.

Over the next few days, the 177 was put through a tough test on the very fast track of Hockenheim  driven by Vittorio Brambilla... and showed some very interesting lap times. 

However, the Alfa Romeo team leadership decided not to participate in the next race scheduled on the German track, and instead concentrated its efforts on the preparation of the car destined for the next Italian Grand Prix, a race in which the debut of the new ground effect car...the new 179 was planned.

On September 9th 1979, on the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the 177 came entrusted to Brambilla. It was a memorable day, the Italian fans provided for Alfa Romeo and its drivers, Vittorio and Bruno and generously gave them an unforgettable welcome.

Brambilla, then 42 was returning to Formula 1 racing on the same track where a year earlier he had had his dramatic accident.

During the qualifying session, the 177 obtained the 22nd fastest time, preceding four other cars.

At the end of the race, which saw the victory of the world championship by Ferrari of Jody Scheckter, Vittorio Brambilla's Alfa Romeo 177 behaved more than dignified and passed under the checkered flag in 12th position, while the 179 entrusted to Giacomelli was forced to retire during the 29th lap for one accident.

It should be noted that before the retreat, the 179 had reached the Lauda-driven Brabham and was about to overtake it, then a trivial off - road event at the Ascari curve stopped the sensational action of the new Milanese car.

A week later the 177 appeared in the race at the Dino Ferrari Grand Prix, a contest run at Imola not valid for the championship . For the first time in nine years, Enzo Ferrari attended the tests.

During qualifying, the single 177 was run by both Bruno and Vittorio but for the race Vittorio was chosen to race the car. Starting from 6th place on the starting grid, the 177 finished the race in 9th place one lap behind the winner.

On lap 40 the 177, as in its debut race, was hit by the Shadow of Elio De Angelis, and was forced to slow down its run.

The Alfa Romeo 177-001 thus ended its career at Imola by behaving better than her younger sister, the 179, who was forced to retire after only 4 laps.

The 177 completed in only a few races but accomplished its task; it had successfully returned an Alfa Romeo car in F1 after a very long absence....of 28 years.

1979 Alfa Romeo 177 12 cylinder boxer 3000 cc

1979 Alfa Romeo 'Typo 179'.

1979 Alfa Romeo 177

1979 Brabham BT48 - Alfa Romeo 

Alfa Romeo 179

Text by Roberto Motta

Photos: Alfa Romeo Documentation Center, Arese, Roberto Motta and

Tom Wood © 2011 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Copyright  Robert B. Little

The "179" was an important car in F1 history.  While it was born as a ground effect ‘wing-car’, it was severely modified by the cruel winds of regulatory change during its scheduled lifetime on the Formula 1 circuits of the late 1970s and early 1980’s.

Because those changes were enacted during its planned competitive lifetime, it did not achieve its desired results… but it nevertheless made fans of Alfa Romeo brand enthusiasts worldwide.

In 1979 Alfa Romeo returned to compete in the F1 World Championship with its own car, the 177 … its debut occurring at the Grand Prix of Belgium at Zolder on May 13, 1979.   

Born and developed two years before its Zolder debut… and even after having a positive debut, the 177 proved to be somewhat technically outdated.

Originally conceived for the use of Pirelli radial tires, it was forced to use the Goodyear brand at the last minute.

Moreover, the size and weight problems of the boxer engine did not allow it to be a real aero ground effect wing-car.  The problems with the dimensions of the engine also affected the results of the first Brabham-Alfa-Romeo BT45-001 which obviously like the Milanese car, could not make the best use of the ground effect.

For this reason, in the late spring of 1978 the engineer Carlo Chiti began designing a new powertrain called the 'Type 1260', that is, 12 cylinders in a “V” of 60 °, which would have allowed the car to take better advantage of the side tunnels inside where an inverted wing structure was placed… allowing the exploitation of the ground effect.

At the same time the 177 continued to be updated and to participate in some championship races.

The 'Type 1260' engine.

It was built in just over four months.  Since the first tests carried out by Niki Lauda, the engine proved to be one of the best engines of its period.

It had bore and stroke measurements of 77.0 mm and 53.60 mm (2995 cc), and it exploited all the Autodelta experiences gained from the previous Autodelta boxer…retaining proprietary details such as the crankshaft journals, connecting rods, pistons and cylinder heads.

