Flat-4s (or Suds, Subs and SUVs)

[Alex Jenner <alexj@domain.elided>]

Chisheng Huang wrote in alfa-digest V7 #911:

>   When all is said and done, the major advantage of a flat
>   4 is being able to have a low bonnet line. When most of
>   
> I don't think my 33 had a lower bonnet line than my Spider.  When you
> have a flat 4, you tend to pile all those auxiliaries on top of it.
> When you have an inline 4, you tend to hang all those stuff on its
> sides.  I'd like to think that wonderful flat 4 in my 33 lowered her
> center of gravity a bit.

The lower center of gravity is the main advantage, plus a short 3 main
bearing crank and oversquare dimensions of the Alfa boxer, made for an 
amazingly free reving motor.

The weight being slung low ahead of the front axle, might not seem 
ideal w.r.t. front/rear weight bias, but this is probably compensated
by the central mass of the longitudinal gearbox.

Another advantage (fully exploited by Subaru) is that it's not too
hard to run a driveshaft to the rear of a longitudinal box to make 
a 4WD configuration.

Alfa did this with the 33, but as an independent make, probably didn't
have the finances to develop it properly. Then with FIAT, the official 
line was that Lancia did the 4WD rally cars, and Alfa did the Touring
car racing etc.

So the downside of dropping the the flat-4 is that we never got to see
the Alfa 33 developed into something like the Subaru WRC Rally car.
For anyone who has not seen a World Rally Championship special stage
live, this is a motorsport must see (and hear).

The World Rally Championship is second only to F1 in international
motorsport for a very good reason. The cars are exciting to watch and
it's very competitive - some would say more passing than F1 too ;-)

The upside of dropping the flat-4 configuration, is that I guess it 
makes it a little harder for FIAT to turn an Alfa into a SUV.

Best Regards from NZ - where we just had the last round of the WRC.
Alex Jenner
1980 Alfasud Sprint Veloce

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