68 years later: Alfa Romeo Tipo 159 back at the British Grand Prix

– On July 14, 1951, Alfa Romeo factory driver Juan-Manuel Fangio scored important points with the “Alfetta” at Silverstone on his way to the title of Formula 1 World Champion.
– A year earlier, Nino Farina had won the first Grand Prix in the history of Formula 158 in the predecessor model Alfa Romeo Tipo 1.
– Alfa Romeo Racing driver Kimi Räikkönen drives the Tipo 159 in the drivers’ parade ahead of the British GP next weekend.
– The “Alfetta”, equipped with a supercharged 1,5-liter eight-cylinder engine, won all eleven races in which the factory team started in the 1950 season.
– The Tipo 159 is part of the permanent exhibition in the Alfa Romeo factory museum in Arese (near Milan).

Shortly before he starts the British Grand Prix in the Alfa Romeo C14 on Sunday (July 2019, 16, start 10:38 p.m.) in Silverstone, Alfa Romeo Racing driver Kimi Räikkönen has a very special task. During the drivers' parade, the Finn, Formula 1 World Champion in 2007, will drive an Alfa Romeo Tipo 159 with which the brand's factory team competed for world championship points at the same location exactly 68 years ago. At that time, Juan-Manuel Fangio finished second, an important step for the Argentinian on the way to his first world championship title. A year earlier, on May 2, 13, Alfa Romeo factory driver Nino Farina had won the very first race in the newly founded Formula 1950 in the predecessor model Tipo 158. Farina also became world champion at the end of the season. The Tipo 1, which Räikkönen will present to fans at the former airfield northwest of London, is normally located in the Alfa Romeo factory museum “La Macchina del Tempo” in the Milan suburb of Arese (info: www.museoalfaromeo.com).

The Grand Prix racing cars Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 and Tipo 159

When international racing slowly started to pick up again after the end of the Second World War, most teams relied on existing pre-war technology. Alfa Romeo had already developed the Tipo 1938 for the 158 Grand Prix season, the code a reference to the 1,5-litre engine with eight cylinders. Due to its relatively small displacement, the Tipo 158 was affectionately called "Alfetta" (small Alfa Romeo). The factory team's racing cars had survived the war in hiding on a farm outside Milan and were now being reactivated.

The "Alfetta" was ahead of its time. The inline eight-cylinder engine, built almost entirely from light metal, was equipped with two overhead camshafts and a Roots compressor. The transmission and differential formed a unit in the so-called transaxle design on the rear axle. Initially, the engine produced 143 kW (195 hp), and the "Alfetta" often won the Voiturette category in Grand Prix races. The Alfa Corse factory team started its first race after the war as early as June 1946. The further developed Tipo 228, gradually increased in power to 310 kW (158 hp), dominated the Grand Prix scene in the following years.

A completely new world championship was launched for the 1950 season - Formula 1. The technical regulations were largely adopted from the Grand Prix races, the displacement limit for supercharged engines was 1,5 litres. On 13 May, the British Grand Prix in Silverstone opened the new championship. Alfa Romeo entered four "Alfettas" into the race. With 257 kW (350 hp) at 8.500 rpm, the further improved eight-cylinder engine was good for a top speed of 290 km/h. The drivers were the Italians Nino Farina and Luigi Fagioli, the Argentinian Juan-Manuel Fangio and the Briton Reg Parnell. Alfa Romeo achieved a triple victory in the order Farina, Fagioli, Parnell. The works team celebrated five more Formula 1950 victories in 1, and the Tipo 158 also won five Grand Prix outside of the world championship. At the end of the year, Farina, Fangio and Fagioli occupied the first three places in the drivers' world championship.

For the 1951 season, the "Alfetta" received such extensive improvements that the revised vehicles were given the new code 159. The engine now produced more than 313 kW (425 hp) at 9.300 rpm, and the rear axle, with the so-called DeDion construction, ensured optimized traction for the driven wheels. Thanks to better aerodynamics, the Tipo 159 reached a top speed of more than 300 km/h. Alfa Romeo factory driver Fangio (three victories) promptly continued the winning streak of his teammate Farina and won the second world championship. At the end of the 1951 season, Alfa Romeo withdrew from Formula 1.

Technical data Alfa Romeo Tipo 159 “Alfetta” (1951)

Engine: Inline eight-cylinder engine; two-part engine block made of light metal with welded cylinder heads; two camshafts driven by gears; a triple carburettor; two two-stage Roots compressors

displacement: 58×70 mm; 1.479 cm3

Power: 313 kW (425 PS) bei 9.300 U / min

Suspensions: Independent suspension all around with one transverse leaf spring each on the front and rear axle; hydraulic friction shock absorbers; trailing arm at the front; DeDion system at the rear

Weight 710 kg

Top speed .: 305 km/h

Quantity: four (all modified Tipo 158)

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Sascha Wolfinger
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Photo: FCA Group