With its solid granite appearance, its structure was characterized by the banks of its twelve cylinders, narrow and tall, which gave it a sense of solidity and great power. Separate exhaust manifolds joined with a 3-in-one type system to flow into a single outlet.

At the time of its test debut on the track which took place in Lauda's BT48 in December 1978, the new engine it had an output of 525 hp at 12,200 rpm.

Over the years it maintained a high standard of reliability and power,  delivering, in its latest versions, 540 horsepower at 12,300 rpm and a higher torque of 35 kgm at 9000-9500 rpm.

Thus, as time passed, Alfa Romeo continued to simultaneously supply engines to the Brabham Parmalat team passing from the 'Typo 115-12' to the V12 'Typo 1260' that fitted the BT48.

Alfa Romeo 179: a real aero 'wing-car'

The 179 was conceived following the technical dictates that prevailed in the period. It was a true 'groung effects' design: inside the body were upside down wing profiles and variable section side air vents which, with the help of the side skirts,  allowed a watertight seal under the bottom of the car.  

The side air vents allowed the air to transit under the car creating strong downward force which turned into a significant increase in downforce.

Thus, on a road course …it held the curves enormously stronger and more authoritatively than that of traditional single-seaters.

Designed by French engineer Robert Choulet, the 179's shape looked like a set of rounded curves broken by the sharp lines of the sides.

Narrow V-cylinders had been designed to achieve the best aerodynamic performance possible. It was definitely the first time in the history of racing cars that an engine was built specifically for these aerodynamic parameters.   Its V-shaped structure of 60 ° allowed the car to feature unseen internal side pod downforce wings with a width of 40 centimeters …more than those that had been allowed by the flat wide boxer engine and creating more downforce to the ground effect of about 700 kg (at 260 km / h).

The car showed off a very narrow attractive body made of aluminum panels and titanium with a clean trim, slim shape… which started from the nose up to the engine.  Behind the driver's shoulders was the 200-liter fuel tank.

The suspension system exploited the same solutions adopted for the 177.  As before,  Autodelta used overlapping “A” frames up front with a wide wheelbase and anti-roll bar while in the rear Ing. Chiti’s engineers fitted lower triangular “A” frames and an upper arm, and worthy of note…the 179 was equipped with an anti-roll bar adjustable by the driver.

This single-seater, characterized by a rounded line that contrasted with the taut shapes of the sides, was born from the long tests in the wind tunnel.  Thanks to the considerable downforce of its body, it was devoid of the spoiler in front and looked like one of the most beautiful F1 cars.

Small spoilers and a front air downforce spoiler was later tested and adopted as was a full-width aileron.

The 179 weighed 595 kg dry, had a wheelbase 2.74 m, track widths of 1.72 m and 1.57 m, length 4.34 m, width 2.14 m and height 0.9 m.

A not inconsiderable fact was that for the first time since the 158 'Alfetta'... the 179 used an engine designed exclusively for F1 competitions since the Autodelta V-8 power unit and its subsequent 12 cylinder boxer engines were powertrains derived from an engine used on Sports cars.

The 179 therefore had what it took to bring Alfa Romeo back to victory.

The Alfa Romeo Typo 177 of 1979

The 179 debuts in Monza.

On August 16 and 17, 1979 the Alfa Romeo Autodelta team moved to the Monza circuit where, in the presence of the then Alfa Romeo President Massacesi the 179 was tested by Bruno Giacomelli and Vittorio Brambilla.

During the tests the 179 became the victim of a few technical problems, including the breaking of an exhaust manifold, which detached from the engine as the car drove along the Lesmo curve and… five laps later, the engine failed in the same corner.

The 179 was forced to return to the pits towed by a track service car, an Alfetta GTV among whistles from spectators.

The following morning, around 11:00 am, the 179 was taken to the track by Brambilla and, with some interruptions for the necessary checks, the high speed tests continued until 6:00 pm, when the track was closed.

Almost one month later, on  September 9th on the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, the Autodelta 177-001 was entrusted to Vittorio Brambilla and 179-001 to Bruno Giacomelli.

At the qualifying tests, the 179 obtained the 18th fastest time in the starting grid while its sister, the 177 obtained the 22nd fastest position.

During the race the 179 fought with Lauda's Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT48 but, while on the 29th lap Giacomelli spun his 179 at the Ascari curve and ended its run.

It was a shame, because the car had been competitive, even if it was still fresh from of its initial development.

At the end of the race,  Jody Scheckter's Ferrari won the world championship and the 177 finished in 12th position.

The '179' had a long career and was made in different versions (179B, 179C, 179D, 179F). Probably the most beautiful version was its first year model, in which it was distinguished by a red livery, the color chosen for Italian racing cars and was devoid of front spoilers.

With this configuration Autodelta and the 179 faced the last championship races in Montreal and at Watkins Glen.

The 179-001 remained at Giacomelli's disposal, while the 179-002 was entrusted to Patrick Depailler.

It shines.

After its demanding debut in the short 1979 season, in 1980 the car improved with the renewed Marlboro-Alfa Romeo team. During the season, Giacomelli got two fifth places, a thirteenth place and a pole position in Canada.

On August 1, the season was marred by the tragic loss of Patrick Depailler who died in a crash testing his 179 at Hockenheim during a private test session ten days before the actual race.

His seat was temporarily taken up by Mario Andretti who took part with the 179B-004 at the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort and at the Italian Grand Prix at Imola. It was his last race in F1 because he was permanently replaced by Andrea de Cesaris who debuted in F1 at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, the 'Typo 179' proved faster and faster so much so that the 179B-006 allowed Giacomelli to capture pole position at Watkins Glen where he led the entire race with a large margin and only at the last few minutes of the race was betrayed by a Marelli coil meltdown which took away a victory that had been almost a certainty.

The 1981 season was characterized by the abolition of 'miniskirts'.   At this point the 179, originally designed and built as an aero wing-car, it was no longer able to perform at its best despite suffering some changes.

Conclusions

The Autodelta team, supporting its 179 as a ground effects car to make the most of the regulations, was materially damaged by regulatory changes made and… despite not having managed to have the desired results, it did accomplish the dream of  Alfisti  for having brought young Italian drivers into Formula 1 racing…Bruno Giacomelli and Andrea de Cesaris.    

It is natural to us to think how his story could have evolved had there been fewer contradictions within the team itself , and, if the car had been driven by more experienced pilots such as the best of time, drivers of the caliber of Villeneuve, Scheckter, Jones, Lauda, Prost, Piquet, Mansel ...

However, we know that history is not written with the 'ifs'.

1980 Alfa Romeo 179 

1981 Alfa Romeo 179 V-12

1981 Alfa Romeo T179  V-12 cylinder  3000 cc

Alfa Romeo 182

Text by Roberto Motta

 Photos by Roberto Motta and press-BMW group

                                                                        Copyright Robert B. Little

Beautiful and yet unfortunate, the Alfa Romeo Typo 182 lived only one season. It was the last Milanese chassis propelled by the Autodelta V12 engine to win a pole position and it was the first to adopt the turbocharged V-8 engine

During the 1981 season, the Alfa Romeo 179 was seldom able to get satisfying results.  If we exclude the first Grand Prix races where it started from the front row of a few starting grids, the 179 experienced overall a disappointing season.  Its dissapointing performance was 'softened' somewhat at the end of the Formula One season when Bruno Giacomelli managed to achieve a 4th place in the Grand Prix of Canada and a 3rd place in the Caesars Palace Grand Prix of Las Vegas.

Beyond the cold statistics, however, it must be remembered that the scarce competitiveness of the car was partly due to the forced use of Michelin tires caused by the withdrawl of Goodyear at the end of 1980.

The new Michelin radials forced the Autodelta technicians to redesign the entire suspension system.  Even the FIA's abolition of miniskirts at the end of the 1980 season... which had made it a competitive car ...negatively affected the characteristic aerodynamics and chassis adhesion to track surfaces.  

Finally, the arrival of French engineer Gerard Ducarouge, which occurred in mid-August, allowed the team to improve the car thanks to the use of variable flexibility side skirts, but undermined the future of Alfa Romeo in Formula 1 racing.

In the early days of 1982, while the team was preparing the new car, the then General Manager of Alfa Romeo S.p.A. Ettore Massacesi decided to limit the general overall authority of Ing. Chiti by appointing him president of Autodelta.

This decision placed Chiti in a minority situation and allowed for a wider field of authority (autonomy) for Ducarouge...who cunningly helped orchestrate these circumstances in his ultimate favor.  

Eliminating Carlo Chiti from the company he helped organize in 1965 was his Machiavellian goal.

The 1982 season presented itself to Alfa Romeo as potentialy quite interesting but, in spite of the forecasts of 'experts', started with disappointing results.

The new car, the 182 with its new Ducarouge-designed carbon fibre chassis, was not yet ready to enter the 1982 season ...therefore the Milanese manufacturer decided to enter the first races of the Formula One year with their old 179 cars.

On 23 January the 1982 season got underway at the South African Grand Prix on the track at Kyalami.  Alfa Romeo fielded 179s for Bruno Giacomelli and Andrea de Cesaris who, after a mediocre race, sadly finished in 11th and 13th place. In the subsequent Grand Prix of Brazil, on the Jacarepagua circuit, both 179 cars were forced to retire.

On April 3, 1982, in Long Beach, in qualifying practice for the US-West Grand Prix it was an unforgettable day for Alfa and de Cesaris. During the tests, the '182-02' (race number 22) driven by a surprising de Cesaris who obtained pole position, while the second car, '182-01', entrusted to Bruno Giacomelli earned an encouraging 5th fastest time in qualifying.

The following day, at the start of the race, de Cesaris's '182-02' started in strong command of the field, but it was forced to retire during the 33rd lap due to a road exit.

The accident was caused by a distraction of the driver de Cesaris who had crashed against a protective wall after seeing, through the rear-view mirrors suspicious smoke escaping from his car.

Giacomelli's '182-01' stopped on lap 5 due to an accident with the Renault of Rene Arnoux.

For the more curious in Long Beach there was also the chassis '182-03'...a newly created spare used as the practice 'muletto'..

As announced by the English teams, the next San Marino Grand Prix on 25 April, Alfa Romeo was deserted from all the stables registered with the Formula One Constructors Association.  In the course of qualifying with a field reduced to just 14 cars, Giacomelli's '182-01' won the 6th fastest qualifying time while the '182-04' of de Cesaris took the 7th position on the grid. 

Race day was like a cold shower for Alfa Romeo.  On the 4th lap the fuel pump of de Cesaris's car failed... while on lap 24 the V-12 of Giacomelli took its last breath due to the rupture of an oil pipe.

The following weekend the Belgian Grand Prix was marred by the fatal accident in which Gilles Villeneuve lost his life. 

It was Saturday May 8th during the qualifying practice when Villeneuve's Ferrari 126C2 hit the rear wheel of the Jochen Mass March car that preceded him at a slower pace and had moved away to leave the passing lane free for Villeneuve ...who was busily engaged in his fastest lap. 

The Canadian did not understand the intention of Mass, and his Ferrari was catapulted into the air by the rear wheel of the March. Villeneuve was thrown out of the cockpit... harnessed securely to his seat... hit a stake with the back of his head.  He died shortly there after.

For the Alfa Romeo team it was yet another race to forget. Giacomelli's '182-01' did not even finish the first lap due to an accident, while the '182-04' of de Cesaris stopped on lap 34 due to a broken drive shaft.

In the pits there was also the '182-03', used as the 'muletto'.

On 23 May, at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo found a smile again, thanks to the 3rd fastest time recorded from Giacomelli's' 182-01 and de Cesaris' 7th fastest qualifying time from' his 182-04 .

On the day of the race, Giacomelli's car was forced to retire due to the failure of a drive shaft, which took place during the 4th lap, while de Cesaris's car won an unexpected 3rd place finish. Again, the '182-03' was present in the pits as a spare or 'muletto'.

In the next race on June 6 in Detroit, de Cesaris won an important pole position with '182-04' while Giacomelli with '182-01' got the 5th fastest time.

It was the last pole position won by Alfa Romeo in an F1 race. 182 - 04 ’took the lead, but was soon forced to give up due to a banal electrical failure, while Giacomelli's '182-01' was involved in yet another accident. In the pits there was the usual '182-03' 'muletto'..

The negative period continued for Alfa Romeo. In the subsequent Dutch Grand Prix, the Gran Prix of Brittany, France and the Grand Prix of Germany, the 182 took Giacomelli to the finish line, obtaining 11th place with '182-05', 7th place with '182-03', 9th place with '182-03' and 5th place with the '182-03' respectively.

The situation worsened in the Austrian Grand Prix on the Zeltweg circuit where on a day of mid-August neither Giacomelli's '182-03' nor the '182-06' ended the race.

On August 29th, in the Swiss Grand Prix run on the French circuit of Dijon, the '182-06' of de Cesaris was relegated to 10th place and Giacomelli's '182-03' to 12th place.

The agony of Alfa Romeo also continued during the next Italian Grand Prix where '182-03' for Giacomelli and the '182-06' for de Cesaris were entered   Only '182-06' managed to finish the race with a disappointing 10th place overall. 

We would like to point out that, on Friday September 3rd, during the break in reserved tests to the cars entered in the Italian F3 Championship, the 182T made its official debut equipped with the new V8 Turbo engine. 

The car, entrusted to de Cesaris, proved itself fast enough, however the team did not consider the car ready for the race debut.

The championship season ended with the Las Vegas race. Also on this occasion the Alfa Romeo team did not prove to be up to the situation; the '182-06' driven by de Cesaris finished the race in 9th place and Giacomelli's '182-04' 10th place, 2 laps behind the winner Michele Alboreto driving a Tyrrel.

From a sporting point of view, while the 8-cylinder turbo engine was being tested by Giorgio Francia on the Balocco track, Giacomelli and de Cesaris had been forced to compete with a 12-cylinder now outdated compared to the turbo engines of Ferrari and of Renault.   Moreover, even the chassis designed by Ducarouge  never reached its intended dreams or aspirations due to the new regulations that prohibited the use of miniskirts.

The 182 could have been competitive, but unfortunately it did not have that reliability which would have allowed it to accumulate kilometers of speed and endurance to discover further improvements in the car.

For example, before entering each race, all the exhausts pipes... made of precious titanium... were replaced with fresh material. However there was never a  competition where one or more of the titanium pieces didn't break...resulting in a loss of engine power.   

The 182 was also plagued by a series of minor failures, each rather insignificant, but collectively forced the surrender or a poor race outcome.

Perhaps the 182 model lacked a little luck.

The absolute harmony of the team with the manufacturers who are not members of the Formula One Constructors Association disrupted the programs of the Milanese technicians who kept faith with the agreements... a legality that other builders did not respect.

The season ended with the team achieving tenth place in the constructors' championship. Such a result highlighted the team's technical and managerial difficulties.  During this disappointing season, Masaccesi reconsidered the participation of Alfa Romeo in the championship reserved for F1 cars. 

He feared he was being held responsible for an adventure that has become more and more for the Milanese manufacturer rich in investments and poor in results. He was convinced that the IRI should to intervene drastically and decisively to limit the future of the discussed motor racing department named Autodelta.

Initially Massacesi also considered the opportunity to completely leave the world of F1, but, after carefully analyzing the situation, considered it a retirement that could be interpreted by customers as denying the traditionally sporting image of the company.

In the same period, Nicolò San Germano, a young Philip Morris manager, was instructed by his  parent company in Lausanne to follow and support the Alfa Romeo Marlboro sponsorships.

He proposed to the management of the Milanese company to sell the Formula 1 team and to entrust its management to the Euroracing team owned by Gianpaolo Pavanello.

Pavanello distinguished himself in Formula 3 by winning Italian and European championships. According to the Marlboro man, such a choice would have guaranteed the reduction of management costs and the increase in sponsorship revenue since the activity would no longer be managed by a 'state company', but by an agile private organization. 

Having heard that, Massacesi decided to entrust to Euroracing the management of the Formula 1 team starting from the 1983 season. The new team could have counted on steady supply of 8-cylinder and turbo engines along with Autodelta technical assistance.

With this decision, the Alfa Romeo adventure, or rather that of the 'real' Alfa Romeo, ended with the 1982 season, although in reality a team substitute continued under the banner of the Euroracing Team.

During the 1983 season, the new 183T cars, powered by the turbo engine were entrusted to Mauro Baldi and Andrea de Cesaris. The season was catastrophic, so much so that both drivers preferred not to renew their respective contracts.

With the loss of its main sponsor, Marlboro, the cars received a new livery supported by Benetton. Piloted by Riccardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever, they sailed in the sea of anonymity, so much so that after a thousand controversies and problems, that could not and should not have involved the Alfa Romeo brand name, the management of the Milanese manufacturer decided to withdraw from the world of the Grand Prix racing, and to continue the supply of turbo engines at Osella until 1987.

The technique

The mechanical heart of the 182 was the 'Type 1260' engine, the engine that came modified in bore and stroke measurements during the '81 season. Characterized from measurements of 78.5 and 51.5 mm, it had an effective displacement 2991.009 cc.

Mounted with a load-bearing function, the engine was characterized by a 4-point distribution valves per cylinder, 2 overhead camshafts controlled by a cascade system of gears for each bank.

The lubrication system was of the dry sump type and used 2 radiators for the cooling of the lubricating oil. The fuel injection system was entrusted to a Lucas mechanical feeding system with electronic regulation.

The transmission, assisted by a dry two-plate clutch, was entrusted to a gearbox of either  5 or 6 ratios along with reverse.

It must be borne in mind that during the 1982 season, the attention of  Alfa Romeo engineering staff was focused on the study of a supercharged engine, already adopted by the competition. Even the Milanese house was involved in the experimentation of motors with variable displacement power systems and turbochargers.

The big news of the 182 was its monocoque chassis, made of carbon fibre.   Designed by the French engineer Gerard Ducarouge, it was more durable and lighter than the aluminum frame, but was also hugely more expensive.

The frame was built by Roger Slomans, owner of Composite Components of Derby, UK... the same company that had made the chassis for McLaren Cars in 1981. At that time, Autodelta did not have the production capacity of make a carbon fiber chassis in its Settimo Milanese workshop.

Behind the driver's shoulders was the 190-liter fuel tank.

The front suspension used broad base and arm lower triangles upper transverse, coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and stabilizer bar. The rear suspension used lower reverse triangles and wishbones upper of different lengths, coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and bar stabilizer.

The braking system consisted of 4 self-ventilating discs, each pressed by 2 2-piston calipers.

The car rested on 13” diameter magnesium rims which allowed for the mounting of  Michelin racing tires with measures of 23.00 / 59x13 on the front, and 38.00 / 70x13 on the rear.

The 182 was 4390mm long overall, 900mm high, 2150mm wide and had a wheelbase of 2720 mm, front and rear track of 1820 mm and 1680 mm respectively.

The car claimed a dry weight of 580 kg.

Conclusions

Although its competition history was relatively short, it should be remembered that the 182 still had good records to remember: it was the last F1 Alfa Romeo to record a pole position in F1 and the last to be equipped with the V12 engine, the Tipo 1260.  It was the first car of the Milanese house to exploit a monocoque in carbon fiber and kevlar, and the first to be powered by the new V-8 Turbo engine with over 600 HP thus launching the 'Biscione' in the era of the Turbo.

These largely unsuccessful F1 cars of the 1981 were essentially the final cars built by Autodelta in Settimo Milanese "in house" before the takeover of the construction activities by outside vendors such as Advanced Composite Components ... building the new 182 in 1982.  

The planning and general supervision of this 1981 car was maintainted by Ing. Carlo Chiti....this car only achieved a 4th place in Canada and a third place in Las Vegas.

1982 Alfa Romeo 182B

1983 Alfa Romeo 183T  V-8 1500 Turbo

1984 Alfa Romeo Euroracing 184T V- 8 cylinder 1500 Turbo

This was the very last Formula 1 Alfa Romeo car supervised by Ing. Carlo Chiti before his withdrawal from employment with Alfa Romeo S.p.A.  This car, known more appropriately as the 184 T/C was tested for the first time on January 11, 1984 at the Balocco testing facility...a few days after its public introduction.  

Ing. Chiti then immediately joined Piero Mancini in forming a new company Motoro Moderni a short drive away from Settimo Milanese in nearby Novara.

These are previously secret photographs of an Ligier chassis with an experimental Autodelta Turbo-charged four cylinder engine being tested by Autodelta prior to the closure of its activities.  More will be disclosed in the coming days by Autodelta Golden Years.com